Letter from CCA

(“A Letter from CCA” is a sharing message of the CCA General Secretary to update member churches and ecumenical friends about the life and works of CCA. It is electronically published every Wednesday.)

13th CCA General Assembly
"Called to Prophesy, Reconcile and Heal"
14-21 April 2010
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ!

This will be my last Letter for this year. Our office will close for Christmas from December 22, 2008 and will reopen next year on January 5, 2009.

On behalf of all staff of the Christian Conference of Asia and board members of the CCA Foundation in Chiang Mai, I extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for your support, comments and suggestions given us throughout the year 2008. We experienced many ups and downs in our ecumenical journey this year, but we remain thankful for God's abundant love and mercy.

Christmas Message from CCA

Christmas comes to us this year in the midst of a global recession that has left people losing homes, workers losing jobs and families losing income. It seems that the human spirit has reached its lowest ebb. Where is the Christmas spirit in this time of anxiety and want?

As we approach Christmas and the end of another year, we look back and remember with gratitude God's many blessings, including the love and support CCA received from member Churches, Councils and ecumenical friends which helped us carry through our ministry and work in Asia.

The true spirit of Christmas is The Word become flesh and dwelt among us; to give life to the dying, hope to those in despair, light to those who live in darkness and peace throughout the earth. "Emmanuel, God with us" is God's way of expressing great love for all people and giving hope in these difficult and trying times.

As we celebrate Christmas, may be never lose sight of the Word coming to us in the Christ Child born in Bethlehem to give life and light to the world. Let us continue to support those who continue to fight for their basic rights and help them find justice and hope -- the Christian minority in Orissa, the families displaced by conflict in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and the Philippines, the Dalits and aboriginal communities in India and Australia, the disadvantaged and alienated from the rest of society.

Let us receive God's gift of peace and reconciliation as we respond to human suffering left by wars and long-standing conflicts in many places in Asia. A reconciling spirit brings us in harmony with all of creation - nature that sustains us, water that quench our thirst, and the fresh air that we breathe. Most of all, we need to be reconciled with our neighbors and communities and be messengers of God's peace. The word become flesh calls us to die to the values of the world - our greed for wealth, status and power that breed enmity among people and wars among nations.

God dwelt with us through His son, Jesus Christ, who showed us how it is to love our neighbor, through his ministry of healing, compassion and service. His love and care for the sinners gives us the courage to live among those rejected by society, the trafficked women and children, those inflicted by HIV and AIDS, the migrant workers, and the refugees.

May the joy of Christmas and the peace which the birth of our Savior in a cowshed in Bethlehem rekindle our sense of justice and bring about reconciliation with neighbors, and among communities and nations.

New Program Consultant

Fr. Philip Kuruvilla, CCA Consultant on HIV and AIDS Concern will complete his term of service on December 31, 2008. I thank him for his commitment, hardworking and expertise rendered to CCA and churches in Asia during the past two years and nine months. Fr. Philip will return to serve people in the Orthodox Church in India.

Dr. Erlinda Noble Senturias has been appointed to continue this HIV and AIDS ministry for a period of two years effective from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2010. We hope that Dr. Senturias will make this ministry with people living with HIV and AIDS and their families more visible and pro-active among our member Churches and Councils. Dr. Senturias is from Davao, the Philippines and was the former WCC Program Coordinator on HIV and AIDS.

Scholarships available for Theological Study in Taiwan

Tanian Theological College and Seminary, Taiwan, is giving a one-year scholarship for Master of Theology (M.Th) and Master of Religious Studies (MRS) degree programs for September 2009-June 2010.

For more information, please contact:
Director, TANIAN THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE AND SEMINARY
117 Tungmen Road Section 1, Tainan, TAIWAN
E-mail:bisihua@mail.ttcs.org.tw
Fax:886-6-2346060

Prawate Khid-arn
General Secretary

No. 52/17 December 2008