The Christian Conference of Asia has elected new officers, who are expected to help chart the future of ecumenism and help strengthen the prophetic voice of Christianity in a culturally diverse continent, which, they say, needs “reconciliation and healing” more than ever.
Elected on 19 April during the CCA’s 13th General Assembly were four members of the Presidium. They were Ms Van Arun Rasmey, Kampuchea Christian Council general secretary; Rev Rex RB Reyes, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines; Rev Ms Retno Ngapon (Youth), Indonesia; and Dr K.B. Rokaya, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Nepal.
Members of the presidium have vowed to help make CCA a strong voice in Asia. “We have to exert more effort in playing our prophetic role in engaging with governments, civil society and other sectors,” said Dr Rokaya.
“We have to raise our voices against authoritarian and repressive regimes, religious extremism, human trafficking, militarism, human rights violations, institutionalised corruption and bad governance, even as we seek to help address modern epidemics such as HIV and AIDS,” he added.
Rev. Reyes also stressed on possibly “restructuring CCA to make it relevant and responsive” to current challenges and issues.
For his part, newly elected treasurer Augustine Karmakar promised to develop and improve CCA’s financial management system and raise funds “the best ways possible.”
Karmakar, the general secretary of the Church of Bangladesh, also said he would help promote self-reliance by encouraging more membership contributions. “We must also encourage richer Asian churches to give more,” he said.
Also elected were members of the General Committee and the three programme area committees – Ecumenical Formation, Gender Justice and Youth Empowerment (EGY); Faith, Mission and Unity (FMU); and the Justice, International Affairs, Development and Service (JID).
Members of the General Committee, however, will be announced only today after questions were raised about lack of balance in representation for the youth, laymen and laywomen.
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