| 8 September 2010 |
| People’s forum to open eyes of those blinded by power, position, class, ideology and prejudice |
CHIANG MAI, Thailand (APEN) – Preparations are underway to initiate an interface between churches and people’s movements in the region.
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An Asian ecumenical body will organize a People’s Forum on 12-13 April in Kuala Lumpur to identify critical issues of people like development, justice and peace.
Among the objectives of the forum, organized by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), is “to draw implications for churches’ mission amidst broken, bruised and brutalized people and communities.”
The forum also aims to initiate a network among churches and people’s movements, and to strengthen and renew networks where they already exist.
According to Reverend Freddy De Alwis, executive secretary of the CCA’s Justice, International Affairs, Development and Service program, the forum will bring out an action plan for churches at national and regional level to work together in solidarity to overcome forces which keep them divided and suppressed.
It will issue a statement identifying the principalities and powers which are denying life to people, and challenging churches to focus more effectively on mission and witness.
The forum, which will be held as a pre- CCA assembly event will discuss issues related to the 14-21 April CCA assembly's theme, “Called to prophesy, reconcile and heal,”
“Under this theme one of the primary tasks of the forum will be to identify critical voices coming out of peoples struggles to survive amidst forces of death and also to advocate for reconciliation and healing where communities are broken, bruised and brutalized,” said a concept paper by Reverend Freddy.
The CCA has been holding pre-assembly forums like people’s forum, women’s forum and youth forum since 1973.
These forums hear the people whose voices are not heard in the CCA assemblies or “even if they are heard, they do not make an impact to be taken note of.”
The concept paper stated that, “It is to meet this vacuum that the pre-Assemblies like people, women and youth were initiated and a report from these assemblies went to…the main assembly for adoption and appropriate action.”
The forums are expected to act like a “Third Eye” to the assembly and their voices are expected to find a place within the assembly deliberations.
According to the concept paper, the Asian philosophical idea of a third eye “could see what the normal eyes could not see.”
Those who attended the pre-assembly forums “functioned as the Third eye to the Assemblies.” it said and added that, “They were able to open the eyes of those who were blinded by power, positions, class, ideology and prejudice.”
CCA, the oldest ecumenical movement in Asia, organizes its general assembly once in five years to celebrate life, worship, discuss, and set policies for the following five years.
The 13th assembly will gather some 300 people around the theme, “Called to prophesy, reconcile and heal.”
CCA, which is based here, in a background paper prepared ahead of the assembly said that the assembly theme is a “reminder as well as a call to the churches in Asia to respond to God’s call and engage in prophetic, reconciling and healing ministries without counting the cost.”
The general assembly participants are mostly official representatives of the CCA member churches and councils.
Fraternal delegates, ecumenical, partners, observers, guests and visitors also attend different sessions of this supreme decision making body of the CCA, which is organized in different parts of Asia.
This is the third time a general assembly is going to be held in this Southeast Asian country.
Kuala Lumpur and Penang were the venues of the second and the sixth assemblies of the CCA in 1959 and 1977 respectively.
CCA was formally inaugurated at the Kuala Lumpur assembly in May 1959.
The oldest Asian ecumenical movement comprises nearly 100 protestant and orthodox churches, and 19 national councils of churches in Aotearoa-New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Timor Leste.
Among the many objectives of the CCA are the promotion and strengthening of the unity of the Asian churches, and the development and promotion of relationships with people of other faiths in the region.
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