27 September 2013 To: CCA Member Churches and Councils Members of the General Committee, Program Area Committee, and Ecumenical Partners Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, At the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Christian Conference of Asia from 24-27 September 2013, the members heard of the critical events that were taking place in certain parts of Asia, today. We remembered the witness of the churches and church councils of Asia in these trying and difficult times. We bid you pray for people in this vast continent, that we remain firm in our faith in Jesus Christ who has come to fulfill the promise of abundant life and deliverance. We pray that we remain steadfast in our calling to denounce what is evil and affirm God’s gift of community amidst our diversity. We bid you pray most especially for the following: - The people of Pakistan as they grieve for dear ones lost in the bombing of a church and other public places in Peshawar, and in the earthquakes that struck the Southwest province of Pakistan; - The respect for the spaces for worship and spiritual nurture and those who minister to the needs of survivors; - The people in the Philippines as they remain firm in denouncing corruption in high places and for the cessation of hostilities as well as the relief of internally displaced people in the beleaguered city of Zamboanga in Mindanao; - The garment workers in Bangladesh who are mostly women as they express their collective voice for just wages and humane conditions; - The farmers in Thailand who are protesting the drop in prices of Rubber and have lost heavily, and those who protested demanding action to restore their livelihoods, as they were affected by the construction of dams; - The people of Taiwan, that God’s wisdom may sustain them in their common action against government policies that deprive the ordinary people of land and source of livelihood; - The people of Nepal as they prepare for crucial national elections in November, and - The people of Korea in particular and of Asia in general as we prepare for the General Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Busan, Korea in October- November this year. May God’s reign of peace and justice abide in this our continent and that through our prophetic work and various service, God’s love, reconciliation, and healing grace may be felt by all and be in all. In solidarity and peace, On behalf of the Executive Committee Henriette Hutabarat Lebang General Secretary |