In light of the novel COVID-19, the pandemic that has infected almost all continents in the world, the theme of Asia Sunday-2020 is ‘God, Heal Us as We are Vulnerable’. Asia Sunday is observed by the member churches and councils of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) annually on the Sunday before Pentecost. This year, Asia Sunday falls on 24 May 2020. However, the CCA requests its member churches and councils to use the Asia Sunday liturgy during special prayers in the coming days for the victims of the pandemic COVID-19. Dr Mathews George Chunakara, the CCA General Secretary, stated “The crucial conditions which we are currently collectively undergoing is a reminder for humankind to reflect on the fragility of human life and the ultimate vulnerability of the entire cosmos! Our world needs prayers, cure, and healing especially in the times of this crisis. The CCA, in this context, has decided to focus on the theme, ‘God, Heal Us as We are Vulnerable’ for Asia Sunday 2020.” The CCA General Secretary further stated, “The outbreak of COVID-19 is a loud wake-up call for all countries on our planet, and the proliferation of COVID-19, as well as other major epidemics since the beginning of this century, have shattered several myths about threats arising from new pathogens and diseases that escalate as epidemics.” “The eruption of these epidemics have proved that such diseases are no longer limited only to densely-populated poor countries, and that wealthy, developed countries are not immune to them. Dependence on higher levels of living standards and apparently well-developed health care systems alone cannot be our sole solution to overcome new pathogens and epidemic-prone diseases,” observed Dr Mathews George Chunakara, in his introduction to the special liturgy developed and released today by the CCA for this year’s Asia Sunday. The gravity of the multiplication of COVID-19 and its impacts on many countries are unimaginable and have not yet been properly quantified. A large number of people around the globe are extremely susceptible. In the span of a few months since the end of December 2019, the total number of confirmed cases has now surpassed 128,000 people in 126 countries worldwide, with over 4,717 deaths reported so far. As of today, people in 25 countries and regions in Asia have been affected by this deadly virus. The most affected Asian countries are China, Iran, and South Korea. All of the CCA’s programmes which were to be held by May 2020 have been postponed. The travel of CCA staff members, especially to high-risk areas, has been restricted. Please download the Asia Sunday 2020 Worship Resources using the links below:
1.Asia Sunday 2020 – God, Heal Us as We are Vulnerable (Word Document)
2.Asia Sunday 2020 – God, Heal Us as We are Vulnerable (PDF) Source ⇒ CCA |