Plenum Asien

This is a recording of the Asia Plenary at the WWC 10th Assembly 2013, Busan, Republic of Korea. The Asia Plenary will seek to present a distinct interpretation of the theme, "God of life, lead us to justice and peace" that reflects the universal desire of all humanity for the fullness of life lived and nourished in peace that is accompanied by justice. The theme has significance for the dialogue of life beyond Christian communities. This characteristic allows for the multi-faith experiences and diverse wisdoms of Asia to inform the interpretation of the theme, lending it new perspectives and content. While noting the multi- faith context in which the theme can and should be prayed by Asian Christians, the plenary will seek to present how the theme is understood and interpreted in the lives of the communities and churches of Asia within their distinctive context. By presenting the ways in which the Christians are creatively responding to the challenges of injustice, the provocations toward violence and the stifling of life the plenary will attempt to inspire the participants of the 10th Assembly to think together of how the Asian reality is expressed in their own experiences, and how the spirit of solidarity might strengthen our common initiatives for fostering life, justice and peace through our mutual participation and contribution to the ecumenical movement. In addition, the plenary will hopefully provide insights that can inform creative ways of praying, "God of life, lead us to justice and peace" in the different contextual realities of the participants.

Participants

Moderator: Rev. Dr Soritua Nababan, WCC president from Asia, served as Bishop (Ephorus) of the Protestant Christian Batak Church (HKBP) from 1987 to 1998. He has also served as president of the Christian Conference of Asia from 1990 to 1995 and as vice-chairman and then moderator of the WCC Commission on World Mission and Evangelism from 1968-1985.

Cultural performance: Teatro Ekyumenikal is the liturgical and cultural theatre group of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. It endeavours to promote ecumenism and peace based on justice through the use of drama, songs, dances, and liturgical art forms. The group is composed of young people from the affiliated churches and organizations of the NCCP.

Conversation participant: Rev. Dr Henriettve Hutabarat Lebang is an ordained pastor of the Toraja Church in Indonesia and presently serves as the general secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia, being the first woman to hold this post in 55 years. She has gained ecumenical experience in various capacities, including as head of the women's desk of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia and vice-president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.

Conversation participant: Ms YangYa-Chi studied sociology and got her master degree in Modern Society and Global Transformations at the University of Cambridge. Her research focused on Christianity in Asia. She has been working for several non-governmental organizations, including Asian Regional Exchange for New Alternatives and World Vision Taiwan. She is now working for Amnesty International Taiwan as a campaign coordinator.

Theological reflections: Rev. Connie Semy Mella is an ordained elder from the Philippines Central Conference of The United Methodist Church. She studied theology at Union Theological Seminary and the Southeast Asia Graduate School of Theology (St. Andrews Theological Seminary) in the Philippines, and at the Free University, Amsterdam. She is a member of the United Nations Advocacy Network of the General Board of Church and Society.

Theological reflections: Rev. Daniel Na is Archpriest of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He was bestowed as Vicar General of the Orthodox Metropolis of Korea and presently serves as Dean of St. Paul Orthodox Church in Incheon, Korea. He has served as the Asia region representative for SYNDESMOS, the World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth.

Story of hope: Dr Deepanna Choudhrie studied and trained as a radiologist at Christian Medical College, Vellore, India. Since 1989 she has been serving in Padhar Hospital, a 200-bed mission hospital in rural central India, among the Gond tribe. She received international media attention for her care of abandoned conjoint twin girls Stuti and Aradhana, who were operated in Padhar Hospital in 2012.

The greetings and messages from the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd Justin Welby, the Pentecostal World Fellowship and the interreligious representatives from Asia can be found here.

High resolution photos available via http://photos.oikoumene.org/?c=3272