WCC and CCA to observe World Food Day prayer service on 16 October 2020

The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) hosted an online prayer service on World Food Day, 16 October 2020, together with the World Council of Churches (WCC).

The prayer service, facilitated by the representatives of WCC and CCA from the Asia and Pacific regions, took place on 16 October 2020, Friday, at 11 AM Bangkok time, with corresponding local time zone of each country across Asia and the Pacific regions.

In line with the theme of World Food Day 2020, ‘Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together’, the CCA together with the WCC will offered prayers and upheld the need to tide over the grave situation of food insecurity.

The virtual service included welcome addresses from the WCC General Secretary, Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, and Dr Mathews George Chunakara, the General Secretary of the CCA.

During the prayer service, reflections were offered by Sofía Monsalve Suárez, Secretary-General of FIAN International, a global body that addresses the root causes of hunger and malnutrition through research, advocacy, and campaigning.

World Food Day is observed across the world to reflect upon the gravity of the impending food crisis that many developing countries experience now and are predicted to undergo in the near future.

The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that by December 2020, about 265 million people will face extreme food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and at worst, over 30 countries will be staring at famine.

Hunger continues to be a painful fact of life for a quarter of the world’s population. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global food supply chains and now requires urgent attention of all stakeholders to engage in adaptation strategies to combat the crisis.

The united prayer service provided the opportunity for the churches to enable people to reflect on the moral and ethical imperatives for humanity to respond in this ongoing challenge of hunger and disease—promoting transformation and sustained action at the community level, and affecting policy change for the better.

Read the WCC announcement of the Prayer Service here

Read the CCA article The right to food requires as much advocacy as other human rights issues, says CCA General Secretary

The Prayer Service coincided with the timing of the publication of this newsletter. For an update of the Prayer Service please visit the WCC news website  or CCA news  

WCC announce launch of their new website 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) will reveal a new website on 16-18 October, ushering in an online community that will serve as an “ecumenical window” and a digital communication hub for the WCC’s multilingual fellowship.

Read the WCC article WCC’s new website will draw global fellowship even closer