The first Asian Ecumenical Women’s Assembly (AEWA) opened on November 22 at Hsinchu, Taiwan, acknowledging the power of women as the major factor to determine the Church’s future direction.

“I see the reality of our global Christianity, especially in Asia, that the Churches have been transformed into ‘churches of women.’ The power of women is extra-ordinary in determining the future direction of Christianity,” asserted CCA Moderator Archbishop Willem T.P. Simarmata, who opened the assembly at the Presbyterian Bible College auditorium.

The assembly organized by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) has the theme “Arise, Be Awake to Reconcile, Renew, and Restore the Creation.” More than 250 women from different denominations and Churches are attending the assembly.

In his welcome address, CCA general secretary Reverend Mathews George Chunakara said, “Improvements in the status of women are evident in different fields, and these transformations have been made possible by strengthened institutions and legal systems, demographic transitions, and a more dynamic civil society. However, we are on the trajectory towards a less inclusive and more unequal world.”

Chunakara said the assembly’s expected outcome is “not merely to address or talk about gender representation within Churches, but to reflect and strategize ways in which the Church and society can be further sensitized.”

He reminded the participants that their collective task to create conditions for identifying, motivating, building, and enabling a diverse range of women leaders to hone their talents and bear formidable challenges.

“To reconcile is to renew and restore relationships. AEWA offers the space to interpret the multiple meanings of the theme and apply them practically in our contemporary contexts,” Chunakara added.

The opening worship was led by participants from various Asian countries, together with members from the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, the host. Reverend Henriette Hutabarat Lebang, chairperson of the PGI (Persekutuan Gereja di Indonesia, Church Fellowship in Indonesia) and former CCA general secretary, delivered a homily based on the text Isaiah 32:9-20.