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Churches and Christians throughout Asia will observe Asia Sunday next week (13 May) with a focus on prayer. Asia Sunday is an initiative of the Christian Conference of Asia, which includes all the Anglican Provinces in the region as well as the Anglican Church of Australia and the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia; as well as many other Christian denominations and ecumenical partners. This year’s theme is “Embracing the Differently Abled and Upholding Their Dignity”.
The CCA observers Asia Sunday every year, although some churches switch it to a different time of the year. “The Church as a community, called to be in God’s mission, should be concerned of all God’s people, and to embrace everyone, including those who live with disabilities, who are created in the image of God”, the General Secretary of CCA, Dr Mathews George Chunakara, said.
He said that this year’s theme was an opportunity to remind and sensitise churches in Asia to be concerned that “all people with or without disabilities have unique gifts and abilities to share with others as they live in a community; the disabled people are included to be part of every community, where they can use their various God-given gifts”.
Throughout the world, the number of people who live with disabilities of one sort or another is increasing. The CCA says that this is due to ageing populations, natural disasters, conflicts and war, chronic health conditions, road accidents and related injuries, poor working conditions, and other factors. One in every six people in Asia has some form of disability, numbering about 650 million.