Continuing Indaba is celebrated as “a wonderful gift to the Communion”
I am posting this from the Anglican Communion News Service. It seems to me that what we as a church, and as a world need is less rhetoric and holding strong to our positions, and more listening to each other, and hearing God's invitation to be one. This seems to offer hope for this.
By ACNS staff
An
initiative to enable mission by strengthening relationship between parishes,
dioceses and Provinces has been celebrated by participants and evaluators as
“an important tool” and “wonderful gift” for the Anglican Communion.
Continuing Indaba, an official ministry of the Communion, has,
for three years, been promoting cross-Provincial/diocesan dialogue, visits and
the production of theological resources aimed at supporting the process of
enabling “conversation across difference”.
A
recently published progress report Continuing
Indaba – Celebrating A Journey revealed that those involved
considered Indaba to be “an important tool for moving forward together as a
21st century Anglican Communion”.
The
report states: “The fruit of Indaba is becoming evident. The consistent testimony
of those participating points to a deeper understanding of the unity of the
church resulting in common participation in the Mission of God. They are
already communicating the potential for Indaba
in their own diocese, in their relationships with other Anglicans around the
world and for the Communion as a whole.
“Participants
do not report that they are now more ‘liberal’ or more ‘conservative’. They are
reporting that are being challenged to be more Christ-like, to get on with
mission and to discover more of the wonders of being a follower of Christ on a
journey with others.”
One
such participant, Ghana’s Bishop Matthias Medadues-Badohu of Ho Diocese, said:
“Indaba is a
wonderful gift to the Communion, bringing people together from every culture, race,
language and belief into one fold, acknowledging one another as children of one
Father.”
Bishop
Pradeep Kumar Samataroy of Amritsar Diocese of the Church of North India said
that taking part in Indaba had not been without its challenges: “People came
with lots of fear, apprehension and pessimism about the usefulness and outcomes
of an Indaba
consultation. But those feelings were turned to joy and excitement when
understanding stated to be built up through face-to-face Encounter. We came as
participants [to the Indaba
resource hubs] but returned as partners in the mission of God.”
Daniel
Graves, of Toronto said of Indaba,
“It is a different way of being together and requires us to take a leap of
faith out of some of our old ways, and into being vulnerable, risking really
listening and really being honest when we have our opportunity to speak.”
A
team of three evaluators were appointed to follow the project, especially the
pilot conversations. Dr Paula Nesbitt (USA) headed up the team with her colleagues
Dr Mkunga Mtingele (Tanzania) and Dr Jo Sadgrove (UK). The aim was to establish
the genuine value of the project and to guide future developments.
Their
findings show that the Continuing
Indaba model of Encounters and facilitated conversation improved
participants’ sense of mutual listening, something and that it was very
effective in developing authentic mutual listening and deeper overall
understanding across dioceses, as well as a better understanding of how
Anglican faith and mission are lived in different cultural contexts.
The
evaluation concluded with a strong, positive recommendation to continue
refining Indaba,
beyond the inevitable practical difficulties, frustrations and learning points
of a pilot, as an important tool for moving forward together as a 21st century
Anglican Communion.
Continuing Indaba, Celebrating a Journey – Progress Report May 2012 has been commended to the Anglican Communion by Archbishop of Canterbury,
Dr Rowan Williams “as an important resource for ensuring that all voices can be
heard as we seek to be a flourishing Church together.”
To
coincide with the publication of the progress report a new Continuing Indaba website
has been launched as a place for resources, like the
report and Creating Space – a collection of essays produced during the
first phase of Continuing
Indaba, and continuing conversation. It also features a blog that
will be a space for Anglicans and Episcopalians around the Communion to
encounter one another and share their thoughts on moving forward together.
Visit the site at http://continuingindaba.com/
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