"People came with lots of fear, apprehension and pessimism about the usefulness and outcomes of an Indaba consultation," said Bishop Pradeep Kumar Samantaroy of Amritsar, convenor of a meeting in Delhi in March 2010 in preparation for the Continuing Indaba project.
"But those feelings were turned to joy and excitement when understanding started to be built up through face-to-face encounter. We came as participants but returned as partners in the mission of God." Samantaroy also stressed that he felt the discussions begun in Delhi could prompt other similar conversations within the Church of North India (CNI) in the future.
The consultation held at the church's headquarters, CNI Bhavan, in Delhi, 23-25 March, brought together 13 pastors, lay leaders and theologians to develop theological resources that will assist inter-diocesan Anglican conversations planned about how Christians can continue in mission together across deep differences, focused currently on the tension concerning homosexuality in the church.
The CNI consultation is one of a number of the "theological hubs" that are generating resources, the others being in east Africa, southern Africa, the West Indies, North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and east Asia. The short papers are designed to be accessible to diverse audiences and to be useful not only for current Anglican controversies but for church processes beyond the current turmoil.
"The consultation was remarkable in both scope and depth," said the Revd Canon Dr. Titus Presler, a missiologist of the Episcopal Church USA who facilitated the gathering. "Analysis was subtle and complex, and what emerged was a sense of authentic engagement with the challenges facing any Christian community that is seeking to engage difference and resolve conflict."
Outcomes of the consultation will include a resource paper entitled, "Societal Diversity: A Catechesis for Conflict Reconciliation in the Church.” The essay will be a cultural and ethical study of how the diversity inherent in India forms Christians of the CNI to address diversity, and the conflicts it prompts in the life of a church that itself was formed from six different denominations in 1970. India is a nation of sixteen major languages, and it includes diverse cultural traditions of music, poetry, dance and architecture. CNI Christians must constantly negotiate issues of, for instance, language and music in the liturgies of the church.
In addition to Bishop Samantaroy, the Delhi participants included: the Revd Dr Sunil Caleb, principal and professor of ethics, Bishop's College, Kokota; the Revd Dr. Mani Chacko, director, Ecumenical Christian Centre, Bangalore; Ms Kochu Chacko, Ecumenical Christian Centre; the Revd Sonal Christian, lecturer, Gujarat United School of Theology, Ahmedabad; Bishop Probal Dutta of the Diocese of Durgapur; the Revd. Dr Pratap Gine, vice principal and professor of theology, Serampore College, Kolkota; Ms Dipti Rani Gine, professor of pastoral theology, Serampore College; Mr Kalyan Peterson, treasurer, CNI, Delhi; Ms Sushma Ramswami, communication secretary, CNI, Delhi; Ms Ella Sonawane, secretary for publications and programmes, ISPCK, Delhi; the Revd Dr Paul Swarup, presbyter-in-charge, Christ Church, Noida; and the Revd Asha Vaid, presbyter-in-charge, Church of Christ the King, Delhi.