A key purpose of the consultation was to explore the interface between inter faith concerns and mission and evangelism issues - particularly as they affect the life of the Anglican Communion and United Churches associated with the Communion.
The Diocese of Krishna Godavari celebrated its Mission Festival at Vijayawada in May 2000. About 5000 people gathered from all parts of the diocese, rural as well as urban, and participated in a celebration of witness.
One diocese in India has seen its numbers grow by three and a half times in just 17 years since its formation, with between fifteen and twenty new congregations being added every year. The Diocese of Kerala was founded in April 1983 and has seen enormous growth in its faith, witness, renewal and giving. Nearly all the faithful in the diocese are poor farmers who work for daily wages, including people working in tea gardens and in high ranges, hill tribes and many belonging to low castes
A National Public Hearing on Dalit Human Rights was held in India in April under the auspices of the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights. The dalits, or "untouchables", are the lowest caste in traditional Indian society, and were deprived of even the most basic human rights for centuries. Even though the Indian constitution today guarantees the rights and freedoms of dalits and other low castes, many still face discrimination, abuse and violence.
Fifty years after Indian independence, the Christian impact on India has been "out of all proportion to the number of Christians in the country", according to George Koshy, General Secretary of the Church of South India. (Prof. Koshy is an ACC member and author of an article on the CSI in a forthcoming issue of Anglican World magazine).
Fifty years after Indian independence, the Christian impact on India has been "out of all proportion to the number of Christians in the country", according to George Koshy, General Secretary of the Church of South India. (Prof. Koshy is an ACC member and author of an article on the CSI in a forthcoming issue of Anglican World magazine).
