ACNS Continuing Indaba Gives Bishops Excitement and Hope

From Worldwide Faith News <[email protected]>
Date Tue, 23 Nov 2010 11:07:03 -0800

Continuing Indaba gives bishops "excitement and
hope for the future of the Communion"

Posted On : November 22, 2010 11:59 PM | Posted By : Admin ACO

ACNS: 
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2010/11/22/ACNS4753


Related Categories: ACO - Indaba


Continuing Indaba gives bishops "excitement and
hope for the future of the Communion"

Last week the bishops of Ho in Ghana, Mbeere in
Kenya and Saldanha Bay in South Africa gathered
at St Julian?s in Limuru, Kenya, to discuss their
and their dioceses' involvement in the Anglican
Communion?s Continuing Indaba project. After a
dynamic and vibrant three days the bishops issued the following 
agreement:


"AFRICAN CONVERSATION PROCESS



ST JULIAN?S CONFERENCE CENTRE, LIMURU



16 ? 18 NOVEMBER 2010



1. Bishops? Agreement


We the Bishops of the Dioceses of HO (Ghana),
Saldanha Bay (South Africa) and Mbeere (Kenya)
meeting at St Julian?s Centre, Limuru - Kenya
between 16 ? 18 November 2010, have generously
committed ourselves to one another in the Indaba
process by intensifying relationships across the
communion, energising local and global mission
and enabling genuine conversation across differences.


In our conversations concerning the Indaba
process, we discovered that we have unique
contextual interpretations of the concept of
Indaba. For example, in the Diocese of HO, indaba
has a strong element of an end in sight,
conversation does not go on forever (The old lady
must come in- The old lady is a Ghanaian tradition of seeking wisdom)


In the Diocese of Mbeere, Indaba takes place when
the time is right, it focuses on the end while
acknowledging a relevant appropriate process.

In the Diocese of Saldanha Bay Indaba means

keeping on talking without necessarily focussing
on an outcome. Focus is on the value of the actual process.

With this commitment, the Bishops return to their
Dioceses with excitement and hope for the future of the communion.

Philippians 4: 8-9: ?Finally brothers and

sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is
excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things? (TNIV).

Details of our future meetings will be sent out in the next letter.


2. Covenant


We further desire to develop a covenant

relationship, like those existing in the partnerships between 
Dioceses.


Signed:



Bishop Moses of Mbeere



Bishop Mathias of HO



Bishop Raphael of Saldanha Bay"


The bishops had been asked to participate in the
initial planning Pilot Conversation as part of
the Continuing Indaba project that was launched
in 2009 following a request by the Anglican
Consultative Council (ACC-14) in Jamaica and the
call of the 2009 Primates meeting for mutual listening.

Pilot Conversations will involve typically a mix
of eight lay and ordained participants from three
dioceses all visiting the other dioceses to learn
first-hand the challenges and opportunities of
those contexts. They will also engage in
facilitated conversations on a whole range of
topics that have the potential to cause disunity in the body of 
Christ.

The ultimate aim of these visits is to enrich
local and global mission in all three participating dioceses.

This follows meetings of bishops from the other
four Pilot Conversations announced in July:


·       Hong Kong, Jamaica and Toronto;



·       Delhi, Mumbai, New York and Derby;


·       Western Tanganyika, Gloucester and El Camino Real; and


·       Peru, Mexico and Southeast Florida.



ENDS


For more information on Continuing Indaba visit
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ministry/continuingindaba/
or contact Phil Groves on [email protected] or
Angharad Parry Jones on [email protected].


Notes to Editors


·       Continuing Indaba is a project focusing
on developing the relational bonds of affection
in the Anglican Communion. Its aim is to make
real a common bond of working in mission as equal
partners in the Gospel. The use of the term
?Indaba? indicates a desire to use non-Western
models of working and ?continuing? indicates an unfinished task.

·       The Anglican Communion Office serves the
Anglican Communion, comprising around 80 million
members in 44 regional and national member
churches around the globe in more than 160
countries. http://www.anglicancommunion.org/