The Gathering will commence in two days.  As I write, there are friends who have already landed in South Africa and have jumped into conversations about the old apartheid theology and new expressions of justice over lunch.  Many are in transit coming from Australia, the Hague, New Zealand and the US.  Tomorrow the Africans will come from Kenya, Burundi, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Ghana, etc… all to join our South African hosts in the shadow of Johannesburg.  There will be the reunion of old friends and the joy of striking up new friendships as we engage in conversations together for the next set of days.
Those who will be assembled for The Gathering are on a trajectory of transformation in their communities and countries.  They are working for something more than the salvation of the soul, but investing in the restoration of all things.  They are working for change on the ground, be it in Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa or the Dominican Republic.  They understand that the work they do is their response to the Gospel imperative, to bring good news to the poor and broken of the earth.

But our good works and good efforts need roots and nourishment to sustain us in our Gospel-inspired work.  To do the work of transformation without the accompanying spirituality is to run on empty.  Desmond Tutu speaks of the Principle of Transfiguration and The Spirituality of Transformation, both instructive foundations for our conversation.  According to Tutu, a spirituality that will sustain us has (1) a redemptive understanding of suffering, (2) embraces ubuntu as the rightful understanding of persons and (3) a contemplative stance toward God.  These are elements that help us cultivate a spiritual life that is viable, sustainable and meaningful for those working toward transformation in our home communities.

What is ‘the spirituality of transformation’ that sustains us from beginning to glorious end?  I think the African Reformation has to do with this very question.  How have we been sustained thus far and how will we find nourishment in the season to come? What are the spiritual resources that will fund our transforming endeavors?  This is what I hope we will explore together at The Gathering.  How do African innovators understand the spiritual life, how do they develop and nourish it so that they are able to be present to God and to their tasks and communities? As we imagine an African Reformation, what would the basic tenets be for an African perspective on spirituality, engagement with God and perspective on the world we are called to love?  This is what I hope we will explore together in the days ahead.

I am hoping to post one story a day here for this coming week so please watch this space.

Amahoro,

Claude Nikondeha