Justice
Attention to Dalit and climate justice — unity that does not look away from the church's own fractures.
LIFE! 2026
Costly Unity
Ecumenism as Justice, Mercy, and Humility.
School of Ecumenics
21–24 September 2026
Conference on Ecumenism
24–27 September 2026
Parassala, India
About LIFE! 2026
Many traditions.
One faith.
Shared mission.
The church of South Asia holds extraordinary gifts — ancient Syriac traditions, a prophetic Dalit witness, an unwavering faithfulness carried in its villages. And it holds real fractures: caste persisting where the Gospel says otherwise, gender exclusion narrowing the theological imagination, denominational tribalism weakening a common public witness.
No sustained, South Asian-rooted, justice-centred ecumenical forum has existed to hold these realities together. LIFE! 2026 is convened as that forum — a local, rigorous and radically inclusive gathering, under the Bishop Samuel Amirtham Foundation for Ecumenism.
“The renewal of the church will not come from the top of its hierarchies but from the depth of its common discipleship.” The Rt. Rev. Dr. Samuel Amirtham
Unity, here, is not assumed — it is costly. It asks the church to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly together, across traditions that have long stood apart.
Do
Justice
Love
Mercy
Walk
Humbly
School of Ecumenics
Formation before gathering.
The School of Ecumenics runs from Monday, 21 September to Thursday noon, 24 September 2026. It is a formation programme for theology students, youth and lay leaders, with a maximum of 60 participants.
Seven formation modules
- History, Vision, and the South Asian Story
- The Church in South Asia: Diversity & Division
- Ecumenism from Below — Caste & Dalit Theology
- Women, Youth & Renewal
- Interfaith Encounter
- Peace & Reconciliation
- Costly Unity & the Ecumenical Vocation
Thursday, 24 September · Noon
The threshold into the Conference
The School concludes at Thursday noon. Its formed youth and lay leaders then become active rapporteurs and facilitators for the Conference on Ecumenism.
Conference on Ecumenism
A gathering for costly unity.
From Thursday, 24 September to Sunday, 27 September 2026, roughly 200 clergy, educators and ecumenists from India, South Asia and beyond will gather in Parassala for a four-day ecumenical encounter.
Themes
Reconciliation
Space for the slow, unglamorous work of reconciliation between traditions, not just its announcement.
Shared Mission
A gathering oriented toward a shared public witness, culminating in a declaration the wider church can stand behind.
Conference activities
Dialogue
Ecumenical, intra-Christian and interfaith dialogue, structured for honest encounter rather than polite consensus.
Worship
Shared worship and music across traditions, holding the theological work inside a life of common prayer.
Learning
Parallel workshops and panels for clergy and educators, alongside a formation track for younger leaders.
Gathered primarily from India, alongside voices from across South Asia and a wider global fellowship — conducted multilingually in Tamil, Malayalam and English.
Programme
Conference programme
24SEP
Arrive
- Inauguration
- Bishop Samuel Amirtham Memorial Lecture
25SEP
Do Justice
- Dalit & Climate Justice panels
- Parallel workshops
26SEP
Love Mercy, Walk Humbly
- Intra-Christian & interfaith dialogue
- Synthesis
- Banquet
- The Parassala Declaration
27SEP
Commemorate
- CSI Day Commemorative Service
Voices
Voices from South Asia and beyond
Speakers and dialogue partners for LIFE! 2026 are being confirmed. This space will hold their names, traditions and stories as they are announced.
Confirmed voices will appear here ahead of the conference.
26 September 2026
The Parassala
Declaration
On the ninth anniversary of Bishop Samuel Amirtham's passing, delegates will gather to affirm a short, named, public-facing theological covenant — the Parassala Declaration.
It is intended to mark the beginning of something ongoing: establishing LIFE! as a recurring annual ecumenical gathering in South Asia.
Venue
Parassala, India
A rural venue situated in a lush green garden on the southern tip of God's Own Country, Keralam, close to Trivandrum and not far from Kanyakumari — chosen deliberately. Genuine ecumenical listening asks for some distance from the cacophony of the city.
- ERC
- ERC, Bethany, Cheruvarakonam, Parassala
- PWDS
- PWDS Palma Gardens, Kottavilai, Parassala
Travel & Accommodation
Parassala is well connected by air (Trivandrum Airport), rail (Parassala Railway Station) and by road (Kaliyakkavilai and Parassala.)
Accommodation is available onsite as well as in nearby hotels in Parassala and Kaliyakkavilai. Dormitory accommodation is organised for students and youth.
- Accommodation options — onsite and in Parassala and Kaliyakkavilai
- Airport transfers — from Trivandrum Airport
- Local transport — organised between hotels and conference venue
Registration
Register your interest
Be part of a gathering where many traditions come together in faith, dialogue and shared mission. Register your interest and take your place in the conversation.
