THE NARROW WAY

SALIENT FEATURES

Biblical, holistic and based on Christian doctrines and beliefs.
Minimum group size – 12 persons, who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation and are at least 18 years old
Each session will be of about 45 minutes duration
Methodology: lively interactive talks and group discussions, sandwiched with fellowship refreshments and action songs. Specially designed skits and games to enable deep understanding and appreciation
Offered as an intensive workshop of 6 / 12 / 18 sessions
The sessions are flexibly spread across half / one / one-and-a-half days
Target group: priests, deacons, religious, novices, lay preachers and spiritual teachers
There is neither course fee nor any other faculty expenses payable
Clients are responsible to mobilise participants and arrange infrastructure.

HALF-DAY WORKSHOP ON CHRISTIAN SPIRITUAL FORMATION
Heaven and salvation imply the need for God-like perfectness or 'spiritual excellence' which is also a divine exhortation and God's own desire for humanity. 'Spiritual exercise' is human labour that is aided by God's grace to accomplish 'spiritual excellence'. 'Spiritual formation' is the combined process involving human election (will), human co-operation and God's grace and best understood as 'the formation of Christ in fallen humans'. Prayer is an essential element in all spiritual exercises and transformation is by grace. We bear the image of God and may approach perfection by seeking God's likeness that orients the faculties of our soul— mind, body and spirit to function in mutual harmony and align with God's Will.

This crisp appreciation workshop provides profound insights covering the salient aspects of spiritual formation. With the sole purpose of facilitating Christians in their spiritual journey, the course content is assembled by drawing insights and ideas from the Bible and earlier Biblical works of the author. Some additional thoughts are also taken from the works of medieval mystics and contemporary experts on the subject. In a special effort to render the thoughts holistically Christian, key ideas are drawn from two of the foremost exponents― Ignatius of Loyola, who is a Catholic and Dallas Willard, who is a Protestant. These are further enriched with fresh inspirations and a little experiential learning.

ONE-DAY WORKSHOP ON DIVINITY

INTRODUCTION
This workshop is all about getting fit to live with our Father in Heaven and depicts the length, breadth and depth of Agape or self-sacrificial merciful love which is the core of Divinity.

God our Father wants all His children to live with Him and has planted us temporarily on earth only to get fit for Heaven. Towards this He has put in place an amazingly efficient and effective process to enable all shades of humans to become fully divine if they chose to. As used here, ‘divinity’ means, ultimate fitness to live with God in heaven. The course is meant to equip with in-depth knowledge, those who believe that they are called by God to continue the work started by our Lord of enlightening and saving fellow humans.

OBJECTIVES
1. To equip Christians with in-depth knowledge to fulfil their Christian responsibility of serving with love and drawing people to God.

2. To enable Christians gain a clear understanding of THE NARROW WAY that leads to God and thereby encourage them to grow from devotees to disciples.

3. To deepen the faith of Christians and enable them to see Jesus as a Saviour who expects His disciples to be co-saviours with Him.

4. To arouse in every believer the thirst for Jesus and fervent aspiration to be His extended arm.

5. To provide such formative insights that each of them may serve as a light to the people they encounter, and shine by practising and promoting Christian values.

6. To render the work of the Church into a joyous and healthy partnership project of the Clergy, the Religious and the Laity

ONE-AND-A-HALF-DAY WORKSHOP ON TRINITARIAN SERVANT-LEADERSHIP
The phrase 'servant leader' was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in his 1970 essay 'The Servant as Leader'. Greenleaf describes the servant-leader as one who is first of all a servant, with the natural feeling of wanting to serve first and subsequently aspires to lead by conscious choice, in sharp contrast with one who is a leader first out of the desire for power and material possessions.

Though the practice of servant-leadership is rare, we do know of servantleaders like Florence Nightingale, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Teresa of Kolkata, and how they were extraordinarily exalted in history as promised in

Scripture (see Proverbs 29:23) and reaffirmed by Jesus (see Matthew 23:12 or Luke 14:11).

Jesus' teaching and example of servant-leadership is undoubtedly most revolutionary and path-breaking for all times. For Jesus, leadership is about taking the lead in serving, unlike worldliness in which leadership is about being known as benefactor and lording over others. In one instance among many that is so profound, he begins with disapproving the leadership style of worldly kings to profess servant-leadership most emphatically as the norm in God's kingdom.

This well researched workshop is intended to present for everyone's comprehension, a Trinitarian perspective of servant-leadership based on Scripture. After a preliminary gospelic elucidation of servant-leadership, the essential need for each and everyone of us to be transformed into servant-leaders and the reason why we need a Trinitarian perspective of servant-leadership deciphered from Scripture, is explained. The explorations from Scripture uncover the Trinitarian wonder of God's image, and the transformative power of his likeness. Further, they establish clearly that servant-leadership is the only means to assimilating God's likeness which is the greatest gift offered to humanity that bestows grace on those who seek his Kingdom against all odds, to endure crosses and indwell forever with God.

This is followed by expounding the divinely aided and wrought process of crossing over from Death to Life, to appropriate servant-leadership as our firm choice made by a freely exercised will.

At this stage, some rare insights are presented from the life of David, who is the only person to be described in Scripture as, a man after God's own heart, by God himself. Also included is a clear explanation of the secret of true meditation, as revealed by God to Moses and Mother Teresa, who both share the rare distinction of a 'glowing face' after being alone with God.

A comprehensive exposé of worldliness, the most seductive of evils that lures humans away from servant-leadership and renamed here as serpentleadership, is included before conclusion.

Throughout the workshop there will be group discussions to deeply explore Scripture and mine out the revealed truths described above. This is expected to make a lasting impression and also serve as the power of transforming lives residing and working from within.

“So I hope the fact that I have been bought together with you gives me more pleasure than my having been placed at your head; then, as the Lord commanded, I will be more effectively your servant, and be preserved from ingratitude for the price by which I was bought to be, not too unworthily, your fellow servant”. ― St. Augustine of Hippo