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His parish has three mosques and a Hindu temple, and he visited India and Pakistan to experience and learn more about the diverse cultures and customs that make up the fabric of the local community.
“My wife Lydia and I spent two months travelling around NW India, and then one month travelling around NE Pakistan. We appreciated the chance to relax, to adventure, to learn, to spend time together, and to deepen our bonds with Leeds’ Indian and Pakistani friends by visiting people and places significant to them. The sabbatical’s blessings began long before we departed: for months beforehand, we met with as many Indian and Pakistani friends as we could, to ask their thoughts about where to go, what to do, who to meet.”
“It took us no time at all to discover that the real reality is HOSPITALITY! In both India and Pakistan, we were overwhelmed with welcome and generosity, as people went out of their way to make us feel valued as guests. No surprises really, as this is exactly how we are treated by our Indian and Pakistani friends at home.”
On his trip, Revd Groenewald experienced the Holi festival in India, visited Pakistan during Ramadan, and celebrated Easter with Christians and Muslims in Lahore.
Vaisakhi with Sikhs
"Our final stop in India was Amritsar. I had long dreamed of seeing the Golden Temple in action. This is the spiritual home of the Sikh faith, where 100,000 visitors are welcomed every day (!) to say their prayers, to hear the scriptures read, to bathe in the holy lake, and to share langar. Langar is the free meal served in all gurdwaras around the world – and with so many people eating, it’s a mammoth operation at the Golden Temple."
Ramadan with Muslims
“We crossed from India into Pakistan during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Everywhere we went, again and again, we were greeted: ‘Welcome to Pakistan! It’s great to have you here! Thank you for being our guests!’ And we found a breathtakingly beautiful country of lakes and river valleys; deserts and glaciers; forests and apricot orchards; cricket stadiums and mosques; and people who demonstrate their love by feeding you enormous amounts of food – even when they are fasting and can’t eat with you.”
Easter with Christians (and Muslims)
"We celebrated Easter Sunday at St Andrew’s Anglican church in Lahore. Our Muslim hosts joined us for the service, having taken us to mosques and shared part of Ramadan with us."