wfn.org | WCC 9th Assembly: From Harare to Porto Alegre

["APD Schweiz/Switzerland" <APD@stanet.ch>]

January 29, 2006
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

WCC 9th Assembly: From Harare to Porto Alegre

Geneva/Switzerland. (APD)   More than 2,000 delegates, advisors and
visitors
representing some 340 Christian churches that are members of the World
Council of Churches (WCC) will gather in Porto Alegre, Brazil February14
to
23 for the WCC 9th Assembly.

Hosted by local Christian churches in Brazil, the assembly, will be held
under the theme, "God, in your grace, transform the world."

The assembly is the supreme legislative body of the WCC and meets every
seven years. It holds the highest authority over WCC policies and
activities, as well as electing presidents and appointing a Central
Committee, which serves as the chief governing body between assemblies.

Since its formation in 1948, the WCC has held eight Assemblies, the last
in
1998 in Harare, Zimbabwe.

This assembly?s program will engage with the regional context, through
the
involvement of local churches, national and local ecumenical bodies, and
through the expected participation of many visitors from the region.

While the number of official delegates is about 800, thousands of other
visitors and guests are expected to participate in the Mutirão, an
ecumenical partnership program, running concurrently with the Assembly.
Mutirão is a Portuguese word meaning, celebrating and reflecting
together.

The Mutirão will provide a space for workshops, celebrations, seminars
and
exhibits for the whole assembly community.

Worship life will form an integral part of the gathering. Each day is
expected to begin and end with prayer with liturgy and music drawing
from a
wide range of church traditions. Bible studies will be held in groups to
reflect on scripture and share insights and experiences.

Plenary sessions will be devoted to specific themes such as: economic
justice; Christian identity in a pluralistic world; church unity and the
future of ecumenism; youth and overcoming violence, will be at the
centre of
the program.

The assembly will also be marked by a coming of age within the
membership of
the World Council. Based on the advice of the Special Commission on
Orthodox
Participation, delegates will embark on a journey of consensus-model
decision-making, seeking new ways to come to agreement on important
statements and actions by the assembly.

A midterm celebration of the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) launched
in
Berlin in 2001 will be a major focus. The assembly will offer an
opportunity
to celebrate what has been achieved, share experiences, make an interim
assessment and refocus the course to be followed during the second
five-year
period. [Editor: Diana	Mavunduse for ACC News and APD]

For further information please visit the WCC Assembly website:
http://www.wcc-assembly.info

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