WCC 9th Assembly: From Harare to Porto Alegre
Geneva/Switzerland, 12.01.2006/ACC/APD
WCC Assembly Logo
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
(2'718 Chars)
