9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches

An eventful Assembly of the WCC, concluded on the 23rd of February, in Puerto Alegre after ten days of prayer, reflection and planning by over 3500 delegates, advisors, guests, workshop animators and observers.

The Assembly programme was both creative and diverse, and participants from virtually all Christian traditions and regions had countless opportunities to interact and share insights out of their own experiences.

The Assembly Venue in Puerto Algre, the Catholic Pontifical University offered the participants a modern campus and meeting centre. It is no surprise as the University had the experience in hosting major international events, not the least the World Social Forum, which brought around 30,000 people.

The Assembly theme, “God, in your grace, transform the world”, is in the form of a prayer, reflecting the twin dimension of the world’s, as well as our own need for healing and change, recognizing our dependence on God, and acknowledging that we all have a part to play in the process of transformation. Specific days of the Assembly were devoted to exploring various dimensions of the theme: “ transform ...the earth, our societies, our churches, our lives, our witness. Besides daily morning and evening prayers and Bible studies, three days of the Assembly offered delegates opportunities to engage in “ecumenical conversations”, choosing from topics of relevance to the life and witness of the church in today’s world. The discussions from these conversations fed into the business sessions of the Assembly, as it planned for the future work of the WCC.

The Assembly ended by approving recommendations to “strengthen the WCC in the search for visible unity, enhance its ability to represent the member churches, and build new bridges for relationships and trust with other Christian churches not currently within its fellowship.”

The recommendations further underscored that the WCC should strive in the next seven years to make substantial progress towards agreement among all of the churches for a common date for Easter; mutual recognition by all churches of one Baptism, and convening an ecumenical assembly that would bring together all churches to celebrate their fellowship in Jesus Christ…”all on the way towards visible unity and a shared Eucharist.”

Malaysia was represented by two delegates, and two accredited representatives, namely; Mr. Anthony Row ( Methodist Church), Rev. Sopirid Masandu (Protestant Church in Sabah), Rev. Dr. Hermen Shastri (CCM) and Rev. Sia Siew Ching ( Disable Ecumenical Network). Mr Anthony Row was elected into the Central Committee for the next seven years.