Feature stories Bate-papo kicks off with lively encounter
The WCC Assembly's Mutirao Bate-papo on Wednesday was a lively discussion, with a young, lay Protestant woman telling a 70-year-old Catholic bishop that the future of Christianity lay in starting at the grassroots and addressing grassroots problems.
The exhibition hall: Sharing stories and meeting people
Assemblies of the World Council of Churches see Christians from all over the world come together, and many church-related groups take advantage of the display window this event provides. More than 100 groups are represented in dozens of booths in the assembly's exhibit hall adjacent to the main plenary space on the campus of the Pontifical Catholic University in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Colourful displays cover a variety of issues and topics...
Disability rights and wrongs
To a casual thinker, if someone is blind, or has lost a limb, or has cerebral palsy, it's only humane to want to fix it, and if it can't be fixed it is a matter for regret.
Transforming the world together
The first Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in the 21st century "will mark the beginning of a new phase in the search for Christian unity," says WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia.
Transformation calls for metanoia
What steps must we take to achieve transformation? In this article on the Assembly theme "God, in your grace, transform the world", His All Holiness Bartholomew I addresses this question and reflects on self-discovery, the healing of the community and of the earth.
Not yet there, but praying hard... together
The large worship tent at the World Council of Churches (WCC) 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre will be a unique space and one of the main features of the Assembly life.
Praying for God's transformation in Africa
Transformation has become almost a cliché. Everything needs to be transformed: individual lives, cultures, economies, societies? all. But it is not often that God or grace are named in this context.
There is plenty of room at Bethlehem inns this year
If Mary and Joseph had to get to Bethlehem this year, they would find themselves confronted with a 9-metre high concrete wall and a sophisticated, high-tech checkpoint.
How far can churches go online?
The Internet is a revolutionary new communications space of fascinating diversity. It reflects the richness of real life, with some of its truths but many of its half-truths (and untruths!) too. As a virtual place, it poses a particular conundrum to churches and the extent to which "church" can happen within a virtual world.
8. December 05
Looking forward to Porto Alegre: How the Assembly will work
The WCC 9th Assembly will offer a diverse and innovative programme for the expected 3000 participants from virtually all Christian traditions and regions.