By Jerry Van Marter
Harare, 13 December (ENI)--The member churches of the World Council of Churches (WCC) today recommitted themselves to the ecumenical movement in a worship service that attracted a standing room-only crowd in the worship tent on the University of Zimbabwe campus, the site of the organisation's eighth assembly.

Speculation that Orthodox representatives might boycott the Recommitment Service to express their displeasure with the pace of reforms in the WCC apparently failed to materialise. Officials of the Russian Orthodox Church - one of the churches most critical of liberalism within the WCC - were present at the service. Asked by ENI if all the WCC's Orthodox churches were present at the service, a leading Orthodox official said: "As far as I know."

The service consisted mainly of hymns and prayers, though the highlight was clearly the exchanging of crosses between heads of the member churches. Ushers then fanned out around the tent distributing small wire crosses to all the worshippers.

Worshippers from each region of the world rose in turn and, after the singing of a hymn native to the region, recited a prayer of thanksgiving. Different parts of the liturgy were also led by representatives from the different regions.

The concluding commitment, which launches the WCC's second half-century, states: "Because Christ has chosen us to be friends, because Christ has appointed us to bear fruit that will last, because Christ has commanded us to love one another, with God's help we are confident to say: We intend to stay together. We respond to the prayer of Jesus Christ that all may be one in order that the world may believe [John 17:21]. We are restless to grow together in unity." [296 words]

Photographs of the assembly are available from Photo Oikoumene

Related sites:

WCC Assembly Web Site

Photo Oikoumene

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