World Council of Churches assembly theme is ‘transformation’

Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, is scheduled to attend the ninth assembly of the World Council of Churches this Feb. 14-23 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Joining Archbishop Hutchison are Canon John Steele of the diocese of British Columbia, and youth delegates, whose trip is being sponsored by the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF).
The WCC is holding the assembly in Brazil at the invitation of WCC Brazilian member churches and the Brazilian National Council of Christian Churches. The assembly is to be held at the Events Center of the Pontifical University of Rio Grande do Sul.
The WCC, a fellowship of more than 340 Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox and other churches in 100 countries representing more than 550 million Christians, has chosen the theme “God, in your grace, transform the world.”
A highlight of the assembly is the ecumenical partnership program, Mutira£o, a Portuguese word that means “coming together, celebrating together, reflecting together,” said Mara Manzoni Luz, a new member of the PWRDF board for Latin America, who visited the national church office in Toronto recently. The Mutira£o will include exhibits, presentations and discussions. Ms. Luz, who works for CREAS – a regional ecumenical centre for assistance and service based in Buenos Aires – has been involved in the preparations for the WCC assembly.
Porto Alegre, with a population of 1.5 million people, is the largest city in southern Brazil.