Drumming and singing

Greeting
    Jesus Christ, who has called us to be one, is in our midst!

    He is and shall be!

Hymn   The Church's One Foundation

Welcome to the Regions

Jesus Christ is before all things, and in him all things hold together. For in Christ all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

(Col 1:17,19-20)

We turn to God and rejoice in hope!

Would those from the Middle East please stand. Let us acknowledge them as we sing.

    We welcome you

    People from the Middle East:
        As Christians from the Middle East we give thanks that the triune God has drawn our
       churches closer together in faith and life, witness and service.

    Would those from the Pacific please stand. Let us acknowledge them as we sing.

Hymn  Pasifika

    We welcome you.

    People from the Pacific:
        As Christians from the Pacific we give thanks that the triune God has drawn our churches closer
        together in faith and life, witness and service.

    Would those from Europe please stand. Let us acknowledge them as we sing.

Hymn  Before your cross

    We welcome you.

    People from Europe:
        As Christians from Europe we give thanks that the triune God has drawn our
        churches closer together in faith and life, witness and service.

    Would those from Asia please stand. Let us acknowledge them as we sing.

Hymn  Maa thoed

    We welcome you.

    People from Asia:
        As Christians from Asia we give thanks that the triune God has drawn our churches
        closer together in faith and life, witness and service.

    Would those from North America please stand. Let us acknowledge them as we sing.

Hymn   Praise to the Lord

    We welcome you.

    People from North America:
        As Christians from North America we give thanks that the triune God has
        drawn our churches closer together in faith and life, witness and service.

    Would those from Latin America please stand. Let us acknowledge them as we sing.

Hymn    Suelta la alegría

    We welcome you.

    People from Latin America:
        As Christians from Latin America we give thanks that the triune God has drawn
        our churches closer together in faith and life, witness and service.

    Would those from Caribbean please stand. Let us acknowledge them as we sing.

Hymn    Alelouya

    We welcome you.

    People from the Caribbean:
        As Christians from the Caribbean we give thanks that the triune God has
        drawn our churches closer together in faith and life, witness and service.

    Would those from Africa please stand. Let us acknowledge them as we sing.

Hymn    Iropa

    We welcome you.

    People from Africa:
        As Christians from Africa we give thanks that the triune God has drawn our
        churches closer together in faith and life, witness and service.

    We celebrate the 50th anniversary of the World Council of Churches
        "a fellowship of churches
        which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour
        according to the scriptures
        and therefore seek to fulfil together their common calling
        to the glory of the one God,
        Father, Son and Holy Spirit".

    For 50 years we have been travelling together.
    We give thanks for the journey.

Response   Alleluia    Kiev

II - The Vision of the Church

"There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were called to one and the same hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and within all" (Eph. 4:4-6)

    (a moment of silence)
    (a ringing of a gong)

        This is our gift; this is our calling.

Response  Seigneur rassemble nous

"You are members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God".

(Eph  2:20-21)

   (a moment of silence)
   (a ringing of a gong)

        This is our gift; this is our calling.

Response  Seigneur rassemble nous

"Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured".

(Hebrews 13:1-3)

   (a moment of silence)
   (a ringing of a gong)

        This is our gift; this is our calling.

Response   O-so-so

"As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female; for all of you belong to Christ".(Gal 3:27-29)

   (a moment of silence)
   (a ringing of a gong)

        This is our gift; this is our calling.

Hymn  Canto de esperanza

III. The Journey

    Affirming anew that our task is to embody, here and now, the vision of what God's people are called to be:

    We journey together as a people freed by God's forgiveness.

   In the midst of the brokenness of the world,
    we proclaim the good news of reconciliation, healing and justice in Christ.

        The peace of the Lord be with you always
        and also with you.
        Der Friede des Herrn sei allezeit mit euch.
        Und mit deinem Geiste.
        Que la paix du Seigneur soit toujours avec vous.
        Et avec ton esprit.
        La paz del Señor sea con vosotros.
        Y con tu espíritu.

 Passing the Peace

    We journey together as a people of prayer.
    In the midst of confusion and loss of identity,
    we discern signs of God's purpose being fulfilled
    and expect the coming of God's reign.

Prayers of Intercession

Response  Moran ethra

The Lord's Prayer

    We journey together as a people with resurrection faith.
    In the midst of exclusion and despair,
    we embrace, in joy and hope, the promise of life in all its fullness.

    Sisters and Brothers,
    as we approach a new millenium,
    it is our faith that we are called by God to walk the way together.

    In our doubt and despair,
    we continue to seek the radiance of the risen Christ.

    We are called to be one.
    We journey together in the ecumenical movement.

Hymn  Guide me o my Great Redeemer

IV   The Vision of the Ecumenical Movement

    Therefore, this is our vision for the ecumenical movement:

    We long for the visible oneness of the body of Christ,
        affirming the gifts of all,
        young and old, women and men, lay and ordained.

Response  Ameni  (church leaders exchange crosses)

    We expect the healing of human community,
        the wholeness of God's entire creation.

Response  Ameni  (church leaders exchange crosses)

    We trust in the liberating power of forgiveness,
        transforming enmity into friendship
        and breaking the spiral of violence

Response  Ameni  (church leaders exchange crosses)

    We open ourselves for a culture of dialogue and solidarity,
        sharing life with strangers
        and seeking encounter with those of other faiths.

Response  Ameni  (church leaders exchange crosses)

Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed
    As Christians we celebrate that we can affirm our faith together with this ancient creed.

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us all,  and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
On the third day he rose from the dead
in accordance with the scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father.
Who, with the Father and the Son,  is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
We confess  one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the age to come.
Amen.

Gospel Reading  John 15: 12-17

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another".

Response to the Word

Friends in Christ, in the ecumenical movement we have often said, "When we draw closer to the cross of Christ, we draw closer to each other." We can also say, "When we draw closer to each other, we also draw closer to the cross."  From the first day of this Assembly an African cross has been in our midst.  Today you will now receive another kind of cross, also crafted here in Harare.  May it remind you to tell the stories of your brothers and sisters in Christ when you go back. May it mark you as one of those working towards unity in Christ, the unity we are given and to which we are called.

Prayer
    Now you are invited to focus on the meaning of your cross while we pray.

God of unity, God of love,
what we say with our lips make strong in our hearts,
what we affirm with our minds, make vivid in our lives.

Send us your Spirit
to pray in us what we dare not pray,
to claim us beyond our own claims,
to bind us when we are tempted to go our own ways.

Lead us forward.
Lead us together
Lead us to do your will
    the will of Jesus Christ, our Lord.   Amen.

    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.

Hallelujah  Zimbabwe

    We are sustained by the assurance
    that in God's purpose all things shall be united in Christ
    things in heaven and things on earth (Ephesians 1:10).

    We affirm that what unites us is stronger than what separates us.

    Neither failures nor uncertainties
    neither fears nor threats
    will weaken our intention to continue to walk together on the way to unity,

        welcoming those who would join us on this journey,
        widening our common vision
        discovering new ways of witnessing and acting together in faith.

Alleluia

Blessing

    Now let us put on our crosses to say together the blessing and the last part of the commitment.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us
all, now and for ever. Amen.

With God's help
We recommit ourselves in this 50th anniversary year
to strengthen the World Council of Churches,
as a truly ecumenical fellowship,
fulfilling the purposes for which it was founded
to the glory of the triune God.