Eighth Assembly of the World Council of Churches: Harare, 3-14 December, 1998.

Abstract

During the opening worship, along with the huge cross presented to the World Council of Churches by the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, gifts from other parts of the world were brought forward by delegates. These gifts included crosses of different shapes from different countries and a huge drum. A drum in Africa has many functions. One of them is to call or gather people together to a meeting. Throughout the Assembly drums were used especially in directing people to the meeting places, to the worship tent and also for entertainment before the beginning of any session.
I would now like to comment on the structures of the Eighth Assembly of the WCC beginning with the opening worship.