Ecumenical Worship Service - National Council of Churches in ...

Ecumenical Worship Service
for the
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2005
The one Foundation … is Jesus Christ
(1 Corinthians 3: 11)
The theme for the worship is “Christ, the one foundation of the Church”
The complete text of 1 Corinthians 3 is at the heart of the worship.
Preparation for the Service
It is strongly recommended that the service include as many people as possible
from the local participating Christian congregations.
Also, it is very important that there be adequate preparation of the worship space
and the symbols to be used in the service.
These symbols are:
• a paving stone
• two planks of wood – to be placed together in the form of a cross
• a bowl containing small stones (sufficient for many in the congregation,
who choose, to be able to use one)
These symbols are to be brought in during the reading of the Opening Sentences
and placed in the prepared space that is prominent and visible.
Other Notes regarding the Service
1. The penitential prayer and prayer of forgiveness comes after the
proclamation of the word of God. This allows it to be an essential element in
the worship. It is intended that each community participating in the service
examine its collective conscience before Christ (1 Cor. 3: 4), the foundation of
the one Church. Expressions of penitence, symbols and testimonies will assist
this process.
Do we proclaim the gospel together, recognising and sharing the gifts, which
the Lord gives our churches (v.5) Do we accept the complementary role of
our churches in certain local situations Do we recognise the primacy of Christ,
whose servants we are Do we really labour together at God’s work (v.9)

It is during the penitential prayer that members of the congregation are to be
invited to come forward, take a small stone out of the bowl and place it on the
cross. The gesture is intended to express the desire for conversion – an
expression of repentance and renewal as the ‘living stones’, members of the
Church, of which Christ is the one foundation.
2. During the Intercessions, inspired by 1 Corinthians 3, the congregation
entrusts to Christ the work of Christians and the diakonia of the churches
throughout the world – all within the purview of the vision of ecumenism.
3. The Service includes an opportunity to take a Collection. It would be advisable
to decide beforehand the purpose for which this money will be used. One
option would be to support the wider ecumenical endeavour, as expressed
through the national and state ecumenical bodies in Australia.