This is the report of the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee on activities and dialogue undertaken within the ecumenical fellowship between the WCCs eighth assembly in December 1998 in Zimbabwe and the final stages of preparation for the ninth assembly at Porto Alegre, Brazil, in February 2006. In telling the story of the World Council, it also reflects the life and faith of member churches, partner agencies and individual believers. The World Council of Churches approached its ninth assembly with a membership of 347 Christian churches representing the Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant, Pentecostal, African Initiated and Uniting church traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC but works in cooperation with it.