seasons.today

Everybody goes through turbulent times, not only the individual believer but also the Church as a whole. God poses the question: “Where is your faith?” Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider gives a number of answers and allows a glimpse of one of the most profound moments of his life.

Whereas the countdown for this year’s Pentecost celebration in Zambia is on, preparations in Germany are only just beginning. The New Apostolic Church in Frankfurt will host the Pentecost feast in 2016. A location with a history …

“At home worldwide” is the motto set out in the logo of nac.today. This is also the title of our weekly overview, in which we look at the happenings among our brothers and sisters around the world.

We still carry last year’s motto in our hearts. But what else happened throughout the New Apostolic world in 2014? Following is a look at the happenings around the world in the first half of 2014.

The Chief Apostle’s visit to the United Arab Emirates this coming weekend will fall under the motto “diversity”: many nations in one congregation and many denominations under one roof.

“Labour in love” was the motto that Chief Apostle Schneider laid into the hearts of the New Apostolic people around the world at the beginning of last year. What have the congregations done with it? nac.today asked the district churches.

The 120 girls and boys will have had a lot to tell when they returned home to South Africa after their eleven-day concert tour in Germany. They also shared their impressions with nac.today.

Comfort and solace was offered in a recent concert by the Wilhelmshaven Chamber Choir. It was given in memory of the tsunami in South-East Asia ten years ago. How did those affected by the tsunami, either directly or as helpers, experience the disaster? Following are some personal accounts.

District Apostle Charles S. Ndandula presents the motto and logo for Pentecost 2015

Munich/Zurich. A divine service from Munich transmitted around the world by satellite—millions of New Apostolic Christians on all continents witnessed the Pentecost service conducted by their Church leader, Jean-Luc Schneider. In the Olympia Stadium in the Bavarian capital alone there were 50,000 believers. In his Pentecost message, the Chief Apostle called upon the believers to become even more active in love for God and their neighbour, emphasising that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Zurich. The divine service which Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider will conduct on Pentecost Sunday on the occasion of the International Church Convention of the New Apostolic Church will be transmitted to over 100 countries on all continents with the help of satellites, fibre optic cables, and radio broadcasters. His sermon will first be interpreted into English at the altar phrase by phrase, and then interpreted simultaneously into over 20 other languages.

The news was given by District Apostle Charles Ndandula that Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider will visit Lusaka, Zambia at Pentecost 2015.

Zurich. Changes will soon be coming to the structure of midweek divine services in the New Apostolic congregations of the USA. The usual midweek service with its celebration of Holy Communion will in future only take place once each month. District Apostle Leonard Kolb plans to supplement this with non-sacramental divine services, home devotionals, Bible studies, Catechism instruction, musical evenings, and discussion evenings. Concerning this Chief Apostle states: “I really welcome this proposal, as the circumstances of the Church in the USA cannot be compared to those in Europe.”

Zurich. The new year 2014 has a new motto: “Labour in love!” In his divine service on New Year’s Day in Stuttgart, Germany, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider, the spiritual leader of the New Apostolic Church, used the words of the Lord Jesus as an appeal to all Christians to make a special profession of faith: “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Zurich. The past year 2013 was an anniversary year for the New Apostolic Church. It was celebrated with numerous national and international events. Having emerged in 1863 from a small Catholic Apostolic congregation in Hamburg, Germany, the New Apostolic Church today numbers over ten million members around the world. New Apostolic Christians gather to worship in over 60,000 congregations. Following are some excerpts from a year in motion.

Zurich. In the early evening hours of this Sunday, 30 June 2013, retired Chief Apostle Richard Fehr passed into the beyond. He is survived by his wife Sonja and his family. In his official notice to the District Apostles, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider informed them that his predecessor in the Chief Apostle ministry closed his eyes peacefully at around 5:00 PM. In mid-July he would have been 74 years of age.