“It was a good idea,” Esther Zbinden sums up. “And so symbolic!” During the recent District Apostle Meeting in Washington, the wives of the District Apostles spent one morning packing backpacks with school supplies for young refugees.

They were irritating, they deceived him, and abandoned him … Paul’s companions were not always the best of co-workers. Yet he remained faithful to God and his neighbour. “Let us learn from Paul,” District Apostle Joseph Opemba Ekhuya from Kenya says.

Hylton Memorial Chapel, just outside of Washington, is an ideal venue not only for the first US Church convention but also for the divine service today, Sunday. On Saturday afternoon, the Christian event centre hosted the exhibition NAC Talks.

An extensive area of low pressure has been dumping rain on the American capital for days. The atmosphere is quite different at the International District Apostle Meeting, which is in session. The discussions of the Church leaders are taking place in a cheerful and warm atmosphere.

“The Chief Apostle has the last word,” Erich Senn, head of administration at the international offices in Zurich, says. But it takes time until everything is finalised for a District Apostle Meeting. “And we help him.”

This year’s Pentecost festivities will take place in the United States. Historically, the New Apostolic Church in the US goes back almost as far as its European roots. Technically, the District Church was instrumental in making video transmissions a firm establishment around the world.

What is the capital of the USA? Most would say New York. New York is the largest and most famous of US cities, but not the country’s capital. It is Washington, D.C., and this is where the International District Apostle Meeting will be taking place in the upcoming week.

They get around a lot, the District Apostles of the New Apostolic Church. And if there is a place they cannot get to, there is somebody else who can. Some notable entries from their travel diaries.

The southernmost congregation and a large District Church in Africa are celebrating their anniversaries. And an aid organisation is celebrating a successful project—occasions which encourage reflection.

Sunday School? Of course, everybody has Sunday School. But not in Africa, where about 85 per cent of New Apostolic Christians live. Since 2015, however, Sunday School has been a top priority for the Church in Africa. And how are things going?

The name of the city the Chief Apostle will visit this coming Sunday is Livingstone: the cradle of the New Apostolic Church in Zambia. It was here, ninety years ago, that the Church was established. Following is the story of a District Church with a fascinating history.

The pipe organ in our Silvertown church in Cape Town (South Africa) has 2,600 pipes. This is where Tristan Williams plays every Sunday. But in the summer of 2016, other organists had to cover for him for three months when he went on a trip to Germany.

With a population of 1.6 million, Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the second most densely populated city in Europe. Small in comparison is the number of people who make their way to Calle Reverendo José Bundo 14–18 on Wednesdays and Sundays.

There are many New Apostolic congregations around the globe—rich in tradition and their own culture. There is a lot of energy everywhere, the congregations are colourful, and yet they are all united under one roof. Following is a small selection.

Welcome to a remote village in Brazil, a former settlement for escaped slaves. This is the village where Juvenal Basílio da Costa has committed himself to serve his neighbour. He has an organising role in the political community, and is the rector of the New Apostolic congregation.

To really make a difference requires more than goodwill and helpfulness. The magic word here is “persistence”. Because those who provide lasting help, provide the best help. Following are three examples of ongoing projects by New Apostolic charities on three continents.

Called and chosen. This central concept from the gospel implies both inclusion as well as exclusion. How is that possible, seeing that God loves all of mankind? Thoughts from a divine service by the Chief Apostle.

There is always a lot of excitement when a visit by the Chief Apostle or the District Apostle is announced. Will everything go as planned? Has everything been thought of? Here is look behind the curtain.