Music brings people together whether in congregations, districts, or even across continents. In many New Apostolic congregations around the world, members sing and make music to praise God and celebrate fellowship.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a great deal of suffering to many people. On the other hand, NAK-Humanitas, the non-profit foundation of the New Apostolic Church Switzerland, managed to do some good. The recently published 2021 annual report not only provides numbers, but also gives some insight into the moments of happiness behind them.

It was an accident that unleashed shock and grief around the world: twenty-five years ago, five brothers and sisters, among them three Apostles, lost their lives in an automobile accident in Angola. A look back to commemorate the departed.

Learning to master fellowship takes practice at an early age: children cross borders, students help craft the Church of the future, and a youth summit advertises for the Church with music.

Would people cut back on donations during the pandemic? This was the anxious question that confronted the New Apostolic relief agency NAK-karitativ in 2020, the year when COVID-19 first reared its head. The answer is to be found in the organisation’s most recent annual report, which is now available.

Floods, earthquakes, and disease… There is so much suffering in the world. Fortunately, there are people willing to help and provide aid. Much is also being done by the New Apostolic Church and its members. Today, 19 August, is World Humanitarian Day.

Practising faith together with others, spreading the gospel, and helping to shape the Church of tomorrow—that is what New Apostolic students in South Africa want. And that is the reason they have organised themselves into student societies.

Whether young or old, many people love to make music. Music brings people together and it can create peace. The language of music is an international one and is understood across the world.

No one can see into the future, except God. But we can all plan for tomorrow. This is something that New Apostolic congregations do by minimising their impact on the environment, by being there for the upcoming generations, or seeing to sustainable development.

Music creates bonds. This is something that four choirs and orchestras from France and Germany can testify to. Here is an excerpt to mark World Friendship Day on 30 July.

It was “a Sunday like no other” in the Stade Martyr in Kinshasa, where the national football team of the Democratic Republic of the Congo usually plays. That is at least how the Chief Apostle felt about it. More than 35,000 young people had come to see and hear him.

Young people in Bolivia cleaned up a local park. In Africa and Europe ministers got together to learn how to deliver better sermons. And in Sierra Leone, Apostle Braima Saffa dedicated three churches in one day.

The bricks travelled 40 kilometres from Hamburg-Borgfelde to Doosthof. These were the first bricks that were owned by the New Apostolic Church. Almost 80 years later, these historic bricks still adorn a church building.

One hundred and forty-one days into the Russian attack on Ukraine, the solidarity of the New Apostolic congregations in Europe is still huge. Private individuals, congregations, and aid organisations are doing their best to help.

Worldwide, Covid made getting together in the congregation almost impossible. Now that the restrictions have been relaxed, people are excited that they can finally see each other again and do things together.

Seeing and experiencing the congregation as one heart and soul, without paying too much attention to the differences and boundaries, continues to be a challenging objective. This is how District Apostle Rainer Storck (Western Germany) describes it, who together with his administrative staff serves over forty countries.

There are many occasions that bring people together for a celebration. Whether it is confirmation or a day of activities to prepare for the confirmation service, people enjoy being together. This week we are celebrating diversity in the Church.

806 kilometres in 25 days—on foot. Priest Marc Sieger (51) from Aidlingen in Germany decided to walk the famous Camino de Santiago. He talks about his experiences on his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.