Zurich. On 1 August, Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber, the international leader of the New Apostolic Church, will conduct a divine service in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Concurrent with his visit, the new District Apostle district of “Democratic Republic of Congo West” will be established. This new district will then be led by the now Apostle Michael Deppner (49). “This will take us another step toward our desired objective of independence for the District Churches in Africa,” says the Chief Apostle.

Michael Deppner has already been living in Kinshasa for many years. A doctor by profession, he was appointed a District Apostle Helper in April 2003 by then Chief Apostle Fehr for the gigantic country on the equator. This region is home to over one million New Apostolic Church members in some 9,000 congregations, who are served by approximately 32,000 ministers. To date, the activities of the New Apostolic Church in this region have been the responsibility of District Apostle Leslie Latorcai from Canada, but in line with the Church’s strategic measures of greater independence for African District Churches, this responsibility will now be transferred to a separate District Apostle.

A new name

A name change is also associated with the establishment of this District Apostle district. As of August, this district of the New Apostolic Church will be officially known as the “Democratic Republic of Congo West” in order to distinguish it from the other Congolese Church district in the care of the Église néo-apostolique de France, which will in turn be re-named the “Democratic Republic of Congo Southeast”. A map on the website of the New Apostolic Church France shows the division of the provinces.

Michael Deppner was born in 1961. His mother tongue is English. The Canadian-born minister has lived in Kinshasa for many years, and was ordained an Apostle in April 2002.

Manila. Several months of preparation preceded this visit, writes District Apostle Urs Hebeisen in his travel log. On Thursday, 2 July he and a number of other ministers awaited the arrival of the international Church leader, Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber, at the airport of the Philippine capital of Manila. That same day the travel agenda included a family visit and a youth gathering.

Chief Apostle Leber had allocated six days for his journey to the Philippines. District Apostles Johann Kitching from South Africa and Leslie Latorcai from Canada accompanied him on this trip. The first divine service of the visit took place on Friday evening in the congregation of Makati. In addition to the local congregation, many functionaries and representatives from the rest of the large District Church of South East Asia had also been invited.

Divine service in Makati

In the afternoon, Chief Apostle Leber visited the American military cemetery in the Philippines, where thousands of people had found their last resting place. Endless lists of names testified of the dramatic circumstances under which young soldiers had lost their lives here during the Second World War. The Church leaders gathered for a moment of heartfelt prayer.

Afterward there was a divine service in the congregation of Makati. Over 600 participants were there to personally enjoy the visit of their Chief Apostle. At the end of the service, Bishop Azarias was given a festive retirement after having served in ministry for many years. 

Divine service in Bacolod

Saturday was a day of travelling, as the Chief Apostle and his companions made their way to Bacolod in the province of Negros. This island is home to the majority of New Apostolic Church members in the Philippines. After a delay of seven hours, the travellers finally reached their destination—still early enough to assemble all the Apostles who work in this District Church for a conference. The Chief Apostle called upon them to “be enthusiastic!” “The gospel is like fire—it wants to spread!” He went on to express that the ability to be enthusiastic constitutes a necessary characteristic of the Apostle ministry.  

The service for the departed took place on Sunday morning in the Bago City Coliseum. Over 5,000 participants gathered for the divine service, some of whom had travelled great distances to be there.

Divine service in Panabo

On Monday there were more stops along the way for the international Church leader. He travelled from Cebu to Davao, and then from Davao to Panabo, where another large divine service had been scheduled for the congregations on Mindanao. This divine service also included a festive ordination: Bishop Leonilo Desoloc (47) received the Apostle ministry. He will care for the congregations in the north and west of Mindanao.

District Apostle Hebeisen is delighted over the visit of the Chief Apostle. Three festive divine services, lasting impressions upon many members, and the ordination of an Apostle: “May the effects of this visit endure for a long time to come, and may the blessing of God be with us!”

Berlin/Moscow. Two years after the European Youth Day in Düsseldorf (EYD 2009) the New Apostolic Church is organising a transnational Youth Day in Russia. District Apostle Wolfgang Nadolny, who is responsible for the congregations in this region, informs us that from 5 to 7 August 2011, all young New Apostolic Christians from Russia and the surrounding nations will be invited to the RYD 2011, not far from Moscow. The lead minister of the New Apostolic Church International, Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber, is also expected to attend the Youth Day.

Invited to the Youth Day are all young people and youth leaders from Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, the Ukraine, Belarus and Mongolia. A total of around 1,200 participants are expected. The site of the event will be a recreation complex west of Moscow which offers accommodation for up to 1,500 guests. The rental contract for the facility was signed at the beginning of June.

The Russian Youth Day – a first

“After making it possible for our young brothers and sisters in the congregations of this region to attend the EYD last year, I am pleased to announce that we will now be hosting our very first Russian Youth Day,” said District Apostle Nadolny. He had already announced this news to the young people from Berlin and Brandenburg at their Youth Day in Berlin on 6 June.

This large convocation near Moscow will be a first for the young people of Russia: to date, youth days in this region had only ever taken place on a smaller scale, usually with no more than 50 to 100 participants in individual Church districts.

Any news developments related to the RJT 2011 will be published immediately on the Youth website of the District Church of Berlin-Brandenburg.

Zurich. An extended liturgy will be introduced in the international New Apostolic Church with the start of the new Church year. In a letter to all the Church’s ministers the international Church leader, Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber, designated the first Sunday of Advent as the starting point of this new development. In the letter he states that it is his wish to notify the ministers of this change already at this early point in time.

“The divine service is the central event in our Church. It is far more than merely a gathering of the congregation, because it is there that God encounters us and grants us His salvation.” It is with these words that the Chief Apostle begins his notification letter to all ministers of the Church around the world. He points out that the District Apostles have, for some time, been considering how the divine service might be structured in even more solemn fashion. In autumn of last year the District Apostles finally resolved to introduce an expansion of the previous liturgy. The divine service is not limited to the proclamation of the word alone, but also consists of prayers, sacramental acts, blessings, and singing. “Above all, I would like to draw attention to Holy Communion, which is celebrated in every divine service.”

Two essential points

Chief Apostle Leber informs the ministers that there will be two significant changes to the current liturgy: Bible readings will be incorporated into the divine services on Church holidays, and the celebration of Holy Communion will receive greater emphasis as a sacramental act.

A corresponding letter from the Chief Apostle concerning these changes will be read out to all congregations around the world on coming Sunday. The ministers will be invited to attend training seminars starting in July 2010.

Zurich. Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber, the leader of the New Apostolic Church International, has announced that work on the content of the Catechism of the New Apostolic Church should be complete by early summer 2010. “I am happy that our Catechism is nearly complete after seven years of intensive effort. I would like to express warm thanks to all Apostles and members involved in the production of this work,” said the Chief Apostle.

In a press release issued by the New Apostolic Church International, the Church leader emphasises: “It is important to me that members be informed in a timely fashion about the contents of our Catechism parallel to the translation and printing of the textbook.” Accordingly, the revised creed of the Church was already published in the more than 64,000 New Apostolic congregations around the world and on the internet at the beginning of June.  Beyond that, the “Our Family” Church magazine will further explain and expand upon the Articles of Faith and other subject matter from the Catechism starting in August 2010.

Catechism content to be published as of June 2010

The press release goes on to note that, in order to ensure that the print version of the Catechism can be published simultaneously around the globe, it will still be necessary to provide translations of the work into the main languages of the Church, which is a time-consuming process. In addition to the German version, the Catechism will also appear in English, Spanish, French, Russian, and Portuguese. The translation work is complex and requires a great deal of time. “In the English language alone, for example, one must take into account over twenty variants of certain idiomatic expressions. For this reason, the print version of the Catechism will only be available by the end of 2012 at the earliest.”

Dialogue about the doctrine

Already in July 2010, a central e-mail address will be available for questions - from both members and other interested parties - about the published topics. These questions will then be collected, grouped together, answered by the responsible Project Groups, and posted in a FAQ database. Various opportunities for ministers and functionaries of the Church to receive training on the content of the Catechism are also being planned. These will be on offer as of January 2011 by the respective District Churches. In addition to events purely devoted to information-sharing, workshops incorporating discussion and interaction are also planned.

It will be up to the individual District Churches to create opportunities for both internal and external exchange and conversation, depending on the local circumstances and opportunities. “I encourage everyone to engage in conversation about our doctrine and in faith-based dialogue. In the process there will certainly be various opinions and interpretations. What is important to me here is that we engage in open and mutually respectful dialogue defined by the love of Christ,” concluded Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber.

Zurich. The first stop on an extended journey to the Far East led Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber, the international leader of the New Apostolic Church, to Japan. Over the weekend, he visited the “little flock in the land of the rising sun”, as the responsible District Apostle Urs Hebeisen relates in his travel report. The joy was great when the bus carrying the Church leader arrived in Tama City on Saturday morning. Some brothers and sisters festively dressed in kimonos - in Japan it is only customary to wear such attire on special occasions - were there to welcome him. 

District Apostle Hebeisen reports that some 80 members had also travelled there from Korea. The mostly young members performed a concert in the bustling commercial street in front of the hotel under the title “International Friendship Serenade”. The Chief Apostle and his guests - namely District Apostles Armin Brinkmann, Leslie Latorcai, and Urs Hebeisen, Apostles Edy Isnugroho and Fred Wolf, and Bishop Yang - were delighted with the performances.

New attendance record

A total of 167 members and guests gathered for the festive divine service on Sunday. “This is a new attendance record in Japan,” enthused District Apostle Hebeisen. After all, the small New Apostolic congregation of Tama only numbers some 30 members.

During the afternoon’s program, 78-year-old retired District Evangelist Yoshiharu Yahata related stories from the history of the New Apostolic Church in Japan, the beginnings of which date back to the year 1961. Shortly before resuming their travels on Monday, the visitors toured some historic attractions and thereby gained some insight into the diversity of Japanese religious denominations.

Zurich. As of today the ten Articles of Faith of the New Apostolic Church will appear in revised format. By commission of Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber, a Work Group has revised the New Apostolic creed. Concerning this, the international Church leader states: “On account of changes to some doctrinal statements, such as, for example, our understanding of Holy Baptism, a revision had become necessary.” The Chief Apostle goes on to mention that a more specific formulation had become necessary in many of these statements. The basic structure of the Articles of Faith remains unchanged however.

Already for some time, the District Apostle Meeting, under the chairmanship of the Chief Apostle, has been discussing the New Apostolic creed, and has now ratified the current format. The most important changes include:

• The first three Articles of Faith now correspond more closely to the “Apostolicum” which is highly respected among the Christian churches. This adaptation makes it clear that we share fundamental convictions with other Christians.

• In the Fourth Article of Faith, greater emphasis has been placed on the fact that it is Jesus Christ who rules His church. He is to be regarded as the source of all things, including the sending of the Apostles.

• The Fifth Article of Faith summarises our doctrinal understanding with regard to the other ministries.

• The Sixth Article of Faith presents our new understanding of Holy Baptism with water. It is “the first step to the renewal of the inner man in the Holy Spirit,” and establishes our fellowship with God as well as the fellowship of Christians among one another.

• The Seventh and – to an even greater degree – the Eighth Articles of Faith precisely describe our doctrinal understanding of the remaining sacraments, namely Holy Communion and Holy Sealing. Holy Sealing – in connection with Holy Baptism with water – imparts the childhood in God and opens the way for a human being to be counted among the firstlings who will be accepted by Christ at His return.

• The Ninth Article of Faith explains the future hope of New Apostolic Christians in greater detail. It makes clear that God’s plans do not come to an end at the Last Judgement, and goes on to include the prospect of the new creation. There have also been some further linguistic clarifications.

• The Tenth Article of Faith remains unchanged.

After today’s divine service, a letter from the Chief Apostle concerning the revised creed will be read out in all New Apostolic congregations around the world.

» The ten Articles of Faith of the New Apostolic Church

» More detailed explanations concerning the Articles of Faith

Zurich/Cape Town. With a seating capacity of 4,000, the New Apostolic congregation in Tafelsig (Cape Town) has the largest church building of the New Apostolic Church anywhere in the world. It was there that Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber conducted the divine service on Pentecost 2010, which was transmitted by satellite to approximately 5,000 other New Apostolic congregations around the globe.

Here, you can see a few parts of the divine service (12 MB).

Cape Town. “It is with mixed emotions that we leave your country. Joyful! Blessed! Strengthened! Yet sad to leave.” With these words Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber left Cape Town on Monday morning to travel back to Europe. For one special weekend Cape Town has been the centre of the new apostolic world.

“Good bye - God bless” - these words echoed around the airport departure terminal as Chief Apostle Leber and many of the apostles who attended the I.A.M 2010 and the blessed feast of Pentecost, departed from the Cape Town International Airport on Monday 24 May 2010. After checking in, Chief Apostle Leber took an extra few minutes to greet everyone around.

Then the moment arrived to say goodbye to the host, District Apostle Noel Barnes.  After a big hug, and a last wave to the crowd, the Chief Apostle proceeded through the boarding gates, leaving behind impressions which will last a lifetime.

Read more on the website of the New Apostolic Church Cape.

Cape Town. District Apostle Noel Barnes expressed it best after the divine service: “I may not be able to look into the future, but I believe that this will remain a unique event for us in Cape Town!” The Pentecost service had just come to an end. Some 1.2 million believers had been able to participate in it live, either by satellite or internet transmission. Four thousand of these had been seated in the congregation of Tafelsig, the largest New Apostolic Church building in the world.

“I wish all of you a blessed feast of Pentecost and a wonderful day filled with joy and power,” said Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber, the international Church leader, as he greeted the large Pentecost assembly. On this occasion he stood behind the altar in the congregation of Tafelsig, a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. He was accompanied by 341 Apostles of the New Apostolic Church, who had gathered from all parts of the world over the days preceding Pentecost for an International Apostle Meeting.  

Pentecost greeting from Hebrews 12: 1

In accordance with the decades-long tradition of the New Apostolic Church, Chief Apostle Leber started out by reading the Pentecost greeting. For this he chose a Bible passage from Hebrews 12: 1: “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” He called this a “special message for everyone, and good counsel for our time.” After all, said the Church leader, “there are many things that we can lay aside: disappointment, burdens, cares, and in short, all things that seek to rob us of our joy and peace. This is not always easy, but with the power of the Holy Spirit it is possible.” He also went on to add: “Laying something aside doesn’t mean that it suddenly disappears—but it no longer depresses us!”

Then the Chief Apostle looked into the ranks of the children, and reminded the young participants in the service about the historical feast of Pentecost. Concerning this, Holy Scripture relates that “they were all with one accord in one place” (cf. Acts 2: 1). “What does this mean for us?” asked the Chief Apostle, “Let us keep the peace among one another and then we will experience our God.”

Being witnesses for the Lord

Last of all, Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber—who begins his sixth year as Church leader with this Pentecost—came to speak about the actual Bible text at the heart of this divine service. Acts 1: 8 likewise makes reference to the power of the Holy Spirit: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The Chief Apostle began his interpretation of this text by stating that he wanted to especially emphasise the aspect of divine “power”. “It is my wish that this power may become even more evident within us,” he said. “After all, we all need such power in order to preserve our faith, remain joyful, and look into the future filled with the joy of hope. We all need power in order to avoid going under in the daily matters of life!”

“A good recipe for possessing this power is to ask the Lord for it,” recommended the Church leader. “Let us pray for this power daily! With it we will also be prepared to be a witness for the Lord. I will speak for all of us: let us be witnesses!”

Three hundred forty-one Apostles from around the world

After the divine service, the Chief Apostle asked all the Apostles to stand, in order of the continents where they are active. It was an impressive picture, which led the hosting District Apostle to exclaim: “This will remain a unique event for us in Cape Town!”

You can read further impressions from the Pentecost weekend on the website of the New Apostolic Church Cape. There we have also posted this year’s Pentecost greeting along with a summary of other retrospectives on Pentecost services from past years.

More photos and texts to follow!