There are many ways to live open and co-operative partnerships. This goes from extending hospitality to mutual acceptance to working together. And this is demonstrated by congregations and districts right around the world.
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Doors Open event.
Photo: NAC Toronto
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Doors Open event.
Photo: NAC Toronto
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The musical “Lydia, the seller of purple”.
Photo: Ingo Meier
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The musical “Lydia, the seller of purple”.
Photo: Ingo Meier
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The musical “Lydia, the seller of purple”.
Photo: Ingo Meier
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Students of the Institute for Religious Education of Lucerne.
Photo: NAK Schweiz
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In an interfaith dialogue.
Photo: Björn Renz
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In an interfaith dialogue.
Photo: Björn Renz
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In an interfaith dialogue.
Photo: Björn Renz
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Administrative offices working together more closely.
Photo: NAK NRW
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Administrative offices working together more closely.
Photo: NAK Hessen
The Toronto Central congregation in (Canada) for example, participated in the city-wide Doors Open event on the weekend of May 28th. The event provided an opportunity to present the congregation to neighbours and friends from the community. The doors of the church were open on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guests were treated to a musical performance by the French African choir on Saturday.
“Come and see” was the motto of a concert at the end of May in the Hanover-List congregation in Germany. The members were given a foretaste of a musical, “Lydia, the seller of purple”, a regional production that will go on stage this coming fall in Hanover. There will be six performances. There is a short video on Youtube.
The offices of the New Apostolic Church Switzerland in Zurich threw open their doors to students of the Institute for Religious Education (RPI) of Lucerne. This has become a tradition. The students are given the chance to get first-hand information on the New Apostolic Church. Included was a lively exchange of ideas on the global development of the world’s religions, on church attendance, and our Church’s conception of the departed.
The New Apostolic Church is involved in an interfaith dialogue with the Council of Christian Churches in Germany (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christlicher Kirchen in Deutschland, ACK) . After being awarded an associate membership in a number of local chapters, the Church has now been granted associate status by a regional chapter: namely by the chapter that covers the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Germany). The reaction was as follows: “We welcome the opportunity to testify of the message of the Lord’s return and speak up for the apostolic cause throughout the church of Christ.”
The administrative officesof two District Churches in Germany, namely Hesse/Rhineland-Palatinate/Saarland and North Rhine-Westphalia, are planning on working together even more closely in future. By harmonizing processes and co-operating more closely, synergies are to be maximized. The project, it was said, has nothing to do with any succession plans for the Hessian District Apostle, who will be going into retirement in the foreseeable future. Certain administrative sectors of the European District Churches have been working together closely for a number of years already.