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.
D.C. means District of Columbia, and distinguishes the name of the capital from the state of Washington on the country’s Pacific north-west coast—on the border with Canada. The national capital Washington D.C. is situated in the north-east, on the Potomac River, inland from the Atlantic. Already in 1790 it was established as a territory to serve as the permanent seat of the federal government. To distinguish it from the state of Washington its official designation is D.C.—the place where Columbus set foot on American soil. Outside of the USA the city is simply called Washington. And Americans usually refer to it simply as D.C.
One the most visited cities in the world
There is the White House. The President of the United States represents the country from here. This is probably the most famous building in the United States. The United States Capitol is close by, the meeting place of the United States Congress. This is where the senate and the House of Representatives hold their meetings and pass laws. And since the Supreme Court also has its seat in the city, all three constitutional bodies are located in the national capital. A little outside of the city, on the other side of the Potomac River, is the most famous five-sided building of the world, the Pentagon, headquarters of the US Department of Defense.
Addresses where history is written. From here, powerful levers are set in motion to guide the destinies of the country and the world. Since 11 June 1800 Washington is the only capital of the country, and with 20 million tourists annually one of the most visited cities.
There are only a few skyscrapers here. The Height of Buildings Act limits the height of buildings in the city. Buildings are limited to the width of the adjacent street plus 6.1 metres. About 600,000 people live in the city, representing many ethnic groups. Washington, D.C., remains a territory, not a state, and since 1974 it has been governed by a locally elected mayor and city council. Congress, however, maintains supreme authority. All laws passed by the city require the subsequent approval of Congress.
District Apostle Meeting and Pentecost service
This year’s International Conference of the District Apostles is under the motto: “And they continued …” (Acts 2: 42). Tomorrow and on Wednesday, the international Church leaders will be arriving in Washington, D.C. On Wednesday evening, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider will welcome the guests from around the world officially. On Thursday and Friday, the International District Apostle Meeting (DAMI) will convene.
For Saturday afternoon, District Apostle Kolb has something special planned: NAC Talks. For the first time, the New Apostolic Church in the United States has organised a church convention. Everyone is welcome. Among other things, District Apostles Kriel (South Africa), Michael Deppner (Democratic Republic of the Congo), and Raúl Montes de Oca (Brazil) will give short talks on spiritual topics. And Evangelist Reinhard Kiefer will talk about the life and times in the first church. All of this will take place at the Hylton Memorial Chapel in Woodbridge, Virginia.
This is also where the Pentecost service will take place on Sunday. All members of the USA District are invited to the service as well as all other festivities. “No matter what country you live in, no matter what age you are, no matter what language you speak,” it says on the website.
A wonderful idea, which meshes beautifully with the spirit of Pentecost.