A new Apostle for Spain, Italy, and Cuba

“Spain will receive a new Apostle. At the same time, District Apostle Helper Jürg Zbinden will hand over the leadership of the Church in Italy,” Chief Apostle Schneider informed the District Apostles a few weeks ago.

This coming weekend the Chief Apostle will be in Spain. In a divine service on 23 July 2017 at a hotel in Barcelona, the Chief Apostle will perform a number of acts. Here in Barcelona is also the mother church of Spain.

Over eighty years ago, in 1936, the first New Apostolic family moved from Zurich to Barcelona. “That same year still, the Spanish Civil War started, which was followed by nearly forty years of dictatorship. Under the given circumstances, development was nearly impossible,” Apostle Erhard Suter reports, who is responsible for the region today. In November 1974 Apostle Hermann Hänni from Switzerland visited Spain. During his trip he ordained three Sub-deacons. He commented, “The ministerial body in Spain has just grown by one hundred per cent.” At the time, there was only one Evangelist, one Priest, and one Deacon, Apostle Suter adds. These were the beginnings of the New Apostolic Church in Spain. He was one of these three Sub-deacons.

A few thousand members from South America

On 9 April 2000 Chief Apostle Richard Fehr visited Spain. At the time, some 1,400 New Apostolic Christians lived in Spain. District Apostle Mario Fiore from Argentina was also in this service. The Chief Apostle turned to him and said, “Why don’t you send us a few thousand members from South America. You have so many there and we have so few.” This statement, which was said in jest, actually came true. Not long after there was a strong influx of South Americans to Spain. They were fleeing the economic crises in their own countries and hoping to make a better life for themselves in Spain, which had a booming economy at the time. Among the immigrants were many New Apostolics. Many stayed and more than half of the ministers today are South Americans.

Retirement of Apostle Erhard Suter

Apostle Suter was born on 9 March 1953 in Switzerland. In November 1974, at the age of 21, he was ordained a Sub-deacon. Other ministries followed, and on 15 April 2001 he was ordained an Apostle. Apostle Suter will be retiring a little earlier than originally planned for health reasons. “We thank him sincerely for his years of blessed work, for his faithfulness and devotion to the souls entrusted to Him and for his service for the Lord. We wish him and his wife a blessed retirement,” Chief Apostle Schneider writes.

The Apostle cares for forty congregations and three thousand members on the Spanish mainland and the islands that belong to the country. He is supported by 140 ministers.

Ordination of a new Apostle

Bishop Rolf Camenzind will be ordained an Apostle and succeed Apostle Suter in Spain. Rolf Camenzind is 54 years old and from Torricella in Switzerland. He will be responsible for the congregations in the Italian-speaking canton of Switzerland (Ticino), in Spain, Italy, and Cuba. He says that he stands in awe of the Apostle ministry and is looking forward to being able to help along.

Rolf Camenzind grew up in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. As a young man he moved to the French part of Switzerland for professional reasons and then to the Italian-speaking section of the country. He had planned to stay there for a year, but in 1985 he met his wife in Lugano, and has been there ever since. “That is why the year turned into something like 32 years,” he says and smiles.

In the context of meetings for lead teachers in our Church in Spain he came to Barcelona in 2008. “Since I wanted to learn something new at the time anyway, I decided on my trip home that Sunday evening that I would ask whether the Spanish courses for adults—which begin in our canton in the fall—had already started.” To make a long story short, he started with Spanish and intensified it the year after, when he assumed the management of the Church administration offices for Spain. He speaks German, French, Spanish, and Italian.

The Church in Italy under new leadership

Apostle Jürg Zbinden has been responsible for the congregations in Italy for many years. On New Year 2017 the Apostle was appointed a District Apostle Helper for Switzerland. He has also been designated as the new District Apostle for Switzerland. The ordination has been planned for the coming year. Because of the impending changes, the New Apostolic Church in Italy will be run and administered by the new Apostle Rolf Camenzind as of the coming week.

“Italy is not new to me. I worked for the Church administrative offices there, and then for the last two-and-a-half years I worked there as a Bishop. We are a small flock. As in other places, it is not always easy,” Bishop Camenzind explains. In Italy there are 2,100 New Apostolic Christians spread over 48 congregations. One hundred ministers are active across the country.

He has a great deal of respect for the tasks that lie ahead of him, and for another reason as well. “I always said that you can change almost anything in the Church. But on no account may you touch the expectation of the return of Christ and the Apostle ministry.”