A last divine service here, new ministers there …

Mandalay in Cape Town (South Africa) was the congregation which District Apostle Noel Barnes picked to conduct his last divine service before his retirement this coming Sunday by the Chief Apostle. But why Mandalay? It was here that Noel Barnes celebrated his first service after being ordained a District Apostle. This was almost twenty years to the day, on 22 December 1996.

He based the service in Mandalay this past Sunday, 11 December 2016, on Luke 13: 17: “And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.” The District Apostle called on the brothers and sisters to profess their faith irrespective of the circumstances they face. Referring to the life of Christ, he motivated the children of God to follow the great example set by Jesus who was never put off by those around him. At the end of the service the choir sang “We will keep our faith alive”.

Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider has already arrived in Cape Town. The service this coming Sunday will take place in our Silvertown church.

Six new Bishops were ordained by District Apostle Rainer Storck for the Church in Angola. There is uninterrupted growth. He is thankful, he said, that the Chief Apostle agreed to the ordination of the new Bishops. The number of Bishops in Angola has now gone from 13 to 19.

Apostle José Mario Caminda had to retire early for health reasons. He was ordained as an Apostle by Chief Apostle Richard Fehr in Lusaka in Zambia in March 2005 and looked after the New Apostolic Christians mostly in the provinces Huíla, Cunene, and Namibe.

The 500th anniversary of the Reformation: Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther is said to have nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg (Germany). Reason enough to commemorate this great German theologian and reformer and congratulate the Lutheran Church. In consultation with the District Apostles, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider sent a letter congratulating the president of the Lutheran World Federation, Bishop Munib Younan, based in Geneva. The Chief Apostle wrote that the Reformation as well as Martin Luther are given a very positive assessment in the New Apostolic Catechism. He went on to say that Luther’s influence on the New Apostolic Church is significant. Broad lines of Luther’s theology are found in the New Apostolic Church. The letter closes with greetings: “On behalf of all New Apostolic Christians around the globe I send you and the Lutheran World Federation our sincere greetings.”

Winter relief in the Caucasus: without support many people would not manage. Especially in winter, people in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia suffer from food shortages because they cannot grow fruits and vegetables in their own gardens. Already in the past year, 619 families received support. For eight years now, NAK-karitativ has been providing needy families with food parcels.