An ambassador of love and joy, a church-turned-refugee shelter, and a national synod are today’s topics on our trip around the New Apostolic world.
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Annual meeting in the USA
Photo: NAC USA
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New Apostle ordained in Johannesburg (South Africa)
Photo: Theo van der Merwe
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Refugees in former church
Photo: NAK NRW
New Apostle ordained in Johannesburg (South Africa)
The New Apostolic Church South-East Africa has a new Apostle: District Evangelist Sipho Baldwin Mogane was ordained as an Apostle on 11 October 2015 in a divine service in our Dinwiddie church in Johannesburg. The Chief Apostle said that it is the new Apostle’s task to proclaim the gospel of Christ and to prepare the bridal congregation for the return of Jesus Christ, “This is a message of love and joy.” Apostle Mogane is 35 years old and is an IT risk manager. His mother tongue is Setswana, but he also speaks English. He succeeds Apostle Frank Mwape, who retired in the year 2013 after 28 years as an Apostle.
Refugees in former church
The former church building in Petershagen in Germany will be used to house refugees. Against payment of a small fee, the town of Petershagen can use the building for a period of two years. The municipality will assume the legal formalities as well as any technical upgrades that have to be done to the building. Fifteen refugees are to find a new home there. The city of Bergkamen will use a former New Apostolic church building to store donations in kind until the end of the year.
The New Apostolic Church North Rhine-Westphalia provided the regional government with a list of church buildings that were no longer being used by the Church. Other District Churches in Germany are also in contact with municipal authorities for this purpose.
Annual meeting in the USA
The leadership of the New Apostolic Church USA convened for its annual synod in Chicago, Illinois. For three days the district leaders, Bishops, and Apostles discussed governance issues and the status of projects and programmes. The meeting also covered topics such as quarterly webcast meetings, ecumenism, work group updates, the midweek experience, and services for children and the youth. Representatives from the flagship congregations were also invited to the synod, bringing the number of participants to more than 50 people.