At home worldwide: meeting the challenge

Stormy start

It was one of the worst storms in years to have hit the Cape area in South Africa. But it could not deter anyone from attending the annual conference of the Sunday School coordinators from the Dennekraal Bishop area. The theme of the three-day event was “Victory with Christ”. The topics covered included “Partnering with parents”. The participants also engaged in discussion on the growth and development of Sunday School, as well as the concerns and challenges faced in the different areas. The delegates were also given an envelope containing 14 Bible messages which relate to “Victory with Christ”, as well as customized “survival” kits—something to reflect on after they had left Dennekraal.

A race to save lives

A group of about ninety members accepted the challenge and participated in a fundraiser in Weingarten (Germany) to benefit a campaign that supports seriously ill people. Anyone wishing to sponsor the race was able to pledge an amount of money for each lap of a course of the “Race for Life”. The proceeds will go toward bone marrow pre-transplant screening. For many people suffering from leukaemia, a transplant is often the only chance for a cure.

Congregation builds its own church

“Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells.” This Bible verse from Psalm 26 was read by District Apostle Charles Ndandula at the dedication of the new church of the Kabompo Central congregation in Zambia. Kabompo Central started as a branch of the main congregation in 1985. The congregation used a classroom of the local secondary school for its services. When difficulties started with using the classroom, land was bought and the congregation started to build its own church. Nearly two-thirds of the building costs were contributed by the members in the form of material and labour, while the rest came from the administrative offices of the Church.

Merger also affects the Internet

The merger that created the new District Apostle Area Northern and Eastern Germany presented some special challenges. In time for the service this past Sunday in which the two former districts of Northern and Central Germany were merged the new website was launched: www.nak-nordost.de. The website not only features information on the District Church, but also the individual pages of the various districts and congregations. About 250 volunteers were trained for this in four events .