community 1/2023: Some things new plus some tried and true for the new year
Yes, the concept is already a little older now: the member magazine known as community has already been around for eight years. Nevertheless, it is not yet long in the tooth by any means, and still contains a great deal of new and valuable material. As usual, there is a lot of exciting content to discover in the latest issue.
“Preserving what’s old, accepting what’s new”—it is under this caption that the latest edition of community features a divine service summary which deals with constantly occurring changes that are good to accept. However, it also points out the importance of preserving that which is tried and true, namely the gospel. This is the main focus when it comes to our faith.
The new edition likewise contains much that is tried and true. As always, there is the full-length version of a divine service by Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider, along with three other divine services conducted on other continents in somewhat abbreviated form. Following these, the magazine includes a few pages for the children and then goes on to discuss some of the Church’s doctrinal content. Under the heading “Global News” readers will then find current events from around the world.
Doctrinal information about women in ministry
Something new for the year 2023 is that women can also be called to serve in a spiritual ministry in the New Apostolic Church. It is for this reason that the community magazine also focuses on the decision of the District Apostle Meeting and the corresponding announcement made on 20 September in Dessau, Germany. In addition, this issue begins by publishing the Special Edition of the Divine Service Guide on the subject of “Women in ordained ministry”.
In the first part of this article, which deals with the basic principles, readers can learn the precise meaning of terms such as “ministerial authority” and “ministerial mandate”, and how they are linked to one another. Beyond that the article once again references the accounts of the creation, which clearly state that there is no hierarchy between men and women in the creation desired by God. In the next few days, this content will be featured once again in even greater detail in the series on ministry on nac.today.
Something for everybody
The articles on the children’s pages are likewise tried and true. Spread out over two double pages, there is much exciting material for the younger generation—and any other interested parties—to discover. This time, the children’s section explores the biblical event from John 13: 1–20 when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. And David from Ndola has a lot to tell the children about the country of Zambia and our Church there.
The divine service in Winterthur, Switzerland was dedicated to the youth. To conclude their three-day youth summit, young people from Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and parts of France gathered for a divine service with the Chief Apostle on 11 September 2022. In this service, the Chief Apostle went into the needs of the young people and showed how God can also play a role there.
In the past year, a small group spanning three generations engaged in a bicycle tour and collected donations for a good cause in the process. A grandfather, father, and two teenagers from Germany rode their bikes along the Camino de Santiago in Spain and managed to collect over 38,000 euros in donations. Readers can find the full story on these cyclists in the new edition of community.
community: a global magazine
The community member magazine has existed in many languages since 2015. Each quarter, a new issue of 32 pages is published both online and in print format. The New Apostolic Church International produces the magazine in English, French, German, and Spanish, while the Regional Churches coordinate distribution and translations into other languages on their own. The print edition is distributed in those countries where our members have limited to no internet access.