At home worldwide: New church on Sumatra

This week we look at a new church building on Sumatra and an emergency relief programme for Syrian refugees in Lebanon …

Church dedication in Indonesia

Indonesia. A new church has just been built and dedicated on Sumatra, the world’s sixth largest island. District Apostle Urs Hebeisen dedicated the new church in Sumberagung on Sunday, 25 October 2015. The congregation is growing; currently there are 120 members. The beginnings go back to the 1950s, when a New Apostolic family from Cilacap on the island of Java moved to Sumatra. The first divine service in Sumberagung was celebrated in March 1979. At the time there were four families, who gathered in a church constructed from bamboo. The congregation grew steadily. The District Apostle finally gave the go-ahead in February this year for the building of a new church. The cornerstone-laying ceremony was attended by the regent. The dedication service, which District Apostle Hebeisen based on Ephesians 2: 19–22, was also attended by the Apostles Edy Isnugroho and Samuel Hadiwidagdo who were called to assist. The congregation’s choir, the youth choir, an angklung ensemble, and a violin quartet contributed to the musical side of things.

On Monday, 26 October 2015, 394 ministers and their wives from the Lampung district gathered in the congregation of Pasir Sakti on the southern tip of Sumatra. District Apostle Urs Hebeisen had invited them to a special divine service. There was not enough room for everyone in the church so that tents had been put up outside. The District Apostle spoke about serving: serving God and serving one’s neighbour. He used the thoughts that Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider had elaborated on in a divine service for ministers in Europe on 27 September 2015.

Help for Syrian refugees

Switzerland. There is still no let-up in the fighting in Syria. Millions of people are still on the run. Most are on their way to Europe. About 1.2 million people are currently living in Lebanon. And winter is approaching. The aid foundation of the New Apostolic Church Switzerland, Humanitas, has decided to help. Monthly aid packages will be sent to especially vulnerable families and individuals. There are many single parents, minors, older people, victims of violence and torture, as well as refugees requiring urgent medical attention in Lebanon. Humanitas will donate 25,000 Swiss francs to the Swiss Red Cross in support of their Syrian emergency relief programme. The money will go toward supplying one thousand families with monthly food packages. The beneficiaries will be Syrian families who are hosted by Lebanese families in the regions of Zahle and Mount Lebanon. Blankets, tarpaulins, and household items will be included as well.

There are quite a few New Apostolic aid organizations. The most important are:

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