When Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider celebrates the divine services on Good Friday and Easter Sunday in Australia, he will not only be visiting the country itself, but also addressing a District Apostle Area that is simply vast in geographical terms.
The district is home to some famous names: American Samoa, Australia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Japan, Kiribati, Macao, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, South Korea, Taiwan, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. All of these regions together comprise the New Apostolic Church Western Pacific, which is led by District Apostle Peter Schulte.
The latter lives around a thousand kilometres from the Church offices in Brisbane, but that is hardly worth talking about, given the long journeys he is accustomed to making. His focus is on the many congregations in his working area. In an interview he gives away his motivation: the members of the Church are to have the feeling that they belong to the same region, and “feel a sense of belonging and partnership, regardless of which country they live in”.
Short history – long distances
The development history of the Church relates how the Western Pacific district grew into a single Church entity. As early as the 1880s, New Apostolic Christians emigrated from Europe to the Australian continent. With its vast expanses of land and few inhabitants, the country has always held strong appeal for new settlers. So it was that courageous families came to build a life for themselves in unfamiliar surroundings. They brought with them their devotion to God and their religious convictions, and thus the first New Apostolic congregations in Australia were established, initially in the state of Queensland.
Gradually, more and more people moved further into the country, particularly into the larger metropolitan areas and cities. Eventually, congregations were established throughout Australia and the neighbouring country of New Zealand. In the 1970s, the members of the Australian congregations began supporting the establishment of congregations on numerous South Pacific islands. Starting in 2018, several Asian countries were ultimately admitted to the New Apostolic Church of Australia and New Zealand. The Regional Church is now called the Western Pacific. Its nations, time zones, languages, and customs are correspondingly diverse—but the bond that unites them all is faith.
During his visit, the international Church leader has scheduled two services and an Apostle meeting: he will conduct divine services in Melbourne on Good Friday and in Brisbane on Easter Sunday. An Apostle meeting will also take place there on Easter Monday.
Melbourne is hip
The city of Melbourne, which is named after British Prime Minister Lord William Melbourne (1779–1848), has always been hip—formerly as a gold rush hub, and today as a happy coffee metropolis and the centre of a significant cultural and street art scene. The international community has left its mark on almost every alleyway, and today tourists can explore the vibrant network of narrow streets and walkways that are known as the “Laneways” of Melbourne. With approximately 5.2 million inhabitants, Melbourne, the capital of the state of Victoria, is the second-largest city in Australia after Sydney.
Brisbane is green
Brisbane, which was once a penal colony, is now an extremely popular holiday destination. The capital of the state of Queensland is known for its universities and the scenic paradises of the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, which begin north and south of the city limits. Its seaside location generally assures visitors of good weather. And just as the advertising brochures say, Brisbane is sunny, green, and digitally savvy. Today it is the third-largest city on the red continent, with some 2.5 million residents in the surrounding region.
The “neighbouring” District Apostles and Helpers have also been invited to the divine services in Melbourne and Brisbane. These include District Apostles Edy Isnugroho and Mark Woll, and District Apostle Helpers David Devaraj and Frank Dzur.
Many New Apostolic congregations will join in to see what is happening this Good Friday and Easter Sunday in the Terra Australis!
Photo: Peter Johanning
Photos: NAC Western Pacific
