The New Apostolic spotlight is on two German cities this week: the International District Apostle Meeting will convene in Mainz, while the Pentecost service will be broadcast from Wiesbaden to the rest of the world.
Both cities are state capitals and lie directly opposite each other, separated only by a river: the Rhine. Both are linked by history and significance. Wiesbaden, the capital of the state of Hesse on the right bank of the Rhine, stands for administration and culture. Mainz, the seat of the government of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, is regarded as a media hub and an important centre for science and research.
Decisions to be made in Mainz
The International District Apostle Meeting, the highest decision-making body of the New Apostolic Church International (NACI), will convene in Mainz on 5 and 6 June. Under the direction of the Chief Apostle, the fourteen Church leaders and their nine assistants meet twice a year to discuss fundamental spiritual matters: once at the NACI head offices in Zurich (Switzerland) and the second time in different Regional Churches around the world.
This time, the hosting district is the District Apostle Area Western Germany. It was created in 2018 when the districts of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse/Rhineland-Palatinate/Saarland merged. Hesse last hosted the Pentecost festivities in 2016 and North Rhine-Westphalia in 2017.
Divine services throughout the region
The District Apostles will arrive on Tuesday. On Wednesday evening, they and their assistants will swarm out to conduct divine services in 22 congregations in the area. The congregations are all located within a drive-time radius of about two hours.
The Delegates’ Meeting, the organisational counterpart to the District Apostle Meeting, will kick things off on Thursday. This will then be followed by an extensive agenda. The consultations are expected to last until midday on Friday.
Concert in Wiesbaden
A highlight of the weekend is the Pentecost concert on Saturday at the Kurhaus, a magnificent concert hall in Wiesbaden. The Concert Choir Southern Hesse, members of the Chambers Choirs of Central and Northern Hesse, and the Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra of Southern Hesse will perform excerpts from Felix Mendelsohn’s St Paul.
The oratorio tells the story of a radical transformation from persecutor to proclaimer, from doubt to conviction, from darkness to light. The hosting Regional Church has announced a “new concert format”. The concert will not be broadcast, it says on the website.
The actual highlight of the Pentecost Assembly is the divine service with Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider in our church in Wiesbaden. The service will be broadcast internationally. The way in which it can be received depends on the respective Regional Church. The Youth Celebration Choir and the Wiesbaden District Choir will provide the music for the service.
Photo: travelview – stock.adobe.com