Pentecost is considered the birthday of the church. But like a plant that germinates underground before the first shoots emerge, the origins of the church lie deeper and earlier.

Comforter, Helper, Advocate—there are several translations for the word. And none of them are wrong. But who are we talking about? In fact, there are even two of them in the Bible.

Pentecost comes after Easter, but in between these two holy days there is still Ascension Day. ’Tis the season when God’s good plan for humankind makes great leaps. The divine services in May show where all this leads.

First they cheered and welcomed Him, then they hurled insults at Him. This story is older than the event and is still told a thousand times over today. But there is a difference that changes the world. Here is a slightly different look at Palm Sunday.

Does your faith in Jesus have a future? This is the question a recently published doctrinal essay asks. It covers subjects such as trust, trials, and signs, but above all the return of Christ.

Over a hundred young people attended a youth convention in South America and several thousand came together for youth services in Africa. The young people demonstrated their faith, sometimes publicly, at various events organised to promote the Church and ensure its future

A divine service with over 7,000 participants, a concert with around 2,000 performers, and a Church Convention that takes over an entire city. These major events continue to have an impact, whether on a small or large scale or as a catchy tune.

“Let us focus on the basic elements of our faith!” Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider urged the faithful during the 2024 Pentecost service. He went on to explain exactly what this means and how it works.

“What are you standing there staring into space?” That was the question to the sky-gazing disciples, and it could have been taken as a gentle rebuke. It was followed by the exhortation: “Don’t just stand there. Get on with it.” Here is why Ascension is more topical than ever.

Whether conducting a choir or an orchestra, conductors are all eyes, ears, and hands. From the first bar to the last note, they are in control over the tempo and the dynamics. But they don’t fall from the sky. So how do congregations across the world find their musical leaders.

Welcome to the new year! What? There are still a few weeks to go before the old year ends. The calendar year, that is. But the new church year began yesterday. Advent marks the start of a journey of discovery of the life and work of Jesus.

Reliving the events surrounding the feast of Pentecost—that is the aim of the latest edition of community. The current issue focuses on this central divine service and the activities associated with it. And naturally there are all sorts of other interesting things to discover as well.

“This certainty, this absolute certainty that I am loved by God. And feeling this peace in your heart despite all the temptations: God loves me. This signifies blessing.” In a divine service recently, the Chief Apostle cleared up some popular misunderstandings.

God in His triune nature is not a mental construct, but is someone who can be experienced directly. Despite the diversity of the individual members, the church of Christ comprises a single entity. The power and authority of Jesus Christ extend into the beyond. These are the subjects of our divine services in June.

An end that marked a beginning: by ascending to heaven Jesus Christ did not create distance between Himself and us, but actually came closer to us. Here are some thoughts on Ascension Day, which falls within Eastertide.

Ascension Day and Pentecost—the month of May speaks for itself. And so do our divine services: the brothers and sisters will learn more about the announcement of the Holy Spirit and how God reveals Himself to them as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

To reign with Christ is a higher form of service. This is what District Apostle John Kriel from South Africa says in his article on our annual motto. What exactly this means he explains by telling us what we need to let go of and what we need to hold on to.

“This was the first time that I could travel into this part of the province of North Kivu,” Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider wrote. And that is saying something, because for many years he travelled throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo as District Apostle.