Fluctuating case numbers and adapting to changing Covid-19 measures are challenging people everywhere. But there is a comforting constant in all of this—our online and dial-in services.

The great shepherd’s heart has stopped beating. District Apostle (ret.) Markus Fehlbaum of Switzerland passed away yesterday after a long and serious illness with many ups and downs. As a tribute, here is his portrait once more.

Figuring out the correct dates of his life is a challenge. But then the pioneers of those days had more important things to do than writing down numbers for posterity. What matters is the spiritual legacy: Apostle George Henwood Mkandawire would have celebrated his 120th birthday in a few days.

The COVID pandemic has claimed many lives in South-East Asia, District Apostle Edy Isnugroho says, resulting in a sense of fear and despair. Fellowship in prayer and divine services are helping the faithful in their fight against this threat!

Some look back with gratitude and joy and have happy memories, others look ahead hopefully as they face special challenges. Here is a look at some of the activities in our congregations around the world.

It was 70 years ago, on 5 August 1951, that the then Chief Apostle Johann Gottfried Bischoff retired him. Today, Ernst Güttinger would have been 144 years of age. Who was this man who left behind such a mixed legacy?

This week we take a look at an anniversary in Australia and a campaign for a better future. There certainly are reasons to celebrate, but there are also always moments to pause and reflect and pray for others.

“Why?” is one of the most common questions. Sometimes one asks out curiosity, other times it is out of sheer despair. Here is an excerpt from a sermon on how to deal with the unexplained.

A burning bush, thunder, and lightning. Encounters with God are described as terrifying events in the Bible. Yet, District Apostle Joseph Opemba Ekhuya from Kenya in East Africa looks forward to it in spite of this.

Joy and sadness often exist side by side. While some can come together and celebrate again, others are struggling to come to terms with destruction. Let’s pray for all.

“Let us trust in God, let us believe in Jesus Christ, let us believe in the effectiveness of the Holy Spirit and act accordingly. Those who do this will benefit fully from salvation. This is nothing new, but I don’t know of anything else that would be more important for us than that.”

Podcasts are becoming more and more popular all around the world. People use them to talk about everything on God’s green earth. And since God is the Creator of it all, it wasn’t long before some of our own members decided to take advantage of the opportunity to use podcasts to profess their faith.

A reliable range of video services has accompanied the faithful since the beginning of the pandemic. The changes in the weekly overview are becoming fewer and fewer. Here is this week’s list of countries, languages, and links.

Again the Chief Apostle was hardly able to travel in the first half of the year and could therefore ordain and retire only a few Apostles. Instead, he asked the District Apostles to perform these ministerial acts on his behalf. At the end of June 2021, 337 Apostles were active around the world.

Is there a need for women in pastoral care? There sure is! This is the conclusion reached by an official work group in the New Apostolic Church Western Germany—and the group has concrete figures to demonstrate the need for a response to this demand in the congregations.

None of us know how the future will look. And yet there is one thing we do know: Christ is our future. District Apostle Wolfgang Nadolny of Berlin in Germany tells us about the tasks involved.

“When you look at a construction site, you might think, ‘What will this become?’ But sometimes there is a picture that shows what the building will look like in the end. The picture is Christ,” District Apostle Michael Deppner said on Pentecost. Following is an overview of church buildings and other facilities under construction.

The Chief Apostle’s trip to Zambia and the DR Congo has been cancelled. He will not be able to travel there. He is very disappointed, but what pains him the most is the disappointment of the brothers and sisters. He is well acquainted with the conditions of the members there.