Not quite a year from now, the Church will be celebrating its International Youth Convention 2019. For the young people—who are in the process of graduating, starting their first jobs, or moving in with their first roommate—this is still a long time. But for the organisers, who are doing their best to plan an event that is to thrill some 30,000 participants, time is short.

From the village into the city—and then? The rural exodus is real challenge for the New Apostolic Church—especially in the country with the largest membership. Join us for part two on congregational life in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It is a country of superlatives—also for the New Apostolic Church. It is also a country of striking contrasts between rural and urban Africa: the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Here are some insights from a District Apostle whose best bet is often a motorbike.

Mwanza and Dar es Salaam are the cities that are on the Chief Apostle’s divine service agenda on the second weekend of August. It will be his second visit to Tanzania, and there is a lot of excitement in the congregations.

Today’s week in review reports on three very different stories from three different countries. At the core of each, however, we find the practical faith of New Apostolic Christians who are doing their part to bring people together in the midst of society.

When faith creates music, it will be in more than one key! The “Show Your Talent” song contest already proved that quite clearly at the International Church Convention 2014. Now a new edition is scheduled for the IYC 2019. The call going out to young musicians today is: “Show us what you’ve got!”

The ambassadors are on their way. And the base is on the move: a spotlight on all the preparations for the International Youth Convention (IYC) 2019 around the globe. Some examples from Africa, Asia, and Europe.

While our brethren in faith in Java, Indonesia played the music of peace and love, bombs exploded only 250 kilometres away, killing many people. A report on a concert with trembling hearts and hands follows below.

Heeeeeey! — A joyful shout provides a foretaste of things to come in 2019: at the end of May, eight young New Apostolic Christians tested out the positive atmosphere in the Düsseldorf arena. They are ambassadors for the International Youth Convention (IYC).

What would the Church be without its youth? A church without a future! The Chief Apostle and District Apostles repeatedly emphasise the importance of our offers to young people. But what does this mean in concrete terms? What offers are these?

Divine services can be held in a church or in the open air. But that a service is transmitted to a congregation that worships under a tree does not happen very often.

Helping others has untold benefits. Michaela Jost from the congregation of Giessen in Germany has made this experience. For her it is a key to happiness. She works with needy children in Nepal.

“Move closer! No, not with the camera. Zoom in,” Tim Schaefer-Rolffs prompts the cameraman with the black vest. But by then he had already started to make his way to the altar and was now standing directly in front of it.

Resolving conflicts and working together constructively … Ministers in Ghana recently came together for a capacity building workshop. And that can mean that they slip into a role other than theirs.

Youth gatherings everywhere … In this week’s review, we will focus on some of these events and see just how rich and varied our faith is.

It is a year of united Youth Days. There was a double premiere this past weekend in Germany. The start, however, was made in South Africa at the beginning of the year. Join us as we look at three events celebrating the love of life and the joy of faith.

Five months abroad not only improved Céline’s language skills. Living with a New Apostolic family and being part of the congregation in far away Canada also enriched her faith.

There is no universal cure. The challenges that the global Church faces in the various regions are just too different. Part two of the interview with the Chief Apostle offers an approach: focus on the essentials. And what are these?