When Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider sets off for the South East Asian part of the world this Wednesday, there will be some drastic changes in store for the New Apostolic District Churches in the region. The congregations have been prepared well in advance.
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South East Asia prepares for Chief Apostle visit
Photo: Leo Lintang
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Apostle Edy Isnugroho will be appointed District Apostle Helper for South-East Asia on 21 May 2017
Photo: NAC International
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District Elder Rumantiyo has been designated to receive the Apostle ministry on 21 May through Chief Apostle Schneider
Photo: NAC Southeast-Asia
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The future Apostle Beli-Ot will travel throughout the island of Negros. “He is not yet 40 years old,” emphasises his District Apostle
Photo: Privat
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Apostle Domingo Diagbel will retire on 21 May. On the right, Evangelist Soetikno as interpreter
Photo: NAC Southeast-Asia
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District Apostle Urs Hebeisen with Evangelist Ferry Soetikno as interpreter
Photo: NAC Southeast-Asia
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District Apostle Urs Hebeisen with all Apostles, Bishops, and district leaders of the New Apostolic Church South-East Asia
Photo: NAC Southeast-Asia
Tilling, Lampung, Depok — these are the stops along the international Church leader’s trip through South East Asia: two countries and three stops in one week. The itinerary begins with a divine service on 14 May in the New Apostolic congregation of Tilling on the Island of Negros, Philippines. After all, Negros is the third-largest island in the Philippine archipelago. Tilling itself lies in the west of the island, which is shaped like a foot. Thereafter the journey continues to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where a divine service will take place in a rented hall in Lampung. Sumatra is gigantic. The equator runs right through it. Lampung lies in the extreme southeast. The Church leader will conduct the concluding divine service of his extended trip on 21 May in Depok, Jakarta, Indonesia. Depok City is itself a city of millions on the southern outskirts of the even larger metropolis of Jakarta.
A District Apostle Helper from Indonesia
In the divine service in Depok, the now Apostle Edy Isnugroho (54) will be appointed a District Apostle Helper. Apostle Edy, as everyone calls him, is a trained teacher and has been travelling as an Apostle since 2002. Already in young years, his then District Apostle Alfons Tansahtikno called him into the service of the Church. He has worked in various functions in nearly all districts of the New Apostolic Church in Indonesia. His father is the retired Apostle Yusak Saptohadiprayitno.
Other changes
Two other ordinations are planned: District Elder Rumantiyo (47) will be ordained an Apostle for Indonesia and Joe An Beli-Ot (39) will be ordained for the Philippines. District Apostle Hebeisen has the following to say concerning this: “Sumatra is a very large region. We have been wishing for an Apostle there for a long time already.” He is thus very grateful for the future Apostle Rumantiyo.
The future Apostle Beli-Ot will travel throughout the island of Negros. “He is not yet 40 years old,” emphasises his District Apostle. “His working area will require him to be in good physical shape. Negros is the island with the greatest number of New Apostolic members.”
Chief Apostle Schneider will also retire the longest-serving Philippine Apostle, Domingo Diagbel, now that he has reached the age limit for active ministry. The latter has worked as a minister in the service of the Church for 36 years, 30 of them in the Apostle ministry.
The helmsman retires in 2018
And what about District Apostle Urs Hebeisen (65) himself? He plans to retire in 2018. The Swiss citizen who has now already been living in Manila, Philippines for 35 years, was born in Basel in 1952. He worked as a District Apostle Helper in various Asian countries for fourteen years before becoming District Apostle for the region of South East Asia in 2009. He has thus been travelling as an Apostle for over 35 years. His District Apostle district incorporates a total of eighteen countries, among them Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.