Sealing is a sacrament with a history. And its roots can be traced back to the early Christian centuries. Here is an overview of the ten articles in our series on this topic and a look ahead on what is up next.

Different from the usual: first, he worked for the Church and then he went to church. Barely retired, he is starting over in a completely different field, but this time without pay. Deacon Frank Sardar from Pakistan is back to doing what he loves, namely helping children.

The New Apostolic Church, its members, as well as some of its institutions have big plans for this year. These include developing instrumental music, building a modern church, and conducting seminars for ministers.

“We have realised that there is no end in sight to this calamity.” This is how the charity of the New Apostolic Church in the Philippines describes the situation after Typhoon Odette devastated parts of the country. Among the many NGOs that have responded are also four New Apostolic charities.

When asked how a Christian receives the Holy Spirit, the New Apostolic Church’s answer to the question is: through Holy Sealing. Our sacramental understanding and its points of reference in the Bible and in church history are detailed below.

Did you know that District Apostles are also authorised to ordain Apostles? This has always been the case, but in the year 2021 many District Apostles had to actually make use of this authority because the Chief Apostle was prevented from travelling as a result of the pandemic.

“Thank you for being there! I have no idea what is going to happen in the future, but I do know one thing: God is faithful! He will be with us. Do not fear.” It was with these words that the Chief Apostle concluded a remarkable divine service in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

District Apostle Pablo Alfredo Bianchi from Argentina would have turned 100 years old this 24th of January. From the very first time he ever set foot into a New Apostolic congregation, the rector thought of him as a gift from heaven.

Ralf Pilgrim, an Evangelist, has been the rector of the Bad Harzburg congregation in Germany since the end of September 2021. He only moved there with his family in 2020, but he has known the congregation for longer…

Now that we’ve covered the question of what, it’s time to tackle the question of who: expanding on our understanding of the concept of ministry was also high on the Church’s list of things to do in 2021. And some initial answers have indeed been found since, along with a detailed roadmap for the rest of the journey.

He led the New Apostolic Church out of a crisis and brought it forward. Chief Apostle Walter Schmidt would have celebrated his 130th birthday today. Lest we forget, here is a look once more at how he managed to deal with the situation.

It happened in 1840/41: the apostle unity fell apart and so did the masterplan. The charismatic movement had to reinvent itself as a church. Here is the background to sealing in the Catholic Apostolic Church.

Human beings can choose what to do and what not to do. We are not free to decide, however, whether we sin by our decision and thus incur a debt before God. Personal responsibility also means being willing to bear the consequences of our actions.

The Catholic practice of confirmation as a sacrament was only accorded a few quiet centuries. But then the reformers came along and sought to anchor the Christian rite of initiation in the act of baptism alone—and nevertheless instituted their own practice of confirmation in the process.

The fall session of the District Apostle Meeting has ended. Prominent topics were our concept of ministry, biblical authorship issues, and a new Guide for Ministers.

Zero tolerance. This is the stance taken by the New Apostolic Church towards sexual abuse and assault. And this is what Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider made clear at the conference of the District Apostles in Zurich, Switzerland.

Always so many changes! There is hardly any other church that has developed so far in such a short time. For many, the reaction to this is: “I can’t even recognise my own Church any more!” And yet others are happy about the changes. How are we to deal with this?

“Let us be aware that Jesus also looks at the way we behave with children.” — And that was not even the most important message that Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider had to impart in the divine service he conducted in Kabwe, Zambia.