christmas 2021: a feast of hope. when we think of christmas we often imagine a snowy wonderland, white-capped mountains, and frozen lakes. if not from personal experience, then from pop culture. however, given the global mood, this is a never-never land. behind the façade, christmas looks different. 24 12 2021

pastoral care (18): personal responsibility and its many misconceptions. 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. 30 11 2021

“we are doing things at our own pace”. 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. 22 11 2021

first news item on day one. 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. 18 11 2021

lead the way: international day for tolerance 2021. “you may say i’m a dreamer, but i’m not the only one. i hope someday you'll join us and the world will be as one.” john lennon wrote these words, and the song has become a classic. the concept of tolerance has also aged. the sheen has gone. here are some thoughts on the international day for tolerance. 16 11 2021

a message for the poor and for everyone else. jesus came to deliver us from evil. when he left, he instructed the apostles to spread his message everywhere. and today every single christian has been sent by jesus to testify of his love. 03 11 2021

all that really matters is love. do not marginalise or pass judgement, but look at the soul, the chief apostle urged recently. reality, however, is sometimes different. this is sandra’s experience. her problem: who she loves and how others feel about it. 26 10 2021

combining forces to spread the word of god. bringing the word of god to the people? that goes beyond the altar too. but at times the two go hand in hand—like in uzbekistan, where a new apostolic priest is currently directing the affairs of the national bible society. 19 10 2021

pen pals become brothers. in 1960 a high school student from germany wrote to the us shipping line in tokyo. eleven years later, the first new apostolic congregation was established in japan. this year, the new apostolic church celebrates its 50-year anniversary in japan. 14 10 2021

mankind: created in the image of god. in the last edition of community, readers were informed about the findings of the district apostle meeting with regard to the matter of gender equality. the second part of this doctrinal article in the latest edition of community will explore what it means to say that mankind has been created in the image of god. 05 10 2021

“all i wanted was to find some peace”. what moves people to decide to take their own life? this was a question that spirit magazine put to three people who have been directly affected by the subject of suicide. a few days after world suicide prevention day, here are their responses. 30 09 2021

professing faith to many ears. 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. 21 07 2021

spotlight 11/2021: a matter of conviction, election, and bearing burdens. 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. 12 07 2021

a sceptic as an example. he was a doubter, a man who seemed to fail because he did not endure to the end. at times history depicts him as an antihero—and yet there were so many things he did manage to get right. 08 07 2021

pastoral care (13): anything from boring to exciting. “bah, was that ever a boring evening!” the priest had announced his visit and blabbed on and on about nothing more than personal preferences. the verdict on that visit was devastating. real pastoral interest looks quite different. 24 06 2021

without men. “god, help the widows and orphans.” this petition has become somewhat of an empty phrase in many prayers. the un observes 23 june as international widows day, and it is an opportunity to take a special look at women in biblical times who had to take charge of their lives. 22 06 2021

women in ministry: a debate full of contrasts. there was certainly plenty of buzz on the social media sponsored by the new apostolic church. the subject of women in ministry generated hundreds of comments. and the reactions could hardly have been more different. 17 06 2021