The Chief Apostle will be in the company of twenty Apostles and 14 Bishops this coming weekend. The journey is taking them to West Africa, right on the Atlantic. What is on the itinerary?
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Photo: Hermann Bethke
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Photo: Hermann Bethke
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Photo: Hermann Bethke
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During his visit to Angola, Chief Apostle Schneider also ordained two new Apostles:
Photo: Hermann Bethke
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The New Apostolic Church in Angola is growing. It was time to take another step.
Photo: Hermann Bethke
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Photo: Hermann Bethke
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Photo: Hermann Bethke
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A pioneer becomes District Apostle Helper: Apostle João Uanuque Misselo
Photo: NAK Nordrhein-Westfalen
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Photo: Hermann Bethke
From Friday, 19 February to Monday, 22 February, the Chief Apostle will visit his brothers and sisters in Angola. Two divine services are planned, an ordination, the retirement of an Apostle, a concert, and various meetings with members and ministers.
Divine services in Lubango and Luanda
Flight AF926 carrying Chief Apostle Schneider is expected to touch down at Aeroporto Internacional Quatro de Fevereiro in Luanda at eight o’clock on Friday morning. In the afternoon, he and his guests are invited to a concert in the Pavilhão Multiusos de Luanda, also called Kilamba Arena. The arena has a seating capacity of 13,000; it is not expected that there will be any empty seats.
On Saturday morning, 20 February, the Chief Apostle will board a flight for Lubango in the south, where he will celebrate a divine service at the Pavilhão Multiusos Principal. The service on Sunday, 21 February, will take place in Luanda at the Pavilhão Multiusos de Luanda and begin at 10 a.m.
Retirement and ordination
Apostle Alfonso Avelino will be placed into retirement on Sunday. He was ordained as an Apostle by Chief Apostle Richard Fehr on 1 January 2003. Over 31 years he carried various ministries and was active in Angola. An ordination has also been planned. District Elder José Calenga Baza (51) is to receive the Apostle ministry.
Meetings and a conference
The agenda for Monday calls for meetings and a conference of all the Apostles and Bishops of Angola. The Chief Apostle will board a flight for Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo) in the afternoon, where he is planning to conduct several divine services, starting on Friday, 26 February. He will also meet with leading ministers.
Angola and its young New Apostolic history
It was only in 1983 that ministers from Germany, among them the Apostles Armin Brinkmann and Alfred Kusserow, began to introduce the New Apostolic Church to this African country. By the end of 1983 there were three congregations—in Luanda, Uige, and in Malanje.
In the meantime, there are over 2,200 New Apostolic congregations with a membership of about 250,000. The members are looked after by nearly 8,000 ministers. District Apostle Helper João Uanuque Misselo is responsible for the Church in the country. He was appointed to assist District Apostle Rainer Storck (North Rhine-Westphalia/Germany) in February 2015. Seventeen Apostles and ten Bishops are active in the numerous districts in Angola.