Easter is the “feast of consolation and hope”. Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider really means it. To underline this he wants to send out a strong signal—with a worldwide divine service.
Sure, the New Apostolic Church has a lot of experience with worldwide video services: the central Pentecost service has been transmitted regularly by satellite since 1990. But right now during the Corona crisis this channel is inaccessible.
Lockdowns and bans on public gatherings are in place across the globe and have brought congregational life to a halt. Divine services in their usual settings, let alone in a larger setting, are no longer possible at this time. It is essential to slow down and contain the spread of the virus.
Celebrating the omnipotence of God
“It is important to me that the faithful should still have the opportunity to celebrate Easter in fellowship,” the Chief Apostle says. Especially in times of crisis such as this one, it is essential to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For the resurrection testifies of the omnipotence of God as well as the presence of the Son of God among mankind: “Jesus Christ has the power to keep His promise!”
After speaking with the District Apostles, the Chief Apostle has decided to make a special offer on Easter Sunday: there will be a worldwide divine service, which the Chief Apostle himself will conduct. If everything goes according to plan, “all New Apostolic Christians will have the opportunity to see and hear their Church leader live or later on via a recording”, the announcement on nak.org says.
On all channels
Since a satellite transmission to the individual congregations cannot take place on account of lockdowns and bans on public gatherings, the video-sharing platform YouTube is to bring the divine service home to the brothers and sisters. YouTube was already used during the 2019 International Youth Convention and is now being used by the District Churches around the world to transmit central divine services.
In charge of the global broadcast of the Easter service is Bischoff Publishers in Germany, who has been offering satellite transmissions for many years and is now also offering telephone transmissions and Internet streaming via IPTV. When interacting, the individual District Churches also rely on their tried and tested communication structures—including a dedicated television channel, as is the case with NACTV in South Africa.
“We will inform you in good time about the technical details required to receive the Easter service with Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider,” the Church spokesman Peter Johanning writes. For him it is clear: “This is a first in the history of the New Apostolic Church.”
Photo: Marcel Felde