Australia District News Edition 27/1 - Autumn 2012
My dear Brothers and Sisters, I hope the New Year has already brought many blessings for you. The new hymnal has a beautiful hymn containing the timely advice “count your many blessings daily one by one” (Hymnal 177). All too often we take things for granted and even become accustomed to certain things in life – they become the “normal” way of life. Then when something does not quite go as we have become accustomed to we feel let down and disappointment takes over our demeanour. We should look at the things that we have rather than the things that we do not have. Then we can be thankful for what we have and continue to strive for what we do not have but would like. The last Quarter of 2011 was very eventful from the perspective of what happened in our district. Our Chief Apostle visited Papua New Guinea and ordained another Apostle for our district to assist with the great workload in that country. He conducted two Divine Services and received a good insight into the work and into the hearts of our Brothers and Sisters. Also, in November we took over the responsibility for the church in other countries in the South Pacific. This process was completed in American Samoa and Samoa where District Apostle Leonard Kolb from the United States officially passed over that responsibility to
In this issue: Chief Apostle Visits PNG Samoa & American Samoa Focus on PNG Q4 Sunday School Camp
us by authority of the Chief Apostle. Both these events are featured in this edition. At the end of the year we were also able to share in the news that our Chief Apostle will visit our district again in 2013. As announced in all congregations, his visit will be to Brisbane, Queensland for a Divine Service on Sunday 29 September 2013, the week before our Thanksgiving. This is a great event to already look forward to. As is evident, the Australia District News which has been published as a news magazine since 1985, has undergone yet another change. What is not evident is the amount of work that a number of Brothers and Sisters have done to achieve this. The planning for change has been going on for quite some time and the intention is to make the magazine more interesting and relevant to current trends in dissemination of news. A survey of ministers and members shows conclusively that there is a desire to maintain the spreading of information and matters of interest throughout our district and that at present this is best done via this means. I hope these changes achieve that in your estimation and I sincerely thank all who have given their time and expertise for this cause both in the past and in the present. With loving greetings
Andrew H. Andersen
Chief Apostle Visits Papua New Guinea Chief Apostle Leber visited our district in December 2011. This time his visit was to the great nation of Papua New Guinea. There he conducted two divine Services; one in the rural area of Maprik in the north-west of the country on Saturday 10 December and the other in the port city of Lae on the north coast on Sunday 11 December. This was only the second time a Chief Apostle had visited Papua New Guinea. The country is renowned for its rugged terrain, massive rivers and impenetrable jungles. This makes travelling by vehicle very difficult as there are few roads. Consequently many of our Brothers and Sisters walked for many days to be able to experience a Divine Service with our Chief Apostle.
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On Saturday 10 December, the Chief Apostle, accompanied by District Apostles Hebeisen (of Philippines – the District Apostle for South East Asia) and Andersen and the Apostles Hoffmann (from USA), Lodewick, Pouru and Williams flew from Port Moresby to Wewak by chartered aircraft and then on to Maprik by helicopter. He was greeted by Apostle Wasimbai who lives in this area as well as by the Governor of the Province who also attended the Service. Maprik is centrally located in the most “New Apostolic populated” area of the country. Some 18,754 Brothers and Sisters had gathered there in anticipation of the arrival of the Chief Apostle. The local Brothers and Sisters had spent the past 12 months preparing for this visit and, amongst other things, had
constructed a magnificent large, modern highset building that served as an elevated stage for the altar. It had been totally funded and built by the Brothers and Sisters on the church land as a surprise for District Apostle Andersen. An air conditioner had even been installed in one room which served as the Vestry for the comfort of the Chief Apostle (an unthinkable feat in such a remote location) After the visit of the Chief Apostle the building will become a training centre for the ministers in the working area of Apostle Wasimbai. A beautiful choir of many hundreds of members touched the hearts of all gathered. The huge congregation sat in very orderly fashion in rows on the ground in the open under a sunny sky. The celebration of Holy Communion was exceptionally well organised for such
a large gathering and was carried out with great dignity. After the Service it was very difficult for our Brothers and Sisters to bid our Chief Apostle farewell as they took him into their hearts as though he had always been with them. On Sunday 11 December the Chief Apostle again travelled by charter flight to serve the congregation in Lae - the second largest city in the nation. District Apostle Andersen had also invited many of the ministers, current and retired, from Australia, Canada and the USA who had sacrificed their time over many years to work as missionaries in Papua New Guinea to establish the work there, to attend this Service and they, together with the Apostles and Bishops, accompanied the Chief Apostle.
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The indoor sports stadium was filled to capacity and some of the 4,200 members who gathered for this Service had to sit outside where audio-visual equipment had been installed for this purpose. The Divine Service was also broadcast live on national radio throughout the whole country so that all our members and whosoever else wished to take part in the Service could do so. Again the choir showed how accomplished they had become and sang in both their local Pidgin language and in English. During the Divine Service the Chief Apostle ordained Bishop Zuhuke Hungito into the Apostle ministry. There are now three
active Apostles to carry out the great amount of work that there is to do in this country. This is a great blessing for the people of Papua New Guinea as well as for the whole of the Australia District. After the Divine Service the Youth and the Sunday School children presented some cultural items to the delight of the Chief Apostle. The members farewelled the Chief Apostle with the Pidgin words “we lukim you behin� (we look forward to seeing you again soon).
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Samoa & American Samoa On the night of Friday 11 November 2011 District Apostle Andersen, accompanied by Apostle Lodewick embarked on a journey to the new working area of American Samoa and Samoa. The plan was to meet District Apostle Leonard Kolb and Apostle Will Hoffmann from the USA in Apia, the capital of the country of Samoa. Their five hour flight took them across the International Dateline and they arrived at 5am on 11 November and started a second Friday for the week. Later in the morning a meeting was held where the formal hand over of responsibilities and various other administrative matters were discussed. A meeting together with the New Apostolic ministers of Samoa and their wives followed in the afternoon and then a fellowship dinner prepared by the brethren was enjoyed by all. On Saturday 12 November District Apostle Kolb conducted a Divine Service which was attended by members of all five congregations in Samoa. During this Service District Elder Edward Eves who had served as the district leader for the two countries for many years, and his wife received their Ruby Anniversary blessing. After this the District Elder was placed into well deserved retirement. District Apostle Kolb then officially handed over the responsibility for the six Pacific Island countries of American Samoa, 6 Australia District News
Guam, Mariana, Marshal Islands, Micronesia and Samoa to District Apostle Andersen. A fellowship lunch had been prepared by the members and the hours of joy together with the members came to an end when it was time to leave for the airport for the flight to American Samoa. Soon after arriving there a meeting together with the ministers and their wives commenced which was followed by the hospitality of those gathered as a dinner was shared. The Divine Service on Sunday morning was combined for the two congregations in Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa and was conducted by District Apostle Andersen. During this service Evangelist Peter Eves was ordained into the District Evangelist ministry and commissioned as district leader for the two nations. After the Divine Service the Sunday School children presented some musical items to the delight of all. The members had all prepared a feast for the occasion and by the time the day finished no one was a stranger to anyone anymore. The choirs and the general musical abilities of these music-loving nations are exceptional and no more so than in the talents that are evident in our churches in these lands. The joy and love that was experienced by all could not be expressed in words.
Samoa Congregation
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FOCUS ON Papua New Guinea A Brief History of the Lord’s Work in Papua New Guinea The first contact made in Papua New Guinea goes back 34 years ago in the year 1977. A local man, Rea Heni and his family had just returned from a fishing trip and were unpacking near his home in Port Moresby when he saw a stranger talking with his local Pastor. He approached them and introduced himself to the stranger who was the Evangelist Jim Eyerman from the USA (later the Rector of Windsor congregation in Brisbane, Australia). At the end of the discussion the Evangelist promised to return to PNG but in the meantime assured them he would keep in touch. His visit was brief but a pathway was created. On August 31 the same year two gentlemen appeared at the Heni family’s door. They introduced themselves as the Evangelist Bert Woll [later Apostle] and Priest Geoff Moxon. 8 Australia District News
The following day Evangelist Woll conducted a Divine Service during which the Heni family (husband, wife and son) received the Holy Baptism. Subsequently the Apostle Wagner visited and the family received the Holy Sealing. At the same time contacts were made in the Western Province and soon the interest in the church grew in that area also. By the end of 1978 some congregations had already been established in Daru and in the Fly River area. At this time District Apostle Kraus of Canada asked District Apostle Gerke of Australia to take over the responsibility for that area. From that point on, the ministers from the Canada District worked in the northern part of the country as well as in the capital city, Port Moresby and the ministers of the Australian District worked in the highlands and the southern part of the country.
In 1997 Chief Apostle Fehr visited Papua New Guinea. He conducted Divine Services in Daru in the Australia District area and in Popondetta in the Canadian District area. The work continued to grow and prosper throughout the land through the dedication, love, persistence and sacrifices of many faithful servants of God who gave up their holidays and with the support of their families found ‘free time’ to visit Papua New Guinea from Canada, United States and Australia. Since November 2003, the part of PNG under Canada District was included as part of the Australian District and today there are over 100,000 sealed members throughout the country. Presently 3 Apostles, 1 Bishop, 13 District Elders and 2,400 ministers care for the 570 congregations throughout the country including its many islands. Australia District News 9
Sunday School Camp
This year, the children and parents from Q4 congregations travelled a bit further for our Sunday School camp and we found ourselves in Hervey Bay. As there aren’t many members in the Maryborough congregation it was a good chance to boost their numbers and spend time with the children there. After a long car trip, we finally arrived and settled into our very comfortable cabins. After dinner, the kids went off to spend some time together and the adults settled in for their annual card game of UNO. The next morning we set up breakfast outside the cabins and had a big feast of bacon, eggs, toast and lots of coffee for the parents! Then it was time to hit the pool. We spent most of the day swimming, and the weather was absolutely perfect. We had morning tea by the pool, and as there was a camp kitchen next to the pool we even cooked spaghetti bolognaise there for lunch. In the afternoon we travelled to the home of Br Paul Cunningham and his family. They have a farm about an hour from Hervey Bay. One of the highlights of our afternoon was the great trailer ride! We all piled into the back of the trailer, and at death defying speeds we flew down the road to the bottom of the hill, where we fed some of the animals. After a barbecue dinner it was time to dance! One of the Maryborough youth had set up a disco complete with loud music and flashing lights, and we danced the night away. On Sunday morning we headed off to church for the Children’s Service. Even though everyone was pretty tired, we still sang well and learnt about how to pray to God about anything. Afterwards we had hot dogs for lunch, and then we were treated to an ice cream parlour with lots of different ice cream flavours, a variety of lollies, jelly and biscuits. We had a great time and can’t wait to do it again next year! Q4 Sunday School group Australia District News 11
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Around the Congregations
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1. Hallam (Vic) Sunday School Breakup 2. SE QLD Sunday School children sang prior to a combined Service in Brisbane. 3. Gladstone (Qld) members enjoyed an end of year luncheon in the Botanical Gardens 4. Christmas Day in Morayfield (Qld) 5. Sunday School breakup - Ascot Park (SA)
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6. Apostle Lodewick in Bendigo (Vic) 7. Sunday School children sang at a Choral Concert in Perth (WA) 8. Toys donated to the Angel Tree Christmas charity (Vic) 9. $2,000 raised at a Charity Concert in NSW was donated to the Royal Institute for Deaf & Blind Children 10. District Apostle Andersen and District Evangelist Schulte visited the retired District Elder Bernie Schulte during a visit to Gladstone (Qld)
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Celebrations:
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1. Holy Sealing in Auckland (NZ) 2. Dcn (ret) Gerald O’Connor of Geelong (Vic) celebrated his 70th birthday 3. District Elder (ret) Muirat of Fairfield (NSW) celebrated his 80th birthday 4. Sis Maxine Welsh of Ascot Park (SA) celebrated her 70th birthday 5. Sis Doreen Parbery of Caloundra (Qld) celebrated her 80th birthday 6. Sis Thora Karras of Hobart (Tas) celebrated her 100th birthday
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7. Pr (ret) John & Sis Lila Robinson received Golden Wedding blessings in North Ipswich (Qld) 8. Holy Sealing of Rafaelle Duncan in Redcliffe (Qld) 9. Dcn Heinz & Sis Bernadette Flueckiger received Silver Wedding blessings in Morayfield (Qld) 10. Br John & Sis Gloria Gielink received blessings on their 40th Wedding Anniversary in Perth (WA) 11. Ev Malcolm & Sis Avril Rose celebrated their Silver Wedding in Perth (WA)
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12. Holy Baptism of Caleb Hoffmeister in Drury (NZ) 13. Holy Sealing in Perth (WA) 14. Sis Trudi Wolf & Br John Duenzl received marriage blessings in Kahibah (NSW) 15. Holy Baptism of Kaitlyn Harris in Drury (NZ) 16. Sis Barbara Brennan of Croydon (Vic) celebrated her 80th birthday 17. Pr Robert (Snr) & Sis Lola Clark celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in Hackham (SA) Australia District News 15
For your Information Our Chief Apostle is scheduled to conduct Divine Services in the following places for the next Quarter:
April 2012
May 2012
June 2012
1: Berlin, Germany
13: Strasbourg, France
10: Lubumbashi, DR Congo
6: Mainz, Germany
17: Eire, USA
16: Ocna Mures, Romania
8: Mannheim, Germany
20: Philadelphia, USA
16: Baia Mare, Romania
15: Meiningen, Germany
27: Cologne, Germany
24: Lisbon, Portugal
22: Veldhoven, Netherlands
Our District Apostle is scheduled to conduct Divine Services in the following places for the next Quarter:
April 2012 1: Perth
May 2012 27: Riverleigh
June 2012 10: Adelaide
Upcoming Events: April 2012
May 2012
June 2012
6: Morayfield
16: Townsville
8: Kingston
16: Windsor
6: Good Friday
13: Mother’s Day
9: District Ministers Meeting (Townsville)
15: Redcliffe
24: Melbourne
8: Easter
20: Ascension Day
23: Choral Concert (Melbourne)
22: Auckland
27: Pentecost
29: Sydney
27: Riverleigh Church celebrates 100 years in the same location
Ordinations / Retirements:
1. On 12 November District Apostle Kolb placed District Elder Edward Eves of Apia, Samoa into retirement. 2. Ev Peter Eves of Pago Pago, American Samoa, was ordained into the District Evangelist ministry and was commissioned as the District Leader of American Samoa and Samoa on 13 November. 3. Pr Beyer, Campagno and Dcn Wall retired in Hallam, Vic on 27 November. 4. District Ev Albert Wasmatain retired in PNG. 5. Chief Apostle Leber ordained Bishop Zuhuke Hungito into the Apostle ministry in Lae, PNG on 11 December. 6. Pr Martin Kenzler of Windsor congregation, Brisbane was placed into retirement on 29 January. 7. Dcn Eugene Smith was ordained Priest for New Lynn, NZ on 29 January by Apostle Williams.
In Memoriam: Br Helmut Schlotz of Ballarat (Vic) Br Eric Weber of Scoresby (Vic) Sis Angelika Djekic of Buranda (Qld) Sis Kathy Sharpe of Caloundra (Qld)
Contact Details: 25 November 2011 28 November 2011 15 January 2012 21 January 2012
New Apostolic Church Office address 1A 3 Deakin Street, Brendale, Qld. AUSTRALIA Postal address PO Box 5903, Brendale BC. Qld 4500, AUSTRALIA Phone: +617 3480 0400 Fax: +617 3480 0444 Email nacho@newapostolic.org.au