On Sunday 12th April, 2020, history was made in the New Apostolic Church. A momentous achievement amidst an unraveling global crisis. Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider celebrated Easter by coming right into the hearts and homes of members worldwide, serving us with a special Easter message of peace, comfort, security and joy.

How was this possible? Through will and technology, the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit was felt in every heart and soul at the same time, everywhere! The Chief Apostle, following a discussion with the District Apostles, decided to conduct the Easter service in a special way; a single divine service with a global congregation. “It is important to me that the faithful should still have the opportunity to celebrate Easter in fellowship” remarked the Chief Apostle. And so it happened.

Transmission via satellite, telephone and internet was used to accomplish this. Other church owned television channels in Southern Africa also broadcasted the service. In West Africa, the District church leveraged on the video-sharing platform, YouTube, to serve many hearts and souls with the revealed message of the Resurrection.

By the end of the service, over 4,700 devices had connected around the world on the combined German and English Channel on YouTube alone. This number increased to more than 27,000 by 1600 GMT.   

A makeshift sacred space for Easter. Interestingly, this divine service was held in the reception area of the church-owned Bischoff Publishers in Neu-Isenburg (Germany). The lobby was converted into a divine service studio fitted with an altar, a piano, and an organ. The camera positions and microphones were also coordinated for the online transmission.

A team of inspired professionals. Brothers and sisters at the church-owned Bischoff Publishers made this possible. For decades, the team has gathered experience recording, interpreting and broadcasting satellite transmissions such as the annual Pentecost services. This was a first for the team, broadcasting via telephone, IPTV and YouTube.

They worked in co-operation with their counterparts in the various District Churches to make it a success.

Let us continue to #Prayhome. In the wake of lockdowns and bans on public gatherings, the District Apostleship have decided to continue with online divine services until at least 26th April 2020. Despite a global pandemic, we can still experience a Holy Spirit-led fellowship through the online divine services. Let us stay home, let us stay safe…#PrayHome.

Sources: nac.today, nak.org, Werner Ruppe