November 2008

THE MEETING WITH OUR LOVE ONES , HERE AND BEYOND IN  SALVADOR, BAHIA-BRAZIL 

       
To give a formal frame to the resolutions from the Annual Assembly Brazil 2008, conducted at the city of Guarulhos in Sao Paulo, the last October 18th, the District Apostle Guillermo Vilor travelled to the city of  Salvador, State of Bahia, in the North of Brazil. The Apostle Carlos Caleri, who had been present in the Assembly, was waiting for him at the airport.  Together, they both fulfilled the adopted resolutions and the consequent legal obligations.
In the evening it was held a Divine Service for the Servants and Rectors in Sao Paulo, and following the steps given by the Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber, the Spiritual Introduction that he conducts in the  Meeting with the District Apostles  and the District Apostle Helpers twice a year,  was spread among the Servants, Apostles as well as Rectors.
The District Apostle Vilor took advantage of this trip to share these essential thoughts for the fulfillment of the Work, with a meeting for the Servants of the Communities of Great Sao Paulo and the Apostles and Bishops of Brazil.
After the joy of sharing this celestial bread, on Saturday 1st November, the District Apostle travelled to the city of Salvador. If we stop for a moment in the rich history of this huge and blessed country, we cannot avoid mention the importance of this city. Before the abolition of slavery in 1888, this was the port of arrival for the European ships loaded with slaves from Africa, where they were traded as simple goods, without giving any value to the human life. Needless to say, many of them lost their life in many painful ways, daring or obeying those who has rights over them.
In the evening, it was held the Divine Service with all the Servants of this big district, with the presence of the Rectors and the Bishop Reinaldo Milczuk.

District Apostle alongside Leaders and Servants

As in the previous day, the base Word was the one underlined by the Chief Apostle, from the Epistle of Paul to Titus 2: 11-12.
On Sunday, the Central Service for the Departed of the Regional Church Brazil-Bolivia was held in the Amaralina Church, Salvador. There were present the four congregations of Salvador and Feira de  Santana, with the presence of 142 people.

                                Divine Office                                                                    Receiving the holy dinner

  Moved by the memory, the people at the Divine Service were attended and the Sacraments administrated to all the souls eager for eternity and who accepted the benefits for “… the message of the cross…”(1° Corinthians 1:18).

Hymn of the final act for the deceased

At the end of the Service for his area of responsibility, the District Apostle returned happily and thankfully to his home, after enjoying these meeting with the love ones of Brazil and the Departed who shared the Table of God.

November 2008

Visit of the District Apostle to Sao Pablo

On October 18th and 19th, the brothers of Sao Paulo, Brazil, enjoyed the visit of the District Apostle Guillermo José Vilor.
The meeting started on Saturday 18th with the Annual Assembly in the Caesar Park Hotel, in the city of Guarulhos, at 7 p.m., and it was presided by the District Apostle. The Apostles Carlos Caleri and Geraldino Aires, the Bishops of the Capital area, North and South and the District Elders were also present in the meeting.

District Apostle G. Vilor next to the Bishops of area and District Elderly

On Sunday 19th, at 10 am the Divine Service was held together, at the “Igreja de Bosque da Saúde”, which is the Central church of Sao Paulo.  There, all the congregations of the city, the Apostles and Bishops of Brazil as well as some other District Elders took part in the Divine Service.

Church of Bosque da Saúde

The weather was damp and rainy, but God provided a beautiful day with His word scattered from the altar.
The District Apostle started with a warm regard from the Chief Apostle for the Servants and brothers.  In his words he emphasized the importance of being the first ones in giving love, making sacrifice, spreading hope, cultivating patience and collaborating with the work of God.  And he read the words from the Holly Bible, Matthew 19: 29-30:
“…and everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first, will be last, and the last first.”

District Apostle Guillermo José Vilor

The Apostle Geraldino Aires, was called upon to serve, and he outlined the importance of water for the survival of the material life, and the abundance in the spiritual field, considering the value of the water of life that is received from the altar.  It can change from person to person, it can smell or taste differently, but it is the same spirit who activates, and we should not make any difference. It was a deep message to make it clear the source of blessing in Altar.
That day, together with the Apostle Caleri and the Bishop Genival, we lived the blessing of sharing with our departed brothers the forgiveness of sins and the communion with Christ.  At the end of the Service, the hymn N° 379 was played on the organ, and a deep feeling of peace which comforted the hearts and souls of the people.

District Apostle next to Apostol C. Caleri and Bishop Genival

To complete this joyful day, new servants were ordained in the area of Sao Pablo: a Shepherd and a Deacon more for Santa Clara, a Deacon for Bosque da Saúde and one for Santo André. This reveals that the Lord is blessing this country.

District Apostle and Apostle G. Aires leaving the people present

At the end , the brothers were eager to greet the District Apostle and his Apostles, and so they did with great joy.  The District Apostle was worried for his return trip and the timetable, but he enjoyed the occasion hoping to be able to come back and share the Word of God again with all the brothers. The timetable and he could come back home on time. The honesty and thankful must be done to the Lord.

October 2008

DIVINE SERVICE OF CONSOLATION AND COMMISION

Last Wednesday, October 15th, after the intense activity performed in the United States, the Chief Apostle Whilhelm Leber arrived in Argentina, to conduct in Buenos Aires the Divine Service of Consolation regarding the recently departure to eternity of the beloved District Apostle Norberto Batista.

Together with the Chief Apostle, accompanying him in his endless activity were the representative Apostles for every continent:  D.A. Guillermo Vilor, from America, D.A. A. Andersen for Australia, D.A. Barnes from Africa, D.A. M. Ehrich from Europe and the D.A. W. Klinger from Asia.

Apostles of Argentina and District Apostles invited

During his stay in the USA the Chief Apostle held the District Apostle and District Apostle helpers Meeting in New York.  There, the D.A.  R. Freund retired from ministry after fifty years of active service as a Servant of God, and the new District Apostle I. Kolb was ordained, who served as District Apostle Helper up to now.
Once in Buenos Aires, the Chief Apostle kindly remembered District Apostle N. Batista, who passed away too early, as a valuable person who had conducted his district wisely.
The Divine Service was based in the text Jeremiah 31:13:
“…for I will turn their mourning in joy, will comfort them…”

Chief Apostle

Among other concepts, he said that many times, when we face a loss many questions arise, for example: why God has permitted the departure of our District Apostle? But he remarked that God never makes mistakes, and when God comes back for his children, then we will ask nothing because the beloved God will turn our mourning in joy.  This transformation will be in two steps: in the first, through the Divine consolation we will be comforted, and in the second one He will rejoice over us.
Now, how does he comfort us?  First of all, He shows us the facts globally.  We shouldn’t be stopped in front of his tomb.  We should look on his work in life, instead. What he did while he was among us.  In the second place, He shows us the things from Eternity, considering that he will have there a kind of peace impossible to imagine on the Earth.  Third and last, if we look upon God and leave the entire material things aside, we will get consolation.
Once you get the consolation, it goes beyond and tends into joy.  Jeremiah says: “…for I will turn their mourning in joy, will comfort them…”. The joy comes first with the conviction that the Lord is coming soon and we will see our loved ones again.
The Chief Apostle’s words were so rich that all the people present in the Service were comforted.  He also decided to celebrate Holy Communion for the Departed in a Divine Service in the middle of the week.
He leaded all the meetings regarding the selection of the new District Apostle, and finally the Apostle Norberto Passuni was as ordained District Apostle for the region.

District Apostle Norberto Passuni and Chief Apostle

The following day, the Chief Apostle and his company returned to their home countries to follow with their indefatigable activity, their everyday work that makes so well to our Church.

JULY 2008

Chief Apostle visit
With warm hearts we welcome our Chief Apostle W. Leber
and his company in his visit to Brazil and Bolivia.
Brazil and Bolivia, july 2008

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CELEBRATING 80 YEARS

There was a celebration for the 80 years of the establishment of the New Apostolic Church in South America.

In the mid twenties, some immigrants from Europe arrived to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.  They were bearers of the New Apostolic faith and in Sao Pablo, Brazil, some of them published advertisements in the newspapers to find some other newapostolic brothers. In this way they could gather and those who had been servants in their native countries were confirmed by letter in the same ministries that they held in Europe by the Chief Apostle Niehaus. The first community was born in the city of Santana, where the celebration took place on Sunday 9th, December with the presence of the District Apostle Vilor, the Apostle Caleri and some Bishops who were in Sao Pablo. A pithy letter with the greetings of the brothers from the North was sent by the Apostle Geraldino Baires, who was ill.
The District Apostle ( r) Mario Fiore was specially invited under the bless of the Chief Apostle.
In the afternoon, a presentation of the choir by the Santana Chapel Choir, enhanced the occasion with the participation of many guests.

Jubilee

A week before, on Sunday December 2nd, it was the celebration of the jubilee of the Bosque da Saúde Church, also in the area of Sao Pablo city.  The presence of the District Apostle Guillermo Vilor was warmly welcomed, together with the Apostle Caleri and the Bishops of Sao Pablo as well as the District Apostle ( r) Mario Fiore.

That church was built with the financial help of one brothers and the work of many other faithful members.
Up to the present it is one of the most outstanding buildings of the churches in South America.  It has two towers and at the moment of the inauguration it fitted into the words of Matthew 5:14 “…a city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” as it was seen from a long distance because it was set on a hill.  A similar case is the church in the city of El Dorado in the Province of Misiones, Argentina, which was built in the thirties.

DISTRICT ELDER (i.r.) Julio Santana. His departure to the Eternity

The District Elder (i. r.) Julio Santana went home on August 21st, 2007. He was 76 years old.
More than 49 years he served to the Lord in His Church,  specially  in Uruguay.

Because of his profession he had to move him to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the end of 1960.
He was authorized by the District Apostle Federico Lewitus to serve over there in a little Community till his return to Montevideo,  two years later.

In 1983, the communities in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil,  were trusted to the Servants of Uruguay, and the District Elder Santana was a blessing in this area.

When the church in Porto Alegre was dedicated, he entered in retirement of his  Ministry by the District Apostle M. Fiore, on December 16th, 2000.

At the end of his activity, he worked to establish the Communities of Gramado and Canoas and to open the Porto Alegre’s Community.

He was ordered in this Ministries
Priest Helper                    12.5.1951
Priest                                  8.13.1955
Shepherd                         11.14.1963
Community Evangelist    11.22.1965
District Evangelist             7.20.1975
District Elder                   10.2.1983

ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES…

Iguazu Falls were declared “Natural Patrimony of the Humanity” by the UNESCO in 1986.  It has a surface of 67,000 hectares with 275 plentiful waterfalls between 50 to 80 meters high which are shaped like a horseshoe along 2,700 meters.

Among the 2,000 vegetable species that can be found in the area, an incredible variety of orquids and a rich variety of fauna you feel astonished and deeply touched.  It makes us think about the formation of the nature, the creation of our beloved Lord, as well as the cultural and historical aspects and also the legends.  All these are possible aims when considering a visit to this matchless place.

Puerto Iguazu (Argentinean side):  It is a very important trade center.  From the place called “Hito Argentino” you can spot the “Three Frontiers Point” that comprises Argentina-Brazil and Paraguay. A ferry crossing was replaced many years ago by the Tancredo Neves Bridge, 480 mt long, situated 3 km down from the Iguazu Falls and which joins Puerto Iguazú and Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil.  You can hear the rumor made by the Falls from 15 km apart.  This rumor was followed by Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541 when he discovered them.

In Paraguay, the community of “Cuidad del Este” was opened on the26/7/1998, on the bank of Parana River opposite Foz do Iguaçu.  The “International Bridge of the Friendship” connects Paraguay and Brazil.

Foz do Iguaçu is a city with 276,000 inhabitants, in the state of Parana.  Nearby the Itaipú Dam, considered the biggest dam of the world, is being built on the Parana River (1982).

The District Apostle Guillermo Vilor and the Apostle Caleri (South of Brazil) arrived at this city on Saturday 16 of June 2007, together with the Bishop Dino Da Silva (Curitiba) to open a new community for the New Apostolic Church in Brazil.

Since two months ago, the members of this community have been happy because this new community of Foz do Iguazu is very crowded and the help given to the Apostle Caleri during the preparation of the premises was outstanding.  The Apostle was very thankful for all this help.

With the presence of 78 souls, the sermon in the opening Divine Service was based on the words of Genesis 25:17.  The consecration of the House of God was based on Genesis 28: 2-3.

The Divine Service passed in a deeply moving atmosphere and with the Communion for the deceased. As a final remark 2 souls were sealed.  At the end of the Service, the people were so enthusiastic trying to take some pictures as a memoir that nobody wanted to leave.

The following day, the District Apostle, The Bishop and the District Evangelist of Parana, traveled to Maripa to visit the chapel, 220 km away from Foz do Iguaçu.   Warming hearts were waiting for the Divine Service.

Most of the members of this community are from German families that settled down in Brazil at the beginning of the last century and were the pioneers of the New Apostolic Church in the south of that country.

The Apostles and the other members of the group were really happy while the souls kept saying “come back soon…” Meanwhile, they were silently considering the organization of a future visit.

Journey to Sertao

Continuing with the trips around inland Brazil, from 9th to 19th August 2007, the District Apostle Vilor and the Apostles Aires and Caleri visited the communities of the State of Rio Grande Do Norte, Pernambuco and Ceará, where they held Divine Services for the brothers and sisters of the region and also special Services for the holders of the ministry.

The District Apostle Vilor had a meeting with the Apostles Aires and Caleri in Natal, the capital city of Rio Grande do Norte.  In this place they held two Divine Services: one for the holders of the ministry from this bishopship and other with all the souls of Cidade Alta.
From there, the Apostle Caleri returned to his area of attention in the South of Brazil, while the District Apostle and the Apostle Aires started together a trip of 3000 km around the region called Sertao.
Both of them visited the districts of Rio Grande do Norte, Petrolina, Ouricurí, Juazeiro do Norte, Crateus y Fortaleza (Capital city of Ceará state)
They were ten days of trips altogether and during them, they celebrated a meeting with the Apostles, two meetings with the ministry holders, a service for the youth and another six services with the local communities.  771 souls participated and 15 received the Holly Spirit.  Mr. Joao Galdino de Sousa was named Pastor for the community of Joao Camará, Natal district.

Another goal of this trip was to observe the state of maintenance of the buildings of the communities, as during 2006 and 2007 an important plan for the building maintenance in Northern Brazil authorized by the Chief Apostle was launched.

When the Apostles arrived to the district of Ouricurí, they went to see the remodeling improvements in the church of Exú. A nice surprise was waiting for them:  the district Elder Florêncio and some brothers and sisters were in the church as they knew the Apostles were visiting the place.  The Church of Exú, in its final stage of renovation, is now very beautiful and striking for the area.  This meeting, unexpected for the Apostles wasn’t spontaneous. A young woman read a letter in the name of the members of the community, specially prepared for this occasion:

“Today we are honored to thank our beloved God with great joy for the so much awaited remodeling of this church. We raise our voices in prayer to thank the Chief Apostle and the Apostles, the servants and brothers that, with their sacrifices to the Lord, gave continuity to this work of renovation”.
“This is none other than the House of God, and this is the gate of heavens!” (Genesis 28:17)
“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15)

This demonstration of gratitude moved the Apostle and the District Apostle’s hearts and let them continue their trip with renewed strength and full of joy.

Thus, we can conclude this was work full of love and blessings and we trust that new fruitful results will be obtained. Every Apostle’s heart will keep warmly their farewell words:  “When are you coming back?”

OUR SACRIFICES

Dear Brothers and sisters,
 Today I want to clarify some aspects about the sacrifice. It is not my aim to introduce new thoughts. My intention is directed towards considering the concept of sacrifice from the point of view of the present times and according to the present interpretation, and stimulate a uniform definition and description for this subject.

OUR SACRIFICES
Let me start by defining what do we understand for “sacrifies”: The definition of sacrifice in the narrow sense constitude the gifts that we voluntarily bring to God and the sacrifices we willingly perform for God.
I consider it very important to place God in the center. Surely, the good deeds can also be considered a sort of sacrifice because they were born from the disposition to help and with the aim of doing well to the others. The Holy Scripture also considers this point of view.  However, when we speak of sacrifices we are talking about what we give to God. This is what I call sacrifices in the narrow sense.  The Tithe also takes part of this.  I do not find necessary to distinguish between the concepts monetary offerings and the “Tithe”.
Why do we sacrifice? To appoint that we sacrifice in order to be blessed is not enough.  The motives for sacrificing are many.  The following are, for me, the most important:

What types of sacrifices are there?  Basically, it is possible to distinguish between material (financial) and spiritual sacrifices.
Financial Sacrifices (including gifts in kind):  God’s Work cannot be built or improved without financial resources. Regular offerings  are necessary to maintain the communities and in this way we participate in God’s work.
Spiritual sacrifices: this term is used in 1 Peter 2:5 “you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices…”  In the Holy Scripture there is not any other special detail about the spiritual sacrifices.  In my view it is a matter of devoting oneself to God and lead a life according to the teachings of the gopel.
In this context we usually hear concepts like Offerings of Time, Offerings of renunciation, offerings of the heart, without having a real knowledge of what these terms meanLet me make some comments about them.
Offering of Time: Time is nowadays a scarce asset. For this reason the offerings of time are highly valuable. God’s work could not be fulfilled without the very important offering of time from many people that honor the cause of God.
Offering of Renunciation:  This is not an offering in the form of a gift.  Rather it implies desisting from a thing, a right or a benefit, renouncing to them.  Generally speaking, it includes forgoing personal benefits,, interests or rights  in favor of God’s work. In the wide range, it can imply to renounce to some financial benefit or  to desist spiritually from some things.  The term “offering of renunciation” is inappropiate when we are talking about to execute orders or instructions.  For example, that person that illegitimately could get some advantage and does not seize the opportunity, is not renouncing or omitting something but simply behaving in the proper way.
Offering of the heart:  This refers to a wide range of sacrifices that have to be with the way we lead our lives. The example of the Son of God that prayed in the Gethsemane is a good example of this: “Father, all things are possible for You.  Take this cup away from me, nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will”. Subordinate one’s will to God’s will can imply a big sacrifice.  Nevertheless, I recommend you all, to be careful about the statement “The offerings of the heart are the best sacrifices”.  It is necessary to take into account that here, in first place there are other motivations that may not be in the sacrifices of a financial nature or when we give our time.
It is advisable to use these concepts carefully and in case of doubt, explain them in detail.  I wish I had contributed to clarify the subject and hope to have been able to transmit the varied and significant that the sacrifices are

Kind regards,

Yours,

Wilhelm Leber

 
This article has been taken of the magazine  “UNSERE FAMILIE” of Nº 9 2007

The “UNSERE FAMILIE” was made to order of New Apostolic Church International, published by
“ Verlag F. Bischoff  GmbH” de Frankfurt, Germany.

EDITORIAL

Dear brothers and sisters,
In the ensuing text I would like to offer you an approach to some thoughts about the Apostle Ministry.  There are always situations where, talking about some issues of the New Apostolic Church, it is necessary to give some explanations.  May these clarifications be of help to you.

 THE APOSTLE MINISTRY
The Apostle Ministry is the central Ministry within the Church of Jesus Christ.  We, New Apostolic Christians, believe that this is a necessary and lasting institution.  In the New Testament, the importance of the Apostles is underscored by accounts of the healing of sick and even raising the death through the power of God. On the one hand, the question is why God performed such miracles in those days and, on the other hand, how the Apostles of the end time compare to those of the early church.

The questions of healing the sick and the raising the death can only be answered in its historical context. Jesus Christ brought dead people back to life and in that way, he showed that as the Son of God, he had power over death.  Jesus Christ is the victor over death.  In order to spread this promising message full of hope and keep it alive in faith, the first Apostles brought people back to life in some cases.  However, these miracles were not an end in themselves, but rather a sign of the salvation in a time when people were defenselessly exposed to all kind of illnesses.

Nowadays, the Apostles are active in a deeply different situation from that of the first Apostles. The Gospel is worldwide known and it do not need of any miracle to be confirmed.  In this era controlled by mass media, the raising of the dead and the healing of the sick would not be considered a real confirmation of God’s Son over death. Rather such miracles would only be considered a forgettable piece of news for sensationalist journalism.

The Apostles of the end time have the task of gathering the community of the Lord awaiting His return. This is the mission that legitimizes the Apostles of today, they not only proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but also prepare the believers intensively for His imminent return. Nowadays, there are some miraculous events that occur as signs and come along with activity of the Apostle Ministry, but they are not advertised and usually remain hidden.

Therefore, we see that the Apostles of the early church and those of the end time have different jobs assigned.  But all of them are sent by Jesus Christ, all of them have the power to proclaim the forgiveness of sins, to baptize with the Holy Spirit and spread the Gospels around the World.  In this respect there is no difference between the Apostle of the first Christian church and the Apostles of today.

Yours,

Wilhelm Leber

The Chief Apostle with the Apostle Nov. Sarin (second left) and Kaom Meas(right) from Cambodia and the Bishop Voeun.

This article has been taken of the magazine  “UNSERE FAMILIE” of Nº 5 2007

The “UNSERE FAMILIE” was made to order of New Apostolic Church International, published by
“ Verlag F. Bischoff  GmbH” de Frankfurt, Germany.

PENTECOST 2007

Trip to the Northwest area of Brazil by the District Apostle Vilor and the Apostle Aires

This city is the capital of the State of Rio Grande do Norte and also the City Hall is known by this name. People call it “the Capital of the sun”, because in this area the sun shines 300 days a year. This is the entrance gate to some of the most beautiful Brazilian beaches. It receives the water of the river Potengí and is on the Atlantic Ocean. It has 800,000 inhabitants.

The New Apostolic Church has had a good development in this city, and this was the starting point of the trip around the North West of Brazil of the District Apostle Vilor and the Apostle Aires.

The following day the Apostles went by car to the city of Mossoró, the second city of the State. They intended to participate in the Divine Service of Sunday 13th May, as this is the city where the Apostle Aires live, and that day he was celebrating his own birthday. The district Apostle wanted to share this very special day with his faithful helper and his family.

REPORT: INA – PARQUE DA BARRAGEM - April 25th, 2007

The Visit to the communities in Rio Grande do Norte – Brazil

The Apostle Raúl Montes de Oca , sent by the District Apostle Guillermo Vilor (Brazil), visited the State of Rio Grande Do Norte between the 9^th and the 13^th  of February, 2007.

At his arrival to the Airport of Natal, the capital city of the State, the Bishop José Luiz de Oliveira competent in the area, was waiting for him.

From that moment and during the following days the Apostle and the Bishop developed an intense activity of interviews to deal with administration issues, spiritual assistance and Divine Services.

It was a special occasion of joy, after the Divine Service in Capoerias, when the God servants shared a dinner organized by the Pastor Juvenal Basilio da Costa, whose little grand-daughter had been baptized and sealed during the Divine Service.

This is a custom shared by other Christian Churches:  the day of the Baptism is very important for the people of the interior towns of the North. In this case the visit of the Apostle gave a special splendor to the occasion for our brothers.

The congregations of Guarapes (in the outskirts of Natal) and Riachao, placed in the interior on roads of difficult access, were also visited.

Brothers coming back