The Asia Apostles Meet (Canada District) brought together Apostles and their spouses from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, India and Pakistan. This meeting was held in the island country of Sri Lanka from the 26th September to the 3rd of October 2019.
Traveling Through Sri Lanka
In the first four days the Apostles and their wives travelled a distance of almost 400 kilometres by road which gave them the opportunity to experience the magnificence of the land. They were exposed to many different experiences, from the expansive tea estates of Nuwara Eliya to witnessing the dedication of our new church building in Upcot.
Learning Together
After a festive service at the new church, the Apostles, their wives and a few special invitees returned to Colombo to commence their formal meetings. After a short introductory session, the Apostles and their wives were split into separate groups. The seminars were conducted separately and simultaneously to make best use of the time and requirements of each group.
Guided by Divine Law
Over two days, the Apostles attended meetings with the District Apostle Woll to discuss various administrative and spiritual guidelines which would aid in caring for the members. They were guided on distinguishing between divine laws and social laws, and counseled on the purview of their authority.
New Directives
The Apostles were introduced to and updated on various international programs and guidelines followed by the New Apostolic Church. This included a new dictum on the concept of ministry that had come into effect on Pentecost 2019. Other new directives were the bestowing of a prayer blessing to Sunday School teachers, youth leaders and confirmation teachers.
Learning how to Teach
While the Apostles were engaged in their meetings, sixteen sisters attended a teaching seminar conducted by Dr. Lily David. The sessions were conducted in English and translated into Hindi by Bishop Immanuel Jonathan. Over two days the sisters engaged in interactive sessions of group work, role play, poster making and fun games to learn more about how to teach the doctrine of the New Apostolic Church.
Spreading the Word
The sisters also had the opportunity to present the material that they had been working on to the Apostles. This allowed for them to get an insight into the various roles and responsibilities that their wives hold and play in the church.
Despite being from different countries and speaking different languages, the ladies were able to mingle with each other and share many moments of spontaneous laughter. They were able to benefit both personally and spiritually from the seminar and many of them resolved to pass on the information they had learnt to their home congregations and Sunday schools in their areas.
Sealing the Bonds
On the 2nd of October the seminars were wrapped up and the Apostles and their wives had the opportunity to spend some free time shopping and sightseeing in Colombo. This allowed them to strengthen the bonds they had made over the last eight days. As evening approached, the group made their way to the Mattakuliya church for the mid-week service, which would mark the end of their journey in Sri Lanka.