The divine service studio has been built, the altar has been set up. Now everything is ready for Easter Sunday—and with it, the Chief Apostle. This year, as a result of the corona crisis, there will be an international divine service to mark the day of the Lord’s resurrection.

The final preparations are now complete. The entrance foyer of the Bischoff publishers in Neu-Isenburg has been transformed into a small chapel. Everything necessary for a divine service has now been installed: an altar, a piano, and an organ. And the camera positions and microphones have also been coordinated for the online transmission of the service.

As has been the case with all online divine services lately, there will be no celebration of Holy Communion on this occasion either. In his interview, the Church leader said the following concerning this: “I know that many members will have to do without Holy Communion until the end of this pandemic. I share their suffering, since I am, after all, likewise confined to my home until further notice as a result of the curfew. However, particularly in these times of distress, let us trust in God. Let us put our trust in God—He always knows how to give those who love Him that which is indispensable for their salvation!”

Participating in the divine service together

On Sunday morning there will be no more than five people in the actual divine service space. Thus there will be a very small congregation in live attendance, but hundreds of thousands more will be able to enjoy the divine service online, either as a live stream, via YouTube or IPTV, or on the telephone. In Southern Africa, there is even a television station known as NAC TV, which will broadcast the divine service across South Africa and beyond its borders by satellite. All in all, it will be a very large—actually, an enormous—congregation that will be able to hear and see the spiritual leader of the New Apostolic Church on this occasion.

An interesting little detail on the side is that the USA will be celebrating a small anniversary of sorts on this day. It was in 1980—precisely 40 years ago, also on an Easter Sunday—that the very first divine service by transmission took place. At the time, it was Chief Apostle Hans Urwyler who conducted a divine service in New York just for the congregations of the USA. In 2020, it will be possible for the entire New Apostolic world to receive the sermon conducted by Chief Apostle Schneider.

Singing the same hymns together

The hymns for this divine service have already been selected. To begin the service, the international congregation will sing a very joyful Easter hymn, namely: “Sing, all you Christians, glad hymns now be voicing! Praise bring the Lord who has died us to save! Sing till the echoes ring out with rejoicing; Jesus, arisen, has conquered the grave. Jesus, arisen, has conquered the grave.” Since this is an international congregation, only hymns that appear in the common repertoire of the various national hymnals will be sung. Another three congregational hymns will also be sung in the course of the divine service: “What a Friend we have in Jesus”, “Come in, O Lord, come in!” and “Dear brothers and dear sisters.”

How will the transmission signal from the Bischoff publishers find its way into the living rooms of the believers? The internet will make it all possible. We have already published the list of relevant links on several occasions. The only thing participants will need to do on that day is click on the same link they already used last Sunday morning. In this way the divine service can then be enjoyed on a laptop, tablet, smartphone, smart TV, or even by telephone.

Understanding together, each of us in our own language

Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider will conduct the divine service in the German language. His sermon will be interpreted phrase by phrase into English. For this purpose, an interpreter will stand at a suitable distance for safety at a pulpit near the altar. Other translations will then be added: interpreters seated in the translation cabins available at the Bischoff publishing house will translate the sermon into French, Portuguese, and Spanish, as well as sign language. Still other translations will be mixed in at the central receiving stations of the various District Churches, depending on which languages are needed.

• Online divine service on Easter Sunday, 12 April 2020
• 3 PM (GMT+7), transmission will begin at 2: 45 PM (GMT+7)
• with Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider

We wish all those participating in the divine service a clear reception and much blessing—and say: #PrayHome — Stay healthy!

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