Zurich. At the end of September 2017, the District church of Australia will receive a new District Apostle Helper. To this end, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider will first ordain the current District Elder Peter Schulte (53) to the Apostle ministry, and then appoint him as a District Apostle Helper.

A change is coming to the vast District Apostle district of Australia: District Apostle Andrew Andersen (65) will retire in the coming year. Chief Apostle Schneider has scheduled a visit to Brisbane for this purpose on 30 September 2018. Peter Schulte will thus have a year to work his way into the new duties and tasks that await him as an Apostle and future Church leader. District Apostle Andrew Andersen remarks as follows on the subject: “I am very grateful that I have always been able to feel God accompanying me in all my experiences of life. This has also been the case here. This change has been the subject of much prayer, and stands under the blessing of the Lord.” He goes on to comment that Peter Schulte is a man of faith and great strength. He will lead a large District and he will do so in his usual calm and collected manner. District Apostle Andersen is hoping for a seamless transition.

A letter to all the congregations

Peter Schulte is an Australian who was born in 1963 and lives in Sarina, Queensland. In a circular letter sent to all the congregations in his care, District Apostle Andersen has made the planned changes known to all. There the Church leader explains that it is important to begin with the preparations well in advance in order to master this change in leadership. “It is my great joy to announce that our Chief Apostle is planning to ordain the 53-year-old Peter Schulte an Apostle, and immediately appoint him as a District Apostle Helper as well. This is to occur in a divine service scheduled in Melbourne on 24 September 2017,” the letter goes on to say.

A larger district will come into being

The borders of the district will also be expanding in the coming year. In future, the New Apostolic congregations in Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, South Korea, and Taiwan will also be in the care of Australia. This means that the changes in the Australian district will also spill over into other regional Churches in South East Asia, where a changing of the guard is likewise planned in 2018 with the retirement of District Apostle Urs Hebeisen. At present, a number of island states in the South Seas already belong to the District Apostle district of Australia, namely Fiji, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua-New Guinea, Samoa, the South Pacific Isles, and Tasmania, just to mention a few.

Andrew Andersen (65) has served as the District Apostle of Australia since 01 January 2001. At that time, the 49-year-old assumed the official duties of his predecessor, Arthur Rosentreter. The autumn edition of the member magazine, “Australia District News”, provides an overview of the diversity that can be found in the District Apostle district.