Zurich. The fourth Sunday of Advent brought an important change to the District Church of Switzerland: in a divine service he conducted in Zurich, the international Church leader, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider, retired Apostle Heinz Lang, who had served the Church for many years, and then went on to ordain a successor in ministry, namely Thomas Deubel (50). In addition, Rolf Camenzind (51) from Ticino was ordained a Bishop. The divine service was transmitted to many countries throughout the working area of District Apostle Markus Fehlbaum.

Apostle Lang had served as a minister of the Church for a total of 35 years, the last eight of them as an Apostle. In his acknowledgement of thanks to the retiring minister, Chief Apostle Schneider noted that he had cultivated the pasture of Christ as a farmer plows his field. After expressing his gratitude to the retiring Apostle for his many years of service, the Chief Apostle told him that the Church would continue to need his good example and powerful prayers. After his retirement, a children’s choir sang him a farewell song.

Core content of the divine service

An excerpt from a Bible passage from 2 Peter 3: 15 served as the basis of the Sunday sermon: “And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation”. Concerning this, the Church leader stated, “We have a Redeemer. He has come to this earth for the salvation of all mankind. At the time, the angel first appeared to the shepherds in the fields. They were simple people who did not enjoy a high level of standing in society. Today too there are many people on the fringes of society, and if you ever feel marginalized in the congregation, remember that the Redeemer has also come for you!” This was the Chief Apostle’s main message.

Other contributions to the sermon

Apostle Anatolij Budnik from the Ukraine was also called upon to serve along. His words were translated from Ukrainian into German. In his serving, Apostle Heinz Lang expressed a special welcome to Mrs. Christiane Faschon, the Secretary General of the Association of Christian Churches of Switzerland.