Zurich/Lagos. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field…” So begins verse 44 of the thirteenth chapter of the gospel according to Matthew. Chief Apostle Helper Jean-Luc Schneider elaborated upon this parable of the Lord in a divine service he conducted last week in Lagos, Nigeria. During that same divine service, he also ordained an Apostle for the African District Church.

The hitherto Bishop Itoyapine Emmanuel Hagher (60) was ordained to the Apostle ministry. His hometown is Ikeja, Lagos in Lagos State, Nigeria. His mother tongue is Tiv and he also speaks English. At the same time, Apostle Charles Johannes Ohemeng and Bishop Eddy Monday were retired. Apostle Ohemeng was born in Ejisu-Kumasi, Ghana in 1948. In the year 1976 the then District Apostle Rockenfelder sent him to Nigeria as a Priest in order to build up the Church there. The Apostle served in various levels of ministry for a total of 38 years, twelve of them as a Bishop and nine of them as an Apostle. He was an integral part of the development and improvement of the seminar programme in Nigeria.

Bishop Eddy Monday was born in 1946 in Udo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. He served as a minister of the Church for a total of nineteen years, of which he served for more than twelve as a Bishop.

On behalf of the many assembled congregations, Chief Apostle Helper Schneider wished the two ministers a blessed retirement. He also wished the newly ordained Apostle the blessing and help of the Most High for his great task.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure

The Chief Apostle Helper summarised the aforementioned message of the divine service, which focused on the kingdom of heaven as a treasure hidden in a field, as follows: the treasure is the kingdom of heaven, in other words, fellowship with the Lord Jesus and ultimately Jesus Christ Himself. The value of this treasure is immeasurably great. Human beings can neither buy nor earn their redemption. Only through the grace of God is it possible for them to enter into fellowship with God.

The District Church of Nigeria

The administrative care of the District Church of Nigeria is managed by the New Apostolic Church of Southern Germany. There are some 1,000 New Apostolic congregations in the country.