Zurich. It was the unanimous resolution of the District Apostle Meeting to re-establish the Project Group “Children’s Teaching Materials”, and staff it with new members. In so doing, two key conditions were to be taken into account: the new members of the Project Group were to represent each of the world’s continents, and all of them would need to be able to communicate in the English language. Two weeks ago, the group met for its first session in Zurich.

The members of the new Project Group are: District Apostle Helper Mark Woll (Canada and India, chairman), Shepherd Cliff Guckenberger (Canada), District Apostle Guillermo Vilor (Brazil), Apostle Matthew Arendse (South Africa), Bishop Louis Kabangu (Democratic Republic of Congo), Bishop Joseph Muchimba (Zambia), Shepherd Thomas Deubel (Switzerland), Evangelist Wolfgang Müller and Evangelist Jürgen Pieper (both Germany).

On the first day of their meeting, 5 March 2009, District Apostle Wilfried Klingler welcomed the brothers in his capacity as chairman of the New Apostolic Church’s internal Coordination Group. District Apostle Helper John Sobottka, also a member of the Coordination Group, presented the group with its Work Mandate. Now that the group has been established, its task will be to develop internationally applicable options for making new teaching materials available to students of Sunday School, Religious Instruction, and Confirmation Instruction in the New Apostolic Church. 

Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber, the international Church president, surprised the group during their second day of meetings. He expressed his joy over the fact that ministers from every continent had managed to come together in order to review and revise the current teaching materials. He made it clear that the Project Group had undertaken an important task. “After all,” added the Chief Apostle before parting from them, “children are the future of our Church!”