Toronto. For Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber, the international leader of the New Apostolic Church it was like taking a little trip back to his old home, as he had lived in Canada for a time during his youth. After the International District Apostle Meeting in Toronto, he conducted a festive divine service in the Kitchener Central church on 28 October 2007. Some 70 congregations throughout Canada and another 270 congregations in the USA and Mexico were connected by satellite. At the start of the service the congregation joined in the hymn: “Thank now our Lord and God.”

The divine service was conducted entirely in English. Earlier on, Chief Apostle Leber explained to his brethren in faith that, in addition to German, English would in future also take its place as an official conference language of the New Apostolic Church. He encouraged all the District Apostles to learn one of these two languages. The divine service was translated simultaneously into Khmer, Mandarin, and Spanish.

In the divine service, the Chief Apostle especially remembered the many people in need and misery. His Sunday message called upon the congregation to make room in their lives for faith in the one true God. He appealed to all his listeners: “God is to define our lives!”

On Saturday, 27 October 2007, various choirs and performers from Southern Ontario had extended an invitation to a festive concert in the Brampton church, during which the Chief Apostle and District Apostles enjoyed skilfully performed musical pieces from various cultural worlds. Albert Kamran and Irfan Soze performed some spiritual music from Pakistan, and African choirs sang hymns from Mali and Tanzania. Beyond that, the auditorium rang out with songs from all continents. Before the performances began, District Elder Andrew Latorcai, the concert’s master of ceremonies, introduced each of the District Apostles to the audience.