Celebrating 20 years of involvement in China – A South African Family’s journey (All Chapters)

INTRODUCTION The year 2019 my family and I celebrated 20 years of involvement in China. This 20 year journey has been filled with countless experiences and encounters that have brought us closer to our Heavenly Father. I therefore decided to share this tremendous journey with you. Since the launch of NACIC over 4 years ago, … [Read more…]

Chapter 4: Celebrating 20 years of involvement in China – A South African Family’s journey

Continued from Chapter 3 A new dawn Studying in China was quite the challenge and I wanted to throw in the towel many a time. However, I couldn’t waste such a golden opportunity and so, I worked especially hard to make sure that my lecturers and the faculty staff had the best impression of South … [Read more…]

Chapter 3: Celebrating 20 years of involvement in China – A South African Family’s journey

Continued from Chapter 2 International Membership of the New Apostolic Church As at 2007 the international membership of the New Apostolic Church comprised mainly of African and Asian members who made up almost 90% of the total membership of the New Apostolic Church, globally. During this time many South Africans went abroad for employment, study … [Read more…]

Chapter 2: Celebrating 20 years of involvement in China – A South African Family’s journey

Continued from Chapter 1 Gap Year When I think back of my teenage years, I immediately feel a deep sympathy for my parents, because to say that I was a difficult teen is a huge understatement. Specifically, I felt sorry for my mum, as my dad was mostly away during my high school years due … [Read more…]

Chapter 1: Celebrating 20 years of involvement in China – A South African Family’s journey

CHAPTER 1 Start of the journey Our family’s 20-year journey began when I turned 11 years old in June 1999. The landscape of my world at that time was changing immensely and as a child, I had no idea what a huge impact these changes would have in our lives. In 1999, South Africa was … [Read more…]

Christian life – Pastoral Care and the New Apostolic Church

Pastoral care is a very important part of the nurturing, growth and perfection of Christian lives. The concept of pastoral care in the New Apostolic Church, is clearly defined in Chapter 12:4 of the Catechism of the New Apostolic Church and provides for interesting insights. In terms of this chapter, “The objective of pastoral care is to support our neighbour … [Read more…]

What is pastoral care exactly and what does it look like in practice? (Extracted and adapted from an article published in nac.today)

In a meeting of ministers, Chief Apostle Schneider talked about his conception of pastoral care. 1) Pastoral care is about supporting members without attempting to provide answers for everything. “One of the cornerstones of pastoral care is of course to help those who are experiencing tests and difficulties. That does not mean, however, that we … [Read more…]