One of our orchestra members very focused on playing her instrument during Chief Apostle Schneider’s visit to Depok Church in May 2017. I feel that the moment, the lighting, and the ambience are just right, which makes this picture so emotional.

District Apostle Bernd Koberstein during Holy Communion in a small congregation he visited on the occasion of his niece’s baptism and sealing in July 2016. The beautiful thing about this extreme close-up is that the congregation, the altar with the Bible, the other chalices, and the Priests at the altar are all reflected in the chalice.

Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider together with District Apostle Markus Fehlbaum at a dinner in La Casa del Camba with huts typical of this region (Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia in August 2013).

In the year 2010, Apostle Zeidlewicz conducted a divine service in Wuppertal-Elberfeld in the context of the dedication ceremony for a new pipe organ. After the divine service, the Apostle visibly impressed, and sat down at the large instrument himself in order to play a few pieces on it. — Apostle Zeidlewicz in his socks at the organ.

22 February 2018: District Apostle Koberstein conducts his last divine service in Wiesbaden. District Evangelist Seibert from Frankfurt listens to him attentively. These are the last words of the District Apostle at the end of the divine service—in other words, a special moment. This mix of concentration, quiet joy, and inner emotion in the face of the District Evangelist fascinated me. I have only minimally reduced the size of the picture in order to show Lothar Seibert seated among the other district ministers at the altar, and to emphasise his stooped posture.

When Project Church Locator kicked off in February 2015, I travelled to various congregations in and around Hyderabad to map their exact locations and take pictures of their buildings. While the building in itself is nothing special, it is the members who bring life and meaning to our churches. The congregation in Bollaram is a typical example: most of our churches in India are built in a very similar style and size. The broad smiles of our members left a lasting impression on me.

Divine service when it feels like 40 degrees in the shade: the closing service of the Inter­ national Church Convention 2014 in Munich took place in the Olympic Stadium—in the best of weather. After the service, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider bade farewell to the 45,000 believers. In the process, this snapshot of a visibly relieved and joyful Church president just in front of the ranks was successfully captured.

Display posters for public relations work in Europe. Photo of a participating sister from Kiel. The photo appeared in June 2017 in the display cabinets of several hundred New Apostolic Church buildings.

YPC18218. Behind the lens. With this image I wanted to capture the expressions of the young people. While the District Apostle is still in the frame, I kept my eyes and focus on my subject.

Divine service for the departed in the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa on Sunday, 5 July 2009. I love this photo because of its clarity. It was a big and beautiful event attended by some 72,000 members.

Divine service for children in the Limete Central church (Kinshasa) with Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider. Also visible in the photo: ‘King Léon’ with all his royal accoutrements. In this service, Chief Apostle Schneider had invited several children to participate in a roleplaying exercise. I love this photo because of its special motif.

ICC 2014 in Munich: a view from behind the stage, past the participants of the panel discussion, and into the fully occupied hall — a very special experience for me from this perspective.

District Elder Lothar Heemeier passed away suddenly in the year 2015, which came as a shock to many. On the occasion of his passing, Bishop Peter Johanning conducted a memorial service for the Herford district. District Evangelist Helmut Hartwig placed a white rose upon the altar chair where Lothar Heemeier would have been seated. The photo depicts the rose on the hymnal, which is open to the opening hymn: “Beyond where clouds no more appear”.

Meditation before a divine service for children conducted by District Apostle Michael Deppner in November 2017 in the Limete Central church (Kinshasa). I like this photo because it really expresses the devotion and sincerity of the children before the divine service.

I well remember the arrival of Chief Apostle Leber in La Caballada, Uruguay, in a vintage vehicle ... From the moment we learned of his visit, we waited for the event with great anticipation. His immense joy was infectious. I took a shot—and I saw the photo in my camera: an incredible shot for me.

If you want to bring joy to others, nothing can stand in your way... When Chief Apostle Schneider visited Bahía Blanca, the brothers and sisters were waiting for him—despite the pouring rain.

An open-air youth weekend in Sierra de la Ventana (province of Buenos Aires); the altar and the chalices had been especially handcrafted for the occasion.

Taken on the occasion of Chief Apostle Schneider’s visit to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, on March 2017. During this visit, a meeting was arranged for our Chief Apostle and his guests to visit Wanuskewin Heritage Park, an Indigenous cultural site. Here, the park’s elder, Jake Sanderson, presented a custom-made eagle staff to Chief Apostle Schneider to commemorate his visit as the spiritual leader of the New Apostolic Church. The eagle staff is a powerful symbol of the relationship with the indigenous people of this territory.

This photo was taken in the context of a youth service with Apostle Otten, which was captioned by the motto “Feel the embrace”. — I really like the emphasis on the theme and the rather different perspective on the divine service event.

The objective photo description here would be “Officiant makes his way to the altar”. The emotional one sounds better: the Chief Apostle visits Sweden and nearly all the members of the country enjoy a weekend together with him under beaming sunshine in Aneby (Småland). The concluding divine service takes place in a church in a recreation area. Since there is no sacristy, a red holiday house is used in its place. At the start of the service, the ministers, who are in a visibly good mood, make their way up the 200-metre path to the church while bells ring in the background. A New Apostolic Bullerby ...

Some images can be burned into your memory even without a camera: this brother was brought to the Chief Apostle in a wheelchair—but at a respectful distance. He wanted to get a little closer, so he placed his feet on the ground and tried to move forward a few centimetres with his own small strength. — “If your photos are not good enough, you are not close enough” (Robert Capa) — if you want to effect something in the church with photography, you have to be close to it with all your heart. Every centimetre counts!

Strasbourg, France, in October 2017. We only have time for a very short photo shoot in the church—the itinerary is full. Eighty-one seconds later, a total of 57 photos have been produced from five different perspectives. Satisfaction on both sides: on one hand, because it didn’t take too long, and on the other hand, because there are some very nice photos on the card.