THE LUTHERAN August 2017 by Lutheran Church of Australia

N A TIO N A L M A G A ZIN E O F THE L U THE R A N C HU RC H O F A U STRA LIA

AUGUST 2017

SERVICE LEARNING

Print Post Approved PP100003514

VOL 51 NO7

Engaging Heads, Hearts & Hands

Follow in HIS STEPS 1 Peter 2:21a

LUTHERAN

CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA

Warmth for body and soul After completing the cold and wet 26-kilometre Walk My Way (see story page 6), Pastor Michael Mayer (St Peters Lutheran College, Indooroopilly Qld), Marlene Plueckhahn (Pilgrim, Magill, SA) and Adam Kauschke (Lutheran Archives) relax with hot soup and soul-warming stories in the July edition of The Lutheran.

EDITORIAL Editor Lisa McIntosh p 08 8267 7300 m 0409 281 703 e lisa.mcintosh@lca.org.au Executive Editor Linda Macqueen p 08 8339 5178 e linda.macqueen@lca.org.au

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The Lutheran AUGUST 2017

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AUGUST

Special features EDITOR'S

Letter

When I went to school (okay, so it’s a long time ago now), I don’t think I ever heard the term ‘service learning’. But in many schools today – particularly in our Lutheran schools – it’s a familiar concept and a big thing. Lutheran Education Australia even calls it ‘central’ and ‘integral’ to all Lutheran schools. What form it takes may depend on the school culture, demographics, location, financial status and leadership. But whether a school’s service-learning curriculum includes an annual trip to South-East Asia to assist at an orphanage, or there's a weekly commitment to a local aged-care village or homeless shelter, the benefits are many and varied. And the benefits don’t only flow for those being served by students and staff; there is also much to be gained for those who give of themselves. ‘Lifechanging’ is the description I’ve heard a number of people use after a service-learning experience.

When you take stock of the core values of Lutheran schools – love, justice, compassion, forgiveness, service, humility, courage, hope, quality and appreciation – service learning really fits the ethos. It sounds to me just like endeavouring to be Jesus’ hands and feet in the world, loving our neighbour as we love ourselves. Isn’t that one of the most important lessons Christians can learn at any stage of life? On the heels of ACLE 2017, the largest-ever gathering of Lutheran educators in Australia, we are privileged to share the stories of a few of our schools and their journeys in service learning. We look forward, too, in future editions, to featuring more examples of love coming to life.

The day it rained JOY!

Doing something

10 12

Cooking with care

The means of grace: Holy Communion

Light for our way

Regulars 12

The school children and supervising staff and parents learn as they serve, and serve as they learn. In some schools this concept is embodied across classes. Jodie Hoff, the principal at Queensland’s Lutheran Ormeau Rivers District School (LORDS) stresses that service learning is ‘more than community service’, more than just fundraising for a worthy cause. She says it is ‘a way of learning and teaching that is embedded into curriculum and school culture’ and that it must meet a genuine community need and build relationships and partnerships with others.

Little x Love = Lots!

Heartland

Going GREYT!

Go and Grow

#youngSAVEDfree

Inside story

Reel life

Directory

Your voice (Letters)

Notices

Coffee break

We also delve a little into service learning from a different standpoint – that of ongoing training for people serving as pastors, lay workers and prospective future church leaders. I pray that we are inspired by these stories to remember that learning, and service, are lifelong pursuits and gifts of God. Whether we are still at school, graduated last year, or ended our formal education 70 years ago, God constantly wants to teach us new things in his word every day and to grant us new insights and opportunities through the neighbours he introduces to us.

Lisa

Our cover:

Julia Kardogeros and Jasper Ward, accompanied by all their fellow students at St Peter's Lutheran School, Dimboola, Victoria, on the Walk My Way fundraiser to help refugee children go to school (story page 5).

JES U S I S G OD'S LOVE. HE G IVES U S NE W HE ARTS TO L AY AS IDE O UR OL D WAYS, TO B EL IE VE AND FOL LOW HIM, TO L IVE WI T H HIM E VERY DAY.

heartland

REV JOHN HENDERSON

Bishop Lutheran Church of Australia

WHAT C OUNTS Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom (Luke 12:32 GNB) The numbers are finally in: 52% of Australians identified as Christian in 2016. (In New Zealand it’s 48.9% [2013].) The population has increased but the Christian headcount has shrunk from just over 13 million (2011) to just over 12.2 million (and in New Zealand from just over 2 million [2006] to just under 2 million). About 170,000 (0.7%) wrote ‘Lutheran’ on the census form. (In New Zealand the figure is 3,903 [0.092%]). If we knew all those Lutherans, we would think we were still doing quite well. As it is, we probably know fewer than 40,000.

We could respond to all this with a justifiably sturdy defence of the role of the church in society. There are many positive arguments for that. Or alternatively we could deny it all and attempt to reclaim a perfect past world that never actually existed. Of course, that just won’t work. The Lutheran AUGUST 2017

This is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, so we know what troubles those things can cause. The gospel is not of this world. It doesn’t play the numbers or place bets on the winners. It values most highly people who don’t fit the system, those at the bottom with no hope except the grace, mercy and love of God. They bring no achievements to God, offer no bribes and broker no deals. Sin has broken them. And God loves them, forgives them and recreates them.

Another path is to accept the reality of the situation and use it to GROW in wisdom, learning what it is God wants us to know.

The overall drop in numbers is scarcely news. Neither is the rapid increase in people claiming ‘no religion’ (up from 19% [2006] to 22% [2011] and 30% [2016]; in New Zealand 32.2% [2006] to 38.5% [2013]). But about half of the population still claim to be Christian even though they don’t connect much with the church. The church is declining in influence and its role as the moral guardian of society is dissipating. Christians are starting to feel the pinch of prejudice, told they are out of step with society and accused of denying people freedom to live as they choose.

Another path is to accept the reality of the situation and use it to grow in wisdom, learning what it is God wants us to know. Have we trusted too much in wealth, power and social prestige?

Maybe, one day, the church as the external organisation we know now will cease to exist. I doubt that will happen entirely, not until the end of time. But even if it did, the gospel would not cease; it’s made of different stuff. The word will continue to be preached. The sacraments will be administered. Sin will be forgiven. That is God’s business, God’s promise, God’s church – and God does not give up. For us right now, the changes we are experiencing are a chance to get our values straight. We already know that earthly treasures are temporary (see Luke 12:13–21). Our only true treasure is the gospel: God loves, forgives and saves sinners. No special deals, no ifs, buts or exceptions. It’s just ‘because’ – because God’s only Son came into the world and gave his life to save it. That means we are his and he is ours, now and forever.

LIT TLE X LOVE = LOTS!

On 4 July hundreds of Lutherans (that’s a lot) walked 26 kilometres (also a lot) in the Adelaide Hills to raise funds (a lot!) for refugee children to go to preschool. Meanwhile, over in Victoria, in less spectacular ways, a bunch of primary-school children and a pastor’s wife also did lots. They each did a little thing, multiplied it with bucketloads of love – and that added up to LOTS! by LINDA MACQUEEN

LOTSA COINS Vicki Gollasch of Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) regularly visits schools to talk to the students about the plight of refugees. At Australia’s smallest Lutheran school (St Peter’s, Dimboola, in western Victoria) her visit was going pretty much according to the script. In order to personally experience something of the life of refugee children, the students half-filled buckets of water and walked around the block, sharing the carrying of the buckets. ‘This was all very normal’, Vicki says. ‘We always ask the children to do something practical like this when we visit schools. ‘However …’ At the end of the day the children presented Vicki with a cheque. They had been collecting and saving their chapel offering money for two years. They had raised $1300. ‘That was an amazing effort for a school with 28 students’, Vicki

says. ‘And they were thrilled to know that they could support 50 refugee kids at $26* each.’ St Peter’s principal, Tim Reimann, says the students have always been very generous with their donations at chapel every Friday. ‘In all my time within schools I have never witnessed such a spirit of giving from such a small school community. ‘Having Vicki from ALWS visit our school and show our students what other children have to do daily just to get fresh water, how far they have to walk to go to school or to walk to safety, really opened the eyes of our students. They saw how their “change” each week could make an immense change in the lives of many.’ St Peter’s students continue to give their donations each week knowing that they can change many more lives for the better. * $26 is the amount it costs for a refugee child to attend preschool for a year.

On 4 July, while hundreds of Walk My Way intrepid trekkers were tackling the 26-kilometre Pioneer Women’s Trail in the Adelaide Hills, over in Melbourne Anne Rasenberger was walking around her suburban block – measuring just a tad over one kilometre. Nice work, Anne. Oh yes, and did I mention she did that 13 times! – ‘halfway to 26 kilometres’, as she puts it. Anne said she did the 13-lap walk ‘in recognition of the long, dangerous journeys refugees must make to find safety’. Accompanied by her faithful pooch, Maurice, Anne raised $200, enough to provide a year of preschool education for eight children in refugee camps in Kenya, Djibouti or Sudan.

LOTSA LAPS

y a e d h t i t ra i n e d

J OY!

T H E N U M B E RS

DATE 4 July laide Hills LOCATION Ade , wet, miserable WEATHER cold elated, ecstat ic MOOD excited, tre s in w al k 26 ki lo m e le op e p 0 27 r O ve sp on so rs e r w it h th e ir th e og T . in ra th e e n ou g h rs, th ey ra is e d te or p p su r e h a n d ot ild re n 00 + refu g e e ch 50 lp e h to ey m on l! g o to p re sc h oo

272 registered walkers

26 dollars needed for a ref ugee child to atten d preschool for a year

2(+1)

LCA National Office, Adelaide Bishop John suffered a heart attack in May and had to withdraw his registration to walk. Enter his executive assistant, Larissa Helbig, who walked on his behalf. Bishop John is holding a drawing created by a child at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya – one of the children supported to go to school through Walk My Way. Every walker received a different drawing.

SUE TUFFIN

26 kilometres from H ahnd

Beaumont

Good Shepherd Lutheran Primary, Victoria

orf to

(the Pioneer Wome n’s Trail)

9 1 volunteers

13 3, 5 9 4 dollars raised (as at 18 July) walkers who raise d over $2000 each

5 0 0 0+ refugee childre

to preschool for a year

n who can now go

10, 00 0 thankyous from the ALWS team on be the refugee children half of all you have helped

LARISSA HELBIG

bishops walking (or wishing they could be walking)

, that we know of (lo ts more turned up at St Michael’s to prepare, serve and clean up) 3: 12 hours:minutes taken by Pastor Dean Zwec to run the route (ye k (age 71) s, he ran the whole way!) 554 blisters (estimate, base d on 2 feet x 272 walkers)

JOHN HENDERSON &

23 businesses that support ed Walk My Way donations or spon through sorships

– age of oldest wa lkers (4 of you shari ng this honour!) 18 – months, age of younge st ‘walker’ Samuel (pictured on the ba Kuchel ck cover with Mum Rachel and Dad Be n)

THE FA C ES

reasons to not sig n up to WMW next year

The Lutheran AUGUST 2017

SENATOR PENNY WONG (got a bit teary watching St Michael’s primary school children singing the blessing over the walkers)

‘I carried six litres of water on my back as a way of understanding what many women and girls have to do on a daily basis, as they are usually the ones who collect the water.’

'Today hundreds of people are walking the Pioneer Women’s Trail to raise awareness and to support refugees in East Africa. It was a privilege to speak to walkers about Australia’s shared values and interest in alleviating poverty and injustice. We are joined together in our common humanity, and that is what gives meaning and purpose to Walk My Way.'

DAVID ALTUS Bishop, SA-NT District It was humbling to walk in the way of those pioneer women. It was also humbling to think that at the same time African women were walking in the heat in Kenya to identify with us. I pray that the money raised through Walk My Way will enable so many of their children to begin their education. I would willingly do it all over again.

ROBIN MANN (wrote and sung a song for the occasion (as he does) and then walked the full course, leaning to the right for a fair bit of the trail (he suffers from MS)) 'From the song for the day: How can we start to understand all they were going through? Maybe we’ll catch a glimpse or two by walking a while in their shoes. Thanks to Michael & Gaynor Gower for getting MS-balance-me through the last five kilometres.'

Spring Head Lutheran Church, SA Julian and Elizabeth, Rowan (22), Jordan (18), Ebony (15) and family friend Ashley Dunbar (15). Their other daughter Tori (21) couldn’t participate due to her disability. 'The walk brought lots of people together to create awareness and support a needy cause. It was great as a walker to feel supported by so many helpers who had contributed to the day. It created a visible presence of Christians working together in the local community. It was a memorable experience for us as a family and I'm sure our children will always remember it.'

PASTOR DEAN ZWECK (first across the finish line; he ran (not walked) the course in 3 hours 12 minutes, which included going the wrong way twice and having to go back) ‘Why did I do Walk My Way? Because Paul said, "Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Gal 6:2). This kind of event is good for our church because it puts up a winsome picture for all to see what we believe and do about showing the compassion of Christ to those in need. I was inspired by all the volunteers who stood in the cold to assist and encourage the walkers on their way. It would have been worth doing the walk just to drink the hot soup at the end!

BEDFORD FAMILY

AMANDA LUSTIG Australian Lutheran World Service The condition of the shoes says it all! Walking into Brock Reserve was like entering an oasis – greeted by people filled with joy and handing out bread, broth and badges. These badges are just a small symbol of the enormous support given to us by the LLL. Thank you!

JUDY & ROB WILTSHIRE Calvary Lutheran Church, Morphett Vale SA (supplied and manned the 4WD First Aid vehicle) It was our privilege and absolute joy to be a very tiny part of the 90+ volunteer support team for Walk My Way. We wish to express our thanks for a brilliant, fun and inspiring day (despite the miserably cold, damp weather which did nothing to deter the walkers’ enthusiasm), where love came to life. All praise to God!

LENNARD HERNANDER The head of ALWS partner Lutheran World Federation Kenya got into the Walk My Way spirit, too! The whole LWF Kenya office did a walk, in solidarity with our walkers here in Australia. He sent you this message: ‘Thank you from all your friends in Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia – refugees in camps and urban areas, children who will go to school. St Michael’s [Lutheran Church, Hahndorf] and ALWS – you are amazing! Your commitment to this is something we literally can feel. It gives energy and will carry us a long way. Thank you!’

I T’ S N OT T O O L A T E T O D O N A T E . V I S I T W A L K M Y W A Y . O R G . A U

I n Goi ng GREYT! we feat ure stories o f some o f our ‘more experienced’ people wi t hi n t he LCA , who have be en called to make a posi t ive cont ribu t ion i n t heir ret irement. We pray t heir examples o f service will be an i nspirat ion and encouragement to us all as we look to be Christ ’s hands and fe et wherever we are, wi t h whatever gif ts and oppor t uni t ies we’ve be en given.

a t reasu red by HELEN BER INGEN Have you ever imagined being a museum caretaker, waiting for the sun to go down in the hope that ancient artefacts come alive? Imagine this fantasy world within a tiny museum in the Adelaide Hills housing thousands of extremely rare and valuable antiquities, dating back to pre-Christian times. The real-life caretaker of this museum, John Schultz, may not have to contend with nocturnal antics, but he still maintains a close affinity with the story-filled pieces in his museum collection, which celebrates and preserves the culture and heritage of Papua New Guinea and other mission fields. It is a legacy which began in 1886, when Johann Flierl, the very first Lutheran missionary, arrived on Papua New Guinea’s shores. John, himself a 10-year veteran of the Papua New Guinean mission fields, has catalogued each and every item in the collection. These artefacts have largely been collected by the Lutheran Church’s faithful past and present missionaries and their families. From metre-long hand-carved wooden storyboards depicting Christ’s death and resurrection, to items of pagan sorcery, the items range from utensils used in daily living to art forms from centuries past.

They tell a real story of how Australian missionaries shared the gospel with the indigenous people, training up local evangelists to spread God’s word across the country.

The Lutheran AUGUST 2017

‘It was the New Guineans themselves who spread the news of God’s love’, John says. Also compelling are the real stories of the 600 or so Australians who served as Lutheran missionaries (along with Germans, Americans and Canadians) since 1886. The museum houses many pieces lovingly shared by many of them. John is familiar with that journey, having spent a decade serving in Papua New Guinea from 1961. He married his wife Maryn there, and they returned to Australia in 1970 with three children. They celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in May this year.

John, himself a 10-year veteran of the Papua New Guinean mission fields, has catalogued each and every item in the collection.

As 78-year-old John generously shares the story of how this mission museum came to be, you soon realise that the truth of his story is more amazing than any Hollywood fiction. For it is a story of how God’s love, shared with our neighbours, has brought many people into God’s family. This is the story told through many of the exquisite museum exhibits.

Today Papua New Guinea is home to more than 1.5 million Lutherans.

John, a member of the Nairne congregation of St Paul’s Hahndorf parish, has been involved in the museum, named after Johann Flierl’s wife Louise, since it was opened in 1998. It was started by Christel Metzner, wife of former Lutheran Director for Missions, Pastor Ulf Metzner. Christel is the one who gathered the treasure-trove, including reading notes to describe many of the items, along with the donors' names.

‘It is very hard to know how old some of the exhibits are, as there are no records of when some of the items were made’, John says. ‘People come and tell us they have never seen anything like some of these items.’ For many years the museum, which relies on volunteer support, opened three afternoons a week. It was staffed by ex-missionaries or others associated with the Papua New Guinea mission fields. Over time, John has become the only one left to look after it. It now opens several times a year by appointment.

collection of impressive an es us . m ho hair combs The museu l axes and ia on m re ce

John has photographed and catalogued every single item in the museum in his voluntary role, handling each precious artefact. ‘The way it is set up, it doesn’t require much attention, just general housekeeping. We’re really proud of it and for its type, it’s world class’, John says. ‘The collection goes through pre-Christian times and includes items of sorcery and magic that people adhered to in those days, through to artwork, mainly in wood carving, masks and village scenes. It goes through the stories of the missionaries coming.’

Rev Jack Uram e (Bishop of th e Evangelical Lu Church of Papu theran a New Guinea ) with John Sc a recent visit to hultz on the museum. Jo hn is holding th Louise Flierl M e book ission Museum , written by Ch Metzner, the or ristel iginal curator of the museum.

The museum also shares the stories of the Bible translation services undertaken, mainly in three local languages, which served to capture the main languages of the coastal areas where the missionaries were first based. ‘It takes on average 10 to 14 years to translate the Bible into a language – and quite often that is only the New Testament’, he says. Hahndorf’s St Paul’s parish owns the building housing the unique museum and will provide it rent free for the next three years, when it will then need to find a new home. ‘We are very grateful they have given us that opportunity’, John says. The Committee for International Mission, which oversees the museum, is working to find a new future venue. John has been trying for the past five years to find an understudy who can take on the caretaking role, which is challenged by the lack of younger people serving in Papua New Guinea in the same way as in past years. However, he is confident that the museum’s role in preserving this heritage for the future will continue. He would love to see it combined with an Australian Aboriginal mission collection of artefacts from the areas where Lutherans missionaries have served as well. His confidence in the future is backed by his faith in God. Just like his wedding text from Proverbs, he simply trusts in the Lord, who directs our paths. ‘And boy, have our paths been directed’, he says.

who a New Guineans, tural gif t of Papu na a ally is ion ing dit rv Tra ca n. ‘The ar t of next generatio and teach to the o them. ill int sk ns s sig thi de re rtu ing nu ils by carv their daily utens lly lavish way. they decorated ted in an especia ra co de re we ved this ar t er es pr le Ceremonial items ristians, the peop Ch me ca fonts and be y sm When the pulpits, bapti al ir church altars, the ries. This sto ted ra ble co Bi de ng d eti an s, of ten interpr ing rv ca depicting tic tis e, ar La pews with B Carvers from crafted by the JO s wa d ar 4). bo p4 ry r, sto ’ (Metzne the Last Supper

Helen Beringen is a Townsville-based communications advisor who has been richly blessed through a career as a wordsmith. She is inspired by the many GREYT people who serve tirelessly and modestly in our community. She hopes by sharing stories of how God shines his light through them, others will be inspired to share his light in the world. Know of any other GREYT stories in your local community? Email the editor lisa.mcintosh@lca.org.au