The Lutheran May 2019

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

VOL 53 NO4

Print Post Approved PP100003514

MAY 2019

Be reconciled 2 C o r 5 :1 8 – 19

LUTHERAN

CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA

EDITORIAL

A real revela t i o n !

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

Pastor David and Joy Christian could well have been the first people to have read The Lutheran on the Greek island of Patmos, where St John was exiled and wrote the book of Revelation. David and Joy are members of St Mark Lutheran Church at Mount Barker in South Australia.

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LUTHERAN

CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA The Lutheran informs the members of the LCA about the church’s teaching, life, mission and people, helping them to grow in faith and commitment to Jesus Christ.

The Lutheran also provides a forum for a range of opinions, which do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or the policies of the Lutheran Church of Australia.

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The Lutheran MAY 2019

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People like YOU bring love to life Elizabeth Buck Bethlehem Adelaide SA Recently retired Enjoys gardening, sport and politics Fav text: Romans 8:28

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MAY

Special features EDITOR'S

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Letter

For me, the greatest, most hopeful story from last year’s LCA General Convention was Synod’s clarion call to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), as part of our commitment to better hear, recognise and support Indigenous people in the church.

The powerful presentation by Eastern Aranda woman and LCA/NZ member Shona Reid, along with SA-NT District Bishop David Altus, was met with a standing ovation and a sea of green voting cards by delegates, who gave the proposal overwhelming endorsement.

But don’t we already have good relationships working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in our church?

It’s also well known that Lutheran missionaries played a pivotal role in the retention of some local languages and protected Aboriginal children from removal from their parents during the time of the Stolen Generations. So why do we need a RAP?

As we approach another National Reconciliation Week in Australia, 11 years on from the first ‘Closing the Gap’ report into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage, there remain big gulfs between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in child mortality, life expectancy, education outcomes, employment opportunities, and incarceration rates.

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And if you have heard shocking stories this year of First Nations people being allotted substandard hotel rooms and others being denied entry to AFL football games because of their race, then you’ll know inequality and injustice are alive and well in 2019.

Are we non-Indigenous Lutherans really doing any better than Australians generally? Our prejudice may not be as blatant, but do we always treat everyone equally and love every neighbour as we love ourselves?

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Why do we need a plan for reconciliation?

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Learning to reconcile

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Keen to join heaven’s choir

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Doing it for the kids!

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Honouring mission friends at Wantok Place

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In 1997 our LCA Synod passed resolutions promoting reconciliation, denouncing racism and acknowledging Indigenous land rights. In 2000 a Rite of Reconciliation was performed between Indigenous and non-Indigenous church leaders.

But without the structure of a plan to flesh out good intentions with practical actions, goodwill doesn’t always fulfil its potential, both within the church and in broader society.

Blessed to be a blessing … together

Regulars Heartland

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Dwelling in God’s word

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Going GREYT!

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Go and Grow

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Reel Life

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The inside story

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Directory

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Your voice

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Notices

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Coffeebreak

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In this issue, we share the reflections of people involved with RAP projects for the LCA and one of our Lutheran colleges, along with hearing from others who work with Indigenous people in ministry.

We also take you to the first of the 2019 Australian Lutheran World Service ‘Walk My Way’ community events, which support education for refugee children in Africa.

I hope and pray that these stories will move us to see our need for daily reconciliation – with God and with all of our sisters and brothers – as we work side-by-side in our multicultural societies in Australia and New Zealand to bring love to life.

Lisa

Our cover: Tatachilla

Lutheran College student Isha Graham makes a new friend during the school’s annual service learning trip to the Northern Territory. Tatachilla has developed and launched a Reconciliation Action Plan and you can read more on pages 8–9. Photo: Alice Parle

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

G OD CAN BLES S US THROUG H ADVERSIT Y ‘In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love – not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!’ (Romans 8:37-39 CEV)

impugned by misleading media reports and some politicians with their own agendas. There will be more of this as so much that is good about the church gets forgotten and any and all of its ‘dirty laundry’ gets aired, whether genuine or not.

On top of this comes the growing demand for ‘compliance’. Society demands ever more transparency and risk mitigation of all our activities.

We willingly oblige because we want to do our best. Compliance does, however, cost significantly, especially for many volunteer ministries which are the basis of church operations.

At 10.00am on Saturday 23 March 2019, the NSW District Pastors Conference met at Warrambui with the task of providing nominations for District Bishop, Assistant Bishop, and the pastor member of the District Church Council. Then the District Convention opened at 11.30am in worship This is one with an agenda to elect new leaders.

By 3.00pm it was all done, including of the BEST a closing installation service with holy communion. It might have been the and most shortest Synod in the history of the LCA! PROMISING Delegates and pastors came in record numbers for a common purpose, and they times to be a willingly achieved it. I saw that day that Christian. the LCA really values its leaders.

However, 2019 isn’t an easy time to be a Christian leader. Every generation has its struggles, and ours is facing a growing swell of popular anti-church, anti-Christian sentiment. Society is no longer merely apathetic, but openly antithetic to Christianity and faith in general. Some of this comes from ignorance of the Christian legacy and how it contributes to a free and democratic society.

Churches have not helped, however, by having allowed, or even concealed, abuse, especially of children. We pay a heavy price for not having sufficiently protected vulnerable people in our care.

So voices are raised to remove the privileges which allow churches to operate openly in society. The reputations of church schools and agencies are

These external pressures come at a time when the church is experiencing its own internal pressures. Just when we need each other more than ever, we risk becoming divided. We must pay special attention to unity, so that we do not lose the blessing of unity painstakingly achieved and gladly gifted to us by earlier generations. Despite these threats, I still believe this is one of the best and most promising times to be a Christian.

Faith can wilt when things get too good, yet thrive in adversity. Current threats to the church’s place in society, its prestige, privileges and pretensions, teach us not to trust in our privileged position or the things of this world. We are people of the resurrection. We celebrated it again at Easter, just as we do every week. Our Saviour died to this world that he might rise again. We believe that he will take us with him through death into glory.

So God can bless us in this season of adversity with greater faith and a stronger determination to follow him. We remain confident of who we are and what we are to do, since ‘nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord’.

B L E S S E D to be a blessing ... together

by NEVILLE OTTO

I’m very blessed. In so many ways, as a parish pastor in the Lutheran Church of Australia, I am – and I feel – very blessed.

responsibilities and witness in the communities in which we are set.

A small group of senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait I was blessed last October to be at the LCA’s General Islander Lutheran church and community leaders will Convention as Secretary of the Church and hear a meet this month in Adelaide to mentor us. We give proposal by my sister in Christ, Shona Reid, with South thanks for these leaders – Andrea Mason OAM, coAustralia-Northern Territory District Bishop chair of the Prime Minister’s Indigenous David Altus, for our church to support the Advisory Council and a newly appointed The preparation preparation of a Reconciliation Action Plan commissioner to the disability Royal (RAP). It was a great joy and privilege.

Commission; Noel Pearson, a lawyer, land of a RAP is rights activist and Founding Director of the Synod approved the proposal and though Cape York Institute; Dr Jackie Huggins AM, designed to help I write from Melbourne where I now live, the co-chair of the National Congress of I remain part of the LCA’s RAP Project us to … LISTEN Australia’s First Peoples; and Shona Reid, Team. The team was born out of even more intently Executive Director of Reconciliation SA. work done as we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the LCA in 2016 and We look forward to the guidance of these and widely. commemorated our part in the 500th leaders and others in the church and the anniversary of the Reformation in 2017. wider community as we draft the RAP – believed to be the first by a national church body.

Our Bishop John Henderson has encouraged us to grow together as Indigenous and nonWe pray that our Lord will guide us as we walk together Indigenous Lutherans. We pondered how best to and witness to Christ in this work. Blessed to be a do this, recognising the strong communities and the blessing ... that’s you and me ... that’s us together. relationships that already exist in places such as Central Australia, Cape York in Queensland, and on South Australia’s West Coast.

After some searching, and guidance from wise, caring people, we learnt more about Reconciliation Australia and RAPs. The preparation of a RAP is designed to help us to: • Raise awareness of the good and long relationships already in existence and help us listen even more intently and widely • Help us plan together • Help us to commit to the plan and follow through • Help us stay healthily accountable to what we plan.

After Synod, our project team attended a National Reconciliation Action Plan conference in Melbourne.

Here we encountered people from diverse organisations – from small kindergartens to large corporate bodies, football clubs to churches. We’re not alone and we can be supported and support others in the journey.

The RAP we will produce will be true to who we are as Lutheran Christians and also help us in our

Neville Otto – pictured above with LCA RAP Project Team members Shona Reid and Marilyn Wall – is Senior Pastor at St Paul’s Box Hill, in Victoria, and chair of the RAP Project Team.

The Lutheran MAY 2019

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do we need a

for reconciliation?

At its General Convention of Synod last October, the LCA committed to developing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Shona Reid, who is part of the LCA’s RAP Project Team, offers her views on why this is a significant step towards living in unity as reconciled children of God.

by SHONA REID I am an Eastern Aranda woman. I am married to a Wangkangurru man and together we have seven children. It is important that I share this because this is what grounds me and connects me to who I am.

I would like to acknowledge many of you who have dedicated your lives to building relationships with Aboriginal people and communities, to sharing God’s word and to working together with many Aboriginal children and families. For this I give thanks and hold in hope that you share my – our – vision that we can continue this.

When I shared similar words at last October’s LCA General Convention of Synod, I was asking for support to enable the church to build upon this very work. I was overwhelmed by the level of support we received from delegates for the LCA to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

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(pictured above) painted by my nine-year-old son Henry.

For me, Many Eyes is about the many views on what constitutes reconciliation. It is about the many people who have journeyed before us; the many things that are yet to be done; and the many people who are needed to get those things done.

When I asked Henry what this painting was about he said, ‘It about how there is one God and there are lots of people … we are all different – that’s a good thing – because we can all see different parts of God and share that with each other … that way we can all learn from each other and love God at the same time’.

I don’t think I could capture a more pure and beautiful definition of reconciliation.

I know firsthand that the journey toward reconciliation can be very difficult.

But why is it important that the LCA has committed to take this step?

Many have walked away from it in search of a so-called 'silver bullet' that promises an end to inequality and offers brighter futures.

Reconciliation can mean different things to different people. An example comes in the artwork Many Eyes,

We know there is no silver bullet. But ultimately, in this case, the journey is the most important thing.

The Lutheran MAY 2019

Those who have walked before us have given their dedication and passion to Aboriginal ministry and mission work. The 1997 Convention of Synod passed resolutions relating to reconciliation, while in 2000 proceedings included a rite of reconciliation. There have been reports undertaken and plans made.

At its core, developing a RAP is about continuing to build upon our solid foundation of respectful and dignified relationships between First Nations people and other Australians. The aim is to enable us to come together and live reconciled in Christ.

The path to reconciliation is not a task that any one entity can undertake on its own. It is a joint movement of all But without the dedicated resources and guidance people, places, races and identities. needed, and without a clear overall direction, these visions have made only a part journey to For me, living within a church that achieving their intended goals. I know has a RAP demonstrates that our that people may have questions church cares about such matters.

Developing a RAP about why we have committed to Our church cares enough about First developing a RAP. So I will address is about cont inuing Nations people to want to be a part a couple of the major ones. of our lives and cares enough about

Isn’t a RAP just a piece of paper?

A RAP is a tool, much like a business plan or strategic plan, structured in a way that enables Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people together to be involved in all aspects of its design, delivery and evaluation.

It can help us listen more intently, plan together, publicly commit to this plan, follow through and keep on track, and be accountable for what we do, and, what we don’t do.

to build upon our solid FOUNDATION of respectful and dignified relat ionships ... The aim is to enable us to come TOGETHER and live reconciled in Christ.

It is designed to enable ideas and plans to come to life. The RAP provides us with a list of agreed practical actions and accountability that will drive our church’s contribution to reconciliation, both internally and in all the communities in which we operate.

us to want to share in God’s love.

As Christians, we believe that God has reconciled the world to himself through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By the work of the Holy Spirit in word and sacrament, God gives people faith in Christ and nurtures new life in them. Through faith, we are now his friends.

We believe that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation. As church, we carry out this ministry by proclaiming Christ’s reconciling work to all people. And as church, we further witness to reconciliation by living in unity and peace with fellow Christians from various cultures and classes, and by promoting justice and peace among all people.

We have all seen our best intentions waver off in time.

When we don’t plan, when we don’t commit resources, when we don’t keep track of our progress, this is inevitably what happens.

The RAP stops the drift. It promotes continued focus and momentum.

We are working well wit h Aboriginal communities.

Why do we need t his?

The Lutheran church does have a strong and positive working relationship with a number of Aboriginal communities across Australia, but there are many more we don’t have connection to.

An LCA RAP allows us to: • draw on our existing relationships, knowledge and resources • provide greater support to our existing Aboriginal mission areas • develop stronger respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures • create opportunities for us to work together to grow strong in faith.

Shona Reid is part of the LCA’s Reconciliation Action Plan Project Team and its RAP mentoring group and a member of St Paul’s Lutheran Church Ferryden Park, in South Australia. She is also Executive Director of Reconciliation SA.

Learning to reconcile

by CA IN MCDONA LD It is always enlightening to discover something new in God’s word that we have failed to understand previously.

Or we may be drawn into a deeper understanding of something, due to a specific need or call to God. This has been the case for our school community at Tatachilla Lutheran College, south of Adelaide.

And this is what Paul’s letter challenges our thinking with – reconciliation is a ministry! As he writes in 2 Corinthians 5:18–19: ‘All this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their sins against them, and has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation’.

It has been empowering for our community to understand that reconciliation is a ministry that we are called into creating and living with our Indigenous brothers and sisters. Tatachilla has long held Indigenous perspectives as central to its purpose, however this has taken on greater meaning in recent months.

For us our journey to formal reconciliation began about two years ago under the leadership of Mrs Dolroes Amos, our Indigenous Education Coordinator.

Working with our Indigenous Education Committee and the Association of Independent Schools of South Australia, our team began to explore the requirements and purpose of a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

A dedicated working party of staff, students and

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parents initially developed our ‘Vision for Reconciliation’, stating that: ‘Tatachilla Lutheran College is a Christian, coeducational college with a vision for building community and enriching lives. Our mission is to encourage every person to have an experience which values self-worth, pursues excellence and serves others.

‘Our vision promotes a culture that honours and respects the special place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within Australia. We aim to do this through rich and inclusive relationships and learning opportunities that deepen knowledge and understanding of the diversity within and across Australia. This is founded on our strong belief that all people have inherent worth and value regardless of their cultural background.

‘We aim to build relationships, respect and opportunities in the classroom, around the college and with the community so that we can confidently and more knowingly stand with our Indigenous brothers and sisters to acknowledge their culture, heritage, language and beliefs and ensure that every student learns of the spiritual and ancestral history of our country. We must forge new understandings and relationships.’

The team worked with the Narragunnawali framework, which ‘supports all schools and early learning services in Australia to develop environments that foster a

journey and that collectively we will come to a deeper understanding through the guidance of our RAP. Importantly it has also allowed individuals to reflect on their own hearts and actions, both historically and as they walk into a new path today and tomorrow.

We believe our Indigenous students have also grown through the development of our RAP. While only small in number here in southern Adelaide, these students have demonstrated a greater willingness to share their culture and heritage, and embrace their stories, so that they may be leaders in our community learning.

Above: Pastor Jon Goessling blesses the launch of the Tatachilla RAP, while Principal Cain McDonald, Indigenous Education Coordinator Dolores Amos and student Steed Carter light the Reconciliation Candle, and school parent Damien Weber takes part in the ceremony. Left and below right: Tatachilla makes an annual service learning trip to the Northern Territory.

higher level of knowledge and pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions’.

Our RAP development concluded in 2018 and consists of more than 30 action items around the key concepts of Relationships, Respect and Opportunities, which can occur in the classroom, around the school or in the wider community.

Tobias Turner, College Dux in 2018, flourished through his involvement in the RAP working party and in his community involvement with Kaurna elders. One of his proudest moments came as he provided his first ever public Welcome to Country in Kaurna language, at the LCA SA-NT District Convention of Synod held at the college last year. Not only was he a keen contributor, and still is, to our RAP, but he was also recognised for his contributions at the end of Year 12, being the first male student in South Australia to receive two Governor of South Australia Commendations for SACE – one for Outstanding Achievement in SACE and the second for Indigenous Student SACE Excellence.

Reconciliation is a ministry that we are called into CREATING and living with our Indigenous brothers and sisters.

Such actions are focused on better integration of Indigenous perspectives and culture in teaching and learning, respectful and significant visual evidence around the college, stronger partnerships with local Kaurna people, inclusive school policies, and evidenced based school-wide positions on current affairs such as Invasion Day. Our RAP was officially launched at a whole-of-college event, attended by dignitaries and local Kaurna elders, which included a moving Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony by elder Allan Sumner. The launch, blessed by College Pastor Jon Goessling, also saw the lighting of our new Reconciliation Candle, which symbolises our ongoing commitment to Indigenous reconciliation and burns brightly during each formal worship gathering of our community.

While we are not the first school to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan, we have been blessed to live and work in a time where there is greater acceptance and willingness to draw closer in friendship, knowledge, understanding, grace and love with our Indigenous neighbours. This relationship has been truly reciprocal and we know that our students and wider community will benefit where reconciliation love comes to life.

Cain McDonald is Principal of Tatachilla Lutheran College, McLaren Vale South Australia.

Tatachilla’s RAP is online at: www.narragunnawali.org.au/ raps/25236/tatachilla-lutheran-college

Our RAP has become a central driving document to guide our thinking and actions to ensure that what we seek to undertake in reconciling the past is meaningful, respectful and continuously improved.

Our dedicated team meets each term to review current actions, timeframes and the ongoing appropriateness for our community of these actions. This intent and desire to make the RAP a ‘lived’ document is critical to ensuring reconciliation and our understanding of Indigenous perspectives is maintained and authentic.

In essence, formalising the RAP has given permission for members of our community to ask questions, be inquisitive and know that not having the answers right now, is okay. We recognise we are all on this learning

Other Lutheran Education Australia schools which have a RAP include Immanuel Primary School and Immanuel College, Novar Gardens South Australia, and Concordia College, Highgate South Australia.