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
NOVEMBER 2019
‘Be courageous … for the Lord your God is with you.’ JOSHUA 1:9
VOL 53 N10
Print Post Approved PP100003514
Have a
GO!
LUTHERAN
CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA
The right Medi-cine
EDITORIAL
Editor Lisa McIntosh
Lorraine Kraft took a copy of The Lutheran on a recent Mediterranean cruise holiday, intending to read it on the plane. Unfortunately, she packed it in the wrong bag and so instead brought out the edition when she and fellow members of St Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church Stockwell, SA, were waiting in line to visit the stunning Gaudi cathedral, La Sagrada Familia, in Barcelona, Spain. With Lorraine (fourth from left) are: Marion Gerhardy, Claude Auricht, Diann Auricht, Errold Kraft and granddaughter Elsa Santana-Kraft. Another traveller, Joy Loffler of Nuriootpa, SA, took the group photo, while Lorraine took the cathedral picture.
p 08 8267 7300 m 0409 281 703 e lisa.mcintosh@lca.org.au Executive Editor Linda Macqueen p 08 8267 7300 e linda.macqueen@lca.org.au
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DESIGN & PRINT
People like YOU bring love to life Lis Uebergang Tarrington Vic Parish office Secretary Enjoys music, singing and spending time with family Fav text: Isaiah 41:10
Design & Layout Elysia McEwen Printer Openbook Howden
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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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Matthew Schubert Rockingham-Mandurah WA Coordinator of Youth Ministries Enjoys drinking overpriced coffee in groovy cafes with his wife and tending his indoor plants each day Fav text: Romans 8:28
Sonya Fels Nazareth Brisbane Woolloongabba Qld Retired Enjoys lawn bowls, sewing, reading and people Fav text: Psalm 23
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November EDITOR'S
let ter
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‘Just have a go!’, I heard a teammate call out behind me as I stepped onto the rink and up to the bowling mat one balmy evening some summers back. I was nervous. I am no lawn bowler, despite my late grandparents’ trophy-winning skills. The Night Owls match was drawing to a close and the opposition was set to win, with three bowls crowding the jack. For some reason I was skipper, meaning I would bowl last – I guess there must have been an unseasonal flu ravaging our team. It all came down to me. I needed the perfect drive – a highspeed straight bowl – to knock out the opponents’ best efforts and take their place by the jack. The trouble was, I had no idea how to do it. Instead of rolling the bowl with its two faces off the turf, I sent it down side-over-side. It wobbled and hopped as though there were knobbly bits on its surface. But, remarkably, it clattered through the closest bowls and became top shot! It was miraculous. ‘The pineapple’ – as it became known, the ugliest bowl of the whole season, probably the worst ever bowled anywhere – stole the win. (At least that’s how I remember it. My former teammates may have a different recollection.) The point of this story is that, no matter how ill-equipped we believe we are for mission, we are all called to ‘have a go’ at being Jesus to our neighbours and to ‘have a go’ at sharing the gospel with those whom God places in our lives. God can (and will) use our clumsiest efforts to further his kingdom. We just have to summon the courage through prayer and ‘have a go’. I’m not seriously comparing a trivial sporting contest with the critical mission of winning souls for the kingdom of God, but the spirit of ‘having a go’ is the same. We sometimes need to swallow our fears (and our pride) and risk making ourselves vulnerable, as we reach out to others in his name. And ‘having a go’ is what we are celebrating in this issue. We are blessed to share stories, from Western Australia to New Zealand, from people doing just that in their local communities. And we know there are many more of you ‘having a go’ every day in ways suited to your local context. That knowledge should cheer us all.
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Special features It’s time to ‘have a go’
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‘A new expression of ministry’
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Friends in knead, friends indeed
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Community connections core of church vision
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Free, free, free!
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When you walk my way together
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Regulars Heartland
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Dwelling in God’s word
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Reel Life
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Go and Grow
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The inside story
22
Going GREYT!
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Directory
28
Your voice
29
Coffeebreak
30
Notices
31
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Because, while we may feel sometimes that ‘having a go’ is beyond us, we can remember we don’t have to ‘have a go’ alone. Like the boy who would become King David, even (and especially) when we appear ill-prepared, or tongue-tied, when we face what seems a giant of a problem, God can use us. We can ‘have a go’ knowing that we do so with and ‘in the name of the Lord of hosts’.
Lisa
Our cover: istock.com The Lutheran N OV E M B E R 2 019
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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
RE V JOHN HENDERSON
Bishop Lutheran Church of Australia
MOTIVATED BY LOVE R ATHER THAN FE AR ‘… the present form of this world is passing away’ (1 Cor 7:31 NRSV). Our survival as a species is at stake. We seem to be damaging the earth – possibly irreparably – or at least the biosphere, which makes our organic life possible. Its complex and interconnected ecology, atmosphere, oceans and weather systems may be permanently damaged due to greedy and careless human activity. An observant walk along an apparently pristine beach, for instance, shows how much plastic we dump in the ocean, choking sea creatures and now washing up on the shore. It will take centuries to clean up. The current surge of climate protests around the world speak a message that is loud and clear. The bell is tolling for
W E H AV E A D I FFER ENT, H I G H ER M OTI VATI O N , TH AT O F R ECOG N ISI N G TH E LOV E O F T H E GOO D CR E ATO R A N D S ERVI N G TH AT CR E ATO R . 4
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every threatened species, with every felled ancient rainforest tree, every extreme weather event, every dense cloud of atmospheric pollution and every melted glacier. The future of our planet, and with it our own future, hangs by a slender thread. Believers know that humans have always had a moral responsibility to care for the earth. It exists, as we do too, only by the breath of the living God. From the beginning God gave us a duty of care towards creation. He did not give us licence to abuse or destroy it. The economic system which underlies our living standards relies on the theory of continuous growth. We enjoy its benefits, but such unlimited growth must ultimately cause damage. Burning more energy and resources to produce what we need and want may be economically cost-effective, but it creates more pollution. We then bury the polluted or polluting products, wash them into waterways and oceans, or release them into the atmosphere. The cheaper way is now proving more costly, and we discover that we have sacrificed long-term benefits for shortterm gain. One of the lessons from the climate protests is that, apart from blaming governments and corporations, we as consumers must change our ways. Protecting the planet may not be the special expertise of the church – others
know more – but Christians can support the call for a more responsible way. Whether we join the protests or not, we too want a more responsible system. The fear agenda, however, is not enough for us. We have a different, higher motivation, that of recognising the love of the good Creator and serving that Creator in trust and faith. We also know on a deeper, spiritual level that this world truly is passing away. But that’s in God’s hands, not ours, and we do not hasten it. Until the last day God expects us to care for each other and for creation, working for a society in which we show each other and the earth itself the same love, grace and compassion we expect for ourselves. So this is a matter of survival – both the earth’s and ours. We recognise that survival depends on God who brought all things into being. Through faith we learn to trust God in all things. Any good work we can do flows from that faith and trust, and that includes the necessary good work of caring for creation. We are motivated by love, not fear. That’s because our future is in the hands of our God who loves us and who loves the world so much that he gave his only Son. If God could love the world so much, how can we fail to care for, tend and nurture this beautiful planet with all its wonder and amazement?
IT’S TI M E TO
‘have a go’!
BY BRE T T KENNE T T
‘I’ve never tried this before … but I’m willing to have a go!’ How many times have you used this expression or heard someone else use it? Behind it, there’s usually a particular kind of attitude, a mindset that causes us to step out adventurously in order to try a new experience or to tackle a problem by using a new approach. I have a sense that we think this is commendable and admirable, and so we respond with encouragement for those who are prepared to ‘have a go’. In Matthew 25:14–30, Jesus tells a parable about three servants who are entrusted with various sums of money by their master. It seems to me that two of them ‘have a go’. They invest the money entrusted to them and are able to return it with interest to their master. The third, however, buries what has been entrusted to him and as a result, generates no return on his master’s investment.
He has only the original sum to give back to his master and is rebuked for his lack of faith. I really feel for that third servant! He took an extremely conservative approach – but suffered as a result. My wife sometimes challenges my tendency to hoard stuff. It’s in my blood. Growing up I was taught to save what you’ve got and preserve faithfully what has been given to you. Those are fine values to have, but not at the expense of putting the gifts you have been given to good use! The flip side of hoarding and saving and preserving can be a shed full of old stuff fast turning into junk. I think the real loss suffered by the third servant in Jesus’ parable was in not realising the possibility of the gift that he had been entrusted with. And at an even more profound and tragic level, it appears that he didn’t know his master’s character and as a result, The Lutheran N OV E M B E R 2 019
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he acted in fear rather than with the confidence to ‘have a go’ and invest his gift. Right at the moment in our LCA/NZ, we are being confronted with many depressing and gloomy statistics. There’s decline across the board in our church attendance figures and a startling trend in terms of our age profile. According to the last NCLS survey, we’ve been welcoming new Christians into our churches at half the rate of our denominational cousins. Underlying these factors is a more foundational reality that we need to come to grips with. The last Australian census reported a drop in the number of those adhering to Christianity – now down to 52 per cent. Correspondingly, the number of people answering ‘no religion’ has been a rising trend for decades and it’s accelerating. The context in which we are ‘doing church’ is no longer the context whereby Christianity was once at the centre of our culture. But … As Jesus also taught us, ‘The harvest is bigger than you can imagine, but there are few workers. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for his harvest’ (Luke 10:2). If we look outwardly and honestly at the conditions we face, we surely see more opportunities than ever to meet people who don’t know Jesus, and to ‘have a go’ at sharing the reason for the hope we have in new ways! We have a God who also does new things after all. Especially when times are toughest. ‘Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?’ (Isaiah 43:18–19). The story of the gospel, of God’s commitment to our rescue from sin, is surely the inspiration we need to ‘have a go’ and try some new things. As we do this, we’d be wise to be like Jesus and tell stories. Stories of mission are the best stories for getting us unwound and outwardly focused and inspiring us to ‘have a go’ ourselves.
TH E STO RY O F TH E GOS PEL , O F GO D’S CO M M ITM ENT TO O U R R ESCU E FRO M SI N , IS SU R ELY TH E I NS PI R ATI O N W E N EED TO ‘ H AV E A GO’ A N D TRY SO M E N E W TH I N GS .
The following stories are stories of congregations ‘having a go’. The outcome is not at all assured. The results department is in God’s hands. They know that. But what they haven’t done is go to ground burying their gifts out of fear. They’ve stepped out and invested, in new and innovative ways. Most of all they’ve invested the good news about Jesus into works of service and words of witness in their own local specific contexts. So I say: ‘Good on you and God bless you, for having a go!’ … the best ‘go’ of all – because when Jesus used that word to send us out on mission (see Matthew 28:19,20) he also made a promise: ‘Surely, I am with you always’. Pastor Brett Kennett is District Pastor for Congregational Support for the LCA’s Victoria and Tasmania District.
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‘A N EW
expression
O F M I N ISTRY ’ BY MIKE NELDNER
In 2016 our church was pondering how to overcome the inertia of being an ageing congregation struggling to hold on to young people and families. Our leadership team connected with LCA agencies, including Grow Ministries, who led us to discover the ‘growing faith at home’ ideal, and the concept of ‘intergenerational ministry’ – new languages in our church landscape.
O U R F OCUS B EC A M E A N E W EXPR ES S I O N O F M I N ISTRY W H I CH SU PPO RTED YO U N G FA M I LI ES TO N U RTU R E TH EI R CH I LD R EN ’S FAIT H .
Among other things, we considered what we could do to get older people sharing faith experiences with our younger people, what ministry support we could offer to our families with children and youth, and how we could best serve our local school communities. These questions crystallised into a need for someone to coordinate and resource a ministry that would connect traditional elements in new ways. With a 'nothing ventured, nothing gained' attitude, we applied for financial assistance through the LCA’s ‘Have a Go’ fund* (see below left). Our focus became a new expression of ministry which supported young families to nurture their children’s faith. This led to the creation of SPLICE (St Paul’s Lutheran Intergenerational Community Education). The concept of a children’s playgroup emerged, with a view to being a stepping stone to linking school and community families with each other and with our church families and other caring members. Our part-time SPLICE Coordinator Teneille Kirby also serves as chaplain at the adjacent St Paul’s Lutheran Primary School, which helps us tap into the school community, an obvious mission opportunity. The playgroup started in July 2017 and has been creating a strong presence in our school–church community. Coupled with the SPLICE ministry initiative, our congregation has undertaken Grow Coaching (a service of Grow Ministries), in which we are encouraged to embrace intergenerational ministry. Our youth group has also taken up the call to intergenerational ministry by visiting the nearby St Paul’s Lutheran aged-care village. We have youth-focused evening services, which feature guest speakers of all ages. Several staff from Grace Lutheran College and St Paul's school have shared their faith at these and, in turn, several congregation members have given testimonies during school chapel times.
* Part of the LCA’s 50.500 project which marked significant milestones in the life of the church and pointed to its future, the ‘Have a Go’ fund was established to encourage and equip congregations and local ministries to ‘have a go’ at mission activities in their local sphere.
Another key success has been offering Bible studies across all church groups. The studies have also been used as short Bible lessons in our weekly 'Milk and Muffins' ministry at St Paul's school. These mornings are run by volunteers of a wide age range, who are able to form meaningful relationships with the children. SPLICE and these other intergenerational activities are gradually fostering a culture change in our church. We are still finding our feet but it is a rewarding learning curve. Pastor Mike Neldner serves at St Paul’s Lutheran Church Caboolture in Queensland. The Lutheran N OV E M B E R 2 019
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FRI EN DS I N KN EAD, FRI EN DS I N DEED
BY STEVE LIERSCH
Photos: Thomas Schubert
How do you get total strangers to open their door to you, progress from a quizzical look to a genuine smile and even say ‘Thank you’, all in a few short minutes? Easy! Load your arms with a couple loaves of bread, knock on the door and smile saying, ‘Hi, I’m Steve (though you might want to use your own name, not mine). I live across the road and my church picks up, packs and delivers bread to people so that it doesn’t go to waste. Would you like some?’ A team of us from Rockingham-Mandurah Lutheran Church in Perth’s southern suburbs has been doing just that for more than three years. Between our two worship sites, we have just more than 100 people, with an average weekly attendance of between 25 and 45 at each site. It all started back in April 2016 when a young mum with a partner and two young daughters, who attended our Little Guppies playgroup, asked if we were connecting with the community through the school campus of Living Waters Lutheran College. I realised that we weren’t really reaching out at all, so I invited her to explore what she had in mind. She reported back that a local Bakers Delight would allow us to pick up unsold bread one night a week. We are now delivering bread to a local women’s shelter/hostel, to single-parent families, to our neighbours, and to anyone we hear about who could do with a little help with the basics of life. A local op shop takes as much bread as we can supply. This is especially helpful over the Christmas holidays when our school is closed and some of our regular distributors are away. I use my bread deliveries to maintain contact with our immediate neighbours. One of them has even asked for stale bread so he can make fishing burley from it. A number of Little Guppies mums have realised that the bread ministry is an easy way to build good relationships with their neighbours, especially with the elderly or those in difficult life circumstances. In our community there is a mum whose husband took his own life, leaving her widowed with seven children. One of our members has maintained weekly contact with her, purely through the delivery of bread. A while ago a school teacher at the college bought some Vegemite and peanut butter, and our daughter would take a couple of loaves to school so that, one day a week, some students who weren’t eating breakfast would at least have
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