STORY OF THE WEEK 2015 by Lutheran Church of Australia

Story of the Week 2016

100 years later ... 100 people give thanks www.lca.org.au LAST UPDATED: MAY 2016

STORY OF THE WEEK is a service of LCA Communications lca.comms@lca.org.au Every week we bring you a story ab or agency that is a place where Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love comes to life. Read our growing week-by-week collection of inspiration and en

Story of the Week

SUNDAY, 22 MAY 2016

100 years later ... 100 people give thanks Easter Sunday this year held a special meaning for 100 people who gathered at an outdoor church service in the Far North of South Australia, 140 kilometres further along the Birdsville Track from Marree. The service was part of a weekend of activities known as ‘Back to Killalpaninna’, acknowledging the Lutheran mission which was established 150 years ago at the site, 800 kilometres north of Adelaide. The mission operated for only 50 years before closing, due to extended drought in the region, but it had a lasting impact on the survival and revival of the language and culture of the local Aboriginal people, the Dieri.

‘Now it is Easter morning, 100 years after the missionaries left, and we are still celebrating the happiness and wonderful news that Jesus is alive. What a wonderful reminder of what had happened at Killalpaninna Mission a long time ago.’

Aboriginal mission anniversaries in 2016 150 years – Killalpaninna/Bethesda (Easter) 130 years – Hope Vale Mission, North Queensland (11 September) 120 years – Old Hermannsburg Lutheran Church (21 September) 75 years – Jay Creek, west of Alice Springs (November)

The majority of the congregation were descendants of the Aboriginal people who lived around the mission.

50 years – Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Hermannsburg (25 September)

Neville Doecke, the Finke River Mission’s Arrarnta Support Worker at Hermannsburg, led the service, based on the theme ‘Beginnings and Endings’.

For information about Aboriginal ministry and mission:

‘This spot had its beginning as a Lutheran mission 150 years ago’, he said. ‘Some missionaries and lay helpers had a plan that they should bring the message of Jesus as the Saviour of the world to Aboriginal people living in this area of Australia.

bout an LCA/NZ person, family, congregation, community ncouragement at www.lca.org.au/sow

Finke River Mission (Central Australia) frmoffice@bigpond.com Hope Vale (North Queensland) david.spanagel@lca.org.au Aboriginal Ministry South Australia (Far West Coast) malcolm.willcocks@lca.org.au

Story of the Week SUNDAY, 15 MAY 2016

Making PEACE the Bible’s way Our Redeemer congregation at Toowoomba, Queensland, had been through a challenging time of conflict. Some members were leaving or worshipping elsewhere, we had dropping attendance numbers – and feelings about each other that didn’t glorify God. A chance meeting in 2015 between our recently installed pastor Dr Michael Lockwood and Pastor Paul Kerber began a conversation about healing for our congregation. As the LCA’s Assistant to the Bishop for Reconciliation Ministry, Pastor Paul could lead us through biblical peacemaking over two years, together as a congregation, to embed reconciliation as our lifestyle.

‘The results of the biblical peacemaking retreat are being felt through the whole congregation in a positive way.’ ‘Fulfilling, spiritual, empowering to seek forgiveness and to forgive.’ ‘Given us a lifestyle pleasing to God.’ ‘The peacemaker training has transformed our already wonderful 18 years of marriage to something even better and brought healing to other fractured relationships in my life.’ ‘Practical application in my marriage. Once you read through the study material you just can’t help but forgive.’

The response was overwhelming, with many of our able-bodied members attending a retreat in November, a workshop in February and a six-week Bible-study series.

As we learn to live the gospel through lives of confession and forgiveness, we hope to be able to share this experience with other congregations and serve them in their own journey.

Here are some early impressions from the participants:

Dawn Humphrey is the chair of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Toowoomba, Queensland.

‘I believe that doing this event has lifted spirits at Redeemer. It has given us a purpose ... instead of just going to church every Sunday and doing same old, same old all the time. People’s hearts change as they engage with God’s word.’

Contact Pastor Paul Kerber, LCA Reconciliation Ministry, at paul.kerber@lca.org.au 08 8267 7300 or 0400 186 916

STORY OF THE WEEK is a service of LCA Communications lca.comms@lca.org.au Every week we bring you a story ab or agency that is a place where God’s love comes to life. Read our growing week-by-week collection of inspiration and en

Story of the Week

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Y GI VE

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SUNDAY, 27 MARCH 2016

CON N

Life-giving fruit by Glenice Hartwich

The sale of thousands of bags of deliciously sweet dried apricots from Barmera in South Australia’s Riverland is harvesting eternal rewards. The apricots are grown, dried and prepared by Lou Moss and fellow parishioners in the Barmera–New Residence parish, together with local community members. The proceeds from the sale of each 500-gram packet reach across borders to produce long-lasting fruit of another kind in Cambodia. Our newly born sister church, the Lutheran Church in Cambodia, started another outreach ministry in August last year. Each day 55 undernourished children receive a nutritious meal, and 40 children and 25 young adults attend English classes offered by Sopheoun, a new disciple of Jesus. On weekends she is joined by her ministry team, and together they engage with the children in Saturday school, through songs and Bible stories. Back at the rural home base of the Lutheran Church in Cambodia, in the village of Krus, in December last year 34 new believers were baptised. All of them had come to faith in Jesus

bout an LCA/NZ person, family, congregation, community ncouragement at www.lca.org.au/sow

through the witness of family members or through one of the church’s outreach programs: Daily Bread (meals for undernourished children), youth camp, computer classes, home visitation program and agriculture-focused livelihood project. The age of those baptised ranged from newborns to those well into their 70s. A Khmer children’s Bible or a Khmer Bible and hymnal was presented to each person baptised. This year a staggering $9600 was raised through the sale of the dried fruit prepared by Lou and his many helpers. This gift of love will go on to Cambodia to produce fruit of another kind – ‘fruit that will last’ for eternity. Glenice Hartwich is the LCA’s Assistant to the Bishop – International Mission.

Learn how you can JOIN IN GOD’S MISSION by Praying, Giving, Connecting, Going. Contact LCA International Mission at 197 Archer Street, North Adelaide SA 5006 lcaim@lca.org.au 08 8267 7334 www.lca.org.au/international-mission

Story of the Week

SUNDAY, 20 MARCH 2016

Never too old by Bernice Koch

I was 71 years old. My life was full. Then one day

I successfully completed the first unit, The

a friend of mine put an idea into my head: ‘Bernice,

Christian Faith, in the second semester last year

you have to study, you have to study.’

and have taken on two units for the first semester

I had a lot to think about. What about my beloved garden and all my friends? I prayed and thought about the decision constantly. I made an

this year. It is challenging and exhilarating. I have learnt so much and I continue to grow in loving relationship with the Lord.

appointment at Australian Lutheran College (ALC),

The garden has not been neglected, but loved

part of the University of Divinity. There, Tania

and appreciated as much as ever. The Lord

Nelson, the Head of School of Theological Studies,

has been good!

gave me all the reassurances for the unspoken reasons I had for not studying. When I left, all I had to do was to return with the completed enrolment forms for the Diploma of Theology.

Incentive to study

My life had taken a U-turn, directed by the Lord,

People like Bernice can study at no cost.

totally unexpected. My year as a deaconess

If you are a pensioner or retiree meeting eligibility

student, aged 17, had been one of my best years.

requirements, you can apply for FEE-HELP.

I never dreamt I would study theology again,

You do not have to repay the debt until you

especially at this stage of my life.

earn over the threshold.

People have asked what I want to do when I finish studying. ‘I’m going to continue doing what I’ve always been doing’, I reply, ‘…talking to people about Jesus’.

Contact ALC at 104 Jeffcott Street, North Adelaide SA 5006 email alc@alc.edu.au phone 08 7120 8200 website www.alc.edu.au

Story of the Week

SUNDAY, 13 MARCH 2016

God draws the kids by Chris Reardon

I have always been excited by the promise that

children turning up for a meal and Bible study,

God will bless, redeem and glorify all nations and

followed by craft activities.

cultures through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God clearly drew the kids. His light was shining

But I have been deeply touched by Isaiah 60:1-3

through a few of his children in this refugee

which, in part, says: ‘The Lord will arise upon you,

family in Cairns who wanted to study God’s

and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations

word. I will never forget when the cry went out

shall come to your light, and kings to the bightness

to the children to come into Bible study – and

of your rising’.

there came a harvest.

Some two years ago our congregation in Far North

Two years later, this ministry is still going on,

Queensland began holding a Bible study in the

with between 18 and 25 children, aged between

home of a Burundi refugee family who wanted to

5 and 14, regularly attending every Monday

be taught the Scriptures in our language. There

evening. Just recently we welcomed three

were six in the family and the goal was to teach

new girls who had been invited by their friends.

the adults, young adults, teenagers and the young

Most of the kids who started with us are still

ones. We would share a meal afterwards.

with us today. Some have gone through baptism

One evening as we called the children in from the street to Bible study, we noticed that other children from the neighbourhood followed them. Within a moment the children’s Bible study grew from three members to ten. Not long afterwards we moved into our church building where there was more room. All 10 children continued to come, but what was amazing, they invited friends. Soon there were 25 to 30

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and are now beginning confirmation classes. Hopefully this year will see others progress into baptism and be ready for confirmation class next year. Chris Reardon is the cross-cultural team leader at Trinity Lutheran Church, Cairns, Far North Queensland.

Story of the Week

SUNDAY, 6 MARCH 2016

Learning service in new territory by Delores Amos

What an amazing, life-changing experience! During school holidays last year I had the pleasure of taking part in Tatachilla Lutheran College’s service-learning trip to some of the most remote communities in the Northern Territory. Nine senior-school students and five adults made the two-week trip to serve people at five communities, including Ampilatwatja, which is located approximately three hours drive north- east of Alice Springs. For many, it was the first time they had been to this part of Australia. It was the third annual trip to the region for students from Tatachilla (McLaren Vale, south of Adelaide), however, thanks to a partnership with the LCA’s Finke River Mission. Students have been involved in many practical tasks at remote Lutheran churches over those three visits, including repairs and renovations on buildings at Ampilatwatja. This year’s focus was ‘enhancing relationships’, as well as basic maintenance work on church

The females of our group were honoured to go on a bush food and medicinal plant tour with local women. Later they ate roo tail and bush potato, and sat in the red soil painting on canvas, t-shirts and cards. Students also spent hours building bonds with laughing local children: kicking footballs, creating loom bands, face painting, dancing and enjoying other fun activities. The Tatachilla group presented locals with gifts, including musical instruments, which uncovered a shared love of music. Local Ingkaarta (pastor) Frank Turner and Tatachilla College pastor Jon Goessling led a bilingual Sunday service, with students creating beautiful music for those celebrating communion. We were delighted by the poignant singing in language by a small group of passionate Aboriginal women. The visit deepened the existing relationship between Tatachilla and the Ampilatwatja community and its neighbours.

sites. Much time was spent sitting with the locals, sharing tea and skills, and getting to know them.

Story of the Week

SUNDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2016

‘Here we are, send us!’ by Pastor Nathan Hedt I am a missionary. I heard God’s call and said, ‘Here I am, send me!’ And God said, ‘Okay then, I will send you to Pakenham’. Pakenham? In Melbourne? That’s not a very exotic location for a missionary to be sent to, is it? We can no longer consider Australia a ‘Christian country’, and we need people who will sow the gospel in contextual ways in our secular, materialistic culture. Church planting and ‘mission to the West’ fascinate me. Sometimes I thought I wouldn’t find a call that would match my passion for church planting and mission within the church which nurtured my faith. So when the LCA developed a church-planting strategy through the Board for Local Mission, I was very excited. Could my internal call to be a missionary possibly match God’s call through the church? And when a call as church-planting pastor and college pastor in Pakenham opened up, I knew that God was bringing things together. ‘Here I am, send me!’ But it’s not just me. God has been shaping my wife and family, too, to be missionaries and church planters along with me. ‘Here we are, send us!’ Many of us ‘established’ Christians don’t consider ourselves ‘missionaries’. We have to learn new

bout an LCA/NZ person, family, congregation, community ncouragement at www.lca.org.au/sow

ways of being church and powerful ways of being community together. ‘Here is our Christian community – send us into our neighbourhood!’ It’s been a great joy to our church community to see God bring growth and new life. Our first baptism was of a teacher from Lakeside College. We hope and pray God will bring many more people to faith in him for the first time. We started with four core families, and now there are twelve families involved with our missional communities. Pakenham Lakeside Church now gathers twice a month for worship at Lakeside College, often with around 30 to 40 attending – half of whom are children. God is at work, shaping us, bringing us to the point where we can say, ‘Here we are, send us!’, and then sending us out – right where we live.

Find out more about the LCA’s exciting local mission and church-planting initiatives, and watch a video about Pastor Nathan’s ministry at Pakenham, at www.lca.org.au/local-mission You can view the growing collection of Story of the Week videos at www.lca.org.au/sow

Story of the Week

SUNDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2016

Warm, like the sun

By Michelle Filipovic

I was visiting Yasmin (not her real name), an Iranian asylum seeker from a Muslim background. We read from the English Farsi Easy Good News Bible the story of Jesus appearing to his disciples after the resurrection: ‘Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord’ (John 20:19,20). We finished with prayer, and afterwards she said, ‘While you were praying I remembered a dream I had’. I asked her to share it. ‘I was in a big church, with lots of people. I was looking around for a way out. I was lost; I didn’t know where to go. Suddenly a hand gently rested on my shoulder and led me to a door. He led me out.’

’But I never did until you were praying with me; then I remembered.’ Yasmin met Jesus in a dream. It was affirmed through sharing her dream, through Scripture and prayer. Now she is on a journey in the Christian faith. Jesus is moving among Muslim people. May the Holy Spirit continue to bring them the good news of Jesus, through our ministering to them. Praise be to God. Michelle Filipovic is a lay worker at St Phillips, Werribee, Victoria.

I replied, ‘I know who that man was’. Smiling, she said, ‘I know; it was Jesus’. She described her experience: ‘I felt like a light shining on me … joy, calm … warmth like the sun, peace’. The John reading had reminded her of the dream and the feeling of peace. I suggested she share the dream with her husband. She said she had already told him about her dream and he had said, ’You should share your dream with Michelle’.

Department of Lay Ministry 08 8267 7300 www.lca.org.au/lay-ministry

Lay workers fulfil many roles in the life of our church, helping to build faith within their communities. To find out more about lay workers and how they can contribute to your team ministry, contact Nevin Nitschke, Director of Lay Ministry: nevin.nitschke@lca.org.au 08 8267 7300

Story of the Week

SUNDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2016

Buai’s face lights up as she speaks of her joy in sharing the good news of Jesus with her people. Over recent years, Jesus’ love has come to life in Buai’s life and the lives of many people in her village in the mountains of northern Thailand. Huay Mee village and others in Nan Province are where you, as a member of the Lutheran Church of Australia or New Zealand, have been sharing Jesus’ love through your partnership with LCA International Mission. Buai is a Lutheran evangelist. She was one of the first young people to commit her life to serving and living among her people to bring the good news of freedom in Christ Jesus to people living in fear and darkness. The Lua people are marginalised and poor. They fear the spirits, which they see in all aspects of nature and in their own lives. Spirit doctors have long ruled over the Lua, coercing them with curses and demands. The sala (open-sided structured) used for worship in Huay Mee was built by an LCA Mission Thailand team. It is already too small for the growing number of worshippers in the

bout an LCA/NZ person, family, congregation, community ncouragement at www.lca.org.au/sow

village. It’s exciting to see that even the former spirit doctor is a part of the worshipping community at Huay Mee. She, too, is now our Lutheran sister in Christ. In 2007 there were 47 baptised Lutherans (members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thailand) in Nan Province. We praise God that, through his Spirit’s power at work in people’s lives, today there are more than 1110 baptised Lutherans in this region. The Nan region now has four congregations, five preaching points, two preaching places and seven Lua evangelists working to share Jesus’ love on your behalf with their people. Praise God that, through the power of the Spirit, your partnership in the gospel has brought the love of Jesus to life in Nan Province.

Learn how you, your family, community or congregation can partner with LCA International Mission www.lca.org.au/international-mission 08 8267 7334

Story of the Week

SUNDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2016

Buy less – and bless! Like Ipswich parish, you can support women’s groups to build their own slow-sand water filter. Up to 250 litres of water can be filtered to purity in just 30 minutes. This lasts a family two to three days, and keeps children safe from preventable diseases.

When one of his members wanted to take a stand against the BUY! BUY! BUY! ethos of Christmas, Pastor Ben Hentschke from Ipswich Lutheran Parish in south-east Queensland challenged the members to raise money for clean water in Indonesia. He never imagined they’d raise enough for 150 water filters through Australian Lutheran World Service’s (ALWS) Gifts of Grace program! ‘The water filters were $69 each and we have around 300 worshippers across the three churches each Sunday, so in my mind I set a goal of 30 water filters for Advent’, Pastor Ben said. Each Sunday throughout the year, the Ipswich congregations take two offerings: one to meet the needs of the church, and one to help others in need. The second involves handing around ceramic piggy banks – they call it ‘passing the pigs’. The pigs were passed around during the first Sunday in Advent – and amazingly, the parish

met the target of 30 water filters in that one day! So Pastor Ben increased the goal to 50 filters – which the members of Ipswich met the following Sunday! Over the four weeks of Advent, Ipswich Lutheran Parish raised $10,382 – enough for more than 150 water filters for communities in Indonesia! Pastor Ben said the parish’s effort was ‘amazing’. ‘Everyone was on the same page in wanting to help others and buy less’, he said. ‘It was about looking beyond our families and friends at Christmas, and loving also those in real need. There was this feeling that we were all really making a difference.’

You can bring love to life through ALWS Gifts of Grace all year round. Find out about other gifts at www.alws.org.au or call 1300 763 407.

STORY OF THE WEEK is a service of LCA Communications lca.comms@lca.org.au Every week we bring you a story ab agency that is a place where God’s love comes to life. Read our growing week-by-week collection of inspiration and enco

Story of the Week

SUNDAY, 20 DECEMBER 2015

Hunger ... and now gunfire and grenades You might recognise Verkis (pictured above). He’s the little guy from Burundi, whose picture is in ALWS’ Christmas Action materials. Jonathan Krause (from ALWS) saw him, shy and hungry, by the side of a road. Jonathan gave him his bread roll. Verkis took only one bite, then stopped. Why? He was going to share with his family. As if things weren’t already bad enough for Verkis and his family, alarming news comes from Burundi this week. ‘We woke up to bursts of gunfire and grenades blasts.’ Jesse Kamstra oversees the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) program that the ALWS family supports in Burundi. When he wrote this note to supporters, Jesse was stranded in a motel in Bujumbura, capital of Burundi, after violence escalated last weekend. ‘People of all walks of life and with divergent viewpoints [talk about this] but no-one can agree on who is fighting whom or have a clear understanding of the current situation’, Jesse emailed from the motel. ‘All agree, however, that there are weeks/months/years of

bout an LCA/NZ person, family, congregation, community or ouragement at www.lca.org.au/sow

hardship ahead. Knowing the great length and painstaking efforts employed to reach a peace agreement after the ten-year civil war, and the collective efforts to rebuild the country, it is disheartening to see this progress vanish.’ Through its Christmas Action appeal, ALWS is aiming to help 6654 people (including 1754 girls and 1544 boys) with flow-on benefits to another 30,000 people. The average cost of helping someone through ALWS’s Community Empowerment Program is $69. Jonathan has some exciting news already: ‘I’m pleased to tell you that in just ten days, our ALWS family has donated enough to help 1,579 boys and girls. Thank you!’ ALWS welcomes: • your prayers for the people of Burundi … • … as well as for Jesse, the LWF team and their families, and the churches delivering your care • any extra help you may want to give (visit the ALWS website www.alws.org.au) Jonathan says: ‘Thank you for standing with the people of Burundi who are suffering this Christmas, and showing them they are not alone’.

Story of the Week

SUNDAY, 13 DECEMBER 2015

Geoff

Matthew

Andrew

Ready to serve ‘What are your feelings, now you are moving on from the cloistered halls and professors of Australian Lutheran College to do parish theology on the run?’ LCA Bishop John Henderson asked the four nervous men about to take their ordination vows in Concordia Lutheran College chapel, Highgate, South Australia. All mature-age ordinands, Matthew Bishop, Andrew Neumann, Geoff Schefe and Colin Simpkin were received as pastors of the church on 6 December in front of a congregation braving a sweltering afternoon to pray for them and rejoice with them. Bishop Henderson said there are few roles as intimate and as privileged as the life of a pastor. ‘Your place alongside people in times of crisis and among your communities in times of need will be extraordinary. With the office comes great trust and responsibility. One word or act from you can turn a person toward salvation. Receive those moments in wonder and amazement. ‘You will not preach or minister from a position of moral, intellectual, religious or spiritual superiority. Like Christ, you will place yourself

Colin

beneath those you serve, washing their feet, as the Master has washed yours.’ All within the 43–54 age bracket, the LCA’s newest pastors have considerable life experience to bring to their parishes. Matthew worked for thirteen years as an economist, advising Canberra’s treasurers and ministers. Andrew had a long career as a civil engineer and then as a counsellor. Geoff, a self-assessed ‘people person’, worked for 30 years in sales and customer-service roles. Colin’s vocation as an electronics technician in the Army included a year as a peacekeeper in Cambodia, before he moved into sales roles, mainly in the building industry. Each of the ordinands had received his assignment before being ordained: Matthew and Melissa Bishop to Morley, Western Australia; Andrew and Heather Neumann to Lavington, New South Wales; Geoff and Rosie Schefe to Horsham, Victoria; and Colin and Tanya Simpkin to Grovedale, Victoria. Read the full story, and Bishop Henderson’s sermon, on your LCA website www.lca.org.au

Story of the Week

SUNDAY, 6 DECEMBER 2015

Kapunda parish pastor Les Pfeiffer

While Pastor Les said it was too early to know

knows exactly where God was during

exactly what practical support would best

the bushfire which razed parts of the

help those hit by the fires, prayer was always

Mid North of South Australia last week.

needed: ‘To know that’s happening in the

God was alongside the volunteer firefighters

background helps people to simply keep

and farmers braving the deadly flames and

going in the meantime’.

choking smoke. He was with the sheep saved

‘While there has been tragedy for some

by sheltering in a derelict old house. He was

families, that there wasn’t a greater loss of life

even with those who lost everything – loved

is something to be thankful for’, Pastor Les said.

ones; home and workplace; livelihood.

‘Sometimes we need to count our blessings in

‘The most important thing to remember is that

what hasn’t happened.’

while God doesn’t always rescue everything

The Kapunda/Bethel community is one of

or everyone, we are not abandoned from his

many in South Australia and Western Australia

presence’, Pastor Les said. ‘Tragic things happen

commencing a long period of recovery. You can

sometimes but we’ve got a God who understands,

reach out with God’s love by donating: online via

who’s been through it. He doesn’t always take

the LCA website www.lca.org.au; by phoning

away the pain, but you can deal with the pain

1800 556 457; or mailing cheques payable to

better if you know there’s someone with you.’

‘LCA Disaster and Welfare Fund’ `to LLL,

The flames came up to the Bethel Lutheran

PO Box 45, North Adelaide SA 5006.

Church (pictured above), 90 kilometres north of Adelaide, but did not damage it. However, crops on the land adjacent to the church, which are grown by the members of Bethel and given away as part of the congregation’s mission work, were lost.

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Story of the Week

SUNDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 2015

Go west, young man

John West, 33, is ordained as an LCA pastor in the remotest community in Australia On Sunday, 15 November, 33-year-old Aboriginal man John West was ordained by LCA Bishop John Henderson, at Kiwirrkuru, said to be the most remote community in Australia.

Jimmy Brown, who has been instrumental as a mentor for John; Lindsay Corby and Joe Young from Kintore; Graham Poulson from Papunya; Roderick Kantamara from Mt Liebig; and Simon Dixon from Yirara College.

Kiwirrkura, population 200, is in Western Australia, around 700 kilometres west of Alice Springs. It was established in the 1980s when the last of the Pintupi people came in from the desert. It is the most westerly community served by Finke River Mission.

Bishop Henderson said, ‘John West is a remarkable young man who will be a great blessing to his community. The weekend strengthened my appreciation of the value of our indigenous ministries. I pray that their deep experience of Christ, culture and resilience in the face of adversity serves to strengthen our faith across all of our church.’

Under intense blue sky and surrounded by brilliant red sand dunes, over 200 people gathered under gum trees and in 4WDs for the two-hour ordination service. Finke River Mission support worker, Pastor Paul Traeger from Papunya, 400 kilometres east, carefully translated Bishop Henderson’s address into the local language, Pintupi-Luritja. Classic Lutheran hymns in language, including The church’s one foundation and Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, plus the ordinand’s selection God is always near me, added to the spirit of the occasion.

Established in the 1870s, Finke River Mission supports 25 Aboriginal pastors who serve their respective communities. Finke River Mission holds regular week-long training courses for pastors, trainees and other church leaders, many of whom drive thousands of kilometres to attend. by Tim Stollznow

Chair, Finke River Mission www.lca.org.au/frm Full story: www.lca.org.au

Other ingkatas (pastors) who supported the weekend celebration included Kiwirrkuru-based

Story of the Week

SUNDAY, 22 NOVEMBER 2015

‘Cling only to Christ ’

A message from LCA Bishop John Henderson in response to the Paris terrorist attacks

Once again the world has been shaken by a hideous terror attack. Lutherans in Australia and New Zealand, together with people of faith everywhere, unite in expressing our deep sympathy to the people of France, and in particular to those whose loved ones have been murdered or injured. We pray also for those who witnessed the Parisian atrocities and will endure those memories forever.

What officials are now calling ‘home-grown terror’ rattles us because we realise that there is no human guarantee of absolute safety. We feel our ‘birthright’ has been taken from us. We can feel powerless, and some of us might feel angry or afraid; these are normal human responses. Those of us who are parents face the tough challenge of explaining all this to our children, and trying to allay their justifiable fears.

This attack reminds us to pray also for those many thousands of people, in the Middle East and elsewhere, whose lives have been torn apart by the brutality of war and terrorism. We pray for people everywhere who are grieving over the loss of loved ones, homes and safety, including the countless thousands of refugees fleeing from the horrors of war.

In an uncertain world St Paul’s encouragement to the Romans gains new meaning for us: ‘For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (8:38,39).

Many of us in the island nations of Australia and New Zealand grew up feeling relatively safe from attack. War was likely to happen in other countries, not in ours, and even if our nations were involved in someone else’s wars, we private citizens would not be personally involved. We and our children were safe from death by war.

In responding to terrorism, as in all things, we must cling only to Christ, who does not promise that our life will be without pain, anxiety or uncertainty, but that nothing— even death—can separate us from his love. Proclaiming the gospel of the love of Jesus and our safety in God is the only message that can give comfort in a world of fear.

Read the full message on your LCA website www.lca.org.au

bout an LCA/NZ person, family, congregation, community ncouragement at www.lca.org.au/sow