by Andrea Cross
Ninety Victorians made history on 29 June, but it had nothing to do with the upcoming federal election or end of the financial year!
They all participated in the first Longest Lutheran Lunch (LLLu) in the world for 2016! These people were campers, cooks and leaders at Christian Life Week (CLW), held at Tandara Lutheran Camp, Halls Gap, in Victoria’s Grampians National Park, and hosted by Lutheran Youth of Victoria.
I was chief cook and, along with my assistant Dee Simons from Dunkeld, prepared more than 1000 meals and served 52 litres of ice-cream during the week for the campers.
Service is this year’s theme for the annual Longest Lutheran Lunch and the young people at CLW learned about servanthood during their week at camp. They shared their faith and their Christian love through service, which reflects the very purpose of the LLLu.
CLW’s history-making lunch is proof that sharing the gift of hospitality and service isn’t confined to just one day of the year. While the LLLu is designed to fit on or around 31 October, Reformation Day, it doesn’t mean we can’t attach it to any other church celebration throughout the year.
There are many opportunities to share the gift of service through hospitality. Here’s a couple to consider:
Victorians are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Lutheran Youth of Victoria (LYV). They have earmarked the weekend of Reformation Day to reminisce and remember – a perfect opportunity to make Saturday’s lunch a Longest Lutheran one!
As the whole LCA, we are also celebrating our 50th birthday. So it’s no surprise the LLLu will be running under the 50.500 banner this year. We encourage you to use the theme ‘Service’ when you plan your lunch (or dinner). Think about ways your get-together can reach out into your community.
Please share your plans and ideas on the Longest Lutheran Lunch Facebook page.
If you’re stuck as to what to do, contact me so we can build any grain of an idea into a fabulous service event. We want to encourage everyone to consider how our congregations and communities can be places where people see God’s love coming to life.
Register your event here – longestlutheranlunch.org.au/register/
Andrea Cross is the coordinator of Longest Lutheran Lunch.
Website longestlutheranlunch.org.au
Contact her on 0400 425 254 or at hello@longestlutheranlunch.org
or follow the Longest Lutheran Lunch Facebook page.
