Archive for category: Features

by Nigel Rosenzweig

The conversation at the doorstep of a stranger in my neighbourhood might go something like this … [Knock knock] ‘Who’s there?’ ‘The Great South Coast.’ ‘The Great South Coast who?’ ‘The Great South Coast Welcome Team – we’ve come to welcome you to Victor Harbor on behalf of all of the churches in the town!’ ‘Which church?’ ‘All the Christian churches of Victor Harbor together!’ ‘Wow – what a surprise!’

Many people in our communities are surprised to hear of churches working together. But in many communities across Australia and New Zealand, that is exactly what is happening! And when Christians work together in unity, the unity we share is a powerful witness.

In August 2024, the South Coast Minister’s Group based in Victor Harbor on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula agreed to step out in faith and create a welcome pack, a website and a new resident visitation program, to enable local church members to systematically welcome new residents into the area.

This was enabled after Victor Harbor Lutheran Church received an LCANZ Local Mission Seed Fund Grant late last year. The project grew quickly!

A development team was formed, comprising people from many local churches. Welcome magazines, gift packs and a website were prepared. In May this year, visitor and evangelism training was provided to 93 potential visitors. In June, the Great South Coast website (www.greatsouthcoast.com.au) was launched, and 36 official visitors were commissioned at a combined worship service before coming together for final equipping and to receive their first assignments. The assignment of visitors to homes has been covered in prayer. We have been blessed to have an ecumenical prayer group meet fortnightly specifically to surround this project and other local ‘church together’ projects in prayer.

Visitor assignments are made based upon intelligence collected about local property sales and occupancy. Visitors generally visit in their local neighbourhood and receive one or more assignments every month from the visitor coordinator. Visitors work in pairs, and many pairs consist of people from different denominations. New friendships have grown from this.

The welcome pack we offer has a professional local magazine in it that celebrates local community issues, the community engagement activities of the churches and stories of the churches working together. Also in the bag is a pen and a fridge magnet card, plus local business vouchers. Many visitors personalise their bags with extra items, such as home-propagated plants, produce or baked goods, or even a packet of Tim Tams. The local newspaper provides free copies of a recent edition, while the local council makes their new resident information packs available for us to include in
the bag, too.

In July, visitors came back together for a combined worship service to hear testimonies about the first round of visits. The feedback was truly encouraging!

Some visitors have been welcomed by new residents into their homes. There have been opportunities for follow-up and community connections, and friendships are growing. Who knows how God might work through these simple visits of welcome offered as an act of service?

In the first four months of the visitor program, 114 visits were reported to the visitor coordinator. Of these, 48 per cent have been ‘highly appreciated’ and 23 per cent ‘politely appreciated’. In 26 per cent of cases, the visitors have been unable to contact residents, but in cases where contact was made, only 3 per cent have been considered ‘unappreciated’.

Many visitors have reported positive connections being made and stated that many recipients are surprised and grateful for the welcome gift. Visitors also report many new residents talking about the stress of moving and working through change; therefore, some visits have resulted in referrals being made to appropriate services. Many who are visited are pleased to simply meet people in the area, while it is often reported that new residents have been surprised by the concept that the visit was a combined-churches initiative.

One visitor said a resident was ‘absolutely blown away that anyone would think of blessing him with a gift’. ‘He was shocked and delighted to receive the bag. I said the combined churches had put this together, and that we just wanted to bless him and welcome him to the area. He couldn’t believe that anyone would do this for him. He has never had anyone do anything like this for him before.’

Another visitor reported meeting a couple who were looking for a church and was able to extend an invitation to worship and to an Alpha course. On that and some other occasions, visitors have been invited back for a further visit.

One visitor was invited to come again with these words: ‘Next time I will give you some plants I’m taking out of my garden.’ In this endeavour, visitors are definitely finding ‘people of peace’, as we read of in Luke 10:1–24.

As the program continues to mature, we wait and see what God might grow through these new friendships forming from welcome visits. Additionally, an unexpected spin-off from this ministry is that visitors and others from local churches have come together for combined worship events every two months.

By the time we gathered to worship on 21 September, we were starting to see a growth of ideas for new teams forming under the banner of Great South Coast. These new teams will enable Christians working together to care for their community and give a united witness in a variety of other ways.

With the early success of the visitor program in Victor Harbor, there has been strong interest in expanding to Goolwa, 17 kilometres east. This has required a second round of visitor training to be brought forward, while new visitor coordinators and visitors are being established for the Goolwa area.

On Saturday 8 November, more than 50 people gathered for a round of training to enable them to join either the new welcome team in Goolwa, the existing welcome team in Victor Harbor, the ‘New Hope Team’ (which will visit people in our region who are without a home), or one of the other developing teams that is growing to encourage shared outreach and evangelism.

On 30 November, the Great South Coast launched the ‘Goolwa chapter’ of the welcome team at a combined worship at the Goolwa Uniting Church.

Over the past 12 months, we have seen God provide for and bless Christian community wherever brothers and sisters live together in unity and step out in faith together.

Ephesians 4:2 is a foundational text for this project. It reminds us that we do not create the unity – God does. We simply have the opportunity to keep it and live in it by being completely humble and gentle, patient and bearing with one another in love.

For many who have lived in the area for a long time, this project has been an answer to a long-standing prayer and a demonstration of the unity God gives!

Pastor Nigel Rosenzweig serves at Victor Harbor Lutheran Church, South Australia, and oversees the Great South Coast Welcome Team.

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by Celia Fielke

ALWS has a rich history of working in partnership with Lutheran schools, a collaboration evolving from the close connection that has always existed between our church and its schools.

The work of ALWS, grounded in the same Christian beliefs and values which underpin Lutheran Education Australia, means that together we can help grow relational and adventurous students who have hearts of compassion and purpose.

In an increasingly inward-looking world, it is more vital than ever for our church to give our young people authentic opportunities to develop empathy and understanding, especially toward those whom the world has forgotten, marginalised or ignored. We encourage our young people to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, serving and meeting the needs of communities, both locally and globally.

ALWS seeks to inspire and equip more than 44,000 students and their families by providing resources, presentations, activities and fundraising events to support schools to bring love to life through action.

This work is not done in isolation. ALWS values all our partnerships and collaborations, aiming to build a greater sense of shared ministry. This is not only with schools, but also with many churchwide and educational organisations that enable us to serve.

ALWS seeks to support the work of our amazing Lutheran school staff by running professional development workshops and providing resources. Examples of this are the Ambassador Bootcamps (ABCs), which are designed to empower staff to inspire their students, and training in some of our curriculum unit offerings.

Felicity Hampel, Lutheran school teacher and ALWS ABC participant, says the bootcamp was ‘like an answer to a prayer I didn’t know I was asking’. She says: ‘I have been seeking the next step in my teaching journey, and when I attended the ALWS bootcamp and reflected on it, it’s like two worlds collided … my love for teaching and developing empathy in my students + service learning/serving God = my calling and vocation in life.’

Working more closely in partnership with schools has been an important focus in recent times for ALWS. Having a deeper understanding of ALWS, as well as empowering advocacy and action, means students feel they can make a difference. Fostering a sense of service to others with no expectation of reciprocity is an important learning. When students hear stories and develop empathy, they are inspired to act.

One of the most effective events that schools have embraced is Walk My Way. Schools can adapt this to their context, timing and community. The creativity and excitement this can generate for schools has been inspirational. When schools take this initiative, it allows ALWS to engage with not only the students but also their families and the broader Lutheran community. These are opportunities to highlight how the parts of the church body are working together to bring love to life.

Immanuel Lutheran Primary School at Gawler in South Australia partners closely with ALWS, with staff members seeing opportunities to nurture compassion in students and develop empathy, through presentations offered by ALWS, connected curriculum units and fundraising opportunities to support the world’s most vulnerable.

In 2024, the school supported a Burundi farm partnership costing $5,200 and a school kitchen garden ($756). The school has run a successful kitchen garden program as an integral part of the curriculum for many years. Students connected with farmers’ experiences, as they understand the challenges of growing food and preparing it for eating or selling. This allowed students to more easily imagine how difficult these activities would be without the necessary equipment, training, appliances or favourable weather. Connecting their experiences with a family in Burundi, who relies on these activities for their survival, became a real empathy driver for students to want to take action.

Some students became so motivated that they organised pop-up markets. Their fundraising activities culminated in a 13-kilometre Walk My Way event. Also supported by the local church community, the school raised approximately $14,000.

Immanuel Lutheran School Principal Daryl Trigg says connecting with ALWS over this time gave the community a focus. ‘Learning went much deeper, and service was more authentic as time was given to develop connections and understanding,’ he says.

This year, Immanuel was part of the Barossa and Regions Lutheran Education (BARLE) schools. About 360 Year 5/6 students from six Lutheran primary schools, plus some Year 8s from Faith Lutheran College Tanunda, came together for an event to support the ALWS 75th anniversary goal to give 75,000 children what they need for a healthy life. After shared worship, this event involved students participating in a loop walk, as well as interacting with peers to tackle a series of group challenges, based around life’s essentials. They built a shelter, fed farm animals, planted seeds, collected water, collected items needed for health and hygiene and made a soccer ball. These tasks gave a glimpse into some of the challenges faced when impacted by poverty. ALWS provided support through student workshops, teaching and learning materials and staff development.

Year 5/6 students from St John’s Lutheran School at Jindera in New South Wales completed the ALWS ‘What’s my Business?’ curriculum unit that empowers students to put their faith into action while growing empathy and social justice awareness.

Students explored how charitable giving can build more resilient communities and create lasting change. They then became young entrepreneurs, using a $25 loan from the school to develop a small business idea (e.g. scrunchies, handmade cards, toy cars and keyrings). The unit finished with a Christmas market day, at which students sold their products to the wider school community. More than $1300 was raised, and funds were used to buy ALWS Gifts of Grace.

Principal Anna-Marie Bothe and teachers Gabrielle Cotter and Dominic Boddy say the unit was ‘very impactful’, and that it brought the school community together and ‘grew compassion in our students’.

Celia Fielke is a Schools Community Engagement Officer for ALWS.

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by Jodi Brook

After the first year of a new LCANZ grants fund designed to nurture a missional culture across the church, 10 congregations have begun a journey to bring their local mission dreams into being.

You can read about their inspiring grass-roots outreach and service endeavours in the April-May 2025 edition of The Lutheran. However, the story doesn’t end there – the Local Mission Fund and Seed Project funding will return this year.

So, if your congregation has a local mission idea that needs financial support to become a reality, these grants might be the answer you have been praying for.

A total of $400,000 is being made available annually with Local Mission Fund major project grants of up to $100,000 each, and Local Mission Seed Project funding grants of up to $10,000 each. Inaugural grants were awarded in 2025 for missional projects, including cross-cultural ministry and church planting, a regional learning hub, and mission and ministry activities that enhance school-church connections and outreach.

Ministry Coordinator Lisa Enever, from Wodonga Lutheran Parish in Victoria, which plans to better engage with co-located Victory Lutheran College, says members were thrilled that their funding application was approved.

‘After watching the Friday livestream of the Convention of General Synod, which focused on the mission work of the LCANZ, I felt incredibly excited and inspired by the direction the church is heading in’, Lisa said. ‘It was so uplifting to see the amazing mission efforts other parishes are making in their communities. I’m truly grateful and blessed that the LCANZ approved the funding grant for our parish, allowing us to extend our reach and connect with even more people in our community.’

College Chaplain Tala Aufai, from Queensland’s Trinity Ashmore Lutheran School Church Plant, says the school is ‘so grateful for the positive response from our alumni’. ‘Three students who graduated last year (have come) on board as part of our team of volunteer leaders for Encounter Youth – praise God’, he says.

Each of the 2025 successful local mission grants was awarded to a congregation whose project supports local mission innovation and efforts that might be applied more broadly across the church.

The LCANZ Local Mission Fund application process for 2026 grants opens on 1 July 2025.

HOW TO START PREPARING NOW TO APPLY FOR A GRANT

• Place the 2026 Local Mission Fund on your church committee meeting agendas.
• Read the application criteria available at www.lca.org.au/local-mission-fund
• Invite your members to start thinking and praying about the local mission opportunity God might be placing before your congregation.

Jodi Brook is the LCANZ’s Local Mission Coordinator. As part of her role, Jodi mentors and supports groups that receive funding.

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by Reid Matthias

In the Book of Mark, he is described this way: ‘And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the River Jordan. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptise you with water, but he will baptise with the Holy Spirit.”’

For some reason, my brain connects so much more with the visual of this Grizzly Adams-type mountain man wearing a tunic of camel’s hair and eating grasshoppers dipped in a bowlful of honey. Imagine one of John’s after-hours parties – all the countryside and all the people of Jerusalem are out to hang out with him, the celebrity, and he says, ‘Hey, can someone pass the crickets? I’ve got the munchies’.

But he is a celebrity, it seems. He wanders in the wilderness, preparing an opportunity for one who is greater than he is, one more powerful, one who can do much more than baptise with what little water can be found in the wilderness.

He is coming. And we believe, because they (celebrities) inhabit our minds through a screen. Celebrity is as celebrity does, as Forrest Gump should have said.

John the Baptist can’t escape the celebrity status that he has gathered, but with it comes great responsibility. And, unlike present-day stardom, he is not drawing the light to himself. There is no self-aggrandisement, no braggadocio, no false sense that he thinks to himself, ‘Maybe I should think a little closer about my own sense of power’.

He recognises that there is someone greater than he is and his job, as foretold by his own father, Zechariah, in Luke 1:76–79: ‘And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the most high; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare a way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven, to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.’

What incredible poetry (this is entitled ‘Zechariah’s Song’)! He is singing about his child’s future right after he is born and with the vivid understanding that his son has a role in showing God’s mercy, whose light shines down from heaven …

And guides our feet into the path of peace.

Isn’t that what we all want this Christmas? It seems like every Christmas I profess peace with my mouth, but it is still far from my heart. I wander around in a trance-like state, thinking about ‘Christmassy’ things, and yet the gift that I truly want is one that John brings to us first and foremost.

Peace on earth, goodwill to all people.

We’re not told much about John’s early life – only what Luke recalls after Zechariah’s Song: ‘And the child grew and became strong in the Spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.’

Can you imagine the frustration of both Elizabeth and Zechariah at mealtime every night?

Elizabeth: Zechy, have you seen John? He’s supposed to be washing up for supper.
Zechariah: (shaking his head) Last time I saw him, he was by himself, heading out into the hills.
Elizabeth: What does he do out there anyway?
Zechariah: Who knows? I tried to find him once, follow his tracks, but they always lead to beehives.
Elizabeth: What?
Zechariah: I have no idea. My guess is he likes honey. Good thing his metabolism is still working. Wait until
he gets our age. He’ll have to hit the YMJA (Young Men’s Judean Association) and work off some of that desert fat.
Elizabeth: Well, I suppose it’s true. He never seems to
be hungry when he gets home. I just hope he is getting enough protein.

I would have loved to have heard what Elizabeth and Zechariah would have said when he showed up with grasshopper wings stuck in his teeth!

But the Scripture says that John lived in the wilderness. He wandered and waited for something. Perhaps he really didn’t know what that would be or what that would look like. Maybe John just assumed that he was destined for nomadism and that after his parents passed on, it was only natural to think – just like the rest of the Jews living under Roman thumb – that God had forgotten them.

In St Luke’s Gospel we read: ‘During the priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins’ (Luke 3:2,3).

John went from place to place and talked about that which would set the people’s feet on the path of peace: forgiveness of sins. Here is the place where, in our spiritual lives, we find crooked paths of jealousy, rough roads of hatred and soaring mountains of pride. When baptism occurs, those potholes are filled in, and sin ceases to have power over our salvation (or damnation, as it were), because the power of Christ allows us to be ‘baptised into a death like his’, which gives us life with him.

It was in this wandering that John encountered the word of God at long last. Perhaps on a quiet morning when he least expected it, and at the perfect time, God beckoned in his own way to this rugged man of the wilderness, and said, ‘Dearest John, I’ve got a plan, and I need you near the front and centre for a while’.

For this man who wandered, life would never be the same – and for one who wandered by himself, great crowds would probably have caused him great stress.

But it is in the wandering that perhaps all of us can encounter God and the call to something bigger than ourselves – to allow the light of Christ to reflect off of us to show others One who is greater than us. In this way, even in the midst of the struggle of making the path straight for God this Christmas, we might encounter the path to peace.

Reid Matthias is the school pastor at St Andrews Lutheran College in Tallebudgera, Queensland. This article was originally published as ‘Advent II – The Wandering’ on his online blog https://ireid.blogspot.com

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As well as serving a Lutheran school community as its pastor, Chris Mann helps workplaces deal with conflict. Recently, he shared his thoughts with Lutheran Media’s Messages of hope about how to ‘disagree well’ with others. This is an excerpt adapted from that podcast interview.

Conflict is a values clash. When a conflict happens, it’s always around something valuable to us and therefore has some emotions attached to it.

However, if we’re in a conflict and we don’t see the other person’s perspective, even if we win, we lose. So, we might win an argument, but we lose our relationship with them, and we lose something within ourselves. We lose compassion, we lose wisdom and we lose humility.

So, instead of thinking, ‘How am I going to beat that person? How am I going to win in this situation?’, from a faith perspective it is: ‘How would Jesus have me deal with that situation?’ Sometimes that is turning the other cheek. Sometimes that is going the extra mile, but sometimes it’s having appropriate boundaries.

And, before talking about a difficult topic, I check my motives. Am I just trying to fix a problem, or am I trying to love a person? If I truly care about this person, I’ll find a way to speak the truth, even if it’s going to be difficult for both of us.

Ultimately, being able to admit that we’re wrong can be the most important skill we have when it comes to conflict.

Another thing that makes a big difference is pausing and taking a breath so that we can think clearly and not take all our conflicts personally.

Of course, being a Christian is an amazing help. We know that part of the Old Testament is about people being in conflict with God; people not wanting to do things the way that God wants them to do it. But, in Jesus, God chooses to enter our shoes in our conflict, and experiences as a human what it is to be in conflict with others.

So, Jesus knows what it is to enter a disagreement as a human being and knows how to respond well. But we see especially in Jesus going to the cross, that sometimes in a conflict we actually have to just suffer and suffer well.

Sometimes suffering well results in the life that we were trying to fight for in the first place. And God’s wanting to provide life for everyone on the other side of a conflict. We don’t always get to experience that, unfortunately – our world is broken.

But that is God’s best for us: life on the other side of a conflict.

You can listen to the full interview at www.messagesofhope.org.au/disagreeing-well

School pastor at Endeavour College Mawson Lakes in South Australia, Chris Mann is also a leadership coach specialising in communication under the banner of Lifelong Leaders. Photo by Amy Dahlenburg

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