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Scattering the light of hope

by Jonathan Krause

Walk My Way was born inside a refugee camp in the desert in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa in 2016.

A group of teachers from Lutheran schools in Australia was there on an ALWS leadership tour. They met people who had lost everything. They saw a bare block of land that in six months our Australian Lutheran family would turn into a school for 2000 children through a partnership with the European Union.

They met Kalsuma, a refugee for 16 years, who fled the war that destroyed her home and farm in Somalia. ‘We welcome you with open hearts. We have not before seen visitors like you, interested in education’, she said. ‘We really appreciate that you put aside all your things and come to be with us. It seems to me an illiterate person is like a person who is blind. We who are parents see education as the light. We need that light of education to scatter. We are thanking all those who support education. Please keep telling our story to your people.’

One of the teachers from that leadership tour was so inspired, that they decided to walk from Melbourne to Adelaide to raise money to help refugee children go to school. When the logistics of that proved too difficult, ALWS instead created a walk down the Adelaide Hills from Hahndorf, following the trail taken by pioneer Lutheran women in the 1840s. The trail was 26 kilometres long, which ‘matched’ the average cost of supporting a refugee child in school for a year – $26.

So, Walk My Way was on the way.

That refugee camp in Djibouti and those at Kakuma in Kenya where our Lutheran church works through ALWS, are a long way from South Australia’s Barossa Valley, which was host to this year’s Walk My Way. And the original hope for the first Walk My Way in 2017, that perhaps 50 people might be persuaded to take up the challenge to walk 26 kilometres, is a lot different from the 650 people who walked on Saturday 1 May.

Yet, for me, being both in that refugee camp in Djibouti and at Walk My Way in the Barossa Valley, there are many things that intersect.

Walk My Way welcomes everyone, and especially celebrates the gifts of those the world sometimes overlooks – those who are senior, young children, those with a disability.

This is what happens in the refugee camps too, where our ALWS family works hard to make sure no-one is forgotten, and those who may be overlooked or ignored are instead welcomed with open arms, just as Jesus asks of us in Matthew 25:40.

Walk My Way has the simple goal of supporting refugee children to go to school.

Of course, throughout our Lutheran history in Australia, we have known the importance of a values-rich education. The 40,000 students in Lutheran schools parallels the thousands of refugee and displaced children who receive a Lutheran-supported education in places like South Sudan, Somalia and the refugee camps at Kakuma.

Walk My Way asks people to take on a challenge, to do something hard, in order to make a difference for others.

In this, we seek to echo the courage and commitment of parents who carry their children out of warzones in the hope that they may find safety, and perhaps even the hope an education can bring.

At the Barossa Valley Walk My Way, I spent some time at the 24-kilometre mark with my 85-year-old dad, Colin, and his four-legged best friend Oscar, as they directed weary walkers across the road. By 4pm, all but two of our 650 walkers had completed their walk.

Thirty minutes passed. Not a walker in sight.

Then, two figures appeared in the distance.

Slowly they stumble-walked toward us, clearly exhausted.

Sharon is a retired nurse, Fiona a farmer. They told us that cars had slowed regularly to offer them a lift. Each time they said no. ‘We want to do the full 26 kilometres, so our sponsors help out’, Fiona explained. ‘We are doing it for the girls.’

I walked with Fiona to the finish line. Telling her that, as Christians, we know the first will be last, and the last will be first.

By this time, the band at St Jakobi had played its last song. Stalls were being packed away.

Yet, as Fiona reached the finish, the cheer that greeted her was the loudest of the day.

Last. First. Jesus turns the world upside down. Seeks the lost; the overlooked; the forgotten.

That’s what the 650 walkers in the Barossa Valley … and the 200-plus walkers in other walks across the country … and those who sponsored them or donated … and the volunteers who prepared food, marshalled traffic, took photos, or emptied rubbish bins … did too.

Quiet humble service. Courage to care. Willingness to give the best they had, no matter what they had to give. Stepping out … so refugee children can step in to school.

Through Walk My Way, people like you do just what Kalsuma begged us to do. You make the light of education scatter. In doing so, you are a blessing ALWayS.

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Welcomed by the gospel

by Lisa McIntosh 

The cultural and ethnic make-up of communities in which many Lutheran churches are based has changed dramatically. How can we best serve alongside people of all nations so that we truly welcome ‘the stranger’ with the gospel? Two LCANZ congregational leaders share their insights.

Pastor Mark Schultz from LifeWay Lutheran Church in New South Wales is in no doubt – multi-ethnicity is God’s vision for his church. ‘We are to be a community united in Christ, made up of every tribe, nation, people, and language’, he says.

A multi-site church family, LifeWay has recently welcomed Illawarra worship centres at Wollongong and Oak Flats, and has launched a Western Sydney church plant in Glenmore Park to join locations at Epping and Newcastle.

‘Becoming a multi-ethnic church is not just about reaching out to the community’, Pastor Mark says. ‘It starts with an attitude and practice of accepting people of all nations as equal, fully participating members in church fellowship, and then living that out by all nations using their gifts and abilities and being actively involved in the mission and the vision of the church. The critical component is living Jesus’ love, which accepts, embraces and values.’

More than 20 nationalities are represented among LifeWay worshippers and 46 per cent of people in Epping’s local community were born overseas and speak a language other than English at home. The major ethnic groups in that area are Chinese, Indian and Korean.

LifeWay has celebrated more than 15 multi-ethnic baptisms of children, young people and adults in the past two years, while eight out of 10 young people who completed the congregation’s ‘Step up to communion’ course recently, were from multi-ethnic families.

Its mainly music ministry is a bridge into the local community with more than 80 per cent of those who attend representing the community’s ethnicities. Mums who attend this group but are not church members have brought friends to worship, which culminated in the Easter baptism of three members of one family.

Other multi-ethnic ministries at LifeWay include a ‘praise dance’ group; a weekly singing group with devotions from Asian Ministry Chaplain Wilkinson Hu; a fortnightly Bible study; and Chinese-speaking small groups. LifeWay also includes Chinese language, with English, on screens during worship for the creed and The Lord’s Prayer.

And in a region that in 10 years will accommodate 10 per cent of Australia’s population, with more than 160 nationalities, the fledgling LifeWay Westside church plant is intentionally a multi-ethnic ministry from its genesis.

‘A multi-ethnic mindset begins with my heart – redeemed, restored and reset for God’s purposes’, Pastor Mark says. ‘Without Christ sacrificing his all for me, I would remain lost and condemned. But he has made me his forever. He loves me, accepts me, values me. He delights in me.

‘Through that truth, you begin to look at others not as people who need to be converted, but as people whom Jesus also loves and are made in God’s image.’

Cross Cultural Mentor Barbara Mattiske from Glynde Lutheran Church in Adelaide says the local community there has also been changing. The suburb has long been home to an Italian community. However, in more recent times, an increasing number of people from China, India and Malaysia, and other nations such as Japan and Korea, have made the area their home.

‘We looked at the community around us and how we could integrate more into the community’, Barbara says. ‘And one of the main things we learnt is that friendship is one of the most important things we can offer.

‘We can offer friendship through activities for children, through listening, education and learning. So now we run mainly music classes for mums and dads with their children, we run English and cooking classes, we do learning mornings about education, we learn about being a parent, about marriage and about God.’

Rika, who is originally from Japan, has been coming to Glynde for several years, particularly for its family ministries. ‘Glynde is a very special place for me because I can see new people and also, I feel very important and [that I] belong and I feel this is a family to me’, she says.

After the first lockdown in Adelaide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rika’s family decided that her three young children would be baptised at Glynde. Her Christian background only involved adult baptism but, after input from Barbara and Pastor Wayne Boehm, Rika spoke with her family about baptism.

‘I wanted them to come to see God through Christ’, she says. ‘I talked to my husband; he is not a Christian, but he understood the importance of this baptism. But the most important thing was if my children wanted to have it. So, I sat down with them and I asked them, “Christ died for you, God loves you, would you like to be baptised?” And the three of them – they are little, but they understood to their level – they said: “Yes, we would like to have it”. And looking at their eyes, so serious but excited, I thought, “Yes, this is the thing God has prepared for them, not me to decide but for them to decide”.’

Barbara says the Glynde family was very excited about the baptism and that on the day in church were other young migrant mums who engage with Glynde ministries: ‘And as we all came back to our seats … the other two women turned around and looked at me and they said, “I need to have what they have”. God is amazing!

‘And that is so much what Glynde is about. We want everyone to have what Rika’s children received – to be part of God’s family – and so that is our prayer for everyone who comes here.’

BARBARA MATTISKE’S TIPS FOR WELCOMING THE STRANGER

Listen – not only with your ears

Smile – not only with your mouth

Remember names – it makes people feel special

Act – upon what you are told

Honour culture – don’t judge

Show hospitality – share a coffee or meal

Be careful with language – many don’t understand church talk

Pray – for those you meet

Enjoy – you will be blessed

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Making friends with strangers

by Adam Borgas

I never thought that I was strange.

Perhaps the reason it seems so risky to welcome a stranger is that we fail to see that we are one ourselves.

Would those people you think are odd or strange think the same thoughts about you? Are there some peculiarities about you? Are you too young, too old, fair-skinned, black, red, yellow, just-too-similar but all too different? That’s because you are different – you are a stranger. There is no-one like you in the world. You are alone when it comes to being you.

Take me for example. Born and bred Australian. I took a test the other day and found I was a Prussian, Russian, Welsh, Scottish, Danish Australian. I own my own home and the land it’s on but know it belongs to the Meru nations. I have been a Victorian and loved it, I’m a native South Australian but when visiting Queensland, I thought ‘I could make my home here’.

Are you starting to see that the more we live life, the more we don’t fit and are different? That’s when it becomes easy to see Jesus and know him for who he is. ‘Come to me, all who are weary, and I will give him rest’ (Matthew 11:28). When you know you are different, life is tough, and you start drinking from that life-giving well that is Jesus.

Think about your differences from those closest to you. I know I married my best friend, but I didn’t know best friends can have major disagreements. I carry the same surname as my siblings and parents, but we’ve had our differences.

Being a stranger and seeing others as strangers it becomes easier to welcome the stranger. We see ourselves in the reflection of even the most different-looking individuals. We can see through to people’s hearts and know that they hurt as we hurt and cry the same salty tears as we do.

When you know you are a stranger, you can experience down-to-earth comfort with saying hello to others.

My hometown of Waikerie is a little country town of about 2700 residents, situated on the banks of the Murray River in South Australia, about two hours’ drive east of Adelaide. Waikerie Lutheran Primary School is a small community of about 85 primary school-aged students and their staff. We specialise in being co-educators with parents of more than 60 local families. Most recently, five Indian families, predominantly of the Sikh religion, have joined us.

As a school principal, you are always thinking about ways of improving the education you provide. As a school of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO), our little rural school generates some big ideas. The IBO has a term that is one of the essences of its programs called international-mindedness: ‘International-mindedness is the acceptance, respect and acknowledgement of diversity in culture, background, values and beliefs. It recognises differences and celebrates diversity in all human beings and attempts to promote respect and understanding in all of these components.’

After my first trips overseas and many discussions with colleagues, it hit me – international-mindedness starts at home!

We set about accepting all our families for who they are. We endeavoured to meet them where they were, and offer non-judgmental love, care and support.

So, when an opportunity existed to re-evaluate our language program, I investigated and implemented a language program with a difference. On reflection, I think it was a bold move, but I never look back and question the past, as I know it is the way God meant it to be.

As far as I know, we have always learned a language other than English in our Australian education system. But I acknowledge that, as a youngster, I thought learning a second language was a waste of time, so I knew there was room for improvement. I wanted language lessons to count and be valued!

I decided I needed a native speaker to teach the students, combined with the classroom experience of a seasoned teacher. So, the plan was hatched in the summer of 2018: Operation Approach Stranger!

That summer if you were out at the shops in Waikerie and you had an accent, I would walk up, say hello and introduce myself. I then asked native speakers of other languages whether they would like to help ‘teach’ the children with me as my primary language resource. I approached between 20 and 25 people and came close to having the school continue its Indonesian program or change to a dialect of Pilipino or Malay. The obvious one I had missed was Punjabi.

I was almost at my wits’ end when I remembered that I had played cricket with an Indian man nicknamed ‘Lucky’. I decided to ring Lucky and ask him whether he knew anyone in the Punjabi community who would teach with me. He said his wife Sharry might consider meeting me about the opportunity.

I signed Sharry up as my primary resource, and through having a 50-minute lesson each week to plan together, we not only worked on language, but we also found out the differences and similarities between the Sikh and Christian religions. These are best summed up by the Sikh greeting which doubles as a farewell: ‘sut shri akal’, which means ‘true Mr God’. Each time Sikh people meet each other, they remind each other of their one and true God!

Sharry and I discovered that the patterns in our faith are almost identical. Our hope mirrors the hope of the other and our love for people is congruent.

Our school just celebrated Holi festival for the first time! Holi is the festival of colour, celebrated all over India around one week before Easter. Holi celebrates love, forgiveness, peace and respect and so, as a school, we thought this was a tradition within our community we should appreciate.

For our staff and students, this learning with each other sharpens how we live our faith every day. Our worship and Christian studies have been energised through these relationships as we continue to grow in love towards one another.

Adam Borgas is Principal of Waikerie Lutheran Primary School in South Australia’s Riverland.

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No longer strangers thanks to acts of kindness

by David Craig

During our retirement, my wife Ruth and I have been blessed to be able to volunteer in several countries. In each case, there were new faces, a new language and a different culture. As strangers in foreign lands, we knew there would be challenges. But there were also many kindnesses.

When Ruth first left her South Australian hometown to teach in a Lutheran mission in Papua New Guinea in 1960, she was unsure what lay ahead. But on her arrival, she was met by an act of kindness. The parents of her students presented her with a hen and bowl of eggs. Through an interpreter, they explained she was regarded as the mother to their children who would be safe under her wings.

This simple act of friendship gave Ruth an insight into the locals’ welcome to her, a stranger.

While living in Sumatra, in a seminary where we were helping incoming students with English, we received many invitations into people’s homes. Once when we were asked to visit for coffee, we were greeted with ‘Happy birthday’! Yes, it was Ruth’s birthday and they had made a cake to celebrate.

After the singing of ‘Happy Birthday’, Ruth was fed the first mouthful of cake on a spoon. Then, as was the custom, she fed other guests. It was a heartwarming experience.

One Easter while we were teaching in Pakistan, our director, knowing we were Christians, offered us his car and driver so we could attend the nearest church, two-and-a-half hours away. When we returned, it was touching to be welcomed by the director and his family. They said, as we were far from home, we should recognise our holy day with a party and they were happy to celebrate with us. We were then able to share our faith with our Muslim friends.

During our time teaching in Nepal, we began to long for some Aussie bread. The wife of a teacher must have heard us ‘grumbling’ and several days later was on our doorstep with a warm, freshly baked loaf.

In Bangkok, we were privileged to be invited to the blessing of a new Lutheran church in northern Thailand. The village had very few resources, but the locals wanted to show hospitality to those who had travelled long distances.

Some villagers spent many hours preparing meals, while at night they joined visitors in hymn-singing and testimonials. Bedtime was a revelation – 40 visitors, including the bishop, slept on the floor of the small church building. We were head-to-toe, but it was a most entertaining experience! We strongly felt our oneness in Christ with the villagers who had welcomed us.

Over the years, many offers of hospitality have led to enduring friendships. Thanks be to God for the opportunity to learn from other cultures. We were no longer strangers, but pilgrims on a journey.

David and Ruth Craig are volunteers with LCA International Mission. Go to https://lcamission.org.au/volunteer or phone Nevin on 08 8267 7300 for more information.

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Respect is on the line

by Helen Lockwood

How many times have you heard these or similar words: ‘If this program has raised any issues for you, please call 1800RESPECT’? Often it follows a show about domestic and family violence or sexual abuse. This national counselling service is a vital 24-hour helpline, ready to support people going through abuse or whose memories of abuse have resurfaced.

Have you wondered who might ring that number or what would it be like to take the calls of distressed and desperate people?

May is Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month in Australia and recently I spoke to members of the Lutheran community who work on the 1800RESPECT line about their experiences.

They say it’s a heavy burden hearing the stories of those being abused or who have been abused in the past. Some callers are in crisis, fearing for their lives, and the counsellor works to give them strategies to stay safe and to connect to services. Perhaps the hardest to hear is the impact on children.

Some callers feel that they are going mad as their partner has been using coercive control, ‘gaslighting’ them. Sometimes the callers are experiencing spiritual abuse. Their violent partner is an important person in the church and so she fears she will not be believed. Or she believes her marriage vows mean she has to stay in a violent relationship, or he keeps telling her that this is the cross Jesus expects her to bear.

Both women and men call. Some abuse the counsellors. Some need to talk about their trauma. Some are asking how to help family and friends they suspect are experiencing domestic and family violence.

When COVID-19 restrictions began the lines went quiet. Counsellors were worried because they knew that abuse survivors were locked in at home with perpetrators 24/7. Fear and trauma were magnified by the isolation of COVID lockdowns.

The counsellors face many challenges. They spoke to me about how their understanding of God’s love for everyone helps them to respond positively to those they speak with and how they pray for the right words to say. Domestic and family violence workers are aware of their power with extremely vulnerable people. One worker said: ‘I need that power when I have to advocate for the survivor, but if I am to reach out to that person with compassion, I need to lay aside my power as Jesus did and stand alongside them as they share their pain. The name of Jesus may not be spoken, but Jesus goes along inside me as I work.’

Helen Lockwood is a member of the LCANZ’s Working Group on Domestic and Family Violence.

The Hidden Hurts Healing Hearts campaign website at www.preventdfv.lca.org.au features stories of survivors, resources and support.

If this article has triggered any concerns for you, you can ring the 1800RESPECT number or log in to the website at www.1800respect.org.au

GET HELP – Hidden Hurts Healing Hearts

If you or someone you know is affected by domestic and family violence, visit

www.anrows.org.au/get-support or call 1800 RESPECT (24-hour National Sexual Assault Family Domestic Violence Counselling Service), or Lifeline Counselling (24 hours) 131 114. In an emergency, call 000. www.preventdfv.lca.org.au

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Five signs your character is slowly imploding

After the upheavals, uncertainty and suffering faced by many in the past year due to the pandemic, fires, droughts and floods, it’s not surprising that mental health has become a hot topic. For community leaders, the danger of burnout may be great as they try to serve others in difficult and trying circumstances. That’s why LCANZ Pastor Adrian Kitson says it’s important for pastors and other church leaders to reflect on their mental health and watch out for …

Five signs your character is slowly imploding

Sound a bit dramatic? It’s not. I reflect on my journey as a pastor and leader and hear this as God’s gentle leading for the impossible never-ending task of serving God’s people. I share it to bless the many pastors and ministry leaders whom Jesus loves in our dear LCANZ.

This is all about self-awareness. There are few better friends for a leader than self-awareness. I suspect you have seen leaders who think they’re doing well, when in fact, everyone around them knows they are not.

How do you not become that leader? Here are five signs I’ve watched in my own life and seen in the lives of others that help me determine whether my character is in check or slowly imploding. They are a reflection on a podcast by Carey Nieuwhof, a Canadian pastor and leadership mentor (www.careynieuwhof.com).

1 – THERE’S A GROWING GAP BETWEEN WHAT YOU SAY PUBLICLY AND HOW YOU LIVE PRIVATELY

Character rarely implodes suddenly. Instead, there’s almost always a slow erosion until eventually, it happens. Consequently, wise leaders keep an eye on gaps between what they say publicly and how they live privately.

When you preach grace but snap at your partner, kids, church members or staff, that’s a problem. When you say you care about people but don’t make time for anyone in need in your personal life, that’s an issue.

What’s the solution? If your partner, kids or close associates see a growing gap between what you say and what you do, and tell you, listen up! They will help you never say publicly what you’re unwilling to live privately.

Be honest about any flaws you have and speak from your weakness as much as your strength. And if you have a growing gap that needs to be addressed, address it. Get help. Tell a friend. See a counsellor. Get on your knees.

And in leadership, try to ensure what you say publicly is how you live privately.

2 – YOUR EMOTIONS ARE INAPPROPRIATE TO THE SITUATION

A sure sign something is wrong with your character are emotional responses that are disproportionate to a given situation.

  • You fly off the handle over small things.
  • You feel nothing when people tell you something upsetting.
  • You can’t celebrate someone else’s success.

Those could be signs of burnout or could flag something deeper – a character issue. These are signs of danger ahead.

Your character is at its best when Christ, by the Spirit and his word, take over the deepest parts of who you are – your heart, mind and soul. And when he is at the centre of you, your reactions become much healthier.

The only way my character stays at this level is if I submit my heart and life to Jesus’ word daily. We call it repentance and forgiveness – and forgiveness is available!

3 – YOU HAVE LESS AND LESS GRACE TO GIVE

When my character has been at its weakest, grace is in short supply.

There’s nothing wrong with having high standards as a leader. There’s a tremendous amount wrong when those high standards cause you to treat people like dirt.

Grace runs out in your life when God runs out in your life. If you need more grace, you need more God.

4 – YOUR LEADERSHIP HAS BECOME ABOUT YOU

Leaders serve people. They don’t believe people exist to serve them. When your character begins to implode, you forget that.

Usually at the heart of a character implosion is unresolved pain. And pain, by its nature, is selfish. When you are hurting, you completely forget about anything else.

So, if you’re a selfish leader, get on your knees, see a counsellor, get help. When that pain is resolved in some helpful way, you’ll quickly return to leading well again.

5 – YOU JUSTIFY YOUR BAD ACTIONS AND DECISIONS

There’s a certain point in the journey where you realise there’s a problem but refuse to deal with it.

How do you know you’ve hit that point? When you start justifying bad behaviour and decisions. You may start saying things like: ‘If you had this much pressure in your life, you’d do it too’, and ‘Nobody understands’.

Well, believe that if you want to, but also believe that your complete implosion and erosion of trust with those around you is closer than you think. Leaders who justify their bad behaviour lose their authority to lead. Conversely, leaders who recognise it and seek help almost always get better.

Hope is in seeking good conversation with trusted people – professionals, family members, friends and local colleagues.

Habits that stay close to God’s word are healing habits. They keep you serving with grace in the freedom that is yours in Jesus.

Listening to those who know and love you the most is very wise. Listening to people in your community who notice things and have a quiet humility with a challenging word are often the Lord’s instruments of gentle (or not so gentle) warning and prodding.

Ask people you trust to monitor your public words and give them permission to share their sense of you in that public space.

Set yourself boundaries in all aspects of daily life – how it begins, where you go and who you hang out with.

The best news is that Jesus hangs out with us, no matter the stage of our character. That is what I see in the gospels in the likes of Zacchaeus, Matthew, Peter, the Gerasene guy, the woman caught in the act and the men accusing her.

Jesus is our source of best character and faithful serving in his mission.

Adrian Kitson is Senior Pastor at St Petri Lutheran Church Nuriootpa, in South Australia and is the chairperson of the LCANZ’s Commission on Worship.

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Welcomed by the gospel

by Lisa McIntosh

Pastor Mark Schultz from LifeWay Lutheran Church in New South Wales is in no doubt – multi-ethnicity is God’s vision for his church. ‘We are to be a community united in Christ, made up of every tribe, nation, people, and language’, he says.

A multi-site church family, LifeWay has recently welcomed Illawarra worship centres at Wollongong and Oak Flats, and has launched a Western Sydney church plant in Glenmore Park to join locations at Epping and Newcastle.

‘Becoming a multi-ethnic church is not just about reaching out to the community’, Pastor Mark says. ‘It starts with an attitude and practice of accepting people of all nations as equal, fully participating members in church fellowship, and then living that out by all nations using their gifts and abilities and being actively involved in the mission and the vision of the church. The critical component is living Jesus’ love, which accepts, embraces and values.’

More than 20 nationalities are represented among LifeWay worshippers and 46 per cent of people in Epping’s local community were born overseas and speak a language other than English at home. The major ethnic groups in that area are Chinese, Indian and Korean.

LifeWay has celebrated more than 15 multi-ethnic baptisms of children, young people and adults in the past two years, while eight out of 10 young people who completed the congregation’s ‘Step up to communion’ course recently, were from multi-ethnic families.

Its mainly music ministry is a bridge into the local community with more than 80 per cent of those who attend representing the community’s ethnicities. Mums who attend this group but are not church members have brought friends to worship, which culminated in the Easter baptism of three members of one family.

Other multi-ethnic ministries at LifeWay include a ‘praise dance’ group; a weekly singing group with devotions from Asian Ministry Chaplain Wilkinson Hu; a fortnightly Bible study; and Chinese-speaking small groups. LifeWay also includes Chinese language, with English, on screens during worship for the creed and The Lord’s Prayer.

And in a region that in 10 years will accommodate 10 per cent of Australia’s population, with more than 160 nationalities, the fledgling LifeWay Westside church plant is intentionally a multi-ethnic ministry from its genesis.

‘A multi-ethnic mindset begins with my heart – redeemed, restored and reset for God’s purposes’, Pastor Mark says. ‘Without Christ sacrificing his all for me, I would remain lost and condemned. But he has made me his forever. He loves me, accepts me, values me. He delights in me.

‘Through that truth, you begin to look at others not as people who need to be converted, but as people whom Jesus also loves and are made in God’s image.’

Cross Cultural Mentor Barbara Mattiske from Glynde Lutheran Church in Adelaide says the local community there has also been changing. The suburb has long been home to an Italian community. However, in more recent times, an increasing number of people from China, India and Malaysia, and other nations such as Japan and Korea, have made the area their home.

‘We looked at the community around us and how we could integrate more into the community’, Barbara says. ‘And one of the main things we learnt is that friendship is one of the most important things we can offer.

‘We can offer friendship through activities for children, through listening, education and learning. So now we run mainly music classes for mums and dads with their children, we run English and cooking classes, we do learning mornings about education, we learn about being a parent, about marriage and about God.’

Rika, who is originally from Japan, has been coming to Glynde for several years, particularly for its family ministries.

After the first lockdown in Adelaide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rika’s family decided that her three young children would be baptised at Glynde. Her Christian background only involved adult baptism but, after input from Barbara and Pastor Wayne Boehm, Rika spoke with her family about baptism.

‘I wanted them to come to see God through Christ’, she says. ‘I talked to my husband; he is not a Christian, but he understood the importance of this baptism. But the most important thing was if my children wanted to have it. So, I sat down with them and I asked them, “Christ died for you, God loves you, would you like to be baptised?” And the three of them – they are little, but they understood to their level – they said: “Yes, we would like to have it”.’

Barbara says the Glynde family was very excited about the baptism and that on the day in church were other young migrant mums who engage with Glynde ministries: ‘And as we all came back to our seats … the other two women turned around and looked at me and they said, “I need to have what they have”. God is amazing!

‘And that is so much what Glynde is about. We want everyone to have what Rika’s children received – to be part of God’s family – and so that is our prayer for everyone who comes here.’

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Navigating end-of-life issues

We know that, as Christians, we need not fear death, thanks to Jesus’ victory over the grave that first Easter. But facing our mortality and that of the people we love is never easy. Navigating all kinds of legal, ethical and medical end-of-life issues is often highly emotional, stressful and complicated. We asked Dr Clare Seligmann, a GP with a particular interest and expertise in aged care and palliative care and a member of the LCANZ’s Committee for Ministry with the Ageing, for her insights on some of these topics.

by Clare Seligmann

In the 20th century, medicine and improved public health measures in Australia were very successful in increasing life expectancy. However, this has changed the pattern of ageing and the pattern of dying.

Increased longevity has created a new population of people burdened with complex and chronic disease and ‘advanced frailty’. For this population, the traditional models of care, focusing on curative and life-prolonging treatments, without having concurrent goals of enhancing the quality of life for patients and their families, can contribute to unnecessary and prolonged suffering at the end of life, according to the Australian & New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine.

Many people find it hard to face the dependency, helplessness and discomfort that often accompanies ageing, chronic disease and impending death. They need increased support from family, carers, health practitioners and chaplains – and they need to be respected, cared for and loved as people created and loved by God.

The LCANZ, through aged care and other pastoral care ministries, has opportunities to serve people at the end of life in physical and psychological caring; and providing spiritual care to assist with a ‘good death’ for those in our care. That’s the ethos that underpins the service of many of our church’s care agencies, such as the Queensland District’s Lutheran Services.

Just as having a legal will plays a significant role in ‘getting our affairs in order’ before we die in terms of the material and financial, advanced-care planning has a very important function for other end-of-life considerations.

It is a journey with people and their families which includes starting the conversation about death; establishing the person’s priorities for their life and any goals that are outstanding; discussing values and beliefs and what will help quality of life; discussing specific details about treatments and symptom management; and documenting the conversation.

There are also legal documentation processes prepared in advance, that assist with decision-making if a dying person loses their decision-making capacity. In addition to a will, these include appointing an enduring power of attorney/s for health and finance matters and completing an advance health/care directive, depending on the jurisdiction across Australia and New Zealand.

A term we often refer to within end-of-life contexts is palliative care, which even applies to non-specialist care. It is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as: ‘ … an approach to care that improves the quality of life of patients (adults and children) and their families who are facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and correct assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual. Palliative care also respects the choice of patients and helps their families to deal with practical issues, including coping with loss and grief throughout the illness and in case of bereavement.’

Appropriate palliative care is not confined to end-of-life care and can be provided in parallel with curative treatment, having different goals and focus. Palliative care is usually multidisciplinary and it is part of whole-person care that is not disease-specific and therefore can be complementary to curative treatment.

Again according to the WHO, when considered early in the course of the illness, palliative care not only improves the quality of life for patients, but also reduces unnecessary hospitalisations and the use of health services. Palliative care is never about withdrawing treatment or ‘doing nothing’. It requires as much work and expertise as curative treatment, but the goals are different. Access to palliative care is considered a human right by the WHO.

Specialist palliative care is only one component of palliative care service delivery. A sustainable, quality and accessible palliative care system needs to be integrated into primary health care, community and home-based care, as well as supporting care providers such as family and community volunteers.

Recognising when a person is approaching the end of their life is essential to delivering appropriate, compassionate and timely end-of-life care. There needs to be rigour in the assessment of symptoms and, that includes physical, cognitive, psychological, social and spiritual domains.

A formal diagnosis of the ‘terminal phase’ needs to be made so this phase can be managed effectively. Care of the dying should be considered ‘urgent care’ that is managed by those skilled in this area. It is as important as care for reversible or curable conditions, a stance backed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC).

When it is recognised that a person has entered the terminal phase, this needs to be communicated to the person, substitute decision-makers and family members. Uncertainties and ambiguities need to be discussed openly and communication needs to be on-going. This will empower people and their families to direct their care, where possible, and express needs and wishes for this phase. Documentation of communications is important for future reference and decision-making.

There are ethical issues that need to be considered in end-of-life care, as explained by the ACSQHC:

  • It is important not to harm people approaching the end of life by providing burdensome investigations and treatments that can be of no benefit.
  • Doctors are not obliged to initiate or continue treatments that will not offer a reasonable hope of benefit or improve the person’s quality of life (unless required by law).
  • People also have the right to refuse treatments. This may be in advance, formally in an advance health directive or informally in the documentation of conversation or consultation with the person.

Providing palliative care is legal, so long as the health professional intends to reduce or relieve a patient’s pain and suffering, not hasten their death. The majority of interventions given in end-of-life care by skilled health care teams neither hasten nor obstruct the person’s natural dying.

Care of the person and their family extends beyond death. Respectful treatment of a person’s remains and observance of cultural or religious practices need to be considered. Families also need to be cared for with appropriate time and space to grieve and follow up with bereavement counselling if this is wanted.

If end-of-life care is well managed, symptoms should be minimised and the transition from life on earth, through death to life in eternity, made as smooth as possible. In most cases, suffering at the end of life can be prevented or significantly reduced. It is often suffering and loss of control that people fear more than death.

The most controversial topic in the end-of-life area is euthanasia – the deliberate act of one person to end the life of another person to relieve that person’s suffering. Physician-assisted suicide occurs when a person requests a doctor to assist them in committing suicide. Both euthanasia and assisted suicide are currently illegal in most Australian states and territories and may result in a person being charged with murder, manslaughter or assisting suicide. However, voluntary assisted dying has been legal in Victoria since 2019 and will become legal in Western Australia in the middle of this year. New Zealanders last year voted in a referendum to legalise euthanasia, with the new law expected to come into effect late this year.

The LCANZ’s Commission on Social and Bioethical Questions CSBQ has a statement on this subject ‘Euthanasia or Mercy Killing’, which rejects the practice in all its forms, ‘because such killing is contrary to the word and law of God’. Adopted by the General Convention of Synod in 1981, you can read this on the LCA website (www.lca.org.au/social-bioethical-questions – Papers adopted by General Synod). Lutherans for Life, which is accountable to the church through CSBQ and promotes the sanctity of life, also offers resources and information on end-of-life issues (see story, page 11).

Rather than euthanasia, the church calls for greater efforts to improve and extend palliative care and other measures to reduce suffering in our society. Such measures have demonstrated productive outcomes in the management of pain and the care of those at the end of their earthly life.

Dr Clare Seligmann is the General Practitioner representative on the Queensland Health Department’s Frail Older Persons Collaborative. She served as chairperson of the LCANZ Queensland District’s Lutheran Services council from 2009 to 2019. She is a member of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the AMA and the Australian & New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine. She worships at St Peters Indooroopilly in suburban Brisbane.

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A final expression of faith

by Lisa McIntosh

Being with people who are dying – whether or not they are close to us – can be uncomfortable, daunting and sad. We might worry about saying the wrong thing or what to do to be a witness of God’s grace and love.

Even people with years of experience caring for or ministering to people who are dying, such as Sue Westhorp, say that each situation is different and that feeling uncomfortable may always be part of the process.

Sue is the spiritual care manager and Clinical Pastoral Education Centre director for Melbourne’s Austin Health. She was formerly a palliative care chaplain at Royal Melbourne Hospital and was a pastoral care worker for St Paul’s Lutheran Church Box Hill.

‘I’ve never become used to being with people who are dying’, she says.

‘I don’t take it for granted; it’s different every time and it’s profound every time. It’s important to be very aware of our own discomfort and anxiety. It’s okay to be uncomfortable. Your own mortality is being confronted in the process.’

However, while she says there is ‘no formula’ for this kind of pastoral care, just being present and listening are the two constants of our call as Christians, regardless of the context.

‘I think as much as each of us is able to individually, we’re called to sit with the person in grief, or as someone is dying, to actually just follow where they want to go with that and if they want to talk about it, or if they don’t’, Sue says.

‘I’ve had experiences in palliative care of people who are dying who’ve got no interest in faith or religion, who a day out from dying start asking the big questions. Or someone who’s had a very, very strong faith and gets to a week before they die, and suddenly they’re very wobbly about their faith. So it’s about responding to what you see in front of you and listening, and the ways in which we show up for people to show them God is present with them.

‘They’re ultimately on a journey they can only do alone. We can’t go on that journey with them, but we can be present with them as much as possible.’

Pastor Tim Klein, a former funeral director who these days serves the flock at Faith Warradale in suburban Adelaide and is LCA SA-NT District First Assistant Bishop, says funerals are ‘always gospel opportunities’, regardless of the faith of those who attend.

‘The funeral of a person of faith brings with it a wonderful testimony of the gospel’, he says. ‘Others can be challenging, because we don’t want to offend those who have no faith, yet at the same time we can bring good news and hope into that broken place. Funerals are a time of sadness, joy, hope and blessing in varying proportions.’

He says his main objective as a funeral director was to minimise ‘the organisational stress for a family so that they could attend to their grief and not be distracted by other things’.

‘That’s not to say a funeral director is immune to the grief. I was often thankful for the dark shades of my sunglasses, hiding my saddened eyes.’

Not surprisingly, he says leading funerals as a pastor is very different. ‘My prime focus is to provide pastoral care surrounding the funeral – caring for the bereaved, praying, and preparing a funeral service with them that brings God’s word of comfort into their lives.’

When Pastor Joseph Theodorsen, who serves the Top End Parish in the Northern Territory, was about to begin his ordained ministry he told The Lutheran that the privilege of being a pastor he was most looking forward to was ministering ‘to the sick and dying’. He says that is largely because of the way that our western culture ‘treats death and dying in such a private way’.

‘In this private space, people are able to truly show the deep emotions that come with the knowledge of the terminal illness or imminent death of loved ones – thoughts and feelings that are normally hidden from public view’, Pastor Joseph says. ‘To be invited into such a space, indeed often welcomed, is something that is truly a great privilege.

‘Being able to share in the pain and suffering of such times, and yet bring the hope and certainty of the gospel to people who are often in the midst of great difficulty, is something that I find very humbling.’

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Life and death matters in aged care

by Colleen Fitzpatrick

Lutheran aged-care providers rejoice in the gift of life and are committed to enriching and enhancing the life experience of those under their care. To this end, they support the physical, spiritual, emotional, mental and social or family wellbeing of each person they care for.

When people approach the end of life, they need more focused care from medical professionals, nurses, carers, chaplains and family.

Our services straddle both the left-hand and the right-hand kingdoms as spelt out in our theology. We are bound by the rules and regulations of government, but our work is undergirded by our theology and ethos as articulated in the publications God’s love – our care and Called to Tansformative Action, which can be found on the Ministry with the Ageing website at www.lca.org.au/ministry-with-ageing

It is important to plan for the end of one’s life and to provide good palliative care for people approaching death and their families – care that addresses all the person’s needs and ensures that those close to them are aware of what is happening and how they can be part of the end-of-life process.

Palliative care is part of the core business of Lutheran aged care, with maximum physical comfort being the goal and so that a person nearing the end of their life need not fear the loss of control.

Significant also to palliative care provision is the need for the person approaching the end of life to be able to make choices. Such choices should be documented in Advance Care Directives and in care plans so that the provision of care can fulfil them. Nursing and care staff and chaplains are part of this care and are blessed to share this intimate journey with people in our aged-care services.

Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) has been on the agenda of Australian and New Zealand governments for some time. It has been legalised in Victoria and will become legal in Western Australia and New Zealand in the coming months, so it is possible that people cared for within Lutheran aged-care services will want to implement it.

In such a case, while the LCANZ does not support VAD, we will continue to provide respectful, non-judgemental and loving care and compassion. Staff or volunteers may choose to be present at the time of death, but they cannot be required to be present and no staff or volunteer may assist with the process of VAD.

Regardless of the situation, it is always important that we treat people in our care in a way that both respects them and allows God’s love to come to life as they approach their death.

Colleen Fitzpatrick is chair of the LCANZ’s Committee for Ministry with the Ageing and also a member of the Governance Enhancement Committee for Lutheran Aged Care and Community Services. She was the project officer for the development of God’s love – our care and Called to Transformative Action.

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