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Calendar photo competition

Thank you to everyone who entered the Lutheran Media calendar photo competition, sharing your gifts to bring hope to the thousands of people who order the 2024 calendar. We were overwhelmed by the number and quality of entries.

We received more than 200 wonderful photos, so the judges had an extremely difficult task. Congratulations to all entrants and especially to the category winners: Animal – Pastor Mike Fulwood, Amy Dahlenburg, James Wilson; Landscape – Tim Nuske, Genevieve Clark, Rudolph Kotze; Architecture – Rebecca Zadow, Christine Matthias, Lyn Schneider; Nature – Peter Janetzki, Sandra Heintze, David Craig. Honourable mentions go to Stephen Jericho, Paul Bitzer, Heath Pukallus, Tim Eckert and many others who contributed great photos.

The calendar is scheduled to be available next month (September). Keep an eye out on the Lutheran Media website at www.lutheranmedia.org.au

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Lay training helps fill ministry need

Since its launch in 2021, Lay Preacher Training from Australian Lutheran College (ALC) has drawn more than 25 enrolments from all districts and countries of the LCANZ.

Commissioned by the LCANZ’s College of Bishops, this training is one way to support congregations in a time of pastoral vacancy and is available to both current and future congregational lay preachers. The Lay Preacher Training course is designed as self-paced training in which an individual works through the content within ALC’s iLearn platform, and with the support of a mentor pastor.

Within iLearn, the individual journeys through five content modules that help to lay a solid foundation for learning to prepare and deliver a sermon. The content of the Lay Preacher Training mirrors what pastoral students learn within the ‘Preaching the Word’ unit at ALC. This provides coherency and consistency between the pastoral office and the service of lay preachers.

PREPARING CANDIDATES

After completing the modules, the individual then writes and preaches sermons under the supervision of their mentor pastor. Each time a sermon has been preached, the individual goes through a process of gaining feedback and conducting self-reflection, as well as then applying any changes to content and delivery style before preaching another sermon.

To complete the Lay Preacher Training, an individual submits a portfolio of evidence that shows how their sermons have been prepared, proof of sermons that have been preached and a feedback report from their mentor pastor.

Doing the Lay Preacher Training does not immediately qualify an individual to be appointed as a lay preacher. Appointment can only be made by the District Bishop after they have engaged in discussions with the individual candidate and their congregation and mentor pastor and reviewed the portfolio of evidence. An appointment as a lay preacher is only valid for 12 months at a time.

HOW TO REGISTER

To find out more and to register for the training, visit
https://alc.edu.au/training/professional-development/lpt-enrolment/ or email training@alc.edu.au

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Bonus Saints Alive magazine inside

Subscribers to The Lutheran this edition receive a free bonus copy of Saints Alive, an annual periodical of Australian Lutheran College (ALC). The 12-page mini-magazine is full of news, views and information from the ALC community, including students and staff, including details of the college’s yearly appeal. ALC is the provider of tertiary theological education for the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand and is a college of the University of Divinity.

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Rethinking ministry

Are you ready to rethink your ministry with children and youth? Are you wondering what you can do to support families in passing on faith to children and youths in their care? Did you know that every generation has a part to play in ministering to young people?

For many congregations and families, sharing the Christian faith with children and youth is becoming an area of great challenge. Culture and society are changing rapidly, which can raise many new questions and opportunities.

Grow Ministries has developed a training session that helps congregations rethink their ministry to children, teenagers and their families. You can invite Jodi Brook or Christine Matthias to visit your congregation, or they can support you to lead your own session.

Through the training, congregations are supported to wrestle with some of the following questions:

  • What does it mean to form faith in children and youth?
  • What seems to work best and why?
  • How can we partner with and support Christian families today?

WHAT COURSE PARTICIPANTS SAY …

‘I expected some magic fix to solve our problem of shrinking membership. However, I learnt that it all starts with me and that, to enable our congregation to grow, I have to lead and teach my brothers and sister how to relate to each other.’

‘What a blessing this has been. I am really excited for our congregation’s future and the light we will be to our community.’

‘I liked the atmosphere of enthusiasm and willingness to explore something different … a fresh approach, from a kingdom perspective.’

‘The biggest thing I got out of the day was ideas on how to plan church in a way where all generations are included.’

‘Keep up the good work! I am amazed at the innovative resources Grow has produced.’

CONTACT US FOR SUPPORT

Over many years, Grow Ministries has developed resources and training to help meet the challenges of doing ministry in the 21st century. Please make contact for more information.

Jodi Brook Director jodi.brook@lca.org.au – Based in South Australia

Christine Matthias, Resource Coordinator christine.matthias@lca.org.au – Based in Queensland

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Considering the big questions

The LCANZ has launched a suite of Christian ethical decision-making guides on a range of contemporary ethical issues. As well as an overview document, there are short guides on 11 topics, including Responsible investment, Vaccination, Racism, Organ donation, Nuclear energy, Pornography, Social media, Tattoos and Vaping.

Available on the LCANZ website, the guides are an initiative of the church’s Office of the Bishop and Commission on Social and Bioethical Questions. While they are pitched with senior high school Christian Studies students in mind, the guides are also intended to help all church members consider how they might respond to the issues addressed.

The guides are meant for use in personal reflection; they are not ‘official’ LCANZ statements. Read more and access the guides at www.lca.org.au/csbq

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New church child safety resources

The LCANZ’s Child Protection Project Team recently released two new congregational resources supporting the church’s Child Safety Standards (CSS).

The new resources back up Child Safety Standard 2 – ‘We value, respect and listen to children’. CSS Implementation Support Officer Nicole Hall says children are safer when they are valued, respected, and listened to. ‘When children feel comfortable and informed, they are more likely to speak up about their safety concerns’, Nicole says.

She says the new Speak Up poster is designed to encourage children to speak up and to provide them with information about safe people and safe places they can approach for support or assistance.

The second new resource is called ‘Who keeps me safe at church?’ and is an activity-based resource to help children to identify their ‘safe people’ – ‘adults they would feel comfortable approaching if they felt scared or unsafe’, Nicole says.

FREE TO DOWNLOAD

You will find the Speak Up poster and ‘Who keeps me safe at church?’ resource on the LCA Child Safety page at www.lca.org.au/governance/child-safety-standards Just look for the ‘Resources’ section on the right-hand side of your screen and scroll down.

Any questions? Please contact your District Professional Standards Officer (details are at www.lca.org.au/professional-standards) or Nicole Hall from the Churchwide Child Safety Standards team, by emailing css@lca.org.au or phoning 08 8267 7372 or 0491 011 643.

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Support for worship life

The LCANZ provides a variety of resources for congregations to use when they don’t have a pastor, including the Worship Planning Page (www.lca.org.au/worship/wpp). There also are videoed sermons to download and online worship services available through Lutheran Media (https://lutheranmedia.org.au/worship-life/). Some congregations also use the interview and discussion videos, podcasts, scripts and booklets from Messages of Hope in their worship services, small groups and mission efforts when in pastoral vacancy, says Lutheran Media Director Richard Fox. Discover these and much more at www.messagesofhope.org.au

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Calling all composers and songwriters!

The LCANZ’s Commission on Worship (CoW) is running a new music project and administration coordinator Libby Krahling says CoW is looking for music in any style which is suitable for use in worship. This could include lyrics to existing tunes, new arrangements of old hymns/songs, new liturgical compositions or music written for special occasions/feasts of the church year. For more information, and to obtain a copy of the music criteria, contact David Simpfendorfer at simpfy3@gmail.com

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Volumes of music needs covered

The Commission on Worship has been preparing music resources for several decades for use across the church. This includes four Music Resource volumes, which may assist congregations.

Volume 1: KEYBOARD AND INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC FOR WORSHIP: Contains worship music mainly for organists, pianists and keyboardists. Hymn introductions, preludes and different harmonisations provide many ways in which to enhance worship. There are also arrangements for strings based on well-known hymns.

Volume 2: SUNG WORSHIP SERVICES: All the sung worship orders for holy communion and Services of the Word, ready for musicians to play on organ, keyboard, piano or guitar.

Volume 3: PSALM SETTINGS: Music settings of the book of Psalms. The selection of psalm texts has been based on the requirements of the Revised Common Lectionary. A revised edition with added guitar chords was released in 2022.

Volume 4: SONGS OF THE CHURCH – ADVENT, CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY: Published last year, this collection features hymns and songs from the broader ecumenical tradition, as well as familiar favourites with refreshed arrangements. It is available as a spiral-bound musician’s book or an e-book, and individual songs are also available for digital download.

All four volumes are available from Australian Christian Resources (www.shopacr.com.au).

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Assisting a neighbour in crisis

Crisis assistance, which is sometimes referred to as emergency relief, is the provision of material aid to a person, couple, family, or community in immediate need. It may also include a referral to other specialist community services, such as personal or financial counselling.

There are many reasons people need crisis assistance. These may include a sudden reduction in income, gambling issues, financial management problems, loneliness, the death of a loved one, relationship breakdown, domestic violence, drugs, illness, isolation, inherited debt, a major appliance failure, or having a wallet or purse stolen. These situations and others can cause financial as well as emotional distress.

Large increases in living costs and the requirements placed on refugees who are on bridging visas have continued to bring more people through the doors of our churches and agencies in search of help.

A report by the Australian Council of Social Service indicates that those at greatest risk are unemployed people, children in sole-parent families and people whose main income is from social security payments. In 2020, approximately 3.24 million people lived in poverty in Australia (of which 774,000 were children and 424,800 were young people).

WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP?

How can my congregation provide crisis assistance? When a neighbour comes knocking is a resource to help you get started. It offers guidelines for establishing crisis assistance and ideas for a typical food parcel. It also provides suggestions for managing risks associated with confidentiality, negative behaviour, referrals to services and more.

God has given us all many talents and gifts to use to his glory. One of the gifts we possess is the gift of giving itself, without expecting anything in return. May God bless you as you show hospitality to strangers, speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, and defend the rights of the poor and needy (Hebrews 13:2; Proverbs 31:8,9).

You can download the When a neighbour comes knocking resource from www.lca.org.au/events-training-resources

Tania Nelson – Executive Officer – Local Mission

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