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Life, logic and the light of the Word

by Kimberley Pfeiffer

We have learnt so much about human life through scientific advancement. By the study of science, we observe life and death, health and disease, growth and decay.

Scientists have crafted theses, methodically tested them, weighed theory against theory, and settled old contentions and created new ones, all in an attempt to gain understanding and develop the body of knowledge that informs the human sciences.

We use this knowledge to develop medicines and technologies to help the sick, find cures, to fight diseases, to improve surgeries, and promote the health of communities. We have lowered infant, childhood and maternal mortality rates, and reduced death rates from communicable diseases and illness from infections. More people are surviving cancers and living longer.

It is good to give God thanks for scientific and technological advances because we benefit from them whether we are aware of it or not.

Yet it is wise to remember that science cannot provide itself with a moral compass to govern experimentation and regulate the way we use technology.

The very same ultrasound used to confirm early life in the womb can be used to guide a needle aimed at ending the life of the unborn. Experimentation can help us develop cures and treatments, but scientific progress does not justify any and every experiment. We only need to be reminded about the torture of concentration camp prisoners in the name of scientific progress during World War II to find a sober mind about these things.

Science and technology cannot ask questions or make choices about how we value human life or what is good medicine. These are not scientific questions. These are questions of ethics: what is good, right, responsible, just, beneficent and non-maleficent. The answers to these questions are informed by so much more than science. That is where our faith comes in.

In the New Testament God reveals to us how we should understand life at the deepest level, which is always in relation to God and, even more specifically, in relation to Jesus. The book of John begins by referring to the ‘beginning’, before the creation of the world. It reads, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made’
(John 1:1–2).

‘Word’ in Greek is ‘logos’, from which we derive the word ‘logic’ and the suffix ‘-ology’, which refers to reason, study and pursuit of meaning. In health sciences we recognise these in the academic disciplines such as biology, pathology, immunology, physiology, and so on.

The object of our study is creation already in existence and, in our study, we expect to find meaning and gain understanding. So in the study of all things ‘created’ – all those ‘-ologies’ – we are seeking a logic that points to truth.

The John text continues, ‘In him was life, and the life was the light of men’ (John 1:4). As we pursue this deeper meaning and truth, the illumination we seek comes from God himself. He sends the light into our darkness and gives the true wisdom from above to weave throughout our scientific endeavours.

So what light does this shed on human life? True life is from him, the Word, and through him and in him. This points us to the truest and deepest sense of what human life is and what it means: its origin, purpose and goal. It is something science can never measure, but needs to be revealed to us by God. It’s this fundamental Christian truth that informs so much of how Christians will answer those deeper ethical questions associated with science and technology.

Of course, those very questions can still be perplexing and difficult. This is in no small part because life as we experience it in this world is terribly broken because of sin.

This is where God’s revelation is even more important. Incredibly, Jesus Christ, this Word from which all life came, took on our very human life to redeem and make it new. ‘The word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14). True human life not only comes from him, but because of his incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension, true human life also finds its purpose and goal in him.

Kimberley Pfeiffer is the editor of the Lutherans for Life publication Life News and is a member of the LCA’s Commission on Social and Bioethical Questions. She says she became interested in ‘life’ from a biological, philosophical and theological perspective ‘after spending far too much time studying disease and death’ while majoring in Pathology at the University of Adelaide. She currently works part-time as a Support Officer in the LCA Reconciliation Ministry office.

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Jesus wants you for a sunbeam

Going GREYT!
by Helen Beringen

Shining God’s light into the world can happen wherever you may be, whatever your skills, and whenever you least expect it.

It may take years to see where God is calling you, where God wants you to shine his light. In the case of Sunshine Coast retiree Arthur Hall, it was a 62-year long journey that began when he was a nine-year-old boy. It was 1956 when his family moved to the Papua New Guinean paradise of Rabaul, a township on the island of New Britain. Arthur’s father was posted to Papua New Guinea (PNG) as a magistrate, serving in a country that was a mandated territory of Australia until 1975.

Arthur fell in love with the place, enjoying an idyllic childhood of freedom, canoeing and fishing for tuna and red emperor near the wharves in the town’s renowned harbour, and also out from nearby Matupi Island, where his dad had some local friends. ‘It was a wonderful place to grow up’, Arthur reminisces.

He returned to Australia for his secondary schooling, as a boarder at Brisbane’s
St Peter’s Lutheran College, Indooroopilly, which set a foundation for his Christian faith journey.

After school, Arthur remained in Australia, developing a career at the now-defunct Ansett Airlines as a customer services officer.

However, who would have imagined that his childhood connection to PNG would lead Arthur, now aged 73, to accept an opportunity to share his God-given talents in the country of his youth? It was a notice in the LCA International Mission publication Border Crossings in late 2016 and early 2017 that kept niggling at him. The notice called for a volunteer to help train volunteers for the Lutheran radio station in Lae, PNG. Fortuitously, Arthur had spent the past 30 years producing and hosting Christian radio programs on Caboolture Community radio station 101.5, in Queensland, as a volunteer!

This experience provided his mission opportunity in November 2017, when Arthur travelled to Lae in PNG for two weeks to lead staff training sessions at the Lutheran radio facility located at the Martin Luther Seminary.

Through Kristen Radio 89.1, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea is ‘the voice of the gospel’ in Lae, shining the Christian message to the people of Morobe Province.

Arthur’s volunteer trip included supporting a weekend conference for new recruits and training up the local volunteers to develop their broadcasting skills. ‘What
a privilege it has been for me to be able to serve God and the people involved with the radio program at the communications centre at Martin Luther Seminary at Lae’, he says.

Arthur was supported to undertake the mission trip by the prayers and financial support of the Lutheran congregation of St Paul’s at Caboolture, for which he is greatly appreciative.

When asked if he has another broadcast training trip in him, Arthur says, ‘We’ll see where the Lord leads’.

‘It comes back to knowing that all things are possible through him’, he says. ‘Frequently I didn’t appreciate it at times when I was younger, but now I’m getting long in the tooth, I realise it more than ever.’

In Going GREYT! we feature stories of some of our ‘more experienced’ people within the LCA, who have been called to make a positive contribution in their retirement. We pray their examples of service will be an inspiration and encouragement to us all as we look to be Christ’s hands and feet wherever we are, with whatever gifts and opportunities we’ve been given.

Helen Beringen is a Townsville-based communications advisor who has been richly blessed through a career as a wordsmith. She is inspired by the many GREYT people who serve tirelessly and modestly in our community. She hopes by sharing stories of how God shines his light through them, others will be inspired to share his light in the world.

Know of any other GREYT stories in your local community? Email the editor lisa.mcintosh@lca.org.au

Your chance to volunteer in mission
If you are interested in volunteering in international mission, serving in practical ways, teaching English, teaching in the seminaries and institutions of our partner churches, or in local churches, contact LCA International Mission Program Officer for Volunteers, Nevin Nitschke on 08 8267 7300 or email nevin.nitschke@lca.org.au
For more information, go to the LCA International Mission website.

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LCA youth have their say

Grow Ministries invited young people in the LCA from across Australia and New Zealand to learn more about and share their voices on issues that our church is facing prior to the 2018 National Convention of Synod.

NYF18 – or National Youth Forum 2018 – drew 27 participants to South Australia over three days in April. Held at Australian Lutheran College (ALC) in North Adelaide, the weekend has been deemed a huge success.

NYF18 was supported by the team from Grow Ministries, staff of ALC and the LCA, Lutherans for Life representatives and participants of the 2017 Grow Leadership Program.

Here is a snapshot of the weekend …

WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT THE YOUTH FORUM?
‘The feeling of not being alone as a Christian, there are many young people out there also a part of the Lutheran church.’ – Meg

‘The sense of community made by the participants and mentors.’ – Matthew

‘Getting to know other Lutherans my age and learning about the Lutheran church.’ – Zac

‘Time talking about and learning about contentious issues that we probably don’t talk about enough. The relevance and applicability to everyday life also.’ – Chloe

‘Hearing from pastors who know their stuff.’ – Tom

WHAT DID YOU LEARN AT NYF18?
‘To respect different viewpoints and remember the essentials.’ – Tom

‘To be more willing to engage with other congregational members about theology and the history of the church. NYF was also a good reminder about the importance of intergenerational discussion and relationships.’ – Chloe

‘I’d come into the weekend feeling quite disappointed by my congregation’s [lack of] support of young adults – now I’m really encouraged to help change that.’ – Lachlan

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT SERVING IN THE WIDER LCA?
YES 91.3%

HAS THIS WEEKEND INSPIRED YOU TO SUPPORT YOUR OWN CONGREGATION?
YES 79.17%
NO 0%
NOT SURE 20.83%

NYF18 was made possible by the generous support of the LCA’s 50.500 faith.freedom.future initiative for this synodical period to celebrate, to commemorate, and to focus on the church that God is building.

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Slow down to shape our shared future

by Andrea Mason

I grew up in Kalgoorlie in Western Australia and went to school there in my early years. I then moved to Adelaide and did my high schooling there – I spent about 20 years living in Adelaide.

After school I did a degree in Aboriginal Affairs and Public Administration, then I worked for about 10 years in the South Australian public service. Most of my work was around Indigenous empowerment – housing, employment, career development. In 1999 I went back to university to study law, before working in the South Australian parliament with Family First from 2003.

I left in 2005 to work in the Commonwealth public service in Canberra, and had a stint with Reconciliation Australia. I visited Alice Springs in 2008 as part of a work trip and I realised that this was where I was meant to be.

I’d always wanted to work in the bush and to work with my family in Central Australia – even though I didn’t know what the job was going to be, my part was to gather the skills and knowledge so that I could step into the opportunity when the door opened. Fortunately, NPY Women’s Council – a member-led, tri-state organisation formed by the Aboriginal women of the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Lands in the cross border region of Western Australia, South Australia, and Northern Territory – offered me a position.

I moved to Alice Springs in 2008 and started attending the Lutheran church the following year. I wanted to be closer to hearing Aboriginal languages and be part of a community where that was encouraged.

I wanted to be somewhere where we were all attending that service together and sharing that diversity.

I think the one thing that really struck me right from the beginning was the foundation stone of the Lutheran faith, which is the message of grace. In my spiritual life, it’s what I treasure most.

There is a phrase that helps to unpack the differences between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal culture. It’s said that Aboriginal people are driven by who they are and non-Aboriginal people are driven by what they do.

So Aboriginal people are focused on the being; non-Aboriginal people are often focused on the doing. I acknowledge here that while this is a general statement of the distinction between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, it is also a great starting point to discuss strengths and challenges, including how by being in a diverse community it can help members through genuine relationships smooth out corners and rough edges. So there is a huge value within the Aboriginal community on being present, of listening and of hearing, and of just slowing down, and understanding what matters. There’s also a value in non-Aboriginal people being present to be mentors, teachers and supporters and being willing to share their understanding of different aspects of life, including how they slow down and are present.

But for that to happen, we’ve got to be doing life at the same pace and sometimes the pace of non-Aboriginal people is not the pace of Aboriginal people. For those who do slow down, or for those who speed up, to be at the same pace, there is an amazing synergy that can happen – so one plus one equals three. In other words, we achieve more together than we can on our own.

I have been the beneficiary of that synergy as I have slowed down and spent time with senior Aboriginal women. I’ve become much more of a connected person in listening to and hearing people.

So, what is our place now as Lutherans? Where do we want our future to be? These are quite big questions.

Perhaps we just need people to slow down and, rather than deciding to do things by a certain time, let’s just make sure we speak to everyone who’s got a real interest in where we’re heading.

Aboriginal Lutherans want the opportunity to think about these complex questions and be given the time to do it.

My personal leadership motivation is always towards working with people to create a better community.

Where are Lutherans in this discussion? There are close to 6000 Aboriginal Lutheran Christians in Central Australia, so more Aboriginal than non-Aboriginal Lutherans. Is this an army to do much good or a faith community to serve? Can we have both? How do we fire up both areas?

Should there be plans in place to have greater numbers of Aboriginal Lutherans completing high school, qualifying for a trade certificate and graduating from university?

In our community we would benefit from Lutherans in greater numbers sitting on boards and councils, becoming teachers, rangers, police officers, office administrators, health practitioners and mental health workers. And in family life, having strong marriages and families, inclusive of young men experiencing older men showing them the way, are worthy goals to pursue. In church life, we could consider how many people should there be in ministry, and so on.

I think these questions are critical. Ideally, we as Lutherans should be able to articulate our collective vision and how this connects to the church, the community, to family life and at an individual level.

Our Australian Lutheran story has chapters on how grace and faith entered the lives of Aboriginal people in Central Australia and these chapters have many stories of friendship and companionship.

I believe we are now poised to write new chapters telling the story of how we are relevant to sustaining the spiritual, community and civic life of Lutherans in the 21st century.

The opportunity to live this is in our hands.

Andrea Mason has been the Chief Executive Officer of the NPY Women’s Council, since 2009. She is co-chair for both the Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council and for the Empowered Communities NPY Region. Empowered Communities is driving a national reform agenda, Indigenous empowerment is at the centre of it.

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Hearing Indigenous voices

by Neville Otto

At the 2015 General Convention of Synod, the LCA launched 50.500 as a mechanism to recognise the church’s 50th birthday in 2016 and the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, and to undertake future seed projects.
One seed project identified by Bishop John Henderson was ‘Hearing the Indigenous Voice’.

A small project team was formed to consider how best the LCA could hear voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our church. The 50.500 committee knew of businesses, schools, community groups and health care providers, which had adopted a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). RAPs provide a good framework for practical plans built on relationships, respect and opportunities.

From 2016 to 2018 we have been conducting research and holding consultations with Aboriginal and church leaders to understand the best way forward. The committee decided to explore the possibility of developing a RAP between 2017 and 2020. The consultations were pivotal in informing our approach. A draft RAP Project Plan was then prepared, which outlined objectives, including:
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are an integral part of the development of the RAP
• The LCA hears and listens to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through quality community engagement

A Reconciliation Action Plan will provide a framework for the LCA to realise its vision for hearing, recognising and supporting Aboriginal people. It will help us deliver broader outcomes, including:
• Providing the opportunity for more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to give leadership and contribute to decisions concerning mission and ministry
• Ensuring appropriate representation in churchwide and local decision-making bodies
• Support non-Aboriginal people in the LCA to gain insight into what is important to Aboriginal people.

In late 2017, the RAP project team began consulting Lutheran Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in South Australia’s West Coast (including Ceduna, pictured), Central Australia and Far North Queensland. We trust we are beginning to form relationships with people as we begin to hear their stories, needs, hopes and goals.

With Synod’s support we will take the next steps, including establishing a working group, most or all of whom will be Aboriginal people. To our knowledge this will be the first national church RAP.

We believe this work will provide a genuine tool to enable hearing the voices of Aboriginal people, engage in sensitive and appropriate dialogue, and encourage and facilitate Aboriginal people to lead, guide and serve in the LCA and the wider Australian community.

Pastor Neville Otto is 50.500 Committee Chair and the LCA’s Secretary of the Church.

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Life in a northern church

Hope Vale on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland was established as a Lutheran mission in 1949. St John’s Lutheran Church Hope Vale is part of a parish with worship communities at Wujal Wujal to the south and Coen to the north, and is served by Pastor David Spanagel. We put the same five questions to five people from Hope Vale, who have generously shared their views on what it’s like to be an Aboriginal person in one of the most remote congregations of the LCA.

Carmen Pearson, 36
Language group: Guugu Yimidhirr

1. What’s your background in the church?
My parents and grandparents took me to church and I was baptised and confirmed. I went away for school to Peace Lutheran College in Cairns, which changed me a lot – mainly in my Christianity, respecting people and building faith.
2. What is it like to be an Aboriginal person in the LCA?
When I go to church, all my troubles are gone. You are there to praise God. You don’t see the differences with other people, and you try not to judge.
3. Are things improving or getting worse as far as having Indigenous voices heard?
It has improved but could be better with young generations. We could go out into the community and have discussions, and get the message out that way.
4. What is the most important thing that non-Indigenous Lutherans can learn from Indigenous Lutherans?
Sharing stories and culture.
5. What should the church do to better hear Indigenous voices in our midst?
Listening to stories and acknowledging Indigenous ways, culture and lifestyle.

Jahvarne Pearson, 22
Language group: Guugu Yimidhirr

1. I’ve been baptised and confirmed at Hope Vale. I used to go to Bible study but I don’t go to church a lot now. I only go when there’s baptisms or someone passes.
2. It’s a caring environment. But not a lot of people go to church now, or not as much as they used to. I think the older ones who have passed had a big thing to do with people going to church more often.
3. I think it’s pretty equal. I haven’t felt discriminated against in church.
4. You’ve got to look after your own family.
5. They actually sing some songs in our language, so it’s pretty fair here. They probably need something to brighten it up a little, maybe a band, or some jazz.

Bruce Gibson, 49
Language group: Guugu Yimidhirr

1. I was dragged to church by my grandparents and parents, and I went to boarding school at St Peter’s Lutheran College in Brisbane. Then I worked out west and there were no churches. I was physically disconnected from church,
not spiritually disconnected. But when I came back home, I came back to church to give my sons the upbringing I’ve had.
2. Since I’ve been back to church, my life has gone ahead in leaps and bounds. But I see the difficulties of reigniting the congregation to be part of the church and trying to get people back to church. The younger generation are not attracted to the old hymns, so maybe we need to change the packaging. Also trying to keep the church financially afloat is a challenge.
3. I feel we’re perhaps not being included; they want us to be part of the offering but not so much part of the blessings.
4. It doesn’t matter what colour you are or what background you have – we are still all Lutherans and we’re equal.
5. Find a strategic way to support Aboriginal congregations, because we have to share our pastor without financial backing. Let’s look at how church is delivered in Brisbane. What makes it attractive to younger generations? That’s probably the sort of support we need.

Esmae Bowen, 62
Language group: KuKu Thaypan

1. I was born in Hope Vale and brought up in the church. I went to school at Alma Park in New South Wales when I was seven through the Lutheran church – we were fostered out.
2. I experienced racism as a child and young person. Sometimes people would say, ‘You’re too dark, you should scrub up’. And then as a little child you grow up feeling no good as a person.
3. We’re equal now. Some people in the church who came through here didn’t treat Aboriginal people equally. It’s better now.
4. At the end of the day, the pastors are only the shepherds; the word is the important thing. Even if you’re Catholic, we were made by the one maker.
5. Now we’re not having black pastors coming through from our community. The invitation is there but I think some of the people still feel like they’re in the back, how we were treated in the first place.

Victor Gibson, 64
Language group: Father’s language group is Bulam and mother’s is Bindii Warra.

1. I’ve been going there all my life, my mum and dad and grandparents went there; I was baptised and confirmed there.
2. My teaching from my parents and my grandparents was that the Lutheran church was a cornerstone for our community. These days you probably don’t see many people in church but they always learnt the Lutheran faith.
3. The belief of the people in the church has got stronger in my lifetime. The worst thing that happened before, was people who sinned being asked by the church to do public forgivenesses in front of everybody. People are treated more equally now.
4. Maybe they can learn a bit of [Aboriginal] language; the elderly people would teach them languages – that would be good.
5. The church elders and the pastors could do home visits and talk to families. That might start getting people engaged. Having young Aboriginal men becoming pastors should be more encouraged by the whole church.

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Supporting families … what can we do as church?

by Lyn Roehrs and Lyn Benger

What can we do as church to support families living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

Every day, every hour, ASD families are trying to find ways to provide an environment in which their children can function and flourish. Now let’s think about one of these families planning to come to church and look at some of the issues they may be facing:
• This is not the regular school/kindy routine and the whole family needs to get ready
• They have to wear different clothes and it’s a different time of day
• There may be battles over breakfast and over what they can take with them to church. ‘No, not your 50 cars or a tub of Lego.’
• When finally in the car … is the seatbelt on? Do they feel squashed in? Are they squabbling with their siblings in the back seat?

When they arrive at church, what does the child who has sensory issues face?

• Unfamiliar surroundings
• Being greeted by an unfamiliar person
• Lots of strangers crowded around
• Handshakes or hugs – ugh!
• Strong smells from perfume, hairspray or flowers
• Loud music and bright lights

The child may well think, ‘And you expect me to sit still and be quiet in church? But I need to wiggle/make loud noises/fidget/move about … and I can’t cope with that music, those lights and people so close to me. Help! Get me out of here!’

A meltdown is on the way as the child is overloaded with sensory stimulation. How does the congregation react? Do members criticise parents for their ‘lack of discipline’, ignore or even exclude the family?

The family makes a hasty retreat. The parents and siblings miss worshipping with their church family, the social contacts, support and understanding, just when they need it most. Will that family return to church – or is it just too difficult? At The Ark at Salisbury Lutheran Church, we pondered this problem and came up with ways to make our church more inviting for our families and visitors with children with sensory issues.

We applied for and received a mission stimulus grant from the LCA to fund projects to support families living with ASD. These included upgrading the church welcome area, creating a sensory area, providing some education for members, including hosting a workshop, and staging a ‘Purple Picnic’ for families in support of autism awareness.

We refurbished the foyer with two areas, as some of the children prefer isolated play. We also provided comfortable seating for the families, including lounges, beanbags, cushions and a swivel egg chair. We purchased squishy fiddle toys and placed them in drawstring bags, and bought some weighted stuffed animals and wiggle cushions from online suppliers. We also purchased several headsets that were very helpful in filtering out noise.

On Pinterest we discovered a variety of easy-to-make ideas for sensory toys, such as gel pads, sensory/calm-down bottles, mazes and weighted cushions. We also bought cheap waterwheel toys and church members made some puzzle cubes. Even a bundle of colourful pipe-cleaners can be twisted, curled and joined to keep young hands busy.

We were careful not to purchase any items with small parts that could become a choking hazard. The toys are regularly disinfected or washed, and checked for safety. The items are placed in one area of the foyer but are available for all families to use. Many families are taking them into the church with their children rather than staying in the foyer, which is wonderful.

We also put posters around to help other members of the congregation understand why we have those things in the sensory area. And one of the children got up in front of the church to explain why he chose the items he did and what they did for him.

We also have a library of books available for our congregation, as part of the ASD education and awareness process. Members have become aware of the challenges that these children have, what the sensory issues are, and what is in place to help them.

We also have two groups that meet regularly, offering an outlet for families with children on the spectrum.

Volunteers are an integral part of the programs and groups we run to support families – from creative input for the sensory area, to staffing the crèche, providing meals and helping in the kitchen – we couldn’t do without them.

We’re all learning as we go along. We just want to continue to see where God leads us. Because he’s led us big time in this.

Lyn Roehrs is a member at The Ark at Salisbury Lutheran Church. She has been a part of planning and introducing its programs, groups and facilities aimed at making the church more inviting for families living with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other sensory issues.

Lyn Benger is Care and Connections Coordinator at The Ark.

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Renewal takes courage and imagination – is the LCA ready?

by Tania Nelson

The Lutheran Church of Australia is 50 years young and she has plenty to celebrate.

We can look back on our church’s history and see the hand of God in myriad places. From the growth of Lutheran schooling in Australia, to the establishment of lay ministries in aged care and community services; from the birth of congregations among new housing estates, to the many and varied ways we have served our nearby and distant neighbours, the LCA has many reasons to thank God for his bounty and goodness.

The Lutheran Church of Australia is 50 years old and she has much to reflect on.

We are a mature church with a fine theological institution that has trained and formed dedicated and faithful pastors, teachers and lay workers.

We are both a rural church and an urban church.

We’re a church that prides itself on its theology, and have been a church largely reticent to engage in social and political issues, such as injustice, poverty, violence, immigration and our impact on climate.

In human terms, the Lutheran Church of Australia is middle-aged, proud of its past and looking forward to what God has in store as we continue to mature.

So, as we look forward and seek to do the Father’s will, are we longing to age graciously with grace-filled lives, or will we retreat to safe ways of living, set in our ways? Is the LCA on the brink of missional renewal or on a path to slow decay from a lack of imagination?

There are many signs that the LCA is on the brink of missional renewal.

Many congregations are seeking to be places where families and young people are nourished. Their spiritual practices are intergenerational, and they recognise the importance of faith formation in the home, and the development of loving mentoring relationships. Other congregations have embraced cultural diversity, while still others use media to reach a networked generation, which may not connect in a geographic location.

The LCA also plans to plant 30 congregations in 10 years. These signs of renewal tell us that the Spirit is active as we strive to ‘develop a missional culture where individuals, families and communities are inspired, passionate and active in sharing the gospel in word and action’, as in the LCA Strategic Direction 2013-2018.

As we grow and mature, what are the next steps on the journey to be renewed in mission? I would argue they require courage – also known as trust in God – and a missional imagination – or an openness to where the Spirit leads.

Have we the courage and imagination to grasp that congregations can look and feel vastly different from each other and still be following the risen Christ? Can we imagine congregations shepherded by leaders who may not have received full pastoral ministry training, but who faithfully enter into a co-learning journey of discipleship? And are we ready to foster a life-enabling, grace-filled, permission-giving culture that discerns what the Spirit is doing in our midst and joins in?

LCA congregations already have exciting diversity in outward practices while firmly based on the Three Solas (Scripture alone, by faith alone, by grace alone).

Embracing diversity, as opposed to ensuring uniformity, is a sign of missional renewal.

Dr Tania Nelson is the LCA’s Executive Officer – Local Mission.

The LCA’s church planting plan is at www.lca.org.au/new-churches in the booklet Church Planting: Plant Water Grow.

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Biggest challenge our greatest joy

by Kirra Lewis

We suspected early on that Asher’s development was progressing differently to that of his brother and peers. After months of questioning our parenting, we sought a diagnosis. What was then called ‘Asperger’s Syndrome’ (now diagnostically referred to as ‘autism’) was confirmed when he was three.

In the early years, Asher struggled with anxiety, meltdowns, misunderstandings, sleep disturbance and disruption to routines. Life was complicated and perplexing. In his world, shoes made his feet scream, tags on clothing were like mosquitoes biting and bright lights hurt his eyes. Raised eyebrows were confusing.

These days, Asher’s feet still scream but he has learned to manage the sensation. At school, he does very well in the classroom with its clear rules and routines. But the playground is a jungle of unpredictability, filled with loud noises, strong facial expressions and bizarre social rituals. What we find easy, even fun, for Asher can be torturous and exhausting.

The early years were tough. But as we’ve all grown and matured, Asher too has grown to become absolute colour and life to our family. He has wisdom. He has insight. He’s funny. He knows who he is and how he is wired. He looks at us ‘neurotypicals’ and thinks we’re weird in the way we think – and maybe he’s right! There is such beauty in autism. It reminds you that there is more than one way to approach things. Order, routine and predictability have their place. So, while parenting can be a hard slog, there is so much to learn and gain through the process.

As soon as Asher was diagnosed, we were galvanised into action. As limiting and destructive as labels can be, this label provided much-needed answers. We figured out which therapists and support services we needed and got to work.

It has really helped him to see a psychologist, working on emotional awareness and regulation – getting Asher’s ‘engine’ to run not-too-fast and not-too-slow. Occupational therapy helped with everyday skills, like putting shoes on those screaming feet, gripping a pen or getting into a swimming pool. And there was speech therapy, social skills groups, sensory programs, and the list goes on.

Of course, this has an impact on family time with our other children and as a couple, and really stretched our capacity to cope. There were times I parented out of frustration and exhaustion, as opposed to being the Pinterest mum I really wanted to be! Those times taught us about forgiveness, as I needed to seek my children’s absolution as well.

Having autism in the family also affects siblings. Elijah just wanted a traditional brother who would kick the footy with him and run barefoot in the backyard. As the eldest, he often carried the burden of being the one to compromise to help Asher navigate his world. Our youngest, Aliya, naturally fell into the role of nurturer and social worker. From a very young age, she would alter her play expectations and needs to accommodate Asher.

We also learnt that therapists and counsellors weren’t just for Asher. Each of our children have benefitted from processing their experiences with a professional, as have Rowan, and I. Having a child with additional needs can add pressure to a marriage. In the harder years, with a pre-schooler, a baby and Asher in-between, nothing was ever easy or uncomplicated. If someone had told me everything would be okay, I wouldn’t have believed them!

Today I am astounded by Asher’s maturity, creativity, and his capacity to cope and understand the world.

A ‘product’ of Lutheran congregations in Melbourne’s east, Kirra Lewis is Community Education Officer for Australian Lutheran World Service.

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Living with autism

by Lisa McIntosh

Like many 16-year-old boys, Geordie Mills loves playing video games – especially sci-fi ones. In Year 11 at Golden Grove High School in Adelaide’s north-eastern suburbs, he really enjoys drama lessons – especially the chance to act and ‘make fun of himself’ on stage.

Another favourite is IT classes. ‘It’s fascinating for me learning how big things are’, says Geordie, who with his family is a member at Golden Grove Lutheran Church. ‘For instance, we were learning about the internet one day and it was so interesting to learn how the internet actually works and how vast it is.’

He hopes to join the Royal Australian Air Force as a Communications and Information Systems Controller when he leaves school. For now, he is a member of Australian Air Force Cadets and recently passed a leadership course with flying colours.

‘Cadets is probably the most favourite of all things I do outside of school’, Geordie, whose mum Elizabeth Mills works in administration for the Air Force, says. ‘I like the military side, like when you’re out bush and you’re sneaking around behind people. That’s the fun part about cadets, all the chaos. I ended up having to dolphin dive over somebody. It’s heaps of fun.’

Readily admitting that he has regular arguments with his younger sister, Amelia, who’s 9, Geordie seems typical of high-achieving, active teens.

But, along with what for most people is the toughest part of high school, and dealing with all the usual pressures of being 16, he has the added challenge of living with Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s falls within the autism spectrum as a subtype and is a condition that affects the way people communicate and relate to others.

Currently, there is no single known cause of autism or Asperger’s. It is estimated that there are 52 million people on the autism spectrum worldwide.

For Geordie, one of the most difficult things about living with autism is struggling to ensure other people understand him – and for him to understand others as well.

‘It does make me frustrated’, he says. ‘I am definitely frustrated especially when I have “complicated” days. But I just keep pushing on, to be honest.’

When he has a ‘complicated day’, Geordie says playing video games is probably the best way to feel better. ‘I just shut myself off from the rest of the world’, he says.

‘Getting older it’s easier to recognise when I’m having a complicated day. But when I’m around my sister (who is also on the autism spectrum), I can’t back down from an argument or when things do get complicated. But I know when to avoid my friends, when they’re in a mood where they reckon they’re joking but I don’t want to be around them.’

Living with autism also can make being involved in the things he loves doing stressful for Geordie.

‘I’m constantly stressing out about cadets but I still enjoy it’, he says. ‘Actually it’s the fear of being wrong and getting in trouble.’ Geordie also thinks it would help for those he encounters at cadets to have a greater awareness about autism to go with the medical condition identification tag he wears.

And while he enjoys having a mum in the defence forces, he hasn’t thrived on the associated moves that can go along with the job – from Wagga Wagga in the New South Wales Riverina, to Newcastle in the same state’s Hunter region, then to Adelaide.

‘Having an insight into the military is definitely helpful’, he says. ‘I plan to get into the military and mum’s just loaded with information that I can ask. But I don’t like moving because then I have to make new friends and I’m not very good at making new friends.’

Geordie was diagnosed with Asperger’s at around seven years of age. He has recognised in the years since that he has been treated differently from other people at times. And, naturally, that’s pretty hard to take.

‘People don’t really want to approach me’, he says. ‘I get looked at funny. To be honest, it makes me feel depressed. Those moments when you have awkward conversations, I hate it. It feels like I can’t talk to anyone about my problems.’

What would he most like people who don’t live with autism to understand about it? ‘To be understanding’, he says, ‘to try to understand what I’m trying to say. That’s the worst thing, when I’m trying to explain something to someone and it’s difficult, I have no words to explain it.’

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