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311

Spring in their steps and love in their hearts!

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Along with being the first month of spring in the southern hemisphere, September is a huge month for Walk My Way, which supports refugee children to go to school through Australian Lutheran World Service.

Walk My Way group events are being held in at least four states and territories of Australia this month featuring the community of Tatachilla Lutheran College, south of Adelaide; at Caboolture, north of Brisbane, which will bring together the combined Lutheran ministries there; west of the Queensland capital at Concordia Lutheran College, Toowoomba; in South Australia’s Barossa Valley, organised by Good Shepherd Lutheran School at Angaston; in Darwin among the community of Good Shepherd Lutheran College; and in the New South Wales Riverina organised by St Paul’s Lutheran College at Walla Walla.

Each of these walks is tailored to its community. Some participants will walk around school ovals, others will trek between school campuses, some will walk past and through local Lutheran services, and others will tackle walking trails in a nearby forest region.

WALKS HAVE COME A LONG WAY – LITERALLY

From one ‘little walk’ of 26 kilometres in the Adelaide Hills in 2017 to more than 30 walks of varying distances around Australia in 2021, Walk My Way continues to inspire people to change lives.

Walk My Way is part of The GRACE Project, which has helped more than 62,500 refugee children to go to school since 2019. So, while the location and distance of every Walk My Way may vary, the heart behind it remains supporting education and opportunity for these precious kids.

Another blessing is the way the walks build community. ALWS representatives say they repeatedly hear how Walk My Way has bought people together – across generations and differing abilities.

‘THE WAY OF LOVE AND COMPASSION’

Pastor Dean Zweck has taken part in every Walk My Way in the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley since 2017. He says he keeps participating ‘because it is an ongoing way of walking alongside those who tread the path of poverty and want and supporting them on their journey’. ‘Jesus calls us to Walk his Way, the way of love and compassion. Walk My Way is an invitation to respond to Jesus by walking alongside those whose need calls out to us.’

MORE CHANCES TO JOIN IN

Lutheran schools will host a Walk My Way in which anyone can take part at Victor Harbor, South Australia, on Friday 21 October. You can also register to walk on your own at any time, anywhere, arrange a walk with family or friends or organise a walk where you live for your church, school, group, or local community. And, of course, you can visit the website below and donate and sponsor others who take part. Just $26 helps to support schooling for a refugee child for a year. For all the details, visit the website at www.walkmyway.org.au or email walkmyway@alws.org.au

312

And then there were eight!

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by Joel Pukallus

There were seven young people enrolled in the year-long confirmation class at St Mark’s Lutheran Church Dalby in Queensland’s Western Downs region when it began in mid-2021.

The congregation’s confirmation team of five members ranging in age from 24 to 80 had decided to use Grow Ministries’ Grow Disciples material for the course. The team allocated a mostly unused choir loft to the confirmation class, furnishing the area with beanbags, ottomans and couch cushions, and encouraging the young people to make it their space. Instead of a whiteboard, the confirmees could use window chalk pens on the windows upstairs.

After a short course of first communion study, the young people were admitted to the sacrament of the altar. The next week, one of the confirmees brought his friend Ben along to worship. Ben sat in on the confirmation class. He came back every week after that and, after a few months, shared that he believed in what we were teaching and would like to be confirmed with the class.

We spoke with Ben about baptism and holy communion and decided that it would all happen for him on the day of confirmation.

So, on Pentecost Sunday this year, Ben was baptised and then the eight young people were confirmed. Queensland District Bishop Mark Vainikka shared a pre-recorded greeting, including a special message for Ben. This was a special moment for each of the confirmees.

TEENS GROW IN FAITH TOGETHER

The window chalk is still there, and we are finding it hard to want to clean it off. The young people enjoyed the course so much they have asked whether they could keep meeting after it finished and they almost all attend our fortnightly youth group.

Sadly, the eldest member of the team could not be there on confirmation day but hearing the young people’s collective disappointment that an 80-year-old man could not attend reinforced the importance of intergenerational ministry.

Other highlights of the course were sharing in the highs and lows of the teenagers’ weeks and watching them grow in their faith and discipleship. We are very thankful for the Grow Disciples material and will use it again in the future.

Pastor Joel Pukallus serves the South West Queensland Parish (Dalby Ministry Area).

NURTURING YOUNG DISCIPLES

In 2014-15 Grow Ministries conducted research specific to confirmation within the LCA. Online surveys targeted pastors and instructors of confirmation programs, parents of young people who had completed confirmation and young people who had been confirmed in the previous 10 years.

The recommendations to come from this research resulted in the Grow Disciples resource. It is designed to assist congregations in providing a clear and engaging pathway for the faith formation journey of young people which includes families and congregations. However, the book can also be used as a discipleship tool for any age and stage of the faith journey.

To find out more about Grow Disciples and its supporting curriculum and modules, go to www.growministries.org.au/grow_disciples_book

313

Tangara 2022 is out now

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The 2022 edition of Tangara – the student-produced magazine of Australian Lutheran College – is available now to order.

This year’s theme verse is 1 Corinthians 12:20 – ‘There are many parts yet one body’. This verse describes how everyone in the church plays their part in the body of Christ, whether that is a teacher, pastor, layworker, or congregational volunteer.

Inside the 2022 edition, you will find a snapshot of those studying at ALC – both online and on-campus in North Adelaide. It’s a great way of ‘meeting’ those who are training to serve you in the future.

WHAT’S INSIDE?

  • Student profiles
  • 100 years of ALC’s North Adelaide Site
  • 2021 ordination photos
  • Articles on campus life
  • Some light-hearted articles to make you chuckle

Cost: $10 per copy (including postage in Australia and New Zealand). Please email tangara@alc.edu.au to secure a copy.

314

Come in spinner!

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by Anne Hansen

The Digital Spinner is the latest resource from Lutheran Tract Mission (LTM). The spinner can be added to websites to enable online viewers to scroll through any of the 950 LTM resources.

It is a free resource from LTM and may just need help from a web designer to add it to your website. You can have the digital spinner updated at any time with any tract for any church or other season. If you are having a focus on children, Christmas or Easter, for example, you can just notify me, and I will add appropriate tracts on your site to rotate. These can then be viewed, sent to others in a free etract or ordered as printed tracts.

CUT THROUGH WITH THE GOSPEL

Within many church websites there often are a large number of notices, activities and information to share – so much so that we sometimes lose sight of presenting the gospel and having that displayed prominently.

Through our digital spinner, you can be bold in presenting the gospel through the tracts you choose. On your congregational website, you may wish to focus on baptism – choose some tracts for your members to then read through for more information. On a school website, you may wish to advertise grandparents’ day – why not have a few tracts rotating thanking God for grandparents? For an aged-care website, you may wish to have some well-known hymns rotating or, in this time of uncertainty, some messages of hope and God’s presence. On a youth ministry website, you might choose some tracts giving encouragement and assurances of God’s love.

SHARE ANY TRACT

Any tract from LTM can be used on our digital spinner. Have a look at our website and choose ‘Find Resources’, then click on the categories you wish to view. You can also see what the digital spinner looks like on the LTM home page at www.ltm.org.au

For more information, go to www.ltm.org.au/resources/spinners or email me at anne.hansen@lll.org.au to inquire about adding the digital spinner to your website and be bold with the gospel, sharing God’s love in many ways!

Anne Hansen is Lutheran Tract Mission Development Officer.

315

Reaching New Zealand with hope

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‘Hi ya, looking for Messages of Hope on stress to distribute on campus at Massey Uni, Auckland. Are those in print? Cheers!’ – Jill

Have you checked out Messages of Hope New Zealand, like Jill has? Did you know that Messages of Hope is on the No. 1 radio station in New Zealand and many other stations?

You can check out the short messages, resources and links to the Lutheran churches in New Zealand at messagesofhope.org.nz

Follow Messages of Hope in New Zealand on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

You can also subscribe for free to a monthly email that lets you know the latest Message of Hope in New Zealand.

316

Remembering Strehlow a hundred years on

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by Pastor Neville Doecke

It would seem a rather sad occasion to spend two consecutive Sundays commemorating the death of an important person, particularly if their life was cut short at the age of only 50 years.

But that is what happened at Hermannsburg in Central Australia recently, as the community celebrated the life and work of Lutheran missionary Carl Strehlow. Carl and his wife Frieda are remembered for their service among the Western Arrarnta people of the region, and Carl’s legacy includes extensive Bible translation work and writings on First Nations languages and cultures.

Commemorative worship services on 24 and 31 July 2022 were held at two locations, one at Hermannsburg and the other 300 kilometres south-east at Horseshoe Bend on the Finke River.

The sermon text for the Hermannsburg service, Isaiah 55:8,9, was preached by Ingkaarta Neville Doecke and translated into Arrarnta by Pastor Marcus Wheeler to nearly 300 people gathered outside the Old Church at Hermannsburg. It leads us to think of God’s thoughts and plans. God’s big picture takes in more than the present. ‘All things work together for good’, as Romans 8:28 reminds us.

In 1922, Carl Strehlow died while trying to reach medical help after becoming seriously ill with dropsy. His tragic journey to Horshoe Bend, viewed 100 years later, reveals God’s ‘big picture plan’. Hermannsburg Mission did not close down. Frieda found fulfilment in six valuable years working as matron of Immanuel College. Their young son Theo grew up to follow in his father’s footsteps and continued to make huge linguistic and anthropological contributions. Most importantly, the Western Arrarnta people, led by the strong faith and commitment of ‘Blind Moses’ and other evangelists, continued to preach, teach and spread the message of God’s amazing love for his people.

The gospel message did not die with Carl Strehlow! Aboriginal pastors from all the language groups in Central Australia continue to sow the seeds of the gospel. ‘“The words I speak,” announces the Lord, “will not return to me without producing results”’ (Isaiah 55:11).

The sermon text for the Horseshoe Bend memorial is etched on the base of the cross on Carl’s grave – Hebrews 11:25,26. Sixty people travelled four hours from Alice Springs to gather in the dust and burrs at the bottom of a small hill to ponder Carl’s fateful journey and hear God tell us that his big picture plan includes two important details. For believers in Jesus, there will be hard times and suffering, but we must look ahead to the gift God has for each of us – life forever with him. The grandson of Carl and Frieda, John Strehlow, who had made his own rather difficult journey to travel from the UK to Alice Springs, unveiled a plaque to commemorate the occasion.

We praise and thank God for his big picture plan that wove together the lives of Carl, Frieda and the Western Arrarnta people for his continuing work of growing the gospel.

This story was first published on the LCA South Australia – Northern Territory District website and through Online Together eNews.

317

Lutheran choir members lend voices to TV history

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Five years after the feature documentary film The Song Keepers, which told the remarkable story of the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir, the talented group has been back in the national spotlight this year.

The choir was among performers in a TV and online rendition of the song ‘I Am Australian’, recorded for the 90th anniversary of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Made up of mostly Lutheran Indigenous women and men, the choir is a great witness for their church and their culture.

To see the ABC promo online, go to https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=410910410965125 or watch and listen to it with Pitjantjatjara lyrics, translated by Caroline Windy and Pastor Rob Borgas, at https://www.facebook.com/abc/videos/488247613102595

318

‘Money for nothing’

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The Lutheran church and college community of Rockingham Mandurah at the far southern fringe of Perth has raised more than $7000 by collecting bottles and cans for recycling.

The community signed up with the Western Australian Government initiative Containers for Change when it commenced in October 2020. Proceeds from the sale of the bottles and cans they collect are being directed to the maintenance of the chapel, which is owned by the congregation and used by both congregation and college communities.

Recycling bins are placed around the college grounds, including near the chapel and its carpark so that congregation members can easily deposit their bottles and cans on Sundays. Families, friends and neighbours of the Lutheran community are getting on board, too. They simply use the unique ID number when depositing at a recycling centre, and the payment goes directly into the Lutheran community’s bank account.

‘It’s easy, safe and efficient’, said Pastor Steve Liersch, who was a committed recycler when he was serving a congregation in the Adelaide Hills and was keen to introduce the idea to his community in Western Australia.

‘Our participation in the scheme is providing a regular income stream for us’, he said. ‘It’s taking care of the chapel maintenance budget, which is now ticking away on its own.’ So far, the congregation has been able to replace the 20-year-old carpets and blinds, and upgrade the sound system. Their next project is the renovation of the kitchen.

Pastor Liersch encourages all congregations to get on board with recycling. ‘It’s money for nothing’, he said.

There is another clear benefit in being involved in the scheme. Pastor Liersch said that students are learning the environmental benefits of recycling from an early age and can see themselves making a positive difference.

319

An adventure in sharing grace

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by Gill Stevenson

In the autumn of 2020, when COVID-19 arrived in Australia and we were all isolated at home, our whole world changed.

One morning, during my quiet time with God, I looked up to see a sudden gust of wind tear the remaining autumn leaves from a tree outside. They rained down and I thought of tears falling – tears of confusion, fear, loneliness and frustration. I thought of those, like me, who struggle with depression and anxiety and would find this extreme change a huge challenge.

God prompted me to step out in faith and ask our pastor whether I could develop a support group, using the wonderful technology of online meetings. He said, ‘Go for it!’ So, with his blessing and God’s, I did, and what an amazing adventure it has been!

I knew of several women who struggled with mental health issues, so I asked whether they were interested in forming a Zoom support group. The response was very positive. We decided on the name ‘GPS’ – or Grace Positioning Support, Grace being the name of our congregation, as well as our goal to be blessed by God’s grace in our lives.

We meet once a fortnight for 90 minutes and receive strength and blessings for our life’s journeys. We follow a structured but flexible routine of greetings, followed by a devotion on our theme for that day, sharing time, teaching time, a little humour and prayer.

Initially, I thought that the group would disband after COVID restrictions eased. But members chose to keep going as we had realised how vital it was to continue supporting each other. As one member says, ‘I look forward to the time of gentle Christian fellowship where I can be honest about my fears or concerns in a God-inspired space’.

The depth of sharing far surpassed any brief exchange on a Sunday after church. As another member says, ‘I joined and soon became comfortable sharing and feeling the trust and confidentiality within the group’.

The momentum is only gathering, the longer we get together, and we are all stronger for it. There are tears and laughter, but we encourage each other beautifully. There have been varying degrees of trauma and stress, but we have helped and prayed each other through this.

I encourage anyone who has a heart to help support others in this way to give it a go. The wounded healers are prime contenders for the role. We need to have experienced life’s challenges and pain to empathise with others who are struggling. I pray that other like-minded risk-takers are willing to take on this challenge and begin this amazing journey of discovery, healing and blessings. 

Gill Stevenson is a member of Grace Lutheran Church at Bridgewater in South Australia.

320

God’s strength provides a career in caring

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Going GREYT! 1 Peter 4:10

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.

by Helen Brinkman

Every morning when Shirley Klinge looks out of her window at the Tabeel retirement village at Laidley, she gazes at the hills at Cunninghams Gap, a pass over the Great Dividing Range connecting coastal Brisbane to the Darling Downs, in southeast Queensland.

Visible from Brisbane on a clear day, the mountains are a reminder of her favourite psalm, and the source of her strength: ‘I look unto the hills, that is where I get my strength from’ (Psalm 121).

Shirley’s home in the picturesque Lockyer Valley, nestled between the peaks of Mount Cordeaux and Mount Mitchell, is perfect for where God has placed her.

‘God’s given me gifts, so why not use them to the best of my ability?’, asks Shirley, who turns 74 this month.

So, she has done just that through a lifetime of care for the people of her community.

Shirley’s passion for caring for others has touched people through all life stages, from children as young as two, to elders as old as 108 years.

The trained nurse spent a decade from 1985 as director of nursing at Tabeel aged-care home at Laidley – in the same location where she and her husband of 52 years David have since moved into the retirement village.

She’s also run a childcare centre, worked in a hospital casualty department, been an in-home nurse, and a voluntary parish nurse, and provided chaplaincy support to the valley’s Faith Lutheran College.

‘I’ve gone where the need has been and then paid work often followed’, Shirley says.

Despite several failed attempts to retire from 2013, she is hoping her current attempt will allow her to spend more time caring for the member groups of the West Moreton Zone of Lutheran Women Queensland, of which she is president.

‘I do love my guild work, it’s women supporting women in the church’, Shirley says. ‘Until COVID hit, I visited every parish in the zone, and in August I will start again, just to let them know they are not on their own, that Lutheran Women of Queensland care for them.

‘That’s what I want retirement life to be about, but I haven’t quite found it yet.’

What she has found in her lifetime of caring is the skill and sensitivity to be a caring companion.

Since finishing work at Tabeel, Shirley has previously been called back to serve as chaplain, and now does paid relief work when the current chaplain, Pastor Noel Burton, is on leave. Shirley often also volunteers in palliative care chaplaincy in a role she finds very rewarding using her nursing skills.

‘There’s no greater privilege’, she says. ‘Many a night I have gone in to stay with them, especially ones with no family around to support them. It’s all the little things that can provide that last special touch, a back rub, sharing Bible readings and their favourite music.

‘I ask God to please give me the gifts and inspiration I need to give them what they need in their last hours.

‘To me, it’s just special. It is beautiful, peaceful, and it’s just a privilege, especially in the early hours of the morning.’

From when she was a little girl, Shirley knew she was going to be a nurse.

Born in Kingaroy, in Queensland’s South Burnett region as the second eldest of five, she grew up on a peanut farm in nearby Kumbia, before going to boarding school in Warwick.

‘When I finished school, I did dental nursing until I was old enough to do my nursing training from 1966 to 1970’, Shirley recalls.

Her future husband David, a diesel fitter, was working across the road from the hospital. They wed just after she graduated, and they moved to Mt Isa for work. That is where they had their two sons, Nigel, 50, and Nathan, 48, and where she became director of the St Pauls Lutheran Church Child Care Centre.

And, after a life of caring, what is Shirley’s secret ingredient? ‘God loves us, so you’ve got to love everyone else’, she says.

‘Mum and Dad were both caring, and community-oriented. Dad used to say if you are going to live in a community, you work in the community or you don’t belong there.’

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Now, in her (most recent) retirement, Shirley is an elder in the Laidley church, president and treasurer of Redeemer Lutheran Women’s Fellowship and convenes the congregation’s funeral catering group. And she loves her roles with Lutheran Women of Queensland.

Shirley’s also been awarded life membership of the Lutheran Nurses Association of Australia for her volunteer pastoral nurse role.

Her tip for lending a helping hand? ‘Do what makes you feel comfortable’, Shirley says. ‘You’ve got to be comfortable with what you do … other than running a mile the other way!’

Just look to the mountains!

Helen Brinkman is a Brisbane-based writer who is inspired by the many GREYT people who serve tirelessly and humbly in our community. By sharing stories of how God shines his light through his people, she hopes others are encouraged to explore how they can use their gifts 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