New Lutheran Women leaders installed

The Lutheran Women of Australia (LWA) Executive Committee has been installed to lead the LCANZ auxiliary for the next three years.

The installation by LCANZ Bishop John Henderson of LWA President Grace Kroehn, Vice-President Maureen Turner, Secretary Val Schild, Treasurer Beryl Smith and Extra Member Dianne Adams took place on Sunday 3 October during worship held as part of the Convention of Synod at Concordia College chapel Highgate SA. LWA custom is to elect an executive of members from the state in which its next convention is to be held, in this case, South Australia. However, Western Australian Dianne Adams is part of the team as WA does not have a large enough membership to host national conventions and does not form a standalone executive team.

Incoming President Grace said the new committee had ‘hit the ground running’, holding its first meeting on the same day as the installation. She also acknowledged the work and the disappointment of the outgoing executive from Lutheran Women of Victoria, which had planned and prepared the LWA Convention scheduled to be held in Horsham in September, only for it to be cancelled due to COVID-19 shutdowns, restrictions and uncertainties.

‘We feel for them having put in all the work and preparations for the convention only for it not to have eventuated’, she said, passing on thanks to outgoing President Wendy Habel and fellow executive members Irma Dymke, Linda Niewand, Irene Geer and Leonie Hateley. Grace, who finished a four-year stint as Lutheran Women of South Australia-Northern Territory president in May this year and had previously held a range of positions at district level, also said the new LWA executive intended to make use of any items purchased or prepared for the cancelled convention for the 2024 event if at all possible.

With the 2021 national meeting unable to go ahead, LWA delegates conducted some business by postal ballots. The ratification of nominations for the new LWA executive was done via Zoom internet conferencing in June.

Backed through district, parish and congregation-based Lutheran women’s groups, which meet for fellowship, study, fundraising and other forms of service, LWA is committed to supporting 11 projects within the LCANZ and its partner churches overseas. These include Aboriginal missions; Australian Lutheran World Service; LCA International Mission programs and partnerships in Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand; support for overseas students studying at Australian Lutheran College (ALC); the ALC Women’s Auxiliary and the ALC Pastoral Ministry Assistance Fund.