Feature Stories

by Bishop Paul Smith

It is finished. One Easter morning, in my first country parish in South Australia, I had an encounter at the door of the church that I will never forget. It was a moment that gathered me into the way that the good news of the resurrection of our Lord changes us to be people of hope.

We asked eight Synod participants for their reflections on the ‘one church with two ordination practices’ resolution.

by Jessica Smith

A silent sermon is preached every Sunday at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Magill, South Australia. Yet while they may be low in volume, these services are perhaps the most interactive in the Lutheran community.

LCA International Mission’s Missionaries Timeline is an online resource designed to acknowledge and thank the Australian Lutherans who have served in mission overseas, particularly in Papua New Guinea, and shares their inspiring stories and photos.

by Rosie Schefe

Three plastic-wrapped pallets sit in a Wellington loading dock. Not much to see here. But this 945-kilogram load holds taonga (treasure), both historical and spiritual – sacred even. This is the archive of the Lutheran Church of New Zealand, bound for Lutheran Archives in Adelaide.

Melbourne’s city skyline was a stark contrast to the vast verdant landscape of Central Australia for four Aboriginal delegates attending the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand’s 20th Convention of General Synod from 9 to 12 February 2023.