Feb2016
Long-life, life-giving fruit
by Glenice Hartwich
The sale of thousands of bags of deliciously sweet dried apricots from Barmera in South Australia’s Riverland has eternal benefits. The apricots are grown, dried and prepared by Lou Moss and fellow parishioners in the Barmera–New Residence parish, together with local community members. The proceeds from the sale of each 500-gram packet reaches across borders… Read more
Feb2016
A class above
by Bernice Koch
One sunny morning last March the phone rang. It was a friend asking me out for coffee. We chatted about what we had been doing and I mentioned my great love of reading, especially theology and history. My friend said, ‘Bernice you HAVE to study, you have to STUDY’. I was shocked! This had not… Read more
Feb2016
Healing power of the gospel
by Paul Kerber
I’m often asked why the LCA has Reconciliation Ministry. The answer is both straightforward and complex. We are a church of the gospel – and the gospel is reconciliation! God has reconciled the world to himself through the death and resurrection of his son Jesus (Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12; Romans 5:8-11). Baptised into Jesus, we… Read more
Jan2016
A message of hope
from the departments and agencies of the Lutheran Church of Australia At General Convention of Synod we experienced the joy of being one body in Christ: in our worship, our dialogue, our decision-making, and in the compassion and grace that we shared with each other. We also saw sadness and pain. Through all the seasons… Read more
Jan2016
How will they hear?
by LCA Communications
Two young Australians are leaving their families and taking their baby – and the gospel – to West Asia. ‘You’ve got a new baby, and you’re doing what?’ It’s a question Mary and John have become somewhat used to as they prepare to head overseas to serve as volunteer cross-cultural workers – with baby James… Read more
Jan2016
Learning service in new territory
by Delores Amos
What an amazing, life-changing experience! During school holidays last year I had the pleasure of taking part in Tatachilla Lutheran College’s service-learning trip to some of the most remote communities in the Northern Territory. Nine senior-school students and five adults made the two-week trip to serve people at five communities, including Ampilatwatja, which is located… Read more
Jan2016
The Godfather
by Tick Zweck
When Ern Heyne died, an entire city mourned. Riding the tram in suburban Adelaide one day, I noticed the woman next to me fidgeting in her handbag one minute, peering intently out of the window the next. I asked whether she was okay and she responded she was from the country, and had no idea… Read more
Jan2016
Here we are, send us!
by Nathan Hedt
I am a missionary. I heard God’s call and said, ‘Here I am, send me!’. And God said, ‘Okay then, I will send you to Pakenham’. Pakenham? A suburban satellite of Melbourne in the sprawling south-east of the city? That’s not a very exotic location for a missionary to be sent to, is it? We… Read more
Jan2016
Warm, like the sun
by Michelle Filipovic
I was visiting Yasmin*, an Iranian asylum seeker from a Muslim background, when she showed me around the family’s new rental home. ‘I felt like a light shining on me, Joy, like calm… warmth like the sun, PEACE’. After the tour we read from the English Farsi Easy Good News Bible the story of Jesus… Read more
Jan2016
‘We have so much to learn’
by LCA Communications
Members of the Lutheran Church in New Zealand have been re-energised in their approach to family ministry, thanks to a recent seminar with Grow Ministries’ team members in Wellington. It was the first time Grow had visited New Zealand. ‘We can continue to re-think and reflect on how we are cultivating caring relationships across all… Read more
