Exhibition centre connects with community

When plans were made to include an exhibition space in the new Church House in Adelaide, the hope was not only to have LCANZ members engage with the stories, images and artefacts on display but also to connect with the wider community.

And that’s exactly what’s been happening since the Church House Exhibition Centre first opened in May 2026 in time for South Australia’s History Festival, says centre coordinator Lisa McIntosh.

‘The community connections made through the exhibition centre so far have been a wonderful blessing,’ Lisa said. ‘During May, around a quarter of our visitors were not members of the Lutheran Church. They had come to see the displays because they had read about the centre in the History Festival program or were walking past and had seen our sign out. And in each of the past two weeks, we’ve had people just walking down Frome Street who have noticed things in the centre through the windows, which have drawn them inside.’

Basil Coleman was walking past in late June when he saw a storyboard about art, industry and music at Hermannsburg (Ntaria) mission in the Northern Territory. He explained that he was raised in a Lutheran mission community at Koonibba on South Australia’s West Coast and was intrigued by what he’d seen through the window.

‘I showed Basil the storyboards we have about Koonibba, and particularly the Aussie Rules football team there – which holds a significant place in Aboriginal sporting history – and he found photos of his grandfather and two of his cousins,’ Lisa said.

‘He also pointed out a lay missionary on one of the photos – Barry Piltz – who had arranged for him to attend St Paul’s College Walla Walla in New South Wales, which Basil said was “a great experience” for him.’

Last week, Mark Lockyer and Jiewen HE, who were visiting Adelaide from Alice Springs, saw the same Hermannsburg story panel and decided to take a closer look. ‘Mark’s mother was born at Hermannsburg, and so he was keen to come inside and find out what stories we had to share,’ Lisa said. ‘He told me that his mum prayed every day until the day she died, that her faith was important to her and that she passed that on to her family.

‘We never know where these interactions and connections may lead, but we pray that the stories we are privileged to share are a blessing to everyone who engages with them.’

More than 120 people have visited the exhibition centre in its first weeks. You can find more information, including opening hours, at www.lca.org.au/exhibition-centre

To book a group visit or guided tour, please email exhibitioncentre@lca.org.au