Good News! College and Congregations Collaborating
Good News Lutheran College is honoured to have been part of the Western Region Forums facilitated by Pastor Brett, both this year and last year. We have been able to learn so much about what is happening in our congregations and schools, as well as feeling that we have grown in our understanding and appreciation of the community beyond Good News and St Philips.
The discussion at the forums has inspired us here at Good News Lutheran to develop plans which we hope will give expression to the value we hold for our Lutheran Community, its history and its future.
Firstly, we currently have plans to distribute our school’s buses to communities further away from the inner-Melbourne areas on weekends, creating an opportunity for members of the Bethany congregation in Sunbury and St Marks in Melton to unite with St Phillips for the Easter Sunday Service.
We hope that our plans will eventually serve other churches that do not have a pastor whilst simultaneously assisting us in assessing whether this is an appropriate way of lending a helping hand to those other churches in need.
In addition, our 2023 Good News Worship and Mission Captains have spent every week since January focusing their service initiatives on issues that are more within “our own backyard”. They believe that while it is important to help those overseas, it is equally important that they understand their own privilege and blessings in such a wonderful country.
Our immediate mission focus then, has two elements; helping the homeless and appreciating our Lutheran history.
To this end, the Captains are planning to visit places in the city to determine what the greatest need is, where the greatest geographical area of focus is, and what they might be able to do to provide for those who are homeless. They will embark on multiple trips to the city, with the aim to show God’s love and grace to those less fortunate each time.
The Captains will also be visiting the Bethany Congregation in Sunbury to learn more about the history of the mud brick church and collect photos and information about the value it holds in the Lutheran community.
A naming plan is also underway at the College which will recognise the work and contributions of Lutheran congregations in Victoria. The plan envisions that buildings of the College will be named after Lutheran congregations that have aligned with our college values. The first building to be named in this way will be ‘Bethany’ after the Lutheran congregation at Sunbury.
We are hopeful that members of the Bethany congregation will be able to take a tour of the building in due course. We give thanks for the legacy that will flow from the congregation, through our students, into the wider world.
We want to educate our students on the history of the Sunbury community and let it be a reminder of the values we aspire to in our own lives. Our intention is to honour the Bethany congregation, so that the building that carries its name will also carry a positive, loving and uplifting presence within it, helping our students grow to be the best people they can be in the future.
Pictured: St Marks Melton and Bethany Sunbury members who travelled to Wyndham Hobson’s Bay Lutheran for this year’s Easter Service, courtesy of Good News Lutheran College.
(Photo supplied by Fiona McAuliffe.)
