Community through Worship: The school worship services making a difference in Victoria
What would bring 50 parents and children to gather voluntarily in a school classroom on a Sunday evening?
Believe it or not, this is something occurring regularly at Lutheran schools across Victoria. Once a month, on a Sunday evening, families gather at Geelong Lutheran College (GLC), Armstrong Creek, and Luther College, Croydon Hills, for a meal and time of worship.
Geelong Lutheran College has been running their Refresh services since 2021, when a group of volunteers from the College and local Living Faith Lutheran Church came together with a shared goal of collaborating on mission in the school community. From there, the idea of a monthly worship service hosted at the College began to take shape.
“We purposefully chose an informal setting of worship because we wanted people from all walks of life to feel welcomed, and especially people who may not have encountered church before”, says Samantha Hill.
Hill is a Primary Teacher at GLC, who started attending the services with her young family and now also manages operations and communications for Refresh, alongside a wider team of dedicated volunteers who ensure Refresh runs smoothly each month. She has watched as a strong community has grown out of the monthly gatherings.
A few hours east of Geelong, a community is also growing out of monthly worship services at Luther College in Croydon Hills.
Ignite at Luther College, image provided by Pr Nathan
Pastor Nathan Hedt has been leading Ignite at Luther College since their first service in August 2024, and is now working with a church planting team to support an “ongoing community of faith”.
Similarly to Refresh, Pastor Nathan says the Ignite team have worked to build “a space where people who might not yet be Christians, or might not have a church family, can really explore and encounter Jesus”.
Both Refresh and Ignite are regularly attended by around 50 parents, children and community members. It is clear that these services are both valuable to their respective communities, a new space for people to come together and spend time with God’s word. But what actually makes these services different? What is it about them that is bringing people together?
One unique opportunity both Refresh and Ignite had was the ability to shape the services to look and feel a little bit different. Both services include a shared meal either before or after worship, which is seen as a vital time of fellowship and connection. Both services are held onsite at a school campus, in a classroom or common space.
But it is the intention with which these worship services have been designed which is most striking.
At Refresh, the team noticed a gap in worship spaces providing for families. “We’re really focused on wanting to ensure that kids [are] the biggest focus of the service”, Hill explains. Refresh is intentional in keeping kids in the same space as the adults, and run an activity for them in the same room while the Pastor gives the message.
As a result, Hill says that about half of the group each month is made up of children. She shares the joy of watching her own children sing and dance during the service, adding “they love being with the other kids, they come way having learned so much every time we go”.
Refresh is also intentional with the time before the service in which they share a meal together. The Refresh team is strong in their belief that God has given us food to bring people together and create community, and they invite all attendees to join them for a barbeque or shared meal prior to the worship. This has been invaluable in building fellowship and connection between those who attend each month.
Ignite sees a larger breadth of age groups attending each month. Pastor Nathan says that people from primary school age, right through to people in their 90s attend their services, and this is integral to how the service is shaped. “It’s intentionally designed to be intergenerational”, Pastor Nathan explains.
Ignite at Luther College, image provided by Pr Nathan
From early discussions on what Ignite would look like, the team was eager to build in a component of conversation into the services. Following the reading and message, they first have ‘Selah time’, drawing on the Hebrew word used in the Psalms which is taken to indicate a reflective pause. After this time of personal reflection, the congregation breaks into small groups for a time of conversation around the Bible verse and message.
Allowing for more conversation and interaction during the service has been very important for Ignite. “The older people who are coming along are just so excited to see the passion for worship, and for God, and for the Bible, that is coming through the younger people. And the younger people are really embracing their grandparents’ age and really receiving the wisdom from them”.
Intentionally meeting their communities where they are, and offering services which cater for the needs of their communities, is what sets these two worship services apart. Hill and Pastor Nathan both speak passionately about the sense of family, openness and welcoming that is present at their services.
Pastor Nathan explains that “what we’re really hoping to do is to provide a spiritual home for those who don’t have one yet, and to make disciples of Jesus who aren’t disciples yet”, and this sentiment is true for Hill at Refresh, too. “[Our hope is] for everyone that comes through Refresh to then go on and find a church family”, she says.
Refresh and Ignite are at different stages of their journey. Ignite is transitioning to fortnightly services in early 2027, and a church planting team is working to discern their place in the wider Croydon Hills community. Refresh is focused on continuing to build their connection with the GLC community, as they “[continue] to pray and trust, being led by the Holy Spirit for where He wants [them] to be”. But, importantly, both continue to serve their communities, provide an important place of worship for those around them, and demonstrate admirable intention and care in their services.
Please pray for these two services as they continue their important work in our school communities.
REFRESH
The next Refresh service will be held from 5pm on Sunday 15 November.
Luther Hall, Geelong Lutheran College Armstrong Creek (2-38 Burvilles Rd, Armstrong Creek VIC 3217).
Contact Samantha Hill for more information (samantha.hill@glc.vic.edu.au).
IGNITE
The next Ignite service will be held from 5pm on Sunday 15 November.
Building W, Luther College (1-39 Plymouth Rd, Croydon Hills VIC 3136 – parking through Gate 9).
Contact Pastor Nathan Hedt for more information (nathan.hedt@lca.org.au).
