Search Results for: camps/jonathan.m.westphal@lca.org.au

Pre Convention Zoom Information Sessions

Pre Convention Information Sessions plus key dates and actions

This year DCC are providing pre-convention online Information Sessions on Wednesday evenings (plus one Saturday) across 5 weeks commencing 14 April.
Session dates and times are

14 April 7.30pm Information Session #1 District Strategic Directions – 2021 update of plan
17 April 9.30am Information Session #2 Schools – Good governance and regulator requirements
21 April 7.30pm Information Session #2 Schools – Good governance and regulator requirements (repeat of prior session)
28 April 7.30pm Information Session #3 Youth & Young Adult review and findings
05 May 7.30pm Information Session #4 District financial situation – deficit budget history
12 May 7.30pm Information Session #5 Schools governance – beneficial ownership of property
To book your place contact Cathy Nowland cathy.nowland@lca.org.au. A Zoom meeting link advising which information session you selected will then be issued.

DCC Online Information Sessions

District Church Council will offer a series of pre convention information sessions

14 April 7.30pm Information Session #1 District Strategic Directions – 2021 update of plan
17 April 9.30am Information Session #2 Schools – Good governance and regulator requirements
21 April 7.30pm Information Session #2 Schools – Good governance and regulator requirements (repeat of prior session)
28 April 7.30pm Information Session #3 Youth & Young Adult review and findings
05 May 7.30pm Information Session #4 District financial situation – deficit budget history
12 May 7.30pm Information Session #5 Schools governance – beneficial ownership of property

Email Cathy.Nowland@lca.org.au to book a session

17 February District eNews

17 February District eNews includes a message from Pastor for Congregational Support, Brett Kennett and news of events and Pastor Calls in the District plus more
Go to the District News tab to read more or subscribe at eNews (lca.org.au) to this and other eNews

Introducing the LCA Reconciliation Action Plan

As we are reconciled with Christ through his death and resurrection, as Christians, God calls us to be reconciled with one another (2Cor 5:18,19).

Since 2015, I’ve been blessed to be involved with a small team who have been working with people from across Australia and with Reconciliation Australia on a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) for the LCA. You’ll be able to read more about this in the May edition of The Lutheran magazine and the LCA RAP website www.rap.lca.org.au

Many people are already supporting the ministry of the LCA with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in areas such as Central Australia. Thank you for this important support.

The LCA has demonstrated historical leadership in our relationships with First Nation peoples, however, this is not the end of such engagement – it is the beginning.

Developing an LCA RAP is an opportunity to grow. Like the baptised new life we live reconciled in Christ, each day is a new beginning and a new opportunity to grow in relationships with those around us.

Wherever it is that we are as church, where you are as a baptised member of God’s family, its clear that many First Nations peoples are located somewhere close by in Australia’s cities, towns and rural communities. This means perhaps in your own community! The LCA RAP will help us all to consider what this means for us. And asking the “what does this mean for us?” is very much the Lutheran question isn’t it!

The LCA Vision for the RAP, inspired by the gospel of reconciliation in Jesus Christ, our Church’s vision for reconciliation, empowered by the Holy Spirit is…

‘to bring to life an expression of our ministry that helps all peoples understand, value and respect the histories, cultures, lands and contributions of First Nations peoples; to recognise and honour our common humanity and for equity in opportunity to flourish, so together we can grow as God’s people’

What can you and I…what can we do together during National Reconciliation Week and beyond?

I simply suggest a couple of starters:

Consider how you can grow in your relationship with your Lord who by his cross has reconciled you to God in grace.
As a child of grace how can you grow in learning to bring love to life in recognising new opportunities to understand, value and respect the contributions of First Nations and peoples and our ministry of grace in Christ? Check out the Lutheran and the RAP website.

I’d love to hear from you as well.

Neville Otto
E neville.otto@lca.org.au

What is National Reconciliation Week?

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) started as the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation in 1993 (the International Year of the World’s Indigenous Peoples) and was supported by Australia’s major faith communities. In 1996, the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation launched Australia’s first NRW.
In 2000, Reconciliation Australia was established to continue to provide national leadership on reconciliation. In the same year, approximately 300,000 people walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge as part of NRW, to show their support for reconciliation.
Today, NRW is celebrated by businesses, schools, organisations, and individuals Australia-wide. Hundreds of NRW events are held each year. You can find an event near you at www.reconciliation.org.au

Easter Camp Review

Easter Camp 2026 ran over the Easter long weekend at Araluen Lutheran Camp in Anglesea, bringing together a vibrant community for a memorable weekend of faith, fellowship, and fun. We were thrilled to welcome a large contingent of under-18 campers who heard about us through our other LYV camps and other youth ministries. Integrating them with our other young adults brought an awesome, energetic dynamic to the weekend.

This year’s theme, “Through the Ages”, invited campers to sift through the chapters of Jesus’ life alongside their own. Through upfronts and small groups, we explored how Jesus navigated the human experience and how we can live our lives in light of his resurrection. Our final study then brought everything together by focusing on evangelism; by discussing how to share the Gospel with others, this session beautifully pointed through the ages of the Christian church to its future.

A true highlight of the weekend was our Friday evening Passover dinner. A Messianic Jew from the Celebrate Messiah ministry guided us through the traditional elements of the meal, including the four cups, matzah, bitter herbs, and the lamb shank bone, beautifully explaining how each element points directly to our ultimate Passover Lamb in Christ. Other moving worship moments included interactive prayer stations focusing on the persecuted church, and a dawn service on Anglesea beach just as the sun rose.

Beyond worship and studies, the schedule was packed with activities that brought out everyone’s competitive and creative spirits. Teams battled it out in a campsite-wide “Civilisation Game” and tested their communication in a Play-Doh “Sculpture Showdown”. Campers also appreciated the relaxed, unstructured free time spent playing board games and sharing fellowship with each other.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated and served: we are already looking forward to doing it all again at Easter Camp 2027!

St John’s Minyip – 150 Years

150 Years since the Dedication of the first Church Building, and the Naming of the Congregation, on 25 September 1875

During 1875, a wooden structure was built on land some 6km south-west of Minyip in the area called Kirchheim, which translates as “church home”. At the dedication service of that first church building, on 25 September 1875, the congregation received its name: St. John’s. The congregation was approximately 70 to 80 communicant members drawn from 25 to 30 families. A day school, also established in 1875, was nearby.

Both the first church building and school were destroyed by a storm on 26 February 1889. The congregation immediately started planning for a rebuild, with the school ready for use on 20 June 1889 and, on 4 December 1889, the new church building was dedicated. The church weighing approximately 50 tons was moved on a jinker, pulled by a steam traction engine across the paddocks to its present location in Church Street, Minyip, in May 1935. In 1936 the school closed.

On 12 October 2025 a congregation of approximately 130 people joyfully celebrated the anniversary event with a traditional church service with Holy Communion and a mostly sung liturgy, followed by an unbelievably large spread of delicious finger food.

Pastor John Weier presided, with Pastor Lester Priebbenow, Victorian/Tasmanian District Bishop, preaching the sermon on 1 Peter 2, where the ‘Cornerstone’ and the ‘living stones’ are not physical stones or a physical building but people – Jesus, us, and all Christians, who together are built into a spiritual house that has no use-by date.

Special guests included: Pastor Steen Olsen and Ruth, Pastor Denis Grosser, descendants of Pastor Dr J. Darsow (served Minyip 1922 – 1948), Jonathan and Julie Krause representing ALWS, Mark and Jason from The Leadlight Gallery who re-furbished our stained-glass windows, and Pastor Geoff and Chris Kuchel. Our Visitors book’s most popular comment praised the Service!!

Many stories of bygone years were exchanged, including those from previous members who recalled not only their own times but those of their grandparents and even great grandparents.

Moving St Paul’s church into Minyip, May 1935. (Photo courtesy Minyip Historical Society.)

Interior of church, showing the recently refurbished stained glass windows, originally installed in 1911.

L to R: Congregation Chair Bronwyn Krause, Pastor John Weier, Organist Steven Thomas and Bishop Lester Priebbenow.

The worshipping congregation.

Easter Camp 2025

Easter Camp 2025: ‘Let’s Get Real’ ran over the Easter long weekend at Araluen Lutheran Camp, Anglesea. It was a lovely weekend with many fun activities and wonderful moments of reflection and worship.

This year was the first year since 2019 that we invited ages 16+ on camp. We had 4 participants under the age of 18, who praised the camp for its ability to “bridge the gap” between youth camps, such as CLW, and the young adult community of the LYV.

Our guest speaker this year was Jordan Moore, who delivered some incredible upfronts, going into depth about “getting real…with relationships”, talking about relationship with self, God, and others. The small group time was innovative and thought-provoking, providing the participants the space to share their thoughts and questions.

The activities on camp were also a highlight, with whole group activities such as trivia, line dancing and even a team-based Easter egg hunt being a source of joy for all involved.

Many of the participants came away from camp acknowledging the transformative power that Easter Camp had on their faith, with the ability to have deep conversations with others and the reflective worship times centred around Jesus’ death and resurrection. These worship opportunities are central to the camp every year, and create an atmosphere that is spiritually, emotionally, and even physically, renewing. This year Pastor Nathan Hedt joined us as camp Pastor.

Overall, this year’s Easter Camp was a profound and valuable experience for the young adults who attended.

Photos supplied by Sylvia Hedt.

New Assistant Manager at Araluen Lutheran Camp

We have been anticipating a new Assistant Manager at our Araluen campsite in Anglesea for some time and can now share the news that Mr Kym Schilling will be starting in this role in the new year.
Kym comes from a previous Team Leader position and, at God’s prompting, is looking forward very much to working with the staff and visitors at the camp.

Kym shared with us a little of his background and journey:

“Hi, my name is Kym Schilling. I am married to Vicki and a have a daughter, Louella, and a son, Jed. I grew upon on a farm near Rainbow and have continued my love of outdoors with my family, just completing a 3-month camping trip around WA. I have been working as an office-based Payroll Manager for government and private industry for the past 25 years.

Like many people after Covid I felt I needed something more in my vocation. Camp ministry has always been close to my heart during my youth days at CLW, Easter and zone camps. When the opportunity to work with Darren, Kerry and the team at Araluen became available I felt God was not just opening the door but pushing me through.

I look forward to the challenge God puts before me while serving him and his Church.”

LLL walks with ALWS and the Lutheran community

LLL was proud to sponsor the Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) Walk My Way Ukraine event, and have a team walk for a worthy cause in an uplifting demonstration of our shared missional purpose.

LLL’s valued relationship with ALWS has seen us partner in many key initiatives, such as Walk My Way events around the country, with international aid programs – including farming partnerships in the East African nation of Burundi and micro-enterprises in impoverished regions of Nepal – and the ALWS Ambassador Bootcamp program to name a few.

This vital missional partnership is an excellent example of the deep connection LLL has enjoyed with the wider Lutheran community for over 100 years.

Our Board Chair Steven, Chief Relationship Officer Scott, Marketing Manager Rhianan, and LTM Tract Development Officer Anne walked shoulder-to-shoulder with over 870 participants in Brisbane to raise funds to aid families displaced by the conflict in Ukraine.

LLL was delighted to field a team of willing walkers in the wonderful ALWS Walk My Way Ukraine event, May ‘24.

Seventy-four teams took part, including many from Lutheran congregations, schools, and care services. LLL has shared valued relationships with ALWS, these organisations, and the Church and its districts, throughout our history and our commitment to maintaining this connection with fellow missionally-minded Lutheran entities remains at the core of our endeavours.

Our tailored loans, sponsorships (like this one of ALWS), and Mission Outreach Grants continue to empower ALWS, congregations, schools, retirement and aged care facilities, and youth camps to build facilities for worship and learning, to inspire young people, and foster community and connection within the wider Lutheran family.

Teams from St Mark’s Lutheran Church, Dalby, and Lutheran Ormeau Rivers District School (LORDS) were among those to take part in Walk My Way Ukraine, which raised over $180,000.

LLL was delighted to award St Mark’s a Mission Outreach Grant that has made a significant impact on young people in Dalby and the Darling Downs region, with the grant helping the church hire an energetic Youth Ministry Coordinator.

LLL has enjoyed a strong relationship with LORDS for over a decade, with the most recent project including the construction of new junior school general learning areas to accommodate demand for high quality Lutheran education in the booming region.

ALWS, St Mark’s and LORDS are fine examples of the relationships that LLL is committed to maintaining and growing as we look to the future with renewed determination to continue our mission of stewardship and service.

If your school, aged care facility or congregation has a missional objective that could be achieved through a partnership with LLL, we invite conversations about loans and sponsorships via our website – www.lll.org.au, email – lll@lll.org.au or phone 1800 556 457, with Mission Outreach Grant applications available through LCA District offices.

Read about the uplifting projects that LLL supports through loans, sponsorships and Mission Outreach Grants thanks to our missional partnership with our depositors in Together in Mission – www.lll.org.au/tim – or via our regularly updated social media channels – Facebook: www.facebook.com/LLLAust and Instagram: Instagram: @lll_australia

Risky Business???

Did you know that our church requires us to develop a safety plan for all of our church events and activities, from our weekly worship services to our Bible studies, our senior’s outings and our children’s and youth programs, our working bees, community events and our camps….. Yes, all the many programs and activities which form part of our mission and ministry must have a safety plan, which includes identifying and appropriately managing risks.

We do this to help us carry out our duty of care for all church employees, leaders, volunteers and visitors, to protect our people, property and reputation, and as part of being good stewards of all the things with which the Lord has entrusted us.

Additionally, we have responsibilities under Occupational Health and Safety legislation and Child Safe Standards.

Proverbs 27:12 says, ‘The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty’. Risk management is being prudent and doing our best to see and assess the risks and take action so we can reduce or avoid paying the consequences.

Those of you who have completed Safe Church Training will be familiar with the our Safety Management System which assists us to manage safety in an intentional and structured way.

We have the LCA Risk Management Policy which provides guidelines for our church, and now, Lutheran Insurance has provided a very useful resource, “Risk Management Guide for Churches.” This document is a wealth of information and resources to help us in the very necessary task of risk management. It supports and endorses the work of congregations and church agencies in this area.

I recommend the document to you, and thank Lutheran Insurance for making this resource available for our use.

Download the guide and other resources at: www.lca.org.au/risk-management

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