Search Results for: church

Geelong Lutheran College Ribbon Cutting & Installation

While students have been using ‘Ngarrwa’ since the start of term, on Friday 8 March, the ribbon was officially cut on Geelong Lutheran College Armstrong Creek’s new Year 11 & 12 Centre, by Parliamentary Sectary for Education Darren Cheeseman and GLC Executive Principal Ms Sue Ellis.

The opening ceremony, which featured a blessing by Pastor Lester Priebbenow, District Bishop Victoria and Tasmania, Lutheran Church of Australia, was held upstairs in the campus’ first two-storey building, following a tour of the facility for Darren Cheeseman by our two College Captains, Jessita and Zach.

The $8.7 million project was jointly funded by the GLC local community and the Victorian State Government, with $2.8 million funding from Round 4 of the Government’s Non-Government Schools Capital Fund. The College was grateful to receive a bequest from John and Iris Bowen, which also contributed to the new build.

Once the ribbon cutting was complete, the event turned to the formal installation of Ms Ellis as the College’s Executive Principal, following her commencement in the role at the start of the year.

Presented by outgoing Chair of the GLC Board, Dr Craig Tischler, Ms Ellis was installed by Pastor Lester Priebbenow, District Bishop Victoria and Tasmania, Lutheran Church of Australia. Assisting in the ceremony, were four of Primary Captains from GLC’s St John’s Newtown and Armstrong Creek campuses who helped present Ms Ellis with her tokens of office: an academic gown, stole, bible and cross.

It was lovely to have a number of fellow Lutheran Principals and members of the St John’s Lutheran Church congregation in attendance for this special event.

Photos provided by Geelong Lutheran College.

30th Anniversary of Ordination – Pastor Frank Rasenberger

On Sunday 4 February 2024, Pastor Frank Rasenberger celebrated 30 years since his ordination with his current congregation, St John’s Lutheran Church Ballarat, where he has been serving as pastor of Word and Sacrament since January 2023.

Pastor Frank was ordained on 30 January 1994, at New Life Lutheran Church in Browns Plains. Present were: Pastor John Vitale (Qld District President at the time), Pastor James Haak (pastor of New Life congregation at the time), Pastor Eric Simpfendorfer (who confirmed Frank), and Pastor Melvin Mueller (the pastor who started New Life congregation).

Frank’s 30 years of ministry has included:

1994 – 2000 – Cambrai-Sedan Lutheran Parish – Cambrai, Sedan, Black Hill, Stonefield
2000 – 2008 – Crow’s Nest Lutheran Parish – Crow’s Nest, Haden, Cooyar (added later)
2009 – 2013 – Gympie Lutheran Parish – Gympie, Imbil, Tin Can Bay
2014 – 2022 – Northwest Melbourne Regional Ministry – Melton, St Albans, Sunbury
2023 – present – St John’s Lutheran Church, Ballarat

Frank’s wife, Anne, provided the following reflection:

Congratulations to my husband for reaching 30 years of Ministry in the LCANZ. The verse and hymn below came to me when I was thinking about what to say.

“You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.”
Psalm 139:5

“Thy strong Word did cleave the darkness;
At Thy speaking it was done.
For created light we thank Thee,
While Thine ordered seasons run.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise to Thee who light dost send!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia without end…”
Martin Franzmann, 1954

God has gone before us every step of the way, leading us by His holy and inerrant Word, using Frank to do His work as pastor, with me by his side, and later also Josiah. This has been an interesting, challenging, and inspiring journey, and God has always been there, despite our imperfections, leading us and guiding us. I have realised that God uses ordinary people to do His work, just as he has used my husband’s gifts to do His work, with us as His family by His side along the journey.

Thanks to God first of all for all His goodness, love, and mercy. Thanks to our parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews for their support. My sister joined us with her children and our friends who were able to attend. Many who couldn’t attend have sent greetings. Thanks to the ladies who set up the hall and everyone who attended and brought some food to share. Thanks also to Ron for reading out the greetings. Thanks also to Paul for setting up the slide show of memories of Frank’s time serving as pastor in the LCANZ.

God has gone before us and has been with us through the ups and downs of life in Ministry, and He will continue to lead us and guide us into the future, whatever that may be.

Lutheran Welfare Trust News

2024 Applications Open

The Lutheran Welfare Trust was created to contribute towards the support or establishment of welfare projects primarily within the Lutheran Church. This Trust is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient and as an Income Exempt Charitable Entity – this means donations can be tax deductible.

The Trust was established to provide relief to those who are in needy circumstances, which according to the Commissioner of Taxation definition, involves some degree of poverty. To the extent possible, the Trustees take a broad approach to this definition, although the Trustees must still be bound by the ATO description. Careful consideration should be given to this definition in the application for funds.

The Trust operates on a 1 July to 30 June financial year in accordance with the Tax Office rules, so applications are now open for the Financial Year Ending 30 June 2024.

The Trustees are seeking applications for funding welfare related projects, not for specific individual welfare cases. The amount available in any one year is dependent on prevailing interest rates and income returns. The application form is available by emailing Hilton Haeusler at: hilton.haeusler@gslps.vic.edu.au . Applications close on Friday 15 February 2024, and funds need to be spent by 30 June 2024.

New Trustees Sought

The current Trustees of the Lutheran Welfare Trust (LWT) are seeking new members to join the trustees. The Lutheran Welfare Trust was created to contribute towards the support or establishment of welfare projects primarily within the Vic/Tas District of the Lutheran Church. Over recent years the Trust has distributed funds to organizations within the Victorian District, for aged care and refugee support projects. The commitment to being a Trustee is not onerous with a couple of on-line meetings each year.

Please contact Lester Kerber at lester.kerber@lca.org.au to find out more about serving the Church through being a Trustee of the LWT.

Ordination of Pastor Jacob Fabich at Mildura

Pastor Jacob Fabich was ordained on Sunday 3^rd December at his home congregation of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Mildura. It was a perfect Mildura summers’ day for the happy celebration.

The church was full to overflowing for worship, with many travelling from Shepparton, Murray Bridge and other congregations, to witness Jacob’s next step in his spiritual journey.

It was a blessing for Mildura members to be able to host this very special event, as they have witnessed Jacob’s nurturing in the faith from his birth.

Bishop Paul Smith delivered the sermon and led the Rite of Ordination, which was followed by the joyous singing of the African choir from Shepparton. Pastor Jacob was also greeted by District Bishop Lester, Assistant Bishop Matthias Prenzler, and Pastors Colin Simpkin, Lucas Matuschka, Murray Smith, Paul Calnan, Avito da Costa and Carl Richter.

Following the service, a relaxing time of fellowship was held on the church lawns in glorious weather, with even the mosquitoes staying away – a perfect end to this special day for the congregation. The afternoon tea was followed by an evening meal for invited guests.

Jacob was installed at the Eudunda/Robertstown Parish in South Australia on 28^th January 2024. We pray that Jacob’s service to the people of Eudunda/Robertstown will be a blessing to both him and the members of the parish.

Photos provided by the Mildura congregation:

The Rite of Ordination

The African choir from Shepparton

Pastor Jacob presiding over the Lords Supper for the first time.

A greeting from Jacob’s soon to be father-in-law, Pastor Murray Smith from Papua New Guinea.

MAN UP – Lutheran Men of Victoria Camp, Halls Gap

On the weekend of the 11^th-13^th August 2023, 88 Lutheran men from across Australia met for the annual ‘Men Led by God’ camp in Halls Gap, Victoria. Having been unable to proceed with camp in 2022, it was both encouraging and uplifting to gather in such a large number to spend time in fellowship, worship, and study of the Word. We had the pleasure of hosting Pastor Jeffrey Hemmer (Assistant to the President – Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Author of ‘Man Up’) as the study leader for the weekend, as well as Pastor Charles Ferry (Asia Regional Director – Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) as a speaker. The theme ‘Man Up’ allowed for the exploration into the true definition of masculinity as established by Scripture; a masculinity that is not about rugged independence, but about sacrificial giving. It is a masculinity precedented by Christ who lays his life down for the Church, his bride.

Friday evening opened with an Aussie BBQ as men arrived from far and wide, allowing for a time of meeting old and new friends, and getting to know our American guests. This was followed by a presentation by Pastor Charles who informed us about the many different missionaries currently serving across Asia, and the diligent work they are doing in sharing the Gospel, teaching, and translating. He also assured us of the LCMS’ support for Lutheranism in Australia, outlining ways in which we can continue to grow in a relationship together and how they might be able to further support us in the future. The evening closed with a vespers service led by Pastor Shaun Manning which was sung unaccompanied. It was a blessing to be able to fill the space with male voices coming from many different locations across various age groups, gathering together as brothers in Christ.

After an early start on Saturday for breakfast and a devotion led by Luke Nuske, we proceeded into the official study sessions for the week. In the first two sessions, Pastor Jeffrey laid the foundation for biblical masculinity as living in the example and grace of Jesus, using our God given roles as men for the good of those around us. This included an interesting word study of 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 showing where men fail, and a deep dive into the Genesis creation narrative exploring God’s good ordering and the three P’s of masculinity: protection, provision and procreation. This highlighted the male responsibility to care for others, sacrifice themselves for the ones they love, and act as providers for the family. The third session of the day focused on the Fall: how our eyes now turn selfishly towards ourselves, and as a result our society has moved from ‘Eden’ to the “City of the Same’. Tolerance is the highest virtue, and true masculinity has been denigrated to the point where everyone becomes an object and pleasure is the highest ideal. The good and ordered distinction between man and woman has been dissolved. Here, the Gospel offers a solution – before we have an example of masculinity in Jesus, we have a saviour. Where we are failures as men, Jesus comes to save failures. Pastor Jeffrey concluded the day with a final dive into Hebrews 2:5-18 – adequately titling the section ‘God down, man up’. Christ makes himself available as an advocate and defender, and he can be called upon for strength to resist temptation to sin, as he has resisted all temptation.

Saturday afternoon saw a group of men tackling the Boronia Peak hike, which was a good excuse to get out in the sun for some rigorous exercise and conversation. Those who were brave enough remained at camp to attempt the high ropes course and giant swing. There was also an opportunity to sit around the fire and chat, or play a game of 500. In the evening, we had the pleasure of hearing an interview with Pastor Shaun Manning, learning about his life story, conversion, and journey towards becoming a pastor in the LCA. After closing worship led by Pastor Carl Thiele, we shared in drinks and conversation into the late hours of the night.

On Sunday morning we gathered together in worship to receive from our Lord in Word and Sacrament. Pastor Jeffrey held a final study session offering a daily to-do list of prayer, loving, giving, and fighting, as well as some practical advice for everyday manliness. After eating a final lunch, it was time to say farewell and start making the journey home.

Many thanks to Pastors Jeffrey and Charles for making the trek Down Under to lead us in our studies, to the staff at Tandara for their catering and hospitality, to the Lutheran Men of Victoria for organising and facilitating the event, and to Creative Word Fellowship for their additional support.

Grace in a Season of Change – A Reflection on Lamentations 3:22

Grace and Peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

We live in uncertain and anxious times. There are many unanswered questions about what the future holds for each one of us and there seems to be so many things threatening to take away our hopes and dreams. The church is not immune to this anxiety either. Many individuals and congregations of the LCA are looking around and seeing institutions, that were previously thought to be stable and steadfast, begin to unravel and crumble. Many are looking forward to the future and wondering, ‘What’s going to happen next?’, ‘How are we to going to make it through?’

If anyone had reason to be anxious about the future, the author of Lamentations, the prophet Jeremiah had a fair claim. In the first three chapters of his book, he writes words of incredible lament as he looks out over the ruins of Jerusalem, detailing what could be described as a post-apocalyptic waste land. The whole city has been plundered and laid to waste, women and children are starving in the streets, the city walls have been reduced to rubble. But all of a sudden, his overwhelming grief is abruptly interrupted by a thought…

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22

In the depths of despair, Jeremiah remembers the covenantal faithfulness of the Lord towards his people, his abiding love and his commitment to never truly forsake them. Jeremiah remembers that there is hope in all circumstances because the Lord remains true to the promises he has made to his people and that despite all appearances the Lord is using all things to bring about his eternal purposes.

These words from Lamentations remind us today that we can take heart in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, because God is always at work in our midst, continually offering a lifeline of forgiveness, grace and hope. A striking aspect of this verse is the “newness” of God’s mercy towards us. God is not a distant god who offers us a generic one-size fits all blessing, but rather his mercies are new every morning, created especially to precisely fit the needs that we have. God is actively and creatively trying to weave his grace into our lives and the lives of our congregation. So, in this age of anxiety, where it is tempting to be overcome by what we see around us and what looms over the horizon, we are called to wait on the Lord and be looking for the new mercies that he is creating for us – day-by-day, moment-by-moment. The truth is that we have even more reason to be hopeful about the future than Jeremiah, for we live with a post-resurrection perspective. We’ve seen how God was actively at work bringing about a new mercy, salvation for all who believe, even through the death, desolation and despair of Good Friday.

As a practical application, perhaps you could make these words from Lamentations 3:22 your own, and use them to interrupt a conversation, phone call or meeting you are in where you find yourself weighed down lamenting your situation or despairing about the future. These are powerful words that force us to look away from ourselves and toward our Heavenly Father with anticipation.

May the peace of God that surpasses all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Pastor Carl currently serves at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church & Holy Trinity Lutheran College, Mildura

Eastern Suburbs Youth Update

Youth in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne is exciting! We are learning that if we do things how they have always been done, we may not necessarily be best serving our young people. The folk at Redeemer, Waverley, St Paul’s, Box Hill and the Chinese Lutheran Church of Victoria are working together to provide some options to connect our Youth to each other and to the Church.

On Friday May 5, St Paul’s hosted a combined Youth night at Station St, Box Hill. Youth from all three congregations were there to work together on a “King” themed quiz, hear about how calling a Pastoral Associate to St Paul’s affects them, share some food and hot chocolates and raid Sylvia’s epic bag of board games for some fun competition and laughs. There was even a daring trip down to the old Youth room at Station St!

Waverley have been offering similar events on a Saturday late afternoon/ evening about 3 times a year and CLCV are hoping to do the same. St Paul’s also hold monthly small group called Safe House and is open to all Youth in the Eastern suburbs. Teenagers are BUSY and finding a time that suits everyone is tricky but our aim is to keep offering a variety of options and to keep encouraging each other to come along.

Please pray for our young people. They are living in very different times to their parents and grandparents but they are still the future of the Church and we need to keep listening to how best we can keep them connected. Pastors from all congregations in the east are kept informed of upcoming events, so stay tuned!

Lutheran Women of Vic-Tas Annual Convention

The 56^th Annual Convention of Lutheran Women of Victoria and Tasmania was held on Saturday 20^th May 2023. It was hosted by Trinity Lutheran Church Warrnambool and catered for by the Parish ladies from Warrnambool, Ayrford and Hawkesdale. The Theme for the Convention was ‘Patient Endurance’ based on Revelation 13 v 10b. Opening Worship was conducted by Pastor Heath Pukallus from Warrnambool, after which Congregational Chairperson, Christine Sawyer welcomed the 76 attendees and LWVT President, Jenny Gellert opened the Convention.

The Guest Speaker for the day, Pastor Matt Anker, Assistant to the Bishop and International Mission, spoke about the work that Lutheran Women are supporting in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Later as Chairman of the Board of Lutherans in Africa he showed slides and talked about the combined work being done by the USA, Australia, Canada and Finland in Africa. A PowerPoint provided by Hanna Schulz about her translation work in New Guinea, was accompanied by a commentary read by Jenny Gellert. Maureen Turner, Vice President of Lutheran Women of Australia delivered the annual report and spoke about the Lutheran Women Magazine.

Pastor Lucas Matuschka, LWVT Spiritual Advisor, conducted the Bible Study based on the theme, where he reminded us that while the people of God constantly face attack by the devil, the world and our sinful selves we can win the struggle by fixing our eyes on Christ who has done everything for us. We need to remain under the umbrella of God’s protection, be patient and take Him at His word.

Memorial Candles were lit in memory of 7 ladies who passed away during the year. Greg and Helen Noll sang ‘Though our Life is like a Scroll’ and ‘There is a Time for Everything’ which was written by Stephen Starke in 2002 as a response to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre Towers in New York. The Warrnambool ladies sang ‘Seek, O Seek the Lord.’ A display of banners inside the church building, with explanations by Jenny Gellert provided extra interest.

To close the day Bishop Lester Priebbenow provided an up-date of church news and conducted the closing devotion, during which he presented special encouragement cards to the LWVT Executive Members. The Offering of $2,010 was shared between Hanna Schulz’s project and International Mission.

A Time for Reflection and Repentance

I read a story about a small town whose indigenous population was descended from seven different clans. Even though the Christian Gospel had come to this town a century ago, the practice of ‘payback’ remained. A few years ago, after a murder in the town, locals decided that somebody from the offender’s family needed to die.
Then something remarkable happened. Christian people of that town began to pray earnestly for their community. God gave them the gift of repentance and forgiveness. Instead of seeking payback, the family of the murdered man forgave the offending clan. People danced for joy in the street. Many were baptised and came to faith in Christ.
The Christian Gospel can do that. Its message is that somebody has already died in return for our sins. There is no need for payback. God offers the gifts of repentance and forgiveness to whomever trusts in the death of Jesus as payment for our sins.
The Christian Gospel brings those gifts of repentance and forgiveness to life in our daily lives. Martin Luther wrote in the first of his 95 Theses: When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’ (Mt 4:17) he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. In the Small Catechism he says that baptism, ‘indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever’.
As it did in that small indigenous community, repentance and faith in Christ affects relationships. This message is particularly timely as we – individuals and church – deal with outcomes of national convention of synod and the feelings it invokes in us and our communities.
Frustration and anger are being felt and expressed, both by those who hope the ordination of Women might soon become possible in the LCA/NZ, and by those who are annoyed that others continue to advocate for a practice that they believe is contrary to Scripture.
Frustration and anger may be expressed in unhelpful ways such as angry thoughts, words, and actions – perhaps even our own versions of ‘payback’. It’s time for us to earnestly seek God in prayer. It’s time for each of us to come to God in honest reflection and repentance.
The ‘Ambassadors of Reconciliation’ teaching material has a helpful little graphic, explaining ‘The Development of an Idol’. According to Luther, an idol is anything that we fear, love or trust more than God. Our desires – good or bad – can easily become idols.
The graphic illustrates how, when we feel our own expectations or demands aren’t being met, the instincts of our fallen human natures often come to the surface. Frustration can lead us to take matters into our own hands. We may judge and punish each other with unhelpful words and actions, which eventually lead to the death or destruction of relationships.

The good news is that the Christian gospel can still achieve remarkable things in our lives and our relationships, with individuals and in our community and church.
The season of Lent, which has traditionally been a season for reflection and repentance – seeking God in prayer – provides the ideal opportunity for reflection and repentance as we consider our own frustration with things in our church, or in other strained relationships.
The Psalm for the first Sunday in Lent, Psalm 32, teaches that our feelings can be either destructive or instructive. Pride and unrepentant hearts are destructive of our own health, wellbeing, and relationships if we hang onto our sinful thoughts, words and deeds and are not honest to God about them. On the other hand, the personal conviction of our guilt regarding sin may be instructive if it leads us to seek the Lord’s forgiveness, teaching, direction, and counsel.
May this Lenten season help you to come to God in reflection regarding the things you may be fearing, loving or trusting more than God, and in repentance which lays your sinful thoughts, words and deeds at the foot of the cross, where God has willingly allowed the ‘payback’ you deserved to be placed on his own Son.

Rev Lester Priebbenow
LCA Bishop
Victoria Tasmania District

Vectis celebrates 150 years

The Vectis 150th anniversary of continuous Lutheran worship was held a fortnight ago at the Vectis church and hall. A wonderful communion service led by our Pastor Levi saw the church bursting at the seams with not a spare seat to be found. We estimate that in excess of 130 people attended, and it certainly gladdened our hearts to have the church full with past and current members and their families.
The Good Lord certainly smiled on us as He sent a beautiful cool change through our part of Victoria on the Saturday evening prior, having been in the high 30’s that day. Given that we have no air conditioning in the hall it was certainly welcomed. After the service a group photo was taken on the north side of the hall for future posterity. We then adjourned to the hall to hear congratulations from various congregations and parishes in our district, as well as a congratulatory letter from Bishop Lester.

Everybody then tucked into a veritable feast of cold meats and lovely fresh salads, prepared by a small group of dedicated Vectis members with some help from other congregations. This was followed by cake and slices for dessert, washed down with tea, coffee and delicious fruit punch. An anniversary cake, made by our ladies guild president, Mary Jakobi, was then cut by our parish chair, Andrea Cross. The only downer on the day was that there just wasn’t enough time to catch up with all the past members and families who had at one time or another worshipped at Vectis.

It was such a memorable day, so well supported, and as chairperson my heartfelt thanks goes out to our small band of dedicated Christian members at Vectis and anybody else who contributed on the day. May the Lord continue to bless us as we continue to worship at Vectis, as our forbears did in the past 150 years.
by Greg Francis.
Vectis chairperson.

« Previous Page

Search Results for: church

Footer

Contact Us