Victoria Tasmania District of the Lutheran Church of Australia

1201 Riversdale Road
Box Hill South VIC 3128
Phone 03 9236 1200

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Lutheran Nurses Visit Central Australia

Seventeen people spent six days in Alice Springs in September on the 13th study tour arranged by Lutheran Parish Nurses International (LPNI). Among them were nurses from Australia, USA, Singapore and Palestine (Bethlehem).

LPNI is a global network of Lutheran Parish Nurses. Each year it arranges a study tour to a country where Parish Nursing has been established. The aim is to allow participants to learn about the history and mission of the local Lutheran church, and about the health structures and Parish Nurse ministry in the countries visited, as well as to provide fellowship opportunities.

While in Alice Springs, attendees visited Hermannsburg to learn about early mission history and to hear members of the Aboriginal women’s choir sing. They visited the Royal Flying Doctor Centre, the School of the Air, and the Overland Telegraph Station.
At the Saturday seminar, local Ministry Support Workers introduced them to the scope and cross-cultural ministry of the Finke River Mission, and local nurses described health issues facing people living in Central Australia. On the following day they joined the Alice Springs congregation for bi-lingual English-Pitjantjatjara worship and visited Yirara college. They also visited Standley Chasm, Simpson’s Gap, and the Desert Park, where they saw small desert marsupials they’d never heard of before!

Sue Neff, from California, summed up the response of participants, when she wrote: ‘We had such a lovely trip. What a wealth of information we learned. I am still trying to digest it all!’

For further info:
Bob Wiebusch 0497 898 696 revbob@ozemail.com.au

When you pass through the waters – a devotional message from Bishop Lester

But now thus says the LORD,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;”

These words from Isaiah 43 were part of God’s message to us at our recent District Convention. There we considered them metaphorically. The rising rivers and flood waters were a picture of the overwhelming challenges we often face in our daily lives and in our church. Of course, now rising rivers and flood waters are a literal reality across many areas of Victoria and Tasmania.
Our prayers are with all those people and communities whose lives and livelihoods are affected by the flooding, or who live in fear of further rising waters. Some of those people are our relatives or our brothers and sisters in Christ.
It is timely then to remind ourselves of the comfort we received from God as we focussed on these words a few weeks ago, under the theme, ‘a new thing.’
We acknowledged that the ‘new things’ that come into our lives are not always exciting, but quite often are disruptive, painful, and threatening. It isn’t easy to see God’s gracious, loving rule when the rising rivers and flood waters threaten to ‘overwhelm’ us (Isaiah 43:2).
Yet, God reminds us that his commitment to us is constant. He says, “I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour” (Isaiah 43:3). That fact never changes. Nor does the fact that we are his created, redeemed, called, precious, honoured and loved children. He says, “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine’” (Isaiah 43:1).
As his children, he has taken us through the waters of our baptism, in which we are “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Even as the rising rivers and flood waters – literally or metaphorically – threaten to overwhelm us, we can hold onto the hope that he who rescued us and gave us new life in the waters of baptism, are never without his gracious rule in our lives – his loving, rescuing, transforming, renewing, and resurrecting grace.
It is my prayer that God will protect all who are facing or affected by the ‘overwhelming’ flood waters in these days and hold you in the knowledge of his gracious rule and care.
Fear not, He is with you, O be not dismayed;
For He is your God and will still give you aid;
He’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand
Upheld by His righteous, omnipotent hand.
When through the deep waters He calls you to go,
The rivers of woe shall not you overflow;
For He will be with you, your troubles to bless,
And turn to your good e’en your deepest distress.
LHS 392 v.2 – 3 (Ascribed to Richard Keen) 1787

Pastor Lester Priebbenow
District Bishop, Victoria and Tasmania

On Sunday afternoon 11th September, Tandara was finally able to host a Thanksgiving Service, after a few false starts due to COVID safety.

We gave thanks for the service of former Intern Ethan Grosse, and also outgoing Manager Christiana Henke

Prayers were said for on-going and promoted staff Emma Coutts, New Manager Justin Cozens, and Team Member (and former Intern) Zoe Heinrich.

District Administrator Stephen Mildred thanked the Tandara team for being good Custodians of the camp, and brought greetings from District Church Council Chair David Bergmann and Bishop Lester Priebbenow.

Some 34 people shared in gathering together in this worship service – which fitted the sermon topic perfectly.

Thanks to Pr John Weier for his service.

https://www.vic.lca.org.au/2022/09/13/10639/

Pre Convention online information sessions

In order to provide relevant information and promote active discussion on proposals and reports to District Convention of Synod, District Office will hold five online Information sessions. To express interest and receive the session link please email   keryn.middelmann@lca.org.au by 3.00pm the day of the session. For the Saturday session please email by 3.00pm the Friday prior.

A New Thing 1: Pastoral Supply             Wednesday 24 August at 7.30pm – complete

A New Thing 2: Digital Ministry           Tuesday 30 August at 7.30pm

Aged Care Sustainability                            Saturday 03 September* at 9.30 am

Aged Care Sustainability (repeat)             Wednesday 07 September at 7.30pm

A New Thing 3 Church Revitalisation     Tuesday 13 September at 7.30pm

Pre Convention Information Sessions

Prior to Convention of Synod a series of Online Information Sessions will be held.
To register interest email keryn.middelmann@lca.org.au
A New Thing 1 Pastoral Supply        
Wednesday 24 August at 7.30pm
NEW Aged Care Sustainability
Saturday 03 September* at 9.30 am
A New Thing 2 Digital Ministry
Tuesday 30 August at 7.30pm
Aged Care Sustainability (repeat)
Wednesday 07 September at 7.30pm
A New Thing 3 Church Revitalisation 
Tuesday 13 September at 7.30pm

Lutheran Welfare Trust – new members sought

The current Trustees of the Lutheran Welfare Trust are seeking a new member, ideally with legal experience, to join the trustees. Lutheran Welfare Trust was created to contribute towards the support or establishment of welfare projects primarily within the Lutheran Church.

Over recent years the Trust has distributed funds to organizations within the Victorian District, for aged care and refugee support projects. Please contact Lester Kerber at lester.kerber@lca.org.au to find out more about serving this Trust

Lutheran Welfare Trust Applications now 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 necessitous 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 1/7/22 – 30/6/23 year.

The Trustees are seeking applications for the funding of 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 downloadable HERE, or email Hilton Haeusler at: hilton.haeusler@gslps.vic.edu.au  Applications close on Friday, 07 October 2022.

Hilton Haeusler

Lutheran Welfare Trust 2023 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 necessitous 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 description. Careful consideration should be given to this definition in the application for funds. 

The Trust operates on a 1 July to 30 June year in accordance with the Tax Office rules, so applications are now open until 31 March 2023 for the 1/7/21 – 30/6/23 year .In the 2020-21 period, the Trust distributed $4500 to organisations within the Victorian District for projects that fit it’s criteria.

The Trustees are seeking applications for the funding of welfare related projects that are tax deductible, not for specific individual welfare cases. The amount available in any one year is dependent on prevailing interest rates. 

The application form is downloadable HERE, or email Hilton Haeusler at: hilton.haeusler@gslps.vic.edu.au  Applications close on Friday, 07 October 2022

The Trust is always seeking additional members to be involved in the work of the Trust. Please contact Lester Kerber or myself if further information is required. 

Hilton Haeusler
on behalf of the Lutheran Welfare Trust 

Pastor for Ministry and Formation

Earlier this year the District was approached  by Lutheran Education Victoria New South Wales & Tasmania (LEVNT) about the possibility of a call to a pastor, through the District, to oversee, support and train lay chaplains in schools across the LEVNT region. The current shortage of school pastors has left 5 out of 7 of the district’s full time school pastor positions vacant, with the one more nearing retirement within a year and the other not long after. Attempts to fill vacancies through calls and Expression of Interest have yielded no result.  In the meantime, schools and colleges are employing lay chaplains, in order to fill the pastoral care ‘gap’. The new role of Pastor for ministry and formation will provide a spiritual oversight role for lay chaplains in District schools.

District Bishop Lester Priebbenow and  LEVNT Executive Director Julian Denholm worked together to bring a recommendation on this matter through Vic-Tas District Church Council (DCC) to College of Bishops, who approved the new pastor position, noting that in effect it would replace existing pastoral positions that were not likely to be filled. DCC subsequently received a recommendation from the District Board for Lutheran Education (acting as the call committee) to extend the call to Pastor David Spike, of Geelong Lutheran College, who had already been seconded part-time to LEVNT for a similar supporting role. We are excited that Pastor David has accepted the call, and look forward to his commencement in the role.