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Australian Citizenship in Shepparton

One of the many ways I serve our parish in Shepparton is by helping our community members to fill out applications. I’ve helped with birth certificates, rental applications, partner and sponsored humanitarian visa applications, and more! Recently there has been a big wave of members seeking to obtain their Australian Citizenship. I’ve completed that application online so many times in the last year, that it was almost second nature when I did it for my own family.

There are certain advantages to having grown up in a Westernised country, even as an immigrant. I was able to provide certified copies of passports and birth certificates – because I have them. I didn’t have to have them translated into English. I have the correct birthdates for my children, an up-to-date resume outlining a verifiable employment history, and an education using the modern technological tools required to submit these forms electronically.

So many refugees do not have the same paper trail of their life when they arrive in Australia, and something as “simple” as proving their identity can make an already complicated application process even more challenging. A 31-page online application (yes, you read that right!) is daunting enough when English is your first language, and next to impossible when you haven’t learned the bureaucratic jargon in your EAL courses. The fact that so many of them wish to go through with the process at all shows the dedication they have to the Australian community that has welcomed them, and their desire to give back to that community. But it is a LOT of work.

We were blessed that our application was approved, and we received our citizenship on August 31. An even greater blessing was to be able to share the ceremony with another member of our congregation that I supported though the application process. Daniel and I said the pledge together, and had a time for some photos. It was lovely to have Pastor and his wife Julie, along with 4 other members of St Paul’s, come to support and congratulate us as well. I’m looking forward to the ceremonies of two more members who have recently been approved, and about a half dozen more who are in various stages of the application process.

We came to the Goulburn Murray Parish on a three-year contract … 7 years ago. I would never have planned or imagined that there’d be a picture of me with an Australian Citizenship Certificate in my hands. Thank You to all of the LCA Vic/Tas District family for welcoming and encouraging us in our service here, and for supporting the work of our Parish for the many immigrant families who have made Australia, Shepparton, and St Paul’s their home.

Come to the Wedding Feast

Scripture: Matthew 22:1-14 (Gospel reading for 15 October)

We love a good celebration, don’t we! Whether it’s a family celebration, a catch-up with friends, a gathering with work colleagues, or the celebration of a sporting victory, celebrations are always joyful occasions.

It isn’t surprising that when Jesus describes life in his kingdom, he describes it in terms of a celebration. One such example is his ‘Parable of the Wedding Feast’ (Matthew 22:1-14).

Let’s be honest, there is a lot to celebrate about life in his kingdom. God has welcomed us into his family by taking the penalty for our sins as his very own, joining us to the perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection of his only Son, so that we can enjoy forgiveness for all our sins, new life now in his name, and a perfect life forever.

Each day we live in the unsurpassed gift of his unconditional love. This is not cause for a dirge or a funeral procession but a marriage feast – a joyful celebration.

The good news in Jesus’ ‘Parable of the Wedding Feast’ is that we are all invited to the celebration of new life in him. Nobody is left out. In the parable, when some people refused to respond, the king told his servants to go out onto the busy roads and to welcome as many people as they could find, ‘both bad and good’ into the feast. God considers nobody to be unworthy of his gracious gifts.

There are only two requirements for our entry into God’s celebration. The first is that we come without delay, by putting our trust in Jesus and what he has done for us. The first invited guests in Jesus’ parable didn’t come when the wedding feast was ready, so they missed out. All from the second group of invited guests who did come were received into the celebration.

The second requirement is that we come on the King’s terms, not our own. According to local custom, the groom’s father used to supply an outer wedding garment for each invited guest to wear. In Jesus’ parable, however, there was a man who chose not to wear the garment that the king had given him. Like the first invited guests, he was also left to wear the consequence of his decision.

Our heavenly King graciously clothes us in his ‘robe or righteousness,’ his ‘garment of salvation’ (Isaiah 61:10) when we trust in what Jesus has done for us, but sometimes people presume to take part in God’s celebration on our own terms rather than his. Maybe we think we are ‘decent’ enough people by ourselves to earn a place in God’s kingdom, without acknowledging our need for, or appreciation of God’s forgiving love.

There is both comfort and challenge here for us. The time to come and celebrate God’s grace is now. We have all received the invitation from the Lord our King. We have all been offered the garment of salvation won for us by Jesus. Let us therefore make this our prayer:

“Thank you, Lord Jesus, for inviting us to your wedding feast. Make us acceptable and grateful guests. Amen.”

Pastor Lester Priebbenow

“It won’t happen here!!”

Photo by Noah Silliman on Unsplash

As I work with congregations in our District, I sometimes meet members who believe our Safe Church practices are unnecessary, “over the top,” or a “lot of bureaucratic red tape.” This view is based on the belief that we in the Lutheran Church are immune from abuse and the highly publicised criminal abuse of some other denominations.

Furthermore, there is an assumption that because we know our fellow congregational members, there is no need for rigorous processes. A wise Lutheran school principal once told me, “Don’t assume anything.” He was absolutely correct!

We have had, and continue to have, instances of abuse in our church which cause great harm to individuals, financially cripple us, and damage our reputation.

Whilst we don’t want to dwell on the negative, acknowledging what can occur (the temptation to sin) is important in driving us to do better and act preventatively.

Three decades ago, at a Lutheran church in South Australia, Ryan Williams was sexually abused – while his parents were chatting with other adults after worship. Now a pastor of a church in New Mexico, Ryan explains what happened, why it often takes so long for survivors to talk about abuse, and why it’s so important to bring what happens in the dark, out into the light.

This is an important message for all of us to hear.

I encourage you to take the time to listen to Ryan’s message on Laudio, the LCA podcast platform.

Listen to Ryan’s story

If you need support, please contact: Lifeline 13 11 14; or Bravehearts 1800 272 831.

From Denise, your District Professional Standards Officer

Just forgive and forget!

You’ve probably received advice like this at some stage or another. It’s not bad advice, really. There are certainly times when it’s best to forgive someone who has offended you, and to move on. It can even be a powerful thing. When you make a deliberate choice not to be offended and to forgive someone, it can be extremely liberating. Holding onto an offence can be quite draining and debilitating.

We live in a time when many people take offence at all kinds of things. They then use the fact that they’ve been offended as justification for some very bad behaviour in return. I’m sure you know what I mean. It’s as if people think they have an inalienable right to be offended. However, in many cases, these offenses are pretty trivial, and forgiving and forgetting would be a far better response.

Of course, there are other times when forgiving and forgetting isn’t going to work. For example, if someone hurts you badly, and they refuse to acknowledge the hurt they’ve caused, forgiving and forgetting is never going to be the solution. Such deep hurt can’t simply be overlooked or swept under the carpet. Instead, there needs to be some process of reconciliation whereby acknowledgments are made, forgiveness is sought and given, and a way forward is mapped out through which deep and lasting healing can take place.

That is how it works between people. God approaches things a bit differently. In Psalm 103:8-10 we can read about something important that lies deep in the heart of God’s character. ‘The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.’

Some people have the idea that God is a heartless judge, who is looking for any opportunity to catch people out for their wrongdoings and punish them without mercy. But these verses give us a very different picture. What they tell us is that God is much better at forgiving and forgetting than we are, even choosing to forgive and forget at times when we don’t deserve such merciful treatment. As the Psalm goes on, in verses 11-12: ‘For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.’

God’s merciful heart can be seen most clearly in the person of Jesus Christ. God’s mercy towards us is the reason Jesus was willing to die on the cross. We don’t deserve God’s mercy, but Jesus took our sin and wrongdoing upon himself so that we might have God’s mercy anyway. What a gift it is, that when we ask for God’s forgiveness in Jesus’ name, he gives it to us!

God bless,

Pr Matthias Prenzler
LCA Vic-Tas District Assistant Bishop
Pastor Matthias serves the Goulburn Murray Parish.
He has been in the role of Acting Bishop during July-Sept 2023.

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

Winter Warmer Fundraising Event – Gippsland Parish

… and for this one?

Auctioneer Michael Groves in action.

“…and for this one I’ll even throw in the bag for free!”

And so the bidding continued quickly for all the donated items on a suitably cold day in July for the Winter Warmer at Good Shepherd, Traralgon.

The gathering of 35 folk from across the Parish was treated to an array of 10 soups, breads and cakes, including some delicious German style ones. Each soup was accompanied by a jar with the label of the soup name. The soups were judged by people placing coins in the jar of their favourites. And the winner was, not the Sauerkraut or the minestrone but the mixed vegetables and sausage, entitled ‘the MM Special’ (with some ‘wags’ suggesting you’d need a ‘military medal’ to try it!) The prize money became a part of a larger collection for ALWS which included door entry donation and proceeds from the auction.

The auctioneer, Michael Groves, was able to joyfully entertain the gathering and sell the wide variety of donated goods from across the Parish ranging from plants to CD’s and hand-made felt hats.

All present were fully entertained by poetry readings, jokes, a tuba solo and soprano solo, as well as the singing duo of Pastor Tony Castle on guitar and banjo and Michael Groves on bass guitar with a favourite being a response to the ‘70’s song; “Redback on the toilet seat” called “The Redback’s Point of View” written and originally performed by “The Singing Kettles.” Bill and Kathy Kettle (members of the Parish and of ‘The Singing Kettles’ fame) kindly donated many CDs and albums of their work in support of the day.

A brief history of the ALWS, especially the early years at Bonegilla, resonated with quite of few of the gathering who had actually been settled there.

Everyone was thoroughly warmed and blessed by the occasion.

Installation at Tandara Lutheran Camp

On Sunday 16 July, Jade Liebelt was installed by Pastor Hans Peethala (new to Horsham) into a Traineeship at Tandara Lutheran Camp. Her role includes working in a tight-knit team to deliver successful camps, which may be school children and staff, youth groups, Lutheran and other church groups and a variety of community groups.

Trainees become part of the face of Tandara to clients and visitors, and the role involves a variety of jobs, from programming to cleaning, cooking and study. Jade is currently completing a Certificate 3 in Sport and Recreation, and also undertaking the Certificate in Divinity (undergraduate) at ALC.

Jade chose to do the Traineeship at Tandara as it provides a great opportunity to grow as an individual and to get an experience of work-life outside of school. She hopes to grow in her faith and learn many new things during this experience.

Jade’s Traineeship began in January 2023 and will finish in November, 11 months total.

If this has sparked an interest in you, more information on Traineeships at Tandara Lutheran Camp can be found HERE.

Hospitable Listening

Hospitable Listening

“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 19:33-34

As I write, it’s approaching the end of June. And I’m thinking to myself – it’s true what all the older folks in my life have always told me – things seem to go faster the older you get! Where did the first half of 2023 go? I think that one reason that time seems to fly is that change seems to be constant.

We’ve been experiencing a lot of changes just in the street where I live. Three new sets of neighbours have moved in recently. So far, I’ve been able to introduce myself to two of these households – and they are all from overseas. That’s not a surprise to me given that Australia received nearly 400,000 migrants in 2022 – an all-time record intake.[1]

What marvellous opportunities we have to share the gospel these days! New folks are arriving not just to capital cities, but to regional centres also. We have wonderful opportunities all around to ‘practice hospitality’ (Romans 12:13).

And it’s not hard. A welcoming smile, a gentle listening attitude, and a curious mind-set are all that’s needed. But most important of all is a preparatory prayer. I was reminded of this recently when I joined with a number of folks from our Eastern Metro region for a ‘Gospel Fluency’ workshop run by the LCANZ’s Pastor for New and Renewing Churches Pr. Nathan Hedt.

Pr. Nathan provided us with tools to become more gospel ‘fluent’. The very first tool is simply to practice generous listening. ‘Wow, tell me more!’ is a great question to serve folks with. It lets them know that you are genuinely interested in them as a fellow human being. I believe that there is a great thirst in our culture at the moment for ‘listening loving ears’.

We were also reminded of Paul’s encouragement to the Colossians to: ‘devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful… Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.’ Colossians 4:2-6

What a great encouragement to pray specifically for opportunities to share the gospel – and watch joyfully as God provides them. When they arise, another tool that you may find useful to have on hand, is a little handbook called “Heart Talk” (pictured). It contains simple greetings in over 30 different languages. You can order it via the LCA NZ’s Cross-Cultural Ministry Webpage – or reach out to me on brett.kennett@lca.org.au and I’ll send you a free copy. Get in touch also if you’d like me to run a ‘Gospel Fluency’ workshop where you are.

Hospitable listening is just the first step in building a relationship with the stranger and newcomer that we may encounter. May we remember that each of them is a precious child of God and loved by Jesus.

God bless you as you go, with Christ in your heart and on your lips, be prepared to be amazed at the good work – of listening – that Jesus has prepared for you! (Ephesians 2:10)

[1] https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/overseas-migration/latest-release

Youth events kept simple!

Youth events kept simple!

Throughout the year, Nunawading and Waverley Lutheran Church and St Paul’s Box Hill Lutheran Church will host events for our youth (high school aged children), families and friends with the aim to:

connect our youth (high school aged children) together;
allow our youth opportunities to spend time in biblical reflection with each other;
provide an opportunity for young people who might be interested in learning more about God, or those who are sceptical, to have a safe space to investigate and enquire;
build Christian friendships;
connect families across the eastern metro area;
provide an opportunity for easy intergenerational ministry.

These evenings are a chance to spend a relaxed time in fellowship with other Christians, share a meal, play some board games and have discussions about all things God and church. Families, friends and youth are then encouraged to go back to their communities and congregations refreshed and taking comfort in the knowledge that there are others out there who are like them, part of something ‘bigger’! You don’t have to be a believer to come, and you don’t even have to be Lutheran!!

Families are very busy these days, with their children often committed to many different groups. Our Youth, Families and Friends events are intended to be occasional but intentional so that families can prioritise them.

Our most recent event was held at Redeemer Waverley Lutheran Church.
Our next event will be on:

Friday 5th May,

Hosted by St Paul’s Box Hill, at: 711 Station St, Box Hill

7.00pm – 9.30pm

RSVP to Amanda: agargett79@gmail.com

All are welcome to these events! I will email out direct to congregations each time there is another event coming up, so please check in with your Pastor.

Katie Lang
Nunawading and Waverley Lutheran Church
Youth and Young Adults Pathways Coordinator

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.

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