Aug2020
Neighbours team up as mask marvels
Many health workers have been struggling to obtain enough personal protective equipment during the pandemic. But when a request came for masks for Noosa Hospital, Queensland, a local Lutheran church member and her neighbours set to work and have since supplied more than 1500 masks as far as PNG.
Aug2020
What I’ve learnt from home
by Amy Dahlenburg
When COVID-19 restrictions closed offices around Australia and New Zealand, Amy Dahlenburg began working from home, along with her family. But while the pandemic has caused stress, anxiety and grief, she says the upheaval has also brought important lessons – and blessings – home for her.
Jul2020
Billboard a sign of reassurance
Visitors and locals in Hervey Bay in southern Queensland are being greeted by a gospel message of reassurance written by the road into town. Members of St James Lutheran Church have posted the sign which reads: ‘Stay calm. I will get you through this, love God’ on a 6 metre x 3 metre billboard.
Jul2020
Faith-ful grandparents
by Jodi Brook
Grandparents play a vital role in a child’s faith formation. Of course, COVID-19 isolation and restrictions have kept many grandparents separated from their grandchildren. While this can be heartbreaking, there are many ways you can stay connected.
Jul2020
Cultural mix equips us for mission
by Pastor Matt Huckel
Trinity Lutheran Church Pasadena in South Australia is blessed with a multiethnic community, with members of European, Indonesian, Persian and African heritages. The challenge and gift from God is to synthesise all these ‘cultural colours’ together to better equip them for cross-cultural mission.
Jul2020
It’s time to act. Let’s cast the net!
by Craig Heidenreich
LCA/NZ Cross-Cultural Ministry Facilitator Craig Heidenreich says Jesus is establishing God’s kingdom among the nations and calls us to participate with him. ‘When we fish for souls, it’s a corporate endeavour’, he says. ‘Our net is made up of all of us, with our different gifts and callings.’
Jul2020
Staying in touch with grandchildren during COVID-19
by Judith Smyth
Staying in touch with her 15 grandchildren has always been very important for Judith Smyth. ‘They are always in my thoughts and prayers’, she says. ‘During the recent time of isolation … as I couldn’t see them in person, I decided to write a letter to each of them.’
Jun2020
Remote community undeterred by COVID-19
by Larry Kenny and Martin Bennett
Singalongs at the remote Amunturrngu community and neighbouring outstations in the Northern Territory have become cultural celebrations observing anti-viral protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jun2020
‘Our exile is an act of God’
by Pastor Matt Anker
When the president of the Lutheran Church in the Philippines, Rev Antonio Reyes, and his wife Arlene were unable to return home due to travel bans, they believed their exile was an act of God.
Jun2020
Going social with gospel truth
by Rikki Lambert
A bewildering social media and internet-connected revolution is reshaping the world and relationships, even how we think and act. This Information Revolution has gathered a socially transformative pace. How should we 21st-century Christians engage with social media and the internet?
