Oct2020
The miracle of your care
by Pastor Stephen Schultz
This year the Lutheran church celebrates 70 years of reaching out in love to people in need through ALWS. Pastor Stephen Schultz says he was privileged to witness the fruit of this work last year at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya and the way it has helped change people’s lives.
Oct2020
A stitch in time builds lives
by Helen Beringen
At the Lutheran Community Sewing Group, a volunteer team supports and teaches migrant women not only how to sew, but how to be loved and to make sense of an alien world. ‘The most important thing we do is equip the women with skills and confidence’, coordinator Helen Semmler says.
Oct2020
Side by side, every step of the way
Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) was formed 70 years ago so that our Lutheran family could walk alongside people in need. Today our church through ALWS works in 11 countries. Last year the ALWS family helped 297,498 people with the same spirit of service as 70 years ago.
Sep2020
Free to walk for others
With ALWS Walk My Way community events cancelled due to COVID-19, four Year 11 students from Concordia College in suburban Adelaide thought creatively about raising funds to support the education of children in refugee camps. They raised enough to help 143 children to go to school.
Sep2020
Candles light a fire for ministry
by Helen Beringen
A box of cardboard candles falling from a church storage cupboard sparked Elisabeth Clarke’s unique ministry almost a decade ago. Since then she has been creating inviting and interesting spaces in church foyers, presenting a peaceful and welcoming entrance to bless all those who walk through.
Sep2020
Holding on to hope
by Anne Hansen
Whether we’re sitting in the doctor’s surgery awaiting a scary diagnosis, watching flames take hold of our house, or pondering memories of a precious loved one, we all know what it’s like to need comfort. Lutheran Tract Mission has the ideal way to remind those suffering that God is with them.
Sep2020
Choosing the road to life
by Peter McGuinness
On 8 December 2012, Melissa and Peter McGuinness learnt of their 18-year-old son’s death in a tragic road crash that claimed five lives. Now Melissa shares their story with young people around Australia, hoping to facilitate change in driving behaviours.
Sep2020
Lockdown cocoon produces butterfly beauty
by Megan James
Intergenerational ministry is a priority for members of St Mark’s Lutheran Church Dalby in Queensland, so during COVID-19 church closures, they embraced new opportunities to engage all generations in their worship and activities.
Aug2020
Lutheran media outreach turns 75
This week marks 75 years of Lutheran media outreach in Australia. On 2 September 1945, The Lutheran Hour program was first broadcast on Australian radio, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to thousands around the nation.
Aug2020
Share your Lutheran youth experiences
If you have been involved with Lutheran youth groups or organisations in Australia or New Zealand in the past 70-plus years, then FoLA wants to hear from you. As part of a new oral history project, FoLA is seeking audio recordings of people’s reflections about youth days.