2 May 2013
Prayer points
• The people of Malaysia as they have elections on 5 May
• For Bishop Elect John Henderson as he prepares for his new role
• Thanksgiving for the expertise, time and effort which members of our church commit to boards and committees at district and national church level
• Thanksgiving for the Lutheran Laypeople’s League, its staff and support to the Church
The generosity of the Lutheran Church of Australia continues to warm the hearts of those of us called to lead.
On Sunday 21 April over 5,000 people celebrated the faithfulness of God to us here in Australia and New Zealand for 175 years at the Sunday service and Alive!175 event which saw the beginning of our 17th Convention of the synod. (A $48,000 offering was received on the day for African ministry and post graduate theological education for pastors at the LCA)
It was salutary to see the support for the plan to emphasize ‘growing in Christ’. Solidly grounded with the best news ever of what God in Christ has done for his undeserving children we have a message which we can share as we ‘go’ about our daily vocations and calling.
DATE CLAIMER FOR FAREWELL TO THE PRESIDENT, INSTALLATION OF THE BISHOP
The farewell rite for the outgoing President of the Church will be held at Faith Tanunda on Sunday 30 June. The installation of Bishop Elect John Henderson will take place on Sunday 14 July. Both services will be held in the afternoon and further details will be made available as they are confirmed.
SYNOD NEWS
1. A short Popular Report, presenting the major decisions of General Synod, is available on the Synod website (www.lcasynod.org.au), in the NEWS section. This is an ideal resource for Synod delegates in reporting back to their parishes. Or click on https://lca.box.com/shared/static/t2ci2j36mebm4tu3o6k1.pdf to take you directly to the PDF.
2. The photo galleries for Sunday to Wednesday are available for viewing now.
3. A comprehensive Popular Report will be part of the Synod mega-edition of The Lutheran, available at the end of May for every Lutheran household. These will be bulk-posted to congregations. Subscribers to The Lutheran will receive their May edition in the regular way, in their mailbox.
4. Post-Synod updates will continue to be posted from time to time via Twitter, Facebook and eNews. Click on the NEWS tab of the Synod website (www.lcasynod.org.au) to sign up to any or all of these news services.
A special note to Synod delegates: Please remember that your term as a delegate did not end at the close of Synod, but remains current until the next General Convention of Synod. Part of your responsibility is to ensure that the members of your parish are informed about Synod’s decisions and the implementation of them throughout this synodical term. You are therefore asked to remain subscribed to General Convention eNews (or whatever it might be called in the future).
ALIVE!175 SERVICE AND PRESENTATION DVD
Following on from the huge celebration that was Alive!175 on Sunday 21 April, Lutheran Media Ministry is producing a 2 DVD set of ALIVE!175 – both the morning worship service and the afternoon program. Cost is $15, plus $2 postage, with any profits going towards the work of Lutheran Media Ministry. To order, call Chelsea or Val at the National Office on 08 8267 7300, or download an order form from the LCA website www.lca.org.au – click on the DVD slider.
There are also a number of Alive!175 souvenir bags available if you would like some for your congregation members. Please email lca.administration@lca.org.au if you would like some.
PRAYERS FOR MALAYSIA
As partners in the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have been invited and encouraged by Bishop Philip Lok of the Lutheran Church in Malaysia to stand together in prayer with them, our brothers and sisters in Christ and the people of Malaysia, as the country holds elections on the 5th May. This will likely be a close election and the potential is for the very first change of government in the country’s history (since independence in the 1950’s). There is potential for unrest and Christians have been placed in danger before. Lutheran congregations in Malaysia have been encouraged to hold prayer vigils on the 4th May. Bishop Lok says to his people ‘Finally, let us all unite our hearts in prayer, and vote for a better and brighter Malaysia’. As we pray for and with our fellow Christians in Malaysia, let’s heed the words of Paul to Timothy,
‘First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, requests, and thanksgiving be offered to God for all people, for kings, and all others who are in authority, that we may live a quiet life and peaceful life with all reverence to God and with proper conduct. This is good and it pleases God our Saviour, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to know the truth’. 1 Timothy 2:1-2
NEW! YOUR LUTHERAN CLASSIC CASE 5
You’re invited… to enjoy top quality (90+ points) fantastic value (less than$20 a bottle) Lutheran wine and support a great Lutheran cause at the same time – the 2013 Longest Lutheran Lunch. Renowned international Wine Writer (and Lutheran!), Tyson Stelzer, sampled more than four dozen Lutheran wines by some of the best winemakers in Australia, before selecting the best of each style for the Lutheran Classic Case 5. Tyson says the standard of the Lutheran wine submitted for the Classic Case ‘continues to rise’. Lutheran wine can be a real conversation starter with friends who may not know anything about the Lutheran church. ORDER BY 10 MAY FOR QUICK DELIVERY!
www.lca.org.au/lutheranwinemakers P: 08 8267 7300 F: 08 8267 7310
LCA HR SYSTEMS ADVISER
Do you have a HR background and have experience in identification, development and investigation into HR (payroll and database management) systems which would be appropriate in the LCA context? We would love to hear from you with a view to putting your talents to work for the Church. This contracted position will initially be for three months and may extend beyond that. Expressions of interest can be forwarded to Debbie Venz (0457512718 debbie.venz@lca.org.au) or Peter Schirmer (0409156346 peter.schirmer@lca.org.au) by 31 May with a view to starting by mid-late June 2013.
WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will be held this year 12-19 May under the theme of “What does God require of us?” Resources are available from www.churchestogetherinprayer.org.au.
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