4 September 2013

NEW COMMUNICATIONS – LCA eNews and Heartland eNews

Welcome to the first edition of Heartland eNews!

Last month subscribers to LCA electronic bulletins were advised of a change in the news bulletins coming out of the Office of the Bishop. The former President’s Page has been replaced with two publications:

LCA eNews will come to you fortnightly and contain much of the information subscribers are accustomed to – notices from around the church, prayer points, and current information on calls and employment opportunities.

Heartland eNews will come to you occasionally as a communications tool from the bishop’s desk. It is an extension of the ‘Heartland’ column in The Lutheran and will contain comments and information about important matters before the church. This is the first of the Heartland eNews series covering five topics:

• The Australian federal election
• The situation in Syria
• Ordination dialogue in the LCA
• LCA Synod 2015
• Servant of Christ Award - 2014

Pastor John Henderson
Bishop
Adelaide, 4 September 2015

Australian Federal Election 2013

On Saturday Australians go to the polls to elect a new federal government. The campaigns that the major parties have conducted in the lead up to the polling have been revealing to say the least. Whatever your political persuasion, it is difficult to see where true hope lies within what we are being offered. It is a time of negatives and self-interest, rather than positives and the common good.

Issues we need to reflect on as Christians at this time and pray for include:

• The assumption that perpetual fiscal growth is the only guarantee of an assured future
• Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers and sealing our borders
• Improving the quality of life of most indigenous Australians
• Australia’s place in the global environment, particular with regard to the possibility of US intervention in Syria
• Provision of services to the poor and marginalised
• The movement for gay marriage (already a reality in New Zealand)
• Australia’s policies on the environment, including the carbon tax

By the time Australians meet again for worship on Sunday the vote will be over. Saddened as we might be by the low level of public debate and the frantic nature of promises made and soon broken, we will pray for our elected representatives and our government with all our heart. In Australia and New Zealand we will also pray that our leaders do not act in narrow self-interest, but for the well-being and benefit of everyone who shares this piece of God’s creation we call Australia and New Zealand.

Ordination dialogue in the LCA

On the LCA website you will soon see a new panel, replacing the one formerly dedicated to the 2013 Synod. It is called “Ordination. We’re listening.” Behind the panel will sit a range of resources to assist us as we engage in dialogue on the issue of the ordination of women, which has become increasingly contentious in our church.

Sections will include:

• A message from the Bishop, Pastor John Henderson
• Why are we having this discussion?
• Caring for each other
• Let’s pray
• Learning how to listen
  - Stories of respectful dialogue
  - First principles of dialogue
  - Witnessing dialogue: video clips that you can watch to see how effective dialogue operates
  - Respectful dialogue: a personal checklist
• Getting ready to listen: 12 of the best documents published in the LCA on the topic
• Digging a little deeper: more resources for serious listeners

I am hoping that you will take this opportunity to engage in local dialogue, in your congregation, fellowship and Bible study groups, zone gatherings, conferences, or any other opportunities that present themselves. In the Office of Bishop we are interested in hearing what is happening in your local area, and will be providing means for you to tell us what is going on.

I also hope that by the time we reach the next Synod, in October 2015, we each feel we have had the opportunity to speak and be listened to, and that we have read Scripture together and heard the voice of God. To some extent I hope that by the time of Convention we are ‘talked out’ about this topic and already have a sense of consensus that we are ready to discuss it again on the floor of Synod.

Synod 2015

General Church Council has agreed that the date of the next Convention of Synod will commence on Tuesday evening 29 September 2015, concluding with public worship on Sunday 4 October. The venue is being organised by the NSW District, and will be announced when known.

The extended schedule will provide four full days for business, with one full day set apart for dialogue on the ordination issue. In making this decision GCC was aware that some Districts, but not all, have a public holiday on Monday 5 October, and recognised that for many delegates these dates could mean taking a full week off work during school holidays. It was also mindful of a resolution passed at the Qld District Synod requesting the Bishop to consider an extra day at Synod for the ordination issue.

The planning and preparation for Synod will take care to ensure that the time is used in the best possible way, and sessions are constructed to help everyone have a voice and be involved in decision making.

Servant of Christ Award – 2014

Some people are wondering about the Servant of Christ award for 2013 since the usual notice calling for nominations didn’t appear in The Lutheran in August. This is due to two factors:

• In the past the award was linked to Australian Lutheran College graduation ceremonies. ALC graduation ceremonies are now linked to timetable of MCD University of Divinity, and the next will be held in May 2014.
• Three Servant of Christ awards were presented in 2012 (one in New Zealand).

In light of these factors it is not possible to offer the award in 2013, but it will resume in 2014. If you have someone you would like to nominate, please hold on to that information and send it in when nominations are reopened.