We talk of change as if it's a destination to be arrived at.. but that makes no sense...change keeps on happening. God's love and His promises don't change...everything else does. Change is what our Father, our Saviour, and the Spirit want to bring to us and the people in our community. I love the way we all see change slightly differently, that's the way it's intended to be..and the way God can use us best.

May you have a heart and passion for ministry that uses whatever change is needed to be "all things to all people" in your role of being mission & ministry encouragers to the people in your community.

This month we welcome Jill Schefe (Lay Parish Worker at Calvary in the Glasshouse Mountains...pictured to the right) and Eunice Steinhardt (Christian Pastoral Support Worker in Ipswich...& hospital Chaplain at the Royal Brisbane Hospital) as accredited Lay Workers.

Jill and Eunice completed the Lutheran Deaconess stream at LTC and have served their Church and Saviour ever since. As has been pointed out to me...once a deaconess, always a deaconess! It's great to have both of you on our Accredited Lay Workers roll....and may we read your stories soon :-)

Glenn Schulz has been presented with a certificate of accreditation, 23 years after he was accredited!..better late than never Glenn went through LTC (Lay Training Centre) It's with a little embarrassment, that we haven't done so earlier... but with a lot of joy that we acknowledge these people as accredited Lay Workers. Your love for Christ and your service to the church over decades is a wonderfully rich histroy for which we thank God. We are sure there are many more unidentified Lay Workers serving God out in their communities...please contact us if you are one of them!

For a list of accredited Lay Workers or a list of current Lay Workers ..look in the right hand column. Like to be accredited?...ask your Lay Worker Formation Officer (Glenn or Verena) how.

We also welcome the following people to the Lay Workers roll

Christian Bahnerth - Lay Hospital Chaplain, Canberra, St Peters Congregation, NSW
Chris Reardon - Cross Cultural Ministry Team Leader, Cairns Trinity Congregation, Qld
Stephen Wal - Finance Officer, Frankston St Peters Congregation, Vic

If you wish to welcome these people personally, their names link to their email addresses.

Discipleship, isn’t that why we are all in the field of lay ministry? I see us all as working together to help our brothers and sisters in faith walk more closely with God and to have their lives renewed by that walk. In my case, the discipleship challenge I work with is helping people get God’s word into a language and a format that best speaks to their heart.
Here in Papua New Guinea (PNG), where there are over 800 languages, the languages that speak to people’s hearts are varied indeed. Many of these languages have no Scripture in them at all, others have some. Very few have the whole Bible. Getting access to these translations of God’s word can still be challenging, as literacy, dialect differences and physical access can act as barriers.
My work as a linguist and Bible translator is very varied. Some days it is technical work, as I sit in an office at a computer and try to make sense of grammar or study the original Greek text. Other days it is practical and creative as I play literacy games with small children in a village. Sometimes I am running workshops in a village, training locals to do translation in their own language and using blackboard and chalk for resources. Other times the training happens in our main centre, with computers and a library on hand. A lot of administration, planning, travelling and praying goes on to make any of this work possible.
In my two and a half years working in PNG I have worked with a range of translation projects across the country, helping to meet current community needs and requests. This has given me a great insight into the breadth of our work in translation. I’ve also seen the deep need for God’s word in a way that connects with hearts.  In the coming months I hope to settle into one area and language community on a longer term basis. Until now I have been operating in one of the trade languages of the country, soon I will be learning one  local language. I am looking forward to building relationships and working alongside the local community in one place, helping to get God’s word into their language and into their hearts.

You can respond to Hanna by clicking here Hanna Schulz

Did you look in the LCA yearbook last year and find you were still living in Peru, married to a different person or still only had 3 numbers in your phone details?

...avoid the embarassment next year and update your LAMP details now by clicking here.

This sumary of an article by Carey Nieuwhof, who speaks to North American churches on leadership, made me smile...I've shifted work roles 3 times after 3 or 4 years and can identify with what he writes....

This assumes you’re competent and are making a solid contribution to your organization....

Year One: You’re a Rock Star. You’re smart. You see the organization through new eyes. You bring insights & practices others don’t have.

Year Two: Everyone’s Glad You’re There. You have a track record & people trust you. You’re appreciated & appear to have staying power.

Year Three:  This Feels Normal. You’ve solved a lot of the problems you set out to solve. Now your bag of tricks is running a little thin...you’re starting to see problems you’re not sure how to solve. Maybe…just maybe…you created a few of your own.

Year Four: You don’t want to say it out loud. But there’s a wall ahead. And if you’re honest, you know the wall is you. You're up against all your limits and your fears and you realize that if you’re going to make progress you’re going to have to grow as a person. Because you’ve changed everything else... all that’s left to change is you.

So now you have a choice. You can jump out of the organization..find a new job - go through the cycle and then decide to move on again.Or.....
You can jump into personal growth. Good leaders know that in the midst of change, the most important thing they can change is themselves.  Find the issues that make you ineffective and effective. Learn new skills. Build deeper relationships. And grow. And when you grow, your ministry, department and organization can grow too.

..This is one reason why we encourage accreditation in Lay Ministry...an opportunity to grow & develop relevant ministry skills.

I've been the youth, family and community worker at Mountainside Lutheran Church, Auckland, New Zealand for the past 3 years. I would never have thought I will serve the Lutheran church in Auckland.
I started life in Holland, born in a Christian family. We belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church. The 2 women who influenced my life the most at an early stage are my mum, who was passionate to share her faith through the church and helping others. The other is my teacher, Liza, from year 1,2 and a little of year 3, when she decided to become a missionary in Egypt (When I was a young adult I was privileged to visit her). That planted the seed of doing mission.
After my studies as a young adult I went to India to do voluntary work over there. There is where I met my husband, Floyd, who was visiting his family at that time. He was living in Auckland. A year later we married and I moved to Auckland. The Lutheran Church was our local church and we became members. I was working in the disability sector, and we received two beautiful kids, Ruth, 7 and Christian, 5. I started work 3 years ago in Mountainside and I really enjoy it.
What I love about this position is that my whole family is involved in the ministry. My kids grew up in the church and that is their second home. I love to see how God is touching lives, the stories of people, how they are touched by the things happening in the church.
What I find difficult is that everyone wants to see results, but how do you see/ measure results? Doing ministry is connecting with people and God and teaching/nurturing people in their faith. This process is sometimes hard to grasp and the ways of the Lord are sometimes hard to understand! But keeping our eyes on God, reading his word and being nurtured/encouraged by other Christians keeps me grounded and passionate.

You can respond to Marjon by clicking here Marjon Gerson

You will receive a CD full of ideas for worship, for an all-age learning event including skits and activity ideas, as well as take home sheets.
For your copy of GIFT ADVENT contact growministries
Passing on the Christian faith involves a partnership of generations, individuals and families within the Christian congregation. GIFT events provide an opportunity for people of all ages to explore God’s love for them through worship activities and fellowship by sharing the gift of each other and the gift of faith…. 
The gift of building community and relationships with all generations.

Do you need help in your ministry....?

• working as a team
• developing an effective ministry plan
• gaining a support team, pray team, mentor
• understanding study options
• clarifying working conditions
• networking
• finding a listening ear
• finishing a position well / review options

We can and do help....contact the Lay Ministry Office

We all have a ministry story of hope to share and more often than not they come from the ashes of hard lessons learned. Like to share your Lay Ministry story? Contact Nevin.