Welcome to the July edition of
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Hello everyone, Greetings from the Cross-Cultural Ministry desk! You may have noticed that we have just had ‘International Refugee Week’, so we have chosen refugees as a focus of this edition. It is a good time to search our hearts about how we respond to people in this predicament. Prior to joining the LCA staff in 2020, I worked in Refugee settlement for many years, so this topic is close to my heart. I got to walk next to people forcibly displaced from their homes, trying
to survive until they felt ‘safe’ again, and I got a taste of God’s incredible love for them.
Craig Heidenreich Cross-Cultural Ministry Facilitator
The statistics can be overwhelming – 80 million displaced, millions seeking asylum, but to God, every person is precious and has a name. We can feel uncomfortable when we encounter others in crisis, and our national response in recent years has been -"It's someone else's problem". As individuals, we can’t easily change Government policy, but we can be people of compassion.
Our Local Mission teams are keen to generate conversation about how we can all live missional lives. Please email me at craig.heidenreich@lca.org.au if you have something to contribute or questions we can help you with.
We're taking this event on the road! The recent cross-border travel restrictions mean we have decided to bring this wonderful event to each of the districts of the LCA/NZ during 2021 and 2022. The Melbourne event is coming up soon. Dates for other districts will be announced as they are locked in, so keep checking our New Horizons webpage for updates www.lca.org.au/new-horizons
VIC/TAS REGISTRATIONS ARE OPEN NOW!
St Peter's Loxton host some stirring voices The SA Riverland communities are hosting many Pacific Islander guest workers this year, and St Peter's in Loxton recently opened up the church to a group of Samoan men. They 'lifted the roof off' with their powerful singing, so if you are on Facebook have a listen to them.
We waited so long! ... Michelle and Saji The wait, oh the wait. We can all relate to waiting, and this story is a wonderful celebration about waiting, waiting for answered prayer in the life of a family we have been supporting for years now. Michelle Filipovic (Asylum-seeker Support worker in Geelong) Story shared with permission from Saji
Let me tell you a story about my friend Mwajemi. I first met her about 10 years ago when she and her family arrived from the Congo. They had been in a refugee camp in Burundi, and if you can imagine something tough, double it and you would be closer to the circumstances they endured. Mwajemi and Riziki arrived with 5 children, little English and no money. Somehow we became friends and asked them to share their first Christmas in Australia with us.
'The Blessing' Have you heard about the song called 'The Blessing' that has circulated the globe since 2020? With all the fear and stress of the pandemic, this song was written as a declaration of hope and encouragement. The original song was written in English but was quickly picked up by Christians around the world who have recorded it in many different languages. If you search on Youtube you will find nation after nation declaring blessing to the rest of the world in their own languages. I have included a link to the version
sung in 18 languages by Middle-eastern Christians based in the UAE.
Video link to the 'Blessing' song in multiple languages.
Recent New Horizons Conference in Sydney
Under the shadow of Covid restrictions, we pressed on with our New Horizons conference in Sydney. For the second time co-host Ps Nathan Hedt faced a last-minute border shutdown, but this time he didn’t quite make it out of Victoria. Anyway, with the help of zoom, we still had a good day at the end of May with 20 delegates gathering at St Paul's in Darlinghurst. It was inspiring to spend a day stirring our zeal to keep reaching out.
Shepparton St Paul's - Taste of African Cultures The end of May each year is a busy time for the St Paul's team as they host a gala event called 'Taste of African Cultures' linked to the Africa House ministry. This year 675 locals turned up for food and entertainment and shared a great day together. It's no exaggeration to say that Lutherans are helping the general Shepparton community to act well and achieve harmony among the various cultural groups around town. On behalf of the rest of us, well done guys!
A Tribute to Barb Mattiske! We salute you Barb as you retire after years of faithful service at Zion Glynde in Adelaide. Barb has been a big part of the successful outreach program that now happens most days of the week. A few years ago, when her team began to see increasing numbers of women come for the Mainly Music activity, they listened carefully to concerns the new visitors mentioned over coffee. One by one the team has added other activities in response to what they heard, and this has proven to be a winning recipe. It’s not unusual for 30 people from many cultures to come along on any given day. We wish you well in your retirement Barb, and for God’s continued favour over Sharyn and Rika as they lead the Glynde programs.
Chin State is a region of Myanmar bordering India and Bangladesh
In each edition, we focus on a different part of the world and this time we are looking at the Chin from Myanmar. Myanmar is a majority Buddhist nation, but remarkably 90% of the Chin are Christian. They suffer for their faith and many have become refugees, and now make up a significant portion of Australia's humanitarian intake. We are blessed to have them, and they pray earnestly for our nation. So, who are they and how did they become Christians?
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