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Ordination. We're listening
More resources have been added to the pages on the LCA website. The most recent include:
Resources will continue be put up as they become available.
Thank you to everyone who has been responding to the material so far. Some offered feedback in the form of suggestions and comments, some have written of personal experiences in dialogue, and others are using the materials in congregations and small groups.
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Synod 2015
The General Church Council has set the dates for the next General Convention of Synod to commence in the early evening of Tuesday 29 September 2015 to conclude with worship on Sunday 4 October.
This schedule allows 4 clear days in which to schedule the affairs of the Synod, an increase from the usual 3 due to the anticipated issue of the ordination of women.
While the extended time will create difficulties for some due to the time needed away from work or other responsibilities, this will be an important Synod worth attending. Attention is being given to the nature, structure, and timing of sessions to make sure that the voice of every delegate counts. Congregations are asked to carefully consider the selection of your delegates well in advance.
The venue, yet to be determined, will be somewhere within the NSW District.
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Violence against Christians in the Middle East aand North Africa
The last Synod drew our attention to the growing wave of violence against some Christian communities in the Middle East and North Africa, amid growing claims of persecution.
Our church is part of the National Council of Churches in Australia, which includes a number of churches which originate from that region, such as:
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The Assyrian Church of the East
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The Antiochian Orthodox Church
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The Armenian Apostolic Church
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The Coptic Orthodox Church
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The Syrian Orthodox Church
A number of their leaders recently released a Statement Concerning the Recent Sad Events in the Middle East which you can read on the NCCA website. At the end of the statement you can see a pretty representative group of Middle Eastern churches which are present in Australia. Occasional acts of solidarity also take place where Western Christians can join together with their Eastern fellow believers, such as the one advertised in this statement, which is now passed.
Through this e-News I will provide further information from time to time on this issue.
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Visit by Bishop Mounib Younan
The LCA was recently privileged by the visit of Bishop Mounib Younan, leader of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. While he was here to visit the Australian Conference of Lutheran Education, there was also time in his schedule for direct church-to-church relations, which included a special service hosted by St Peters congregation, Indooroopilly followed by a Q&A session. Queensland District staff were also privileged to have a session with him.
The bishop was a stand-out guest for our church, and his message of Christ, peace, and love for the neighbour was consistent and strong. He spoke powerfully of the importance of education, and of taking care not to play into the hands of extremists who want to change the course of life in the Middle East. More will be written about him in the November issue of ‘The Lutheran’ (check your subscription), but for now you can gain a taste of what he had to say on the web at Transforming the World through Education on the site of the Lutheran World Federation.
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