The Lutheran February 2013

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FEBRUARY 2013NATIONAL MAGAZINE OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA

‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ [Acts 20:35]

Holy Trinity, Hampstead SA

Student

Enjoys outdoor sport, creating with Lego

Fav text: John 3:16

Daniel NeumannEmmanuel Lutheran Fellowship, Toowoomba QldMedical receptionistEnjoys horseriding, gardening and familyFav text: Isa 40:31

Ros Bausch St Paul’s Lutheran Church, Natimuk VicFarmerEnjoys cycling in the European Alps, sailing dinghies, holidaysFav text: Prov 21:9, Prov 31:10-31

EDITOR/ADVERTISING phone 0427 827 441 email [email protected]

SUBSCRIPTIONS phone 08 8360 7270email [email protected]

www.thelutheran.com.au We Love The Lutheran!

As the magazine of the Lutheran Church of Australia (incorporating the Lutheran Church of New Zealand), The Lutheran informs the members of the LCA about the church’s teaching, life, mission and people, helping them to grow in faith and commitment to Jesus Christ. The Lutheran also provides a forum for a range of opinions, which do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or the policies of the Lutheran Church of Australia. The Lutheran is a member of the Australasian Religious Press Association and as such subscribes to its journalistic and editorial codes of conduct.

CONTACTS Executive Editor Linda Macqueen PO Box 72, Bridgewater SA 5155 phone 08 8339 5178 email [email protected]

Acting Editor Rosie Schefe 197 Archer Street, North Adelaide SA 5006 phone 0427 827 441 email [email protected]

National Magazine Committee Wayne Gehling (chair), Greg Hassold, Sarah Hoff-Zweck, Pastor Richard Schwedes, Heidi Smith

Design and layout Comissa Fischer Printer Openbook Howden

ADVERTISEMENTS and MANUSCRIPTS Should be directed to the editor. Manuscripts are published at the discretion of the editor. Those that are published may be cut or edited. Advertisements are accepted for publication on a date-received basis. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply endorsement by The Lutheran or the Lutheran Church of Australia of advertiser, product or service. Copy deadline: 1st of preceding month Rates: general notices and small advertisements, $18.00 per cm; for display, contract and inserted advertisements, contact the editor.

SUBSCRIPTIONS and CHANGES of ADDRESS LCA Subscriptions PO Box 731, North Adelaide SA 5006 phone 08 8360 7270 email [email protected] www.thelutheran.com.au

11 issues per year— Australia $40 New Zealand $42 Asia/Pacific $51 Rest of the World $60

Issued every month except in January

Mark Uebergang

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Surprise someone you know with their photo in The Lutheran. Send us a good-quality photo, their name and details (congregation, occupation, what they enjoy doing, favourite text) and your contact details.

People like you are salt in your world

TROPICAL DELIGHTBarb Harnden (Good Shepherd, Hamilton, Vic) made sure she packed the essentials for her holiday in the Cook Islands.

Photo: Lisa Cameron

Send us a photograph featuring a recent copy of The Lutheran and you might see it here on page 2

[ Matt 5:13 ]

We Love The Lutheran!

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FEATURES

05 The gift of grain

10 The school of life

27 Meet our new pastors

32 Hearts and hands

COLUMNS

04 From the President

09 Reel Life

14 Little Church

15 Inside Story

22 Letters

23 Directory

24 Stepping Stones

26 Notices

34 Heart and Home

36 World in Brief

38 Coffee Break

05I’m writing this column in, with and under a mountain of packing boxes. This will be the last Chatline I write ...

But I’ll finish that story later.

God is continuing his long run of blessing Mark and me well beyond our asking, and it’s been green lights all the way to the threshold

of our new life together. We move into our new home tomorrow. (A friend suggested that instead of carrying me, Mark—whose back I am keen to preserve for furniture-moving purposes—might wheel me across the threshold in a wheelbarrow, ‘along with all his other renovation tools’.)

As I’ve tried to sort out which items will accompany us to the new house and which ones won’t, I’ve found it immensely difficult to part with gifts that are handmade—no matter if they are old and mouldy, a horrendous turtle-green, never used or never going to be used. If you toss out a handmade gift, you seem to be throwing out a part of the heart of the person who made it. And you can’t do that.

In this edition of The Lutheran you’ll read stories about people giving of themselves, of their hearts, by sharing something with which they have a personal, hands-on connection. Grain farmers donating a percentage of their harvest, so that ALWS can help other farmers to grow. Women creating magnificent quilts so that others may feel warm, safe and loved. Young people using their schoolies weekend to help two farmers out of a really bad patch.

Every one of these people has experienced the joy of giving from the heart (not just from the wallet) and the surprising truth in Jesus’ promise that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

Now, back to that story I started. This will be the last Chatline I will write ... this year. Rosie Schefe will be 0.6FTE acting editor in 2013 and I’ll be in the background as 0.4FTE executive editor. Mainly, though, I’ll be focusing on my LCA communications role, and then, God willing, taking some overdue long service leave at the end of the year.

I’m all out of room—I always talk too much!—and so instead of introducing Rosie to you now, I’ll let her do that herself in the March edition. You’ll still see me popping up in 2013 editions as a story writer, but Rosie will have the wheel. Believe me, The Lutheran is in very good hands.

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Where do you find a ‘personal, spiritual and sacred relationship’? Sounds like something each of us has with our Father in heaven. It is.

Surprise! It is also found in the by-laws of the constitution of the Lutheran Church of Australia! There is described our understanding of the relationship between pastor and people following the acceptance of a call.

There is more! The relationship is not one of secular arrangement or human construction, as an employer/employee relationship might be, but it is that of a shepherd and flock under the great Shepherd of the sheep. It is the relationship created by the Lord of the church himself for the office of the public ministry and the body of Christ, the church.

It has no intrinsic authority. The authority in the office is that of forgiving and retaining sins, of speaking the words of Christ in Holy Communion and of preaching and teaching the word of God. You hear your pastor say, ‘On behalf of my Lord Jesus Christ and by his command …’

This is the one office essential to the life and continuity of the church on earth. In short, it is for the sake of the gospel.

Those who are in the office are entirely human and bow down with all of us in worship at the feet of the Saviour. Pastors are well advised not to ‘lord it over’ the flock. It is Christ’s church and he determines the design.

Sure, pastors and people with different personalities will have difficulties relating to each other at times. That is a reality. A faithful pastor will ‘watch over your

souls and will give account’. To honour that is to honour the Saviour, whose total commitment in love through death brought the church into being. We belong to him and to each other.

When pastor and people pray for each other, a healthy relationship that is truly ‘spiritual and sacred’ develops.

As pastors walk with us through our troubles and hassles in life, they also speak the good news of Christ to those they meet along the way in the public arena.

Pastor and people are in ministry together. They encourage one another to faithfulness and witness. They reach out to one another with correction, comfort and care.

As you go—in teaching, baptising and bringing people to be baptised—disciples are made. This is bringing Christ to all people. We are not expected to do the work of the Holy Spirit who brings people to Christ, but we are to be those who bring Christ to others.

In the family of believers, we so need each other in our lives in the grace and mercy of God because we all live under temptation and testing, including that arising from many issues in the church itself.

Ten pastors new to the Lutheran Church of Australia are now entering into their sacred relationships with the people who have called them.

Let us give thanks for eight recently ordained and for those who have joined us from other countries.

In peace let us praise the Lord.

Rev Dr Mike SemmlerPresident Lutheran Church of Australia

We are not expected to do the work of the Holy Spirit who brings people to Christ, but we are to be those who bring Christ to others

5The Lutheran February 2013

Now there’s a way for farmers to help farmers.

by Rosie Schefethe gift of grainAs Elden Oster prepares to begin this year’s harvest, he knows there is much more at stake on his farm than efficient use of resources, good marketing, current grain prices and weather patterns.

‘As Christians, we farmers aren’t just farmers; we are kingdom farmers’, he said from a tractor on his 1300-hectare farm outside Maitland, central Yorke Peninsula, South Australia.

‘Everything we do is already God’s. Nothing we do is ours. When I grow a crop, I give whatever is available for a Christian cause, because God’s kingdom needs money.

‘Someone has to do the work!’

As well as supporting his local congregation, this year Elden will also

be able to directly support the work of Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) through his cropping program. ALWS has launched the ‘Farmers for Farmers’ campaign, which will enable Australian grain-growers to support farming activities in Africa and Asia through the National Grower Register (NGR) system.

Already used by many farmers and congregations in rural areas to manage donations in kind rather than in cash, the NGR system allows farmers to transfer ownership of parcels of grain to ALWS, knowing that when the grain is sold the proceeds will be used in ALWS projects directly supporting farmers.

‘When I’m visiting churches in rural areas, farmers often grab me after service and say they wish they could

send a gift of grain directly to people who are in need’, ALWS Community Action Manager Jonathan Krause says.

‘That’s impractical and expensive, but Farmers for Farmers is the next best thing. Farmers in Australia transfer grain to ALWS, it’s sold, and the proceeds directly help farmers through ALWS projects.

‘Lutherans are very generous. They see a need, and they respond. The more hands-on and practical the help, the better Lutherans seem to like it.’

ALWS supports farmers in various ways. In Mozambique, a donation of $30 to each farmer provides improved seed varieties for food crops and training to help increase food production. Cabbages, onions, beans, sweet

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Lutherans are very generous. They see a need, and they respond. The more hands-on and practical the help, the better Lutherans seem to like it.

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LWS

‘It is a concept that we need to take hold of: to see first how you can bless others, rather than just ask God to bless us’: Elden Oster (right) with son Jake.

In Nepal and Cambodia, small

loans can start farm businesses. Ducks,

chickens, goats and pigs are popular.

7The Lutheran February 2013

May I commend the chance to help some farmers in places like South Sudan through the ALWS Farmers for Farmers scheme. It is far better that South Sudan, as the newest nation in the world, build capacity to meet domestic food demand than have thousands on the move across borders, due to starvation.

ALWS, along with Caritas Internationalis, Solidarity with South Sudan and others, have worked hard on the ground in South Sudan, to help with agricultural training and food production; in short, to help people to help themselves along the pathway of sustainable production after years of civil war.

I have recently been to South Sudan and have no hesitation in commending ALWS and Farmers for Farmers. In short, please give grain so others can grow!

Tim Fischer ACFormer Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the National Party of AustraliaFormer Envoy to Eritrea and South Sudan, continuing Envoy to Bhutan

potato, cassava and matuba maize all help to reduce family hunger by helping balance production over the year.

In Nepal and Cambodia, small loans averaging $50, made mostly to women, allow people to expand farm businesses on small amounts of land. Ducks, chickens, goats and pigs are all popular livestock choices, while a combination of rice farming and vegetable gardens provide both food and extra income.

‘It’s amazing how far the dollar stretches when you invest in farmers overseas’, Jonathan says. ‘For example, the proceeds from one tonne of wheat (approximately $200 this season) in Australia can fund a complete thirteen-day ‘Farmer Field School’ in Cambodia for 30 farmers.

‘They’ll learn simple farming techniques, such as composting, using animal manure fertiliser and planting in rows. This can multiply their potential harvest many times over and lift them out of poverty permanently.’

For Elden, the idea that God can use his gift to spread blessing to others is an inspiration in itself and proof of his conviction that physical blessings always follow spiritual ones.

‘It is a concept that we need to take hold of: to see first how you can bless others, rather than just ask God to bless us’, he says.

Rosie Schefe is acting editor of The Lutheran in 2013 and editor of the SA/NT District’s Together newspaper.

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LWSIn Cambodia, Farmer Field

Schools teach farmers about animal husbandry, new plant

varieties, soil enrichment and managing insects and pests.

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THE SWEENEYRating: MA15+ Distributor: HoytsRelease date: 14 February 2013

The Sweeney

Comments on contemporary culture

by Mark Hadley

Valentine’s Day is one of those calendar events that often sends couples out to restaurants, cafés and the cinemas. But if you’re seeking a special event to celebrate with this month, tread cautiously around The Sweeney. There’s nothing worse than looking for a ‘hat and scarf’ (a laugh) and ending up with a ‘hanger’ (coat hanger/clanger/mistake).

If you’re not familiar with Cockney slang, then prepare for a crash course. The Sweeney is based on the legendary 70s British television series by the same name, set in the seedy side of modern London. Immensely popular in both the UK and Australia, the show introduced viewers to Detective Inspector Jack Regan and his offsider Detective Sergeant George Carter, both exponents of a new style of ‘full contact’ policing.

‘The Sweeney’ is short for ‘Sweeney Todd’, which is Cockney slang for the Flying Squad, Britain’s rapid response team charged with stopping violent crimes. In this latest big-screen release it’s a case of fighting fire with fire.

Ray Winstone stars as the craggy Jack Regan, a copper not afraid of fracturing rules and thugs for the greater good. Ben Drew is the new George Carter, an equally hands-on protégé who has risen from the streets to police the sort of crowd he used to run with. A series of violent bank robberies lead Jack to believe an old adversary has resurfaced. But when he’s tempted into a false arrest it’s clear that someone is actually angling to have Jack put away for life. Can the Sweeney prove his innocence before he disappears into the Old Bailey?

Nobody does cop dramas like the British, and no-one does action like The Sweeney. This film is full throttle from its opening seconds and doesn’t take the foot off the accelerator until the final scene. The MA15+ rating well reflects the seamiest side of British crime, where sex is cheap, fists are the full-stop for most sentences and the

language is as blue as the uniforms of the Bobbies on patrol.

In fact, the profanity is so thick at points you begin to wonder whether the writers needed more than four keys to finish the script. It’s appropriate but it’s not for the faint-hearted. Neither is the rhyming slang, which is just as thick and fast, and it might be worth knowing what ‘slags’, ‘grasses’ and ‘bottle stoppers’ are before you go in.

Jack Regan is a classic anti-hero, holding justice to be far more important than the limits of the law. He operates according to a highly personal moral code that sees him trade stolen gold for golden leads. With his eyes fixed firmly on what is fair rather than right, it’s not surprising Jack also sees no problem picking up a new lady friend in the bar: ‘I’m in the final stages of a marriage. The only thing that’s keeping us together is the roof over our heads.’

Oh well, that’s all right then …

The Sweeney delivers excellent action value but ultimately has a very low view of the law. Good just isn’t strong enough to cut it when evil is on the rampage, and so heroes like Regan are called for. The only answer to black is blacker. But the truth is, evil doesn’t stand a chance when good comes calling.

Consider how much the devil threw at Jesus—public and private opposition, death threats and betrayals—and how the false accusations levelled at Jack pale in comparison to the mockery of the trial Jesus faced. The Sweeney wouldn’t sell many tickets if Jack lost his rough edges because we refuse to believe that you can still win even though you appear to go under.

To Regan, Jesus' encouragement, ‘Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it’ (Matt 10:39), would be the words of a right plonker. But the cross proves otherwise. The hero who rejects every tainted option is actually the one who lays out evil out in the end.

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The most important lessons can’t be learnt in a classroom.

the school of lifeIn November about 30 young people converged on a 360-hectare wheat-and-livestock farm at Tallygaroopna, Victoria. But this was no out-of-control Schoolies rave party. This was an ‘alternative’ school-leavers celebration, a weekend that changed lives for the better.

Marking the end of their high-school years, or the beginning of something new, were two quite different groups of young people. Students from Tatachilla Lutheran College, McLaren Vale, South Australia, joined Shepparton’s St Paul’s Lutheran Youth Group to work together, learn from each other and lend a helping hand to someone in need.

On Alan and Carmel Strang’s property they mucked in with the dirty jobs, scrubbing mud off farm equipment, mending pipes, cleaning out silos, sweeping away debris and dust, mowing lawns and washing all and sundry.

While the young adults worked on the farm, there was much banter and chatter all day long. They talked about their backgrounds, exams, friends, music, likes and dislikes.

The St Paul’s youth group certainly had some stories to tell, as many of them are refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Republic of Burundi and The Republic of South Sudan. They’ve settled in the Shepparton district and

worship with their families at St Paul’s Lutheran Church.

‘[All the young people] were a pleasure to have here. They were good, friendly kids’, Alan said. ‘They were well-behaved and they did all the work joyfully!’

Alan and Carmel had struggled through a decade of drought, which left them in significant financial difficulty. Then, in March last year, the property was severely flooded. Two-thirds of their property was under water. Alan and Carmel were at rock bottom.

Frank Carmichael, a worker on the property, put the suggestion to Matt Anker, the pastor at St Paul’s, that the youth group might like to lend a hand

by Kendrea Rhodes

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on the property. According to Frank, this was the start of a turnaround for Alan and Carmel. After all the hardship over the years, they’ve now gained a new lease on life and had a successful harvest this season.

‘I would say that the youth group and South Aussie students helping on the farm was the start of a positive turnaround for Alan and Carmel’, Frank said.

But they weren’t the only ones to benefit from the experience.

Tatachilla student Carlee Evans shared, ‘Schoolies doesn’t really interest me much. I thought coming here and doing humanitarian work would be a better use of my energy and time, and I actually enjoyed everything!’

‘Partying is not my thing’, said fellow student Mac Aird. ‘But I loved cleaning the tractor, getting dirty and meeting all these awesome people.’

Sarah Lush, the youth worker at Tatachilla College, said, ‘It’s been fantastic watching the students working together and chatting while cleaning mud off a tractor, and really getting to know people from different walks of life.

‘For the last eight years I’ve helped out at Encounter Schoolies in Victor Harbor, and I’ve seen students make unhelpful choices, drink too much or have the potential to experiment with drugs. I wanted to provide our students with something more positive.’

Sarah had tossed about many ideas, including the possibility of travelling overseas, but finally hit on the Shepparton solution after talking to the Board for Mission’s project officer Glenice Hartwich.

Glenice feels encouraged by what God is doing at St Paul’s: ‘The joy that exists, in the midst of extreme hardship and sadness … it’s so inspiring.

‘You don’t have to go overseas to have a cross-cultural mission experience. Through the Board for Mission, we like to encourage Lutheran schools to participate in God’s mission overseas and locally.

‘The Board for Mission and Lutheran Education Australia work together to create and support opportunities for service-learning and growing in relationships beyond the walls of the classroom.’

Sarah saw the farm experience as a teaching opportunity for the students—to

have personal, face-to-face contact and find out what it’s like to be a refugee.

‘I strongly dislike the way that Australia’s media typically portray refugees in a negative light’, she said. ‘Refugees usually come from traumatic experiences in their own countries and have genuine reasons for seeking asylum in Australia.

‘I want our students to see a different side to what the media present and have the opportunity to make up their own minds.’

The Tatachilla students certainly came away from the experience with a thought or two.

‘Some of the stories the St Paul’s youth told us were really sad and confronting’, said Taylah Gregory. ‘But it was inspiring to see them getting on with life and making the most of things.

‘It was so worthwhile. Not only did we meet some terrific people, but we helped a struggling family in Shepparton too. It was also good to show the public that not all schoolies need alcohol and wild parties to celebrate finishing school.’

Pastor Anker, who accompanied the St Paul’s youth group to the farm,

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You don’t have to go overseas to have a cross-cultural mission experience. Through the Board for Mission, we like to encourage Lutheran schools to participate in God’s mission overseas and locally.

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‘Some of the stories the St Paul’s youth told us were really sad and confronting’, said Tatachilla College ‘schoolie’ Taylah Gregory (right), pictured with new friend Wilma Lado of St Paul’s Youth Group, Shepparton.

One bite isn’t enough, is it?Here’s how to get the whole apple.Subscribe to The Lutheran.11 issues per year; each issue 36-40 pages Australia $40 New Zealand $42 Asia/Pacific $51 Rest of the World $60

Subscribe online at www.thelutheran.com.auor contact LCA Subscriptions: [email protected] Phone (in Australia) 08 8360 7270 Phone (outside Australia) +618 8360 7270