In keeping with the vision of Good News Lutheran Church, Middle Park, Queensland to ‘Share the Good News’ Centenary Christian Kindergarten holds an annual Obstacle-a-thon to support a community in need. We have been doing this for 8 years now! We have previously supported the Maadagach Community in Nepal, Refugee Connect and in 2020 we […]

In keeping with the vision of Good News Lutheran Church, Middle Park, Queensland to ‘Share the Good News’ Centenary Christian Kindergarten holds an annual Obstacle-a-thon to support a community in need. We have been doing this for 8 years now! We have previously supported the Maadagach Community in Nepal, Refugee Connect and in 2020 we donated to the LCA’s mission to support those children and teachers in Indonesia facing hardship due to Covid-19. In 2022, we wanted to support a community where the children could identify and relate to, in order for them to feel empowered to make real change in the lives of others. At the time Nevin Nitschke recommended the Heldsbach Kindy Project in Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea.

This project has been coordinated for many years by Coral Gallasch, herself a teacher. Coral has quite a story to tell about how the project started and her involvement in it. In essence, Coral supported the starting and resourcing of a kindy in Finschhafen in 2008. From the seed being planted, there are now over 500 kids enrolled in 34 kindergartens. All of the monies raised are donated to supply much need stationary and books, as well as training for the volunteer mums who run the kindergartens. Our kindy immediately had an affinity with this project as not only do we believe in the value of early childhood education in setting children up for success, we know the importance of having loving, skilled and committed adults who believe in children and want to lift them up to be the best they can be. Training mums to be the kindy teachers is simply incredible and really reinforces how a child’s parents are their first and most important teacher!

We continue to run our Obstacle-a-thons as we believe that all children can make a difference to the lives of others! To run the event, we turn our entire playground into one giant obstacle course! The children are encouraged to complete the course 5 times.  They get sponsorship for each lap they complete. How amazing to think 3, 4 and 5 year olds can help other children and communities in need around the world. This is a practical and important way that brings dignity and meaning to those less fortunate.  Along the way the kindy children develop other skills and competencies such as perseverance, pride and confidence in who they are and a willingness to keep trying, empathising with others, taking turns and developing gross motor skills and spatial awareness.

In building an awareness at a young age of the needs of others, we are teaching children to be global citizens. Many children give their own pocket money and one child said she would love to visit Papua New Guinea one day – we are planting the seeds just like Coral did.

If you, your school or your congregation, would like to know how you can connect to the mission of God through a LCA International Mission partnership, you are invited to phone Erin on (08) 8267 7300 or email erin.kerber@lca.org.au. For more information, go to www.lcamission.org.au/join-gods-mission/start-a-partnership/

Read more stories about congregational partnerships at www.lcamission.org.au/category/stories/local-partners/congregations/