In Scripture, deacons are not ‘called’ (as pastors are) but are qualified by God and chosen by the church. The Greek word for deacon is diakonos and the word used for the gift of service is diakonia. The deacon’s office is the office of a servant. Sister Elisabeth did not think she was friendly or […]
As international borders began to reopen and Australians started to travel again, LCA International Mission offered staff representatives from Lutheran Education Australia schools with partnerships with Indonesian schools to travel together to Indonesia to re-establish personal connections and explore changes that may need to be made for future student visits. Two staff from Victory Lutheran […]
Retired Queensland educator Fred Stolz is penning his life story, which he’s called A Fortunate Life. ‘I don’t know why God has blessed me as he has, but I am very thankful’, says 87-year-old Fred as he reflects on his 54 years of service to education in Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG). The farmer’s […]
The Women’s Care and Counselling Centre (WCCC) is a service of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia (ELCM). The staff involved with WCCC reach out to women who are in vulnerable situations. Here, Deaconess Elizabeth Gopal shares the stories of four women who God gifted the WCCC the opportunity to care for. Approximately three years […]
Thai Good News Centre held its last service in Golden Mile Complex, a popular hangout for Thai people, on Sunday 19 March 2023 due to the en bloc sale of the building. Bishop Lu was there to preside while Rev Terry Kee gave a sermon on the various responses of man to the gospel, and […]
There are many concerns and worries in life: our family’s day-to-day struggles, not having enough finances to pay for our living costs, the decline of those who are involved in worship services, the noticeable changes to the environment and the impact on God’s creation of our rapid population growth. While everyone has worried at some […]
I arrived in Madang in 1953. My very first impression was that everything seemed to be in technicolour, as all the colours were brighter and more vivid than in Australia. The hibiscus flowers were a brilliant red and yellow and the trees, palms and plants a very bright green, in stark contrast to the grey-green […]
After almost 20 years of preparing birthing kits for women in rural areas of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Joan Kluge and her sewing machine are retiring. This article is a tribute to the wonderful contribution which Joan has made over the years, to the church and to our sisters in Christ in PNG. Joan became […]
Earlier this year, I coordinated the fourth overseas experience for members of Adelaide Hills Lutheran churches to visit Nan province in north-eastern Thailand. This year’s five participants were members from Trinity Lutheran in Spring Head, St John’s Lutheran in Woodside and Lobethal Lutheran. Our mission was to: assist Lua evangelists and villagers in Ban De […]
“Christian community is not an ideal we have to realize, but rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate. The more clearly we learn to recognize that the ground and strength and promise of all our community is in Jesus Christ alone, the more calmly we will learn to think […]