The joy and challenges of being an Australian Lutheran in Papua New Guinea. Of the 25 years he has been a Lutheran Church of Australia pastor, Greg Schiller has spent 22 of them in Papua New Guinea, in a diverse range of settings and circumstances. The lessons and insights gained over these years prepare him […]
It’s a clear, warm day as Hanna Schulz and I walk towards the coffee shop. ‘Perfect sailing weather’, Hanna says exuberantly. ‘I’m an ocean person.’ Perhaps it is natural, then, that Hanna is a mate on the One and All, a vessel that offers five-to-seven-day sailing experiences for young people, often from troubled backgrounds. ‘I […]
Bags of coffee, rice, biscuits, shovels, machetes, mail, a coffin containing a body, together with people going to and from geographically isolated villages in the remote regions of the highlands of Papua New Guinea – all these can be part of the precious cargo transported, on any given day, by a Twin Otter plane in […]
“Wokabaut wantaim bilong ol bilip manmeri insait long pasin bilong laikim” was the theme of the 27th Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea (held between January 10 and 15, 2010). My understanding of Pidgin is limited but it didn’t take long to work out the aforementioned theme once I knew it […]
Having spent his childhood in Papua New Guinea as the son of a missionary, Nick Schwarz has been called to return and serve in the footsteps of his father.
“Why did you leave us?” “Where are the Australians?” “Where have all the missionaries gone?” “When is the Lutheran Church of Australia coming back to Siassi?” These questions, and many like them, were part of every welcome singsing (ceremonial dance), worship service, meeting and conversation we had as we went from village to village in […]
Meeting several godly volunteers in Bangkok who confront enormous problems and difficult situations every day, I found myself wondering why more Australians aren’t on the frontline of mission. Anja Markkanen pauses mid-sentence, takes a deep breath, looks away. It’s a hopeless exercise though; nothing will stop her tears. So she cries … along with Jeab […]
Integrity- no matter the cost Living for Christ “24/7” is how a married Lutheran missionary couple approach their crucial Gospel work in Central Asia. The passion of Jane and Ben* to share God’s word a long way from the comforts of Australia, boils down to one challenging command for Christians everywhere: maintain integrity. Jane and […]
The LCA has farewelled one of its most senior and respected officers, Pastor Wayne Zweck, who retired on 31 October. Pastor Zweck had served the church for 40 years as parish pastor and LCA secretary/mission director. This latter role had been described by some as ‘two full-time jobs, and probably more’. He was LCA vice-president […]
In January 2004 I went to Thailand and spent a month with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thailand (ELCT). While I was there, I met Oiy, who was then a student at the Lutheran Institute of Theological Education (LITE) in Bangkok. First impressions weren’t so good. I found her appealing but was informed (wrongly as […]