God has wonderful ways of turning simple gifts into great blessings. The Lutheran Church of Australia’s Stamps for Mission project has raised nearly $479,700! All proceeds are donated to LCA International Mission programs and projects. This is possible due to the dedication of volunteers who collect, clean, package and sell the stamps.
Stamps for Mission was established in 1938 through the efforts of Pastor Ted Koch and Mr Ern Unger. Ern became the first stamp receiver and did this for the next 65 years, encouraging many others along the way. 2018 marks ten years since LCA International Mission (formally Board for Mission) took over the Stamps for Mission project from the Lutheran Youth of Australia. It is overwhelming to think how much money has been raised from those seemingly worthless used stamps. We thank God for His blessing through this project.
Preparing stamps
If you would like to join in God’s mission in this way, please post your used stamps to one of our wonderful volunteer stamp receivers (listed opposite). To make life easier for them, we’ve prepared some guidelines for you, as you prepare your stamps for them. Download the guidelines.
To print a poster which you can display at your stamp collection point download the poster here.
2022 Programs and Projects supported by Stamps for Mission
Pastor Murray and Tracy Smith, Papua New Guinea
In 2022, Pastor Murray Smith took up the Call to serve as a lecturer at Senior Flierl Seminary and became part of an on-going ministry, which began in the 1880’s and was established at Logaweng in 1906. There are consistent numbers of students coming from villages to the seminaries to be trained for the pastoral office of the ministry. The evangelism focus in Papua New Guinea is very strong and students are trained mainly to return to their villages as servants of Christ. Your support will enable Pastor Murray and his wife Tracy to serve in Papua New Guinea, as well as provide Bibles and other vital book resources to ensure this wonderful ministry continues to grow in an ever-changing world.
Lutheran Study Centre, Malaysia
The Lutheran Study Centre (LSC) at Sabah Theological Seminary in Malaysia, was officially opened on 9 March 2012. The LSC was established to address a need that had been identified: that of enhancing Lutheran confessional identity among the member churches of the Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Malaysia and Singapore. Your support of the LSC enables the Centre to serve the Lutheran Churches in southeast Asia by providing distinctive Lutheran training for pastors, lay members and theological students. Your support will fund theological research, develop suitable resources and publications to enhance Lutheran confessional identity, and facilitate networks with other regional and international Lutheran study centers.
International Lutheran Seafarers’ Mission, Singapore
The International Lutheran Seafarers’ Mission (ILSM) is run by the Lutheran Church in Singapore. It aims to extend Christian love by ministering to the spiritual and practical needs of seafarers from around the world who enter the ports of Singapore. Seafarers spend months at sea, isolated and far from home. The ILSM reaches out to seamen and fishermen by visiting them on their ships, offering the hand of welcome and friendship, caring for them and sharing the Good News of Christ’s gospel. Your support will help fund Care Packs for seafarers and fishermen, which includes two boxes of cookies, a bottle of vitamin C, hand sanitizer and a box of masks.
Ogelbeng seminary in Papua New Guinea
Ogelbeng Seminary is one of three Lutheran seminaries run by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea. It is located about ten minutes from Mount Hagen, the capital of the Western Highlands province. The Seminary trains local pastors and their wives in the gospel, to serve their communities. Your support of Ogelbeng Seminary allows for lectures to be provided in Pidgin English (the heart language of the students), as well as providing daily provisions for the students and their families. During their study, students and their families grow fruit and vegetables in communal gardens; this will most likely be part of their daily life as they serve in a local church community.
Saturday Club, Thailand
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thailand, through the Lutheran Diakonia Department, run Saturday clubs for children. These are safe places for children to learn new skills and to meet people who care for them. It also gives the church an opportunity to reach out to people in their villages and with the ‘Strong and Safe Families’ project, work to strengthen family life. This is a project that facilitates parish diakonia work, as the local churches run the clubs. Your support will ensure the clubs continue to be a safe place for children to learn and participate in different activities, as well as being a way for the church to reach out to their neighbours.
Chak Mun, Cambodia
Chak Mun is a Singaporean who has been serving with the Lutheran Church in Cambodia (LCC) for six years. His role is mainly to provide youth training in the four LCC congregations: using the Youth Alpha course (in Khmer language) and the A-Z of Jesus’ Journey and teaching on the ten commandments. He also facilitates small group leader training for selected youth leaders. The leaders are trained to facilitate small groups, using techniques of active listening and providing effective feedback. Your support enables Chak Mun to carry out these duties, as well as organise eye surgeons and medical personnel to provide free eye surgery, targeting people suffering from cataracts and pterygium and to offer a school counselling service, as an outreach to young people.
Download the programs/projects flyer or contact the LCA International Mission office to request hard copies.
Need more inspiration?
Read these stories about our stamp receivers and the difference Stamps for Mission is making in God’s mission.