This Christmas we may be back in our churches, but it is not quite the same as it was. I pray that at Christmas, Christ will come to his church and his whole world, weary and dislocated and threatened and unsure of the pathway forward, and his presence will comfort and strengthen us.

Even though Work Health and Safety is an important issue in our churches and should always be in our thoughts, this month we would like to ask you to put this aside and focus on the gift that we celebrate at Christmas.

A big thank you from the Professional Standards team for your time and commitment to implementing Safe Church processes in your congregations and parishes this year.

To celebrate LLL’s 100th anniversary, congregations are invited to apply for a special grant. There will be 40 grants of $2,500 each on offer, which can be used in creative ways to ‘give back’ to your community.

Waikerie Lutheran Parish has not let their current pastoral vacancy deter them from ministering to young people, with a team of four leaders working with 14 young adults over the past year to prepare them for confirmation.  

There was a buzz of excitement in the cool spring air as marquees went up and sausages sizzled, ready for the launch of Barossa Ark, a new Christian bookstore and gift shop in the heart of Nuriootpa. The recent launch was the culmination of nine months of planning and trusting in God.

Welcome to Work Health and Safety matters for November. This month we want congregations to start thinking about their storage areas.

Final in-person training sessions have been scheduled for 2021. All face-to-face Safe Church training will re-commence in February 2022. If your congregation or parish are due to renew their training, please contact the District Team to book in a date for next year!

We understand from congregations that many find it hard to recruit volunteers for various roles within our congregations. Sometimes this may be because people don’t really understand the role they could volunteer for, or may not know what opportunities exist within our congregations.

Immanuel Lutheran Church in Light Pass had a lot to celebrate in September, with the month marking the 175th anniversary of the congregation, the 135th anniversary of the church building and the 50th anniversary of the Sunday school building.