A message from your Bishop-elect
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a pastor, and I’m immensely thankful to God for being able to follow this calling.
I’ve served in five different ministries: Burnie-Devonport, Tasmania; Good Shepherd, Ringwood, and St Paul’s Box Hill, both in Melbourne. In between these two roles, I was the Victoria-Tasmania District Pastor for Child, Youth, Tertiary and Family Ministry. This involved overseeing the work of Lutheran Youth of Victoria and promoting. child, youth and family ministry in congregations. I was also a Tertiary Chaplain at the University of Melbourne, and pastor to the student congregation meeting in St John’s Southgate, in central Melbourne. I used to be called the Pastor for Everything!
I crossed back into South Australia at the end of 2016, and I’ve been the pastor of St John’s Unley since the beginning of 2017. This call was a kind of homecoming for me. I was baptised in this congregation, and grew up in Adelaide, attending St Paul’s Glenelg in my formative years. I’ve very much enjoyed making Adelaide my home for a second time, and getting to know South Australia all over again.
I’ve been married to Jodi for 31 years. She has been such a source of strength and encouragement to me. We have three adult children, Henri, Emilia and Thomas, and we love that they all currently live in Adelaide.
I feel both excited and daunted as I prepare to serve as your District Bishop. My ordination text encourages me in what I know will be both demanding and fulfilling work:
‘I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…’ (Romans 1:16)
I also know that God’s power is made perfect in weakness, including mine. That’s a great encouragement for the church, as we face significant cultural headwinds. We have the good news that the world needs: the God who created the world and everything in it, who loves us in his Son, Jesus Christ who died on the cross to reconcile us to God, and who through the Holy Spirit calls us to live fully and purposefully in the community of his church. Real grace. Real life. Real community.
Pastor Andrew Brook was elected unopposed as the SA-NT District’s next bishop at the recent LCA SA-NT District Convention of Synod, held in May. Andrew will conclude his service as pastor of St John’s Unley over the next two months, and will then take some leave during August. It is anticipated that he will be installed as District Bishop in early September 2023. Current bishop, Pastor David Altus, will continue to act in the role in ‘caretaker mode’ before his retirement, anticipated to be at the end of July. Until Andrew’s installation please contact Bishop David or Assistant Bishop for Mission Stephen Schultz at the District Office, should the need arise.
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