Amid the vast landscapes of Central Australia, thousands of kilometres of dusty red roads draw travellers towards distant hazy horizons. Along the way, there’s time to think. To wonder. To be. People who come out here feel a deep connection with God or with creation, often for the first time in their lives. For many, a trip to the Centre is an awakening of their spirit. For the people who have lived here in the Centre for thousands of years, the spirit world has been as real as the red earth and the scorching sun. Long before white people ventured out here, the Aboriginal people were passing down their sacred stories from generation to generation. They have always known there is more to life than what they can see and touch. So, when Lutheran missionaries arrived at Finke River in 1877, the Aboriginal people were ready to hear the new stories about God the Creator, and his Son, Jesus Christ. They had always seen God in nature, but now, at last, they could know him in person. Today, there are around 7000 Aboriginal Lutherans in the heart of Australia. Christ is in the Centre.
Records continue to change lives
What continues to amaze me working at Lutheran Archives is the myriad stories contained in the archive, the stories in one item or one box of records, and the myriad ways those stories or records have impacted lives.
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Yirara College Sharing Languages Project
In term 3 we began the Sharing Languages Project at Yirara College. Students from every community have been invited to share their languages with their teachers.
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Coober Pedy Lutherans remembered
On 4 May, the historical Lutheran presence in Coober Pedy was commemorated with the unveiling of a plaque on the site of the former Lutheran church hall, which is now part of the TAFE campus. In April 1959, Pastor Fred Traeger arrived in Coober Pedy with his wife Gertrude to serve the spiritual and physical… Read more
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Teaching course at Papunya
The first FRM teaching course for the year was held on the outskirts of Papunya from 11 to 15 April. People came from as far afield as Kiwirrkura (450 km), Irweltye (550 km) and Docker River (600 km). Numbers fluctuated between 17 and 42, averaging around 35. Many women attended the course.
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Six baptisms – and a surprise visitor
During a Holy Communion service in early February, six baptisms took place. These were the first baptisms for a long time at Nturiya (Ti-Tree Outstation), a small community 200 kilometres north of Alice Springs.
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Anmatyerr Mini-Bible is dedicated
We have been celebrating the publication of the Anmatyerr Mini-Bible in style!
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Painter, leader, pastor
Pastor Philippus (‘Longjack’) Tjakamarra passed away on 25 August 2020.
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Son of Obed, servant of God
Pastor Trevor Tjampitjinpa Raggett passed away at his outstation near Haasts Bluff (227 km west of Alice Springs) on 26 November 2020, a few weeks shy of his 66th birthday. He was the son of Pastor Obed Raggett, a much-loved and respected former pastor at Papunya.
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Christmas creativity at LCC
Lutheran Community Care (LCC) NT kicked off Children’s Week with a fabulous stall at the Alice Springs markets on 25 October. More than 80 children and their carers made photo frames to treasure and Christmas cards for our community Christmas drive later this year.
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Kids learn to know Jesus
Alice Springs Lutheran Church welcomes lots of children to services, but we don’t run a Sunday school. Don’t we care about our young people?
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