New parish worker installed at Docker River
On Sunday 17 September 2017, Marlene Abbott was installed as a parish worker at Docker River Lutheran Church to help resident pastor Roy Yaltjanki with regular Sunday services.
‘People were worried about Roy getting old so they encouraged me to help him because I could read the Bible and the liturgy well’, said Marlene. Eighty-year old Pastor Roy was quite happy to get a break every second Sunday to travel more with his wife and see her relatives in South Australia.
Marlene truly believes that, ‘At Docker River we are one congregation, serving our Lord Jesus Christ together like a team’. And that’s why she has also been helping her husband, Ronald, to read the Bible because he wants to become a pastor one day, along with other evangelists at Docker River such as Bernard Maiwarra.
Besides church duties, Marlene leads a busy life looking after her children and grandchildren, and she is also community chairperson and member of the MacDonnell Regional Council.
Finke River Mission has a proud history of empowering women in ministry. Previous parish workers installed include Rita Okai at Mutitjulu and Daphne Puntjina at Areyonga.
