‘Galloping words’ to Anmatyerr Hymn
After sitting through eight one and-a-quarter-hour teaching sessions at a Bush Bible Course, the brain seeks a bit of rest and rejuvenation. However, at the recent Bush Course at M’Bunghara, linguist David ‘Stricko’ Strickland was talking with some Anmatyerr language-speaking young men. They decided to use their spare time to translate the lunchtime hymn, ‘Spread… Read more
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Love thy neighbour like Ayaiga
Each week at Yirara College, senior students lead the Chapel prayers and blessings. One time, one of the prayers highlighted the story of Ayaiga, an elder of the Alawa people from the Roper River Valley. More than 100 years ago, in 1911, Ayaiga was arrested. While crossing the flooded Roper River, still in chains, he… Read more
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Pastor Radke Installed
Based in Alice Springs Lutheran Church, Pastor Stephen Radke will focus on ministry in the Alice Springs town camps and across other Central Australian communities. The installation was conducted by Pastor Rob Borgas, a former Pastoral Support Worker in the Pitjantjatjara language area and a current member of the Finke River Mission (FRM) board. Pastor… Read more
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Hermannsburg Visitors’ Book
The cover of this cherished book is adorned with a design painted by talented local artist Clarabelle Swift in 2016. Her work has truly captured the essence of our church, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to Clarabelle for this beautiful cover. At Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hermannsburg we take great pride in our ‘visitors’… Read more
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200 Years…
Next year (2025) marks the 200th anniversary of a significant event in Australian history, particularly for those interested in the Northern Territory. In 1825, the boundary of the British-claimed territory in Australia was adjusted from 135 degrees east to 129 degrees east. This change shifted the boundary from just west of modern-day Coffin Bay and… Read more
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Mt Liebig Church Renewal
The Amunturrngu Mount Liebig Church building was completed around the year 2000. At that time, it was just a large shed, serving the community’s basic needs for a place of worship and gathering. Over the years, improvements were made such as the addition of fans and a few new furnishings, making it a bit more… Read more
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Spirituality Shown in Art
Recently we held two ethno-arts workshops, the first in Alice Springs at the Baptist Church and the latter at Ti Tree. These were held at the initiative of my wife Ming Fang, who had done fundraising for this purpose. Her vision was to encourage Indigenous folk to try their hand at painting stories from the… Read more
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Pastor Marcus Wheeler’s Retirement
Pastor Marcus Wheeler led the palm-weaving procession into the Bethlehem Lutheran Church Hermannsburg on Palm Sunday this year, his last full service as a pastor. Over sixteen and a half years ago, in the very same church, Pastor Mike Semmler, then President of the Lutheran Church of Australia, ordained Pastor Marcus. His ordination took place… Read more
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Confirmation Service at Alice Springs
Alice Springs Lutheran Church held its long-awaited confirmations on 23 June 2024. Five young women confirmed their Christian faith: Rhonda Bob, Shanille Braybon, Ella Williams, Jordyn Williams and Mariah Meurant. Each of these had completed their Confirmation studies over the past 12 months. Rhonda attended school at Yirara College years ago but missed the opportunity… Read more
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A trip to Hermannsburg
After arriving in Alice Springs for the ordination of Malcolm Willcocks on 10 December 2023, LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith and SA–NT Bishop Andrew Brook took a trip out to Hermannsburg to meet people and have a look around.
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