Up and running
Before I came to Central Australia, Pastor Paul Albrecht gave me three pieces of advice. The first was to be kangkintja – a Western Arrarnta word for a kind and loving man. The second was to be a pastor and trust that people would soon get to know who I was and why I was there. The third was to not let the immensity of the work overwhelm me but to just ‘do what I could’.
Reflecting on my first eight months in Central Australia, I can see the value of his advice. It is an incredible place to live and work. The need is great, but the opportunities are greater. The history and hard work of the Lutheran Church here carries great respect and weight among the Indigenous people, and it is a blessing to be part of.
My wife Meghan, our three children, Luke, Thomas and Katherine, and I moved from Mount Barker in mid-April 2023. I was installed as the pastor at Alice Springs Lutheran Church by former SA–NT Bishop David Altus on 14 May 2023. It was also special that my dad could travel up from Adelaide for the occasion. We spent the early weeks settling into life and ministry and were blessed with excellent weather.
My work in the congregation has been a whirlwind of ministry needs and opportunities. The level of interest in baptisms and confirmations continues to surprise me, and the regularity of funerals, especially for young people, is a constant challenge. I have received wonderful support from church members, Finke River Mission staff and others along the way. I was blessed to attend my first bush course at Titjikala, and my whole family attended Kupriyla Day celebrations at Hermannsburg.
God continues to do amazing things in Central Australia. We struggle for resources, but the appetite for the gospel is strong. People here are proud to be Lutheran. I am proud, too, and humbled at the same time, to be part of this work, which people like Paul and his father, FW Albrecht, were so instrumental in establishing.
Ben Pfeiffer is the pastor of Alice Springs Lutheran Church.
