Vol 49 No7 P209

NATIONAL MAGAZINE OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA

MARCH 2016

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In their skin:LOVE thy (new) NEIGHBOUR

FAITHunderFIRE

HOW YOU CANGo AND GrowIN YOUR FAITH

Jesus was a REFUGEE

Matthew 2:13

EDITORIAL Editor Lisa McIntosh p 08 8267 7300 m 0409 281 703 e lisa.mcintosh@lca.org.auExecutive Editor Linda Macqueenp 08 8339 5178e linda.macqueen@lca.org.au

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Nazareth, Woolloongabba Brisbane Qld

Retired

Enjoys volunteering, and serving the congregation

Fav text: Psalm 23

Ian Brain

People like YOU bring love to life

St Martin’s, Mannum SA

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Fav text: Psalm 119:11

St Peter's, Alberton Qld

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Pole posit ionTania Wain and Cathy Clark had some uplifting reading on hand in case a storm welcomed the New Year as they cruised around the Antarctic Peninsula on 31 December. Along with travel companion Tanya Dahlenburg, they are members at St John’s, Tea Tree Gully SA, and were enjoying a six-week holiday to South America and Antarctica.

Send us a photograph featuring a recent copy of The Lutheran and you might see it here on page 2 of a future issue.

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The Lutheran MARCH 20162

Our cover: Digital collage from 123RF

Special featuresHills of grace

In their skin

Faith under fire

Message in a bottle

RegularsHeartland

Little church

Go and Grow

Inside story

Directory

Letters

Notices

World in brief

Reel life

Coffee break

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EDITOR'S Letter

Jesus was a refugee.

Each day I used to drive past a sign on a suburban church reminding me of that fact.

As a child, Jesus was taken to Egypt by his parents, as they fled the murderous clutches of Herod. But what if the angel had told Joseph to take mother and child to Australia – in a boat? Would we have recognised the Son of God as an asylum seeker with no passport? Would we have warmly welcomed this Middle Eastern refugee family or would we have accused them of taking our jobs and bleeding dry our welfare system.

We often hear the gripe that refugees ‘get everything handed to them’. Even if that were true, such sentiment is hardly brimming with Christian compassion. Surely we don’t have a monopoly on all of God’s good gifts.

How many of us have spoken with a refugee and heard why they left their homeland? Perhaps they feared death or the destruction of their communities; or perhaps they experienced unspeakable atrocities. Perhaps they risked everything for a new life in a safe, friendly place. The forebears of the Lutheran Church of Australia were doing just that when they fled across the sea to escape persecution.

Are Australia and New Zealand really safe, friendly places for refugees? Those who have experienced racism or discrimination might say ‘no’. Others would argue we are among the most multicultural nations on earth. Refugees, other migrants and their descendants make up a large proportion of our populations. We must be tolerant.

But is that what Jesus is calling us to be – tolerant? How did he treat people on society’s fringes? Did he merely put up with them? No, he accepted them, ate with them, listened to them, and healed them. He loved them.

And he tells us to invite in the stranger; to visit, feed, clothe and care for anyone in need (Matthew 25:31–46). Not merely tolerate, but really love.

It is by God’s grace many of us were born into relative plenty, peace and freedom, rather than into places torn apart by wars and under the control of oppressive, evil regimes.

As you delve into these pages, I pray you will be enlightened and uplifted as you read the personal reflections of people who were refugees or who work with refugees. May their stories – and others here – remind us to be thankful for blessings God has showered on us and the chance to bring his love to life to those around us, regardless of their circumstance, colour, culture or creed, and whether their boat arrived in 1860, 1960 or 2016.

Lisa

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REV JOHN HENDERSONBishop Lutheran Church of Australia

‘There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us’ (1 John 4:18,19 NRSV).Over Christmas my wife broke her ankle. She has been forced to endure long periods of sitting. To give herself something to do over that time, she got busy digitalising her father’s slide collection. Once she had finished with that, she began working on my father’s old slides, which had been sitting in a corner for several years.

Her work on these slides has caused me to revisit my childhood and youth. It has confronted me with memories I had either forgotten or suppressed. When I see the pictures, I can remember just what I was feeling at the time. We moved too often for me to learn how to get close to people and relax with them. While I remained relatively well adjusted, I was somewhat lonely, shy and afraid. I hid my insecurities as best I could by keeping out of trouble. Seeing my expression in those old photos brings it flooding back.

Fear is a constant companion we know all too well. It lurks in dark places, pounces when our guard is down, feeds on our doubts and erodes our confidence when we most need it. Fear robs us of joy and paints life in dark, horrible hues.

Love is more powerful than fear

because, no matter how destructive it might seem, fear is only a phantom - and

LOVE IS A PERSON, a real Person.

JESUS IS GOD'S LOVE. HE GIVES US NEW HEARTS -TO LAY ASIDE OUR OLD WAYS,TO BELIEVE AND FOLLOW HIM,TO LIVE WITH HIM EVERY DAY.

To give in to fear is to give up on God. Our joy as Christians is that God has provided the antidote to all fear. He has poured out on us his love, specifically his love in Jesus Christ. Love is more powerful than fear because, no matter how destructive it might seem, fear is only a phantom and love is a Person - a real Person. Relationships are the most powerful and

transformative influence in life, and Christ is God’s personal saving relationship with us.

For more than four years now the LCA has used the tagline Where love comes to life. We are gradually coming to appreciate and act by this tagline. At first some people criticised it as being too human-centred, as though love comes to life by what we do. If Lutherans know anything, it is that we are sinners and our love is imperfect at best.

We must always look to God’s love, not ours.

Now, some years on, the theme is beginning to mature and we are seeing how true it is. God’s love brings life and we are its ambassadors. Like all ambassadors, we carry the message but we ourselves are not the message. The message of God’s love, then, is carried in our actions and words as individuals and as church. His message has always been – and always will be – our mission to the world.

heartlandTHE WAY O F LOV E

The Lutheran MARCH 20164

‘God wants us to look after the

VULNERABLE. And going back,

Jesus was a REFUGEE.’

From the inner cities of Australia and New Zealand, to country towns and the outback, LCA pastors, lay workers and members have worked with, and cared and advocated for, refugees and other new arrivals for many decades. In this way, these servants of Christ – some of whom were refugees themselves – have been bringing his love and compassion to life for their new neighbours.

Nestling picturesque hamlets that time forgot, and fertile countryside where fruit trees and grapevines thrive and cattle prosper, the Adelaide Hills region is among the most desirable dirt in Australia. The hills exhale the tranquillity and beauty of the bush, along with the old-world charms and culture of 19th century Germany. The descendants of the area’s earliest European settlers still form a sizable part of the population today.

This peaceful idyll is literally a world away from the refugee camps of Jordan and Kenya, and figuratively a world away from the defunct Woomera and Baxter

immigration detention centres in outback South Australia.

When pastors Steven Liersch (formerly Onkaparinga) and David Preuss (Lobethal) answered calls to serve Adelaide Hills parishes in 2003 and 2009 respectively, ministering to refugees would not have been at the forefront of their minds. But that all changed in 2010 when the Australian government announced that a

former Defence housing area in nearby Inverbrackie would become a low-security detention centre for asylum seekers awaiting immigration processing.

Both men remember the 2010 announcement well. Pastor Steve says a ‘furore’ broke out in his community in Woodside, while Pastor Dave says some people in Lobethal and the local congregations had ‘mixed feelings’.

‘People were concerned that there was going to be an influx of people walking the streets, that there would be gangs and that house prices would drop’, Steve says. ‘The fear was huge. People were venting their anger at the government and even at the churches for accommodating them, even though

by LISA MCINTOSH

H I L L S

it was a humanitarian thing to do.’ Both pastors spoke to the media to say the asylum seekers – initially most were from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka – would be welcome in the Hills community. They teamed up with other churches in the area to produce a statement, which was endorsed by their denominations and issued to the media as a genuine Christian response to the announcement.

Both Lutheran churches hosted public information sessions. Woodside church also was home to meetings of the volunteer group Friends of Inverbrackie.

While the pastors say it was difficult negotiating the red tape surrounding access to the centre and facilitating off-site worship for those detainees who wanted to attend, the churches did what they could to support and minister to them.

The churches in the area also teamed up to provide weekly worship services at Inverbrackie and for a couple of years also had access to conduct Bible studies on-site. Pastor Steve says there were wonderful opportunities to minister, even if just by praying with detainees and teaching them a simple song, with the help of local Lutheran church musician Kathy Juers. He even was asked to conduct baptisms, but wasn’t able to gain permission.‘Getting to know the refugees’ stories was fascinating’, he says. ‘The trauma that these people had been going through was very significant. Christianity brought hope for them, and that was wonderful that we could bring them that hope and pray for them.’Still, some of the asylum seekers did manage to take advantage of bus rides to worship at local churches and even took part in social events, such as the Longest Lutheran Lunch at Woodside and Spring Head.

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The Lutheran MARCH 2016 5

Across the four years the centre was open, community sentiment shifted dramatically. ‘People who were opposed came to the realisation that their fears were unfounded’, Pastor Dave says. Pastor Steve adds, ‘[The centre] ended up being I think in the top five employers in the Adelaide Hills, so the benefits to the local community were, over time, quite considerable’.

Both pastors have no doubt that Christians are commanded by God through the Bible to welcome the stranger. ‘The Christian thing to do was to show Christian care and love, regardless of people’s circumstances’, Pastor Steve says. Pastor Dave adds, ‘All you have to do is to go back to the basic commandments; God wants us to look after the vulnerable. And going back, Jesus was a refugee.

‘From a godly perspective, where we can help, let us help. That’s the Christian heart.’

My name is Maciek. I have a story that might be like yours, or like those you see on TV or read about in the Bible. I am one of the war–time children of the world, born into a civil war in 1987. The war started in 1983 and continued until 2005, the year peace came to South Sudan. My story is similar to the children of World Wars I and II and of the Stolen Generations.

I grew up in this environment until 1996. When I was nine years old I ran away. I became known as one of the Lost Boys of Sudan.

The closest safe place was in Kenya, where I found refuge in the Lutheran World Federation camp of Kakuma. It was a journey I did with my peers, through dangerous routes, which were full of very dangerous wild animals too. I was helped most by Samuel Acuek, who was older and knew the route to the camp. Nowadays he lives in Perth.

In Kakuma we were educated, protected and taught how to pray. I lived there from 1996 until 2003. While in the camp I was thrilled to learn that my mum, one sister and four brothers were still alive in South Sudan. Sadly my father, two sisters and twins had died. We suffered physical pain, mental pain and the pain of being alone, without our parents; like the children of the wars and Stolen Generations who suffered before us.

My experience reminded me of Job. He lost his family and all he owned. But Job was older and wiser, with experience about life. We children of war had little experience. But our faith in God gave us hope and determination for a better life one day.

During the Sudanese civil war, families were scattered everywhere. They escaped to Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya, similar to the way Joseph, Mary and Jesus escaped to Egypt, in the time of King Herod.

In Kenya many of us, who were lost and living in darkness, received help from the lights of the generous people of God, as it is stated in Matthew 5:15,16: 'no one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel

basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house' (NRSV). Furthermore, God gave light to us and others through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

The lights of God shone upon us because the whole world, through the people of God, had put their lights on the lampstand. Those lights brought some of my people and me to Australia, and others to America and Canada.

Up until then, my life was about vulnerability and struggle. I know now I was not the only one. Today

I see young people, children and adults still having a hard time as I did. When I see them suffering at the corners of the world, I relive the struggle for a good life. Our world is still not at peace.

When people like me are given refuge in Australia, they also need friendship, education, human services, and support from the church.

A relative introduced me to St Matthew’s in Footscray. They made me feel very

welcome, by helping me find accommodation and blessing my home, writing references, supplying me with a green bicycle and giving me the opportunity to share my story and serve on the church council.

by MACIEK NEKA Lost Boy’s journey

Many of us, who were LOST and

living in darkness, received HELP

from the lights of the GENEROUS

people of God.

Maciek Nek is a member at St Matthew’s Footscray in

Melbourne. One of the Lost Boys of Sudan (the name given to the more than 20,000 boys displaced and/or orphaned during the Second

Sudanese Civil War), he will complete a degree in criminal justice this year. You can read a story about another ‘Lost Boy’, David Jock, whose story

featured in the November 2005 edition of The Lutheran.

As part of their care for the asylum seekers at Inverbrackie, members of the Onkaparinga parish packed Easter eggs to give to families in detention there.

Before giving the people of Israel the 10 Commandments, God said: ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery’ (Exodus 20:2). Not only did he save the refugees, he also cared for them and gave the 12 tribes a community, protected by the 10 Commandments.

So, too, we at St Matthew's Footscray, in the inner-western suburbs of Melbourne, have recognised the clans and tribes, the languages and customs of refugees, from the moment their feet touch our soil. New arrivals are welcomed at the airport even though it may be at 2.00 am! Then there are prayers, speeches and blessings at their sponsor's home or at the church, followed by a banquet.

The 10 Commandments remind us how to truly love and serve our new neighbours.

You shall have no other gods before me – African people are often shocked that many Australians don't worship God.

Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy – For refugees, the Sunday service and fellowship was the climax of their week back home. At St Matthew’s we find that regular phone calls and home visits with prayer and blessing inspire a hunger for worship and service.

Honour your father and your mother – Refugees are often orphaned or don't know what happened to their parents. They will look to your church as family. You will need to explain Australian laws about discipline.

Do not kill our neighbours – instead support them in all of life's needs. Refugees know about death. Listen to their stories of loss.

Each of us loves and honours his or her spouse (Do not commit adultery) – Generally refugees from Africa and

Asia follow clear gender roles, with men leading life in the outside world, and women nurturing life in the home.Add to this the way gender roles have changed here in recent decades and we need to listen and empathise.

Do not steal from our neighbours – instead help them improve and protect their property and income. Other help may be needed, too, with bills, forms and job applications. At St Matthew's we run a Care Fund, funded by generous Lutherans, which helps cover the costs from small emergencies to giving a proper funeral. Our Friday Open House and Op Shop also provides for life's needs, including food, clothing and friendships.

Don't tell lies about your neighbours – instead come to their defence, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light. We write references, mediate and advocate for our refugee neighbours.

Don't covet your neighbour's house – instead help them keep what is theirs. Having lost their home, refugees are very grateful for their new home. They are very glad to find accommodation, furniture and, with that, the opportunity to show hospitality. They are keen to have a house blessing with word, prayer and song.

Refugees have become our neighbours. Our loving Lord says, Love your neighbour as yourself. For Jesus the neighbour is the needy person near you.

by CECIL and JANE

SCHMALKUCHE

REFUGEES: what we are doing

The LCA has committed to welcome, host, advocate for and ‘actively

support’ refugees.

Delegates at the church’s 18th General Convention of Synod last year in

Queensland overwhelmingly supported the call by the Commission on Social and Bioethical Questions (CSBQ) and

Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) to do just that (see

The Lutheran, October 2015).

The proposal also called on the LCA to encourage congregations and individuals to work to understand the needs of refugees, charged all church members with providing hospitality and

support to new arrivals, and issued a challenge to speak out

against injustice.

CSBQ member and Lutheran Community Care (LCC) SA/NT Director Helen

Lockwood, who presented the proposal to Synod, is also on the Australian

Churches Refugee Taskforce. Supported by the National Council of Churches in Australia, the taskforce is an avenue for

churches to encourage the support of refugees.

Mrs Lockwood (hlockwood@lccare.org.au) is the contact person for

congregations interested in providing practical assistance to refugees. LCC

will work with ALWS to develop a resource to give guidance and help

people connect with other denominations and settlement services already doing

this work in their areas.

On 5 February LCA Bishop John Henderson wrote to members

regarding the practice of churches offering sanctuary to asylum seekers (see pages 23,24) and dedicated part of his report for the last synodical term to the subject of refugees and asylum seekers

(full report: www.lcasynod.org.au Bishop’s Messages).

In part, he said: ‘Many of us continue to be appalled … about the way refugees fleeing danger and death in their home countries are being treated when they

attempt to arrive in Australia in leaky boats.

‘Many people in the LCA work tirelessly for refugees, helping them find a place in

our church and in our society. I encourage you to join forces with like-minded people in your community, such as refugee advocacy groups, and work with them collectively for a better and

more humanitarian approach.’

thy (new) NEIGHBOUR

Pastor Cecil Schmalkuche and his wife Jane served the Footscray Parish in suburban Melbourne for more than 27 years, before Pastor Cecil retired last November. The congregation, now served by Pastor Sam Davis, has approximately 15 different nationalities within its membership. The church has had a special mission welcoming the stranger and caring for refugees dating back to its early years in the 1950s.

The Lutheran MARCH 2016 7

by LISA MCINTOSH

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Fasi l DAD AND GARBAGE COLLECTOR

I’m Fasil. When the crisis in Syria became dangerous my three daughters were at school. The regime entered the school and sent many children to jail. I rescued my daughters. My brother was tortured under the regime.

We arrived in Zaatari in 2013. We were all in one tent and just recently managed to save some money to buy a ‘caravan’ (pre-fab room). In the tent we didn’t feel cold (it can snow) or hot (40+°C) because our main feeling was that we were safe.

(My knees) often get infected, and so I’m unable to do physical work. But if I have the chance, I collect garbage at the camp. I get paid 1 Jordanian dinar ($2) a day to do this.

I hope one day I can return to Syria but it’ll be difficult because things are getting worse.

Lutheria has been a big help. I really appreciate it. It’s number one! Why? Because it has given my wife a sewing course so now she can make some clothes. My daughter received psychosocial help, and I did a barbering course. I haven’t been able to set up a shop, but at least I can cut my family’s hair.

The lead character At t icus Finch said in To Kill a Mockingbird, ‘You never really understand a person unt il you consider things from his point of view ... Unt il you climb inside of his skin and walk around in i t’. ALWS’s Chey Mat tner recent ly visi ted Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan, meet ing refugees who live and work there; and bringing back their stories, so we can know a li t t le of what i t’s like to be inside their skin. The stories have been received in English as told to a translator in Arabic.

What the future holds for the people at Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan is unknown, says Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) Executive Secretary Chey Mattner.

‘As with any refugee, they are at the mercy of individuals (in power in their home countries)’, he says of the camp’s 80,000 residents, having met volunteer workers for Lutheran World Federation (LWF) at the camp earlier this year.

Due to your generous giving, ALWS is able to support the work of the LWF in Jordan, including at Zaatari, and the workers receive a small stipend for what they do.

But, despite their past suffering and the uncertainty facing them, the refugees show great appreciation for the work of LWF (which they refer to as ‘Lutheria’), which gives them a chance to be involved as volunteers, and, importantly, hope for a better future.

The Lutheran MARCH 20168

ALWS-supported work for Syrian

refugees in Jordan

• ALWS works through LWF Jordan

• The work has a target to reach 17,080 people

• This includes 1116 children aged under five

• Areas covered are Mafraq, Irbid, Zarqa, Zaatari Refugee Camp

Help includes:

• Six months cash assistance, budget training and fiscal responsibility training

• 145 people offered ‘Cash for Work’ – hired as volunteers at market rate

• 600 people targeted for hygiene training

• Rehabilitation of 100 houses

• Rehabilitation of five schools and training of teachers to give appropriate care to students with disabilities, as well as medical screening

• Psychosocial groups to help people recover from trauma

‘My DREAM is to return to Syria one day, to return to my study, and to

REBUILD my country again.’

Mohammed LWF VOLUNTEER WORKER: YOUTH EDUCATOR AND SUPERVISOR FOR LIFE SKILLS COURSE

My name’s Mohammed. I’m 28 years old. I was studying English literature at Damascus University before the war.

After graduating, I would normally need to do army service, but I don’t believe in war, so the regime put me on their wanted list. Security forces came to my house. They arrested three of my brothers and destroyed furniture.

They sent a message to me through my brothers saying, “If we catch you we will kill you and cut you up into many pieces”. I decided to leave Syria. The Free Syrian Army helped me. It was a very risky trip. Shelling and gunshots were happening every day.

During my first month (at Zaatari) I was shocked and depressed because I had left my family, friends and house. Lutheria visited me to provide support. They explained what their mission, objectives and plans were, and invited me to volunteer. I accepted because I believed in these objectives and needed to break out of my depression.

The quality of Lutheria’s work – not just to provide services but a high quality of services – and the respectful way they treat refugees, with respect and dignity, attracted me.

My dream is to return to Syria one day, to return to my study, and to rebuild my country again.

Hello, my name’s Mohammed. When the crisis in Syria became worse, I moved many times within Syria, but the crisis made all areas unsafe. So I brought my family to Zaatari. I made it to the camp safely, thank God.

I heard from my friends that Lutheria did courses, and thought that a barbering course might help me generate a small income for my family. I’ve been a barber now for six months. When I first came, I became very depressed because I couldn’t help my family. I used to feel like my hands were cuffed. Now I can use my time in a good way. I don’t make much. A haircut costs one Jordan dinar ($2), and I have about three to four customers a day. Lutheria gave me my hairdressing tools as a gift when I finished.

This is my dream – to be comfortable about my children’s future, and to return one day. One of my children is only two months old. She was born in the camp and knows nothing else.

Mohammed BARBER