SBLC Sunday 1st March Worship
Bethany: 10:30am
Grace-St Paul’s: 9am HC Pastor Gus Schutz
Langmeil: 8:45am HC and 10:30am HC Pastor Jim Bryan
Lyndoch: 10.30am Harvest Thanksgiving Pastor Greg Schiller
Schoenborn: 9am AGM followed by worship service
Tabor: No Service
Lenten Evening Wednesday 4th March
Tabor: 7:30pm Pastor Ian Lutze
Readings
First Reading
Genesis 12:1-4a The call of Abraham
Psalm
Psalm 121
Antiphon: My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Ps 121:2)
Second Reading
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 Abraham our father, justified by faith
Gospel
John 3:1-17 God so loved the world that he gave his only Son
Is your Safe Church training up to date?
As 2026 begins, now is a timely opportunity to review Safe Church requirements and ensure that you – and members of your congregation – are compliant.
The LCANZ will continue to offer two flexible online Safe Church training options in 2026:
- self-paced online training
- live online webinars.
Both options are designed to assist congregations, ministry leaders and volunteers with completing their Safe Church requirements in ways that suit their circumstances.
Upcoming training dates
Several live online Safe Church training webinars are scheduled for February, March and April. Live sessions are arranged in response to actual or anticipated demand.
For example, a Level 1 session is scheduled for Sunday 15 March 2026, reflecting recent demand for weekend Level 1 training. At this stage, no Level 2 sessions are scheduled for weekends because of insufficient demand.
Full details – including dates, times and registration information for live webinars – are available on the Safe Church training webpage at www.lca.org.au/safe-church-training/#upcoming-training
Those needing a reminder about who is required to complete Safe Church training can consult the Safe Church Training Overview for guidance.
Assisting with planning
Live online sessions are scheduled according to need. If there is a preferred time that would better suit a congregation or individual, this can be nominated via the Safe Church Service Desk. Indicating preferred training times assists with planning and with meeting training needs across Australia and New Zealand.
Phone: 1800 418 588 (Australia only)
Email: safechurch@lca.org.au
Support is available
Online training can feel challenging for some participants. Support is available for congregational members registering for self-paced online training. Participants are encouraged to contact the Safe Church Service Desk during business hours for assistance with the registration process.
Safe Church Coordinators may also consider organising small groups in homes or at church to participate in live online webinars together. This approach can support members who are less confident with technology. Many congregations have found it an effective way to help people complete their training requirements.
Ensuring Safe Church training is up to date is an important part of fostering safe ministry environments.
Grow as a young leader with Cultivate
4 February 2026
Are you 18–25 years old? Do you want to grow as a disciple of Jesus, develop confidence in sharing the gospel and build meaningful relationships with other young adults in Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia?
LCA International Mission’s year-long young adult leadership program, Cultivate, could be for you.
Cultivate offers participants the chance to deepen their faith, grow in spiritual practices, build intercultural understanding and develop confidence in sharing the gospel in meaningful and natural ways. The program includes weekly virtual sessions, mentoring, faith practices and two intensive components – one in Australia and one in Indonesia.
What’s involved:
- Virtual connections: 1.5 hours weekly for 10 weeks
- Mentoring: minimum 15 hours (starting April 2026)
- Faith practices: minimum 7 hours weekly for 10 weeks
- Intensive 1: Australia
- Intensive 2: Stretch & Grow experience in Indonesia
The program runs from March 2026 to February 2027. Applications close 1 March 2026.
Cost: $2,000. Participants are encouraged to seek financial support from their congregation or personal networks if needed.
For more information, contact Erin Kerber at erin.kerber@lca.org.au or download the promotional flyer.
The great story of death and life
17 February 2026
by Paul Smith, LCANZ Bishop
Ash Wednesday means we are getting ready for Good Friday and Easter: the great story of death and life.
We are so used to thinking that death is final, but the death of Jesus on the cross on Good Friday changes that forever.
His death brings life! How does that work?
Crucifixion was a terrible way to die, but Jesus went to the cross out of love for the world. On the cross, although he was the sinless Holy One of Israel, Jesus took upon himself the sin of the world. He dies for sin and gives us his righteousness as a free gift as we are baptised into his death. Through the work of Jesus on the cross, we receive our peace with God. Dr Martin Luther has taught us to call this the great exchange. The death of Jesus gives the free gift of eternal life for all who believe.
Each year, we get ready for the Easter holidays with delicious chocolates, buns and bunnies, but in the background, there is always the cross. For Christians, the cross is no longer the sign of suffering and death that it was for people in the Roman Empire at the time of Jesus. The cross is a sign of hope because of all that Jesus has done for us.
For Jesus, Good Friday was a matter of life and death.
Because of Jesus, Good Friday is now a matter of death and life – for our sake.
‘If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him’ (2 Timothy 2:11,12).
God guide you and your family as you travel through the Lenten season this year, to the cross and empty tomb of our gracious Lord Jesus, to live as people of hope in the resurrection of the dead and of the life of the world to come.
In Christ,
Rev Paul Smith
Bishop of the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday, 24th February Mainly Music Hub (St Michael’s Hahndorf) 9:30am (Any Mainly Music leaders welcome)
Saturday 28th February Young Adult “Welcome Event” Parkside Hotel - 6pm
Friday 3rd April GOOD FRIDAY
Sunday 5th April Easter Sunday
16th- 20th April “NOVO” Statewide Camp for High School students (Unity College, Murray Bridge)
(If you would like to know any further information about any of these events, please contact us at admin@blueprintministries.org.au
The support you gave in 2025 helped so many in our region and we at Lutheran Care are very grateful.
Your continued wonderful support is appreciated as we move into Harvest Thanksgiving. Pantry items currently needed are:
Long Life Milk, Pasta Sauce, Pasta, Tinned Soup, Tinned Spaghetti, Cereal, Vegemite/ Peanut Butter, Men's Deodorant.
Don’t miss this opportunity to reflect, renew, and rejoice in the message of the cross.
7:30pm each Wednesday evening during Lent.
Wednesday Feb 25: Schoenborn – Pastor Greg Schiller
Wednesday March 4: Tabor – Pastor Ian Lutze
Wednesday March 11: Bethany – Pastor Brian Schwarz
Wednesday March 18: Langmeil - Pastor Graham Jenke
Wednesday March 25: Lyndoch – Pastor Jim Bryan
SBLC Sunday 22nd February 2026
Bethany: 10:30am HC Pastor Joyce Graue
Grace - St John’s: 9am HC Pastor Mark Kleemann
Langmeil: No services
Lyndoch: 10am Parish HC + Baptism Pastor Wayne Kerber
Tabor: 9am HC Pastor Joyce Graue, 10:30am German Service, Gerhard Ruediger
BIBLE READINGS
The First Reading: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 The creation and fall
Psalm 32
The Second Reading: Romans 5:12-19 Death through Adam, life through Christ
The Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11 The temptation of Jesus
7pm Sunday 1st March for the next movie at Holy Trinity Church Hall in Nuriootpa. $5 entry fee
Movie is “Gifted Hands-The Ben Carson Story”.
The true story about a renowned brain surgeon who overcame obstacles to change the course of medicine forever. Young Ben Carson didn't have much of a chance. Growing up in a broken home amongst poverty and prejudice, his grades suffered, and his temper flared.
And yet, his mother never lost her faith in him. Insisting he follow the opportunities she never had, she helped to grow his imagination, intelligence and, most importantly, his belief in himself.
That faith would be his gift – the thing that would drive him to follow his dream of becoming one of the world’s leading neurosurgeons.