Photo by...Photo by Peter Dlhy on Unsplash
Hello to all of you, both near and far, who are loved by the Lord.
Good news! Here in South Australia, with COVID19 restrictions easing, we may once again gather in large numbers. This is reason to rejoice and give thanks.
For the Church, the Body of Christ, it means we may get together to worship God in much larger groups than we’ve been doing for some months. A cause for celebration!
This message is especially for those who won’t be rushing to the church buildings on Sunday mornings. You can still be part of the church!
During the past months many of us experienced being church differently than we’ve ever known. We’ve explored resources on-line, in print and other media. Worshipped in pairs, families, with friends, neighbours, and in small groups. We’ve participated in worship with others in a diversity of ways.
It’s been a learning and growing time as we’ve faced fears and concerns for the world and also challenges presented by new experiences of being church in a radically different way. Discovering new aspects of technology and finding an abundance of resources to nurture our faith and facilitate our worship of God has been a steep learning curve.
In our need, we’ve turned our eyes to God and sought him for strength, comfort, guidance, and protection. We’ve leaned on Jesus, drawn closer to him, and prayed for the help of the Holy Spirit, only to find he was already there, drawing us into his embrace.
It’s been wonderful to hear of people feeling calm and peaceful, confident in God’s loving presence, and equipped to worship him and continue to grow in faith. We haven’t been separated from him or from one another. The Holy Spirit bonds us in unity and our sharing together in small units hasn’t diminished our belonging to Jesus or our being part of his Body, the Church.
We’ve still been Church, we’re still part of God’s Kingdom. If it seems good to you and the Holy Spirit, then there’s no reason why you can’t continue being Church in this way.
If you’ve been worshipping at home with your neighbour who wouldn’t attend the church building for a formal service but is thriving in your worship at home - or if you haven’t been in a church building for some time but are keen to keep worshipping on-line - or if you’ve been involved in church life but are feeling called to keep worshipping as part of a network of small churches scattered through the community - the great news is the Body of Christ, the Church, is beautiful and richly diverse. How wonderful!
Jesus never prescribed a one size fits all church. The last months do count. It wasn’t “pretend worship” while we waited for the “real thing” to resume. God’s been at work in us, with us, and for us, and continues to bless us.
We’d like to bless what God’s doing in your life. You’re part of the Kingdom of God and can also be part of the church in this place. We’d like to encourage and support you!
Our on-line and print resources will still be available, as will the wealth of material provided by our brothers and sisters in many other churches.
If you’d like to let us know who you are, we can stay in touch, pray for you, support you, and hear stories of what Jesus is doing in your life. You’re always welcome to come to a larger gathering to celebrate and worship from time to time, as seems good.
If you’d like to email, phone or meet up with us, we’d love to hear from you. Then we can explore how we might keep in touch and support you and your group in an on-going relationship with this church community.
The grace and peace of Jesus is with you.
Reasons why the LCA Child Safety Standards (CSS) are important:
- When we care for children and keep them safe, we are following Christ’s mandate. We must always remember that children bring their own unique vulnerabilities, and they rely on safe adults and protective cultures to keep them safe. Keeping safe is not something that children can reliably do on their own.
- We have a synodical responsibility to protect and care for our children. Our LCA Synod has acknowledged that children are a precious gift from God; they are to be nourished and nurtured in their spiritual life within the church; their needs must be considered by all boards, councils and committees; and they are to be cared for and protected by maintaining and promoting a culture of safety in all areas of the church, congregation and its activities. In addition, the objects of the constitution of the church include a requirement that children are to be protected from all physical, psychological, sexual and spiritual abuse.
- We also have multiple legal responsibilities relating to child safety. We have a duty of care to keep children safe, and this duty of care sits with our church councils and leadership teams. We are also required to abide by various laws in each jurisdiction that relate to mandatory reporting, failure to report, failure to protect, reportable conduct and working with children type checks.
- And finally, we have important regulatory responsibilities in relation to compliance with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations across each of our Australian jurisdictions.
As we form one congregation, we need a new name that represents our united community and vision statement.
You are invited to share your name ideas, with a short reason for your choice.
A shortlist will be prepared by the Governance Council and Ministry Team for members to choose from and use after amalgamation.
Submit written or emailed suggestions by January 16th, 2026, to the Hub
E: cchubtan@gmail.com
83 Murray Street, Tanunda 5352
See attached