NSW and ACT District provides oversight for the Lutheran Church of New Zealand
Māori have a whakataukī (a proverb) – Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourouka ora ai te iwi – which translates to ‘with your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive’. This whakataukī encapsulates the notion that while working in isolation might result in survival, working together can take people beyond survival and onto prosperity. It is with this expectation that the Lutheran Church of New Zealand (LCNZ) and the NSW and ACT District are working together.
The LCNZ, at its last synod, was unable to elect a bishop. The LCA College of Bishops asked that the NSW and ACT District provide oversight for the LCNZ until the next synod in two years.
Leaders from the NSW District Church Council and the LCNZ Council of Synod met twice, agreed on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) of how this will work and approved this arrangement on 26 August this year.
Essentially, the MOU states that the NSW and ACT bishop will make a two-week visiting tour of all New Zealand churches twice a year and provide all other oversight by email, phone calls and internet meetings from NSW. The two visiting tours will coincide with the New Zealand Church Workers Conferences and two of the Council of Synod meetings. Meanwhile, the LCNZ assistant bishop will cover all the events that pop up from time to time, such as special anniversary events, the installation of pastors, and intervention pastoral care.
To begin the fulfilment of his obligations of oversight, Bishop Robert Bartholomaeus commenced a trip around the 14 New Zealand churches on 8 September, visiting each one and meeting with pastors and leaders. His wife Jenny accompanied him.
He attended the Church Worker Conference in Palmerston North, and it was a most encouraging event as people shared their learnings of mission and ministry.
Bishop Robert says he has seen many things on his tour that will be useful learnings for the NSW and the ACT District. He has also been able to share experiences from the NSW and ACT District with several New Zealand leaders. He returned to Sydney on 22 September.
The NSW office staff Russell Veerhuis and Kaye Simpfendorfer assisted locally in NSW on a number of matters while Bishop Robert was away.
On 4 October, Debbie Venz took up the new LCNZ administrator role located in Christchurch. All the administration staff meet together weekly via Zoom. They work together to provide support mutual support for each other and the LCNZ.
May God continue to bless our two districts as we share our ‘food baskets’ – the gifts and capacities God has blessed each district with – so that the gospel may flourish and the people who receive it may thrive. May this partnership of love and support in ministry be a mutual blessing.
Whakapaingia te Atua e whakamine nei i a tātou. Whakamoemititia te Atua kua kotahi nei tātou. Blessed be God who calls us together. Praise to God who makes us one people.
This story was first published in the December edition of the NSW and ACT District magazine Contact and is reprinted with permission.
