Bishop's Welcome

Welcome

One of the great joys of being the Bishop for the Lutheran Church of Australia in New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory is to see the many different ways God is working through his church; in an inner city community, a suburban community or country communities large and small. I am reminded constantly that Jesus has come for all people (Matthew 28:19-20), and that every person is an important part of each community of faith (1 Corinthians 12:27). It is wonderful to see this in action.

And Jesus and his mission of reaching people with His Good News is what keeps us together. As part of the Lutheran community we are flavoured by the themes of the reformation, including we are all saved by  God’s grace, through faith—and this is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.  (Check out Ephesians 2:8-9)

Throughout NSW and ACT this is our key message and focus. And because of the various contexts throughout our District you will see this lived out differently. Some of congregations are small, some larger, some more traditional, some more contemporary, some older and active, some younger and active, some are trying new ways to help people connect and grow with Jesus. Living out God’s mission of grace is also occurring in our schools, aged care facilities and at Warrambui our retreat and conference centre.

Being based in one of the most multicultural areas of Australia, our congregations are welcoming communities, with over 35 different countries represented, and all people from all continents represented.

Whilst many of our congregations are well established, we also have new congregations forming and are looking to help people develop new local communities of faith. If you are looking for a Lutheran community of faith or want to explore establishing a new Lutheran community of faith feel free to contact me (Richard.Schwedes@lca.org.au)

I look forward to meeting you, listening to you and growing with you as we discover more about God’s love and work through Jesus, His word and His communities of faith (the Church).

– Bishop Richard Schwedes