MOCULTA LUTHERAN COMMUNITY LIVE NATIVITY
Monday 22nd December. 8.00pm for 8.30pm start, 798 Moculta Road, Moculta.
BYO chairs and torch. Supper of kuchen & port will be provided after the nativity.
Do you ever feel awkward, unqualified or unprepared to discuss your faith? Do you know someone who’s curious about Jesus, but you’re not sure what to say next? If you answered ‘yes’ to either question, the Gospel Fluency series could be a great blessing for you and your congregation. The series is a five-part video resource with discussion guides designed to help you build confidence and discover the joy of sharing the good news of Jesus in everyday life.
Pastor Nathan Hedt, one of the presenters and creators of the series, says that ‘like learning a new language, becoming fluent in the gospel takes vocabulary, context and practice’. ‘These sessions help you develop all three – step by step, with simple tools and encouragement along the way.’
Building on the popular Gospel Fluency workshops, which have already helped more than 500 people across the LCANZ, the video series provides practical tools and encouragement for sharing faith naturally. Joanne Chamberlain, a presenter in the video series who has facilitated many of these workshops, says, ‘People are often surprised by how easy it is to share their story – and how God’s story, ours and other people’s stories intertwine.’
She says that one of the most meaningful parts of facilitating the workshops has been watching people take time to pray intentionally for others. Joanne reports that feedback from the workshops has been consistently positive, with one participant describing the course as ‘a real encouragement to step out of [their] comfort zone and not to be frightened to share the gospel of Jesus with others’.
Congregation members from Wodonga Lutheran Parish in Victoria have also felt blessed by the workshops. Lisa Enever says, ‘The workshop reminded me that I’m not alone when I share the good news of Jesus; God is with me every step of the way. I don’t have to do it in my own strength, and it starts with simply loving and sharing with the people already in my life.’
Andy Enever reflects, ‘The workshop gave our group confidence, useful strategies and shared language to talk about Jesus naturally in everyday life.’
Now, those same insights and tools are available to every congregation, small group or ministry team through a set of five videos, accompanying discussion guides, and resources for further reading and training. Each of the five sessions includes a short video (15–20 minutes), a discussion guide and practical exercises designed to help you grow in confidence as you speak about Jesus in your everyday relationships.
‘The goal isn’t to turn you into an expert evangelist,’ Pastor Nathan says, ‘but to help you become fluent in the everyday language of grace and truth, so that talking about Jesus feels natural and life-giving.’
Over five sessions, participants explore the foundations of gospel fluency, including prayer, biblical foundations, mapping relationships and attentive listening as part of gospel sharing. They also learn practical tools for introducing Jesus in everyday life and practise sharing in community with confidence.
‘When people begin to unpack the “why”, “who”, “what”, “when” and “how” of gospel fluency, the concept of sharing the gospel becomes considerably clearer – and somewhat easier,’ Joanne says.
You don’t need to be a leader, pastor or gifted evangelist to put gospel fluency into practice. The series is for all of God’s people in workplaces, families, congregations and communities. Jesus said, ‘You will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8), and this resource reminds us that Jesus has already equipped us for that calling, right where we are.
‘My prayer is that through this Gospel Fluency series, more members of our church will discover new joy in the gospel, new confidence in God’s calling and new eyes to see how he is already at work in your relationships and community,’ Pastor Nathan says. ‘May these sessions equip those who take part to share the good news freely, faithfully and fluently, so that others, too, might encounter the life-changing love of Jesus.’
Find out more and access the Gospel Fluency series at www.lca.org.au/gospel-fluency
See attached for amalgamation timeline.
Hamper week is nearly here.
Please drop off your donations at St Petri Hall on Monday 8th December between 9:00am-11:00am.
Donations will be sorted and packed on the 8th and 9th. Final touches to the Hall happen on the 10th.
Blessing of the hampers is to be held with Lutheran Care Senior Management and Pastor Adrian at 2pm.
Items for Lutheran Care Christmas Hampers -
Bethany
Tinned Tuna, Pasta, Pasta Sauce, Christmas Lollies, Christmas Pudding, Chips, Vegemite, Long Life Milk, Tea, Christmas Crackers. Toiletries, Cleaning Products
Christmas Cards, Quality, New or Unused Children's Gifts
Tabor
Tinned Salmon, Tinned Soup, Tinned Vegetables, Mixed Nuts, Mince Pies, Crackers, Peanut Butter, Long Life Juice, Milo, Noodles, Cereal / Muesli,
Christmas Wrap, Quality, New or Unused Children's Gifts
Tuesday: 9:30am Know Your Bible
Tuesday: 11:30am -1:30pm Lunch Bunch Christmas Lunch. All Welcome.
Tuesday: 2pm-4pm Great Revival Shop meeting
Wednesday: 9am Bible Study and Prayer meeting,
Wednesday: 10am Art Group
The Hub and Good Seed Bookshop will be closed from 24th December 2025. Reopening and 12th January 2026.
YOUNG LIFE Summer Camp 2026
Our National Young Life Summer Camp is set for the 12th to 17th January 2026 at Jindabyne, NSW.
If you have a young person in high school, this is a great opportunity for them to go out and adventure with some local volunteers that love Jesus and have a heart for young people.
For more information see: younglife.org.au/summercamp or contact Tiffany on tiffanyvoigt@younglife.org.au.
Please pray for the volunteers, as this is the last full month of breakfast clubs and youth events.
Pray for energy and continued relationship building.
Pray for young people to sign up to camp and the travel logistics.
Thank you for your continued prayer and support.
Combined Bethany/Tabor & Langmeil Christmas Eve Service
6pm, Faith Senior Campus
Bethany/Tabor will be providing dress ups. Helpers needed.
If you have a WWCC clearance and would like to help, please contact Chris Canute.
Approx. 900 honey biscuits are needed as gifts to those attending.
If you can help, please deliver your biscuits to The Hub for packaging before 15th December.
For more information contact Katrina Neldner 0438 721 517.
Thank You.
SBLC ANNOUNCEMENT
There will be one more SBLC Governance Council Q&A session on Tuesday, 16th December at 6:30pm at Langmeil Church
This is a great opportunity to ask questions, share your thoughts, and learn more about the planned direction of The Southern Barossa Lutheran Church.
All welcome.
To read the full planning document click here.
An Advent Lament for the Church
A message from LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith and Assistant Bishop Stephen Schultz
'Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might and come to save us! Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved' (Psalm 80)
In this first week of Advent, we share this lament for you on behalf of our church leaders of the College of Bishops and the General Church Board.
A new Lutheran church has been established in Australia known as Lutheran Mission - Australia. This new church is led by pastors who have left our LCANZ. It was established as a new Lutheran church which would not admit both women and men to the office of the public ministry.
Since the formation of this new church, we have met with their representatives in our desire to continue as partners in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the common practice globally between churches of various denominations.
In particular we offered to the representatives of LM-A the process to “recognise a relationship” between two Lutheran Churches. LM-A declined to do this.
Subsequently, we sought to establish an alternative common basis to recognise each other as partner churches in the Gospel. A meeting was held between the LM-A President Matthew Anker, LM-A Vice-President Mathew Ker, LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith and LCANZ Assistant Bishop Stephen Schultz in November 2025.
At this meeting, it was made clear that LM-A does not recognise our Church as an orthodox Christian church. This means that LM-A does not recognise the LCANZ as a partner Lutheran church in the Gospel of our Lord and is not pursuing a relationship with us. The Lutheran churches around us in the Asia and Pacific and our ecumenical partners of the National Council of Churches, confirm that our LCANZ is an orthodox Christian church, and a partner with them in the Gospel.
We lament this situation because we know the relational impact this will have on our pastors and people. We ask the Lord of the church to guide all his beloved people both in the LCANZ and in the LM-A. We encourage the people in our LCANZ communities to continue to receive the people of LM-A as sisters and brothers in Christ who share in our Lutheran Confession to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Our leaders will continue to reach out to LM-A to find ways that we can work together in the Gospel of our Lord.
'Come Lord Jesus come into this weary world.
O how we long for you to come, Lord. Come!'
In Christ,
Bishop Paul Smith
Assistant Bishop Stephen Schultz
On behalf of the College of Bishops and the General Church Board