National Convention

It's upon us, and on our doorstep! Great opportunity to join in!

Every three years, the Lutheran Church of Australia meets over several days as the 'Convention of Synod' — commonly known as General Convention. Parishes and Districts (that is, states) are represented by appointed lay delegates and pastors.

This year, Convention is to be held in early October at our own Luther College in Croydon. The Convention will be in a new, cut-down format over only four days, from Friday 2 October to Monday 5 October, hopefully making it more accessible to working and family people. The main worship and sessions will focus around the chapel — a much-loved venue, which has already been the centre of so many memorable church gatherings.

In the week prior to that, Victoria is also hosting the General Pastors' Conference at a conference centre in Mooroolbark (Tuesday 29 September to Thursday 1 October), and the Lutheran Women of Australia Convention is also being held at Luther College (Wednesday 30 September to Thursday 1 October). So this will be a great opportunity to get connected to our church, and to host fellow Lutherans from all over Australia, as well Lutherans from New Zealand, Asia Pacific, and beyond.

A planning committee has been working for 18 months to ensure the Convention is a rewarding experience for all who attend, and there is significant representation on this planning committee from St Paul's Box Hill.

Left to right: Adrian Wiles, Tim Wiebusch, David Pietsch, Sue Westhorp, Kaye Wiebusch, Jennie Jones, Colin Schild, Hanni Bossmann, John Paech, Jenny Pietsch (from Lutheran Women of Australia), John Hoffmann.

A new on-line registration system is available (generously funded and hosted by the LLL), including online credit card payment, and delegates can register for all three events on the website. Visitors are also welcome as observers, and meals need to be booked beforehand on the website. You can find more details at www.lca.org.au.

Preferential rates have been negotiated at nine accommodation venues in the area, for Melbourne visitors who are asked to arrange their own bookings — details are on the website and in mailouts to each congregation (see the Office). We are also arranging airport transfers from Tullamarine (at a moderate cost) as well as a free shuttle between the accommodation and convention/conference venues.

A Convention Reception is being hosted on Saturday evening 3 October, at nearby Karralyka Centre — including fine food and wines, and featuring some of our superb local talent. This will be a great chance to catch up with your friends and other convention personalities! Everyone is welcome — at a special low price of $30 per person. We are asking anyone who is attending any of the events, including the Reception, to please register on the website or forms available. This will ensure we provide the best service possible, including of course catering.

All metropolitan congregations will be involved in the staging of Convention. People have generously undertaken coordinator roles, and these coordinators are seeking and organising further volunteers in many areas — welcoming, catering, serving, floral art, packaging, transport assistance, airport duty, car parking, luggage storage, exhibition display supervision, and so on.

Please consider volunteering your time to help with these convention tasks. The Volunteer Coordinator is Kaye Wiebusch (9723 6179, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ), and our own volunteer coordinators at St Paul's, particularly for catering, are Pam Modra (9874 2468) and Marlene Pietsch (9899 8576) — or you can leave a message at the office.

If you have any other queries, please don't hesitate to call our Convention Help Desk (9236 1242) or send email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

See you at the Convention!

Please help with catering 

For the Convention at Luther College, St Paul's Box Hill has been asked:

• For two days
• Cater and serve morning tea/coffee
• Cater and serve afternoon tea/coffee
• To serve (only, not cater) the lunch and to attend to the duties involved, clearing up, and so on.

The expected numbers are 350+. In reality, I think we need 1000 pieces (biscuits/slices) for each day, and 12 helpers each day.

This is a great opportunity to meet with the many visitors who will be attending and to support the team who are planning and working to make a happy event for all.

Please plan to support this — talk about it in your small group. Any suggestions and ideas are welcome at this time. Thank you.

St Paul's Small Groups

Purpose Statement

The purposes of St Paul's small group ministry are to:

• E Create a sense of belonging amongst St Paul's members, so that people feel connected with each other, are known and know others in a special way and meet in a welcoming and accepting environment.
• E Support people to live their faith in their daily lives
• E Support people to talk about their faith
• E Share with others having Christ at the centre of life's journey
• E Help and care for group members and others in times of need
• E Support and strengthen each other so that God's grace may be spread to others, especially by growing new small groups at St Paul's.

David Pietsch
Chairman, LCA Convention 2009 Planning Committee