ANADIAN LUTHERANISM TODAY - Lutheran Church-Canada

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Australian and Canadian church leaders meet
Front Row: Rev. Greg Pfeiffer, Dr. Leonard Harms, Rev. Thomas Kruesel, Rev. Robert Bugbee, Rev. Michael Semmler, Rev. Noel Noack, Rev.
Donald Schiemann. Back Row: Rev. Warren Hamp, Rev. Nolan Astley, Rev. Paul Zabel, Rev. Nevile Otto, Dr. Ralph Mayan, Rev. Mark Dressler,
Rev. Thomas Prachar, Rev. Greg Pietsch.
SURREY, B.C. - National and
district leaders of the Lutheran
Church of Australia (LCA) and
Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC)
began a week of meetings September
24 to deepen the relationship between
the two churches, and to explore
potential new areas of cooperation.
“This is actually the second such
joint meeting between our Council of
Presidents (COP) and our Australian
colleagues,” noted LCC President
Robert Bugbee. “The first took place
in 2008 before I took office, so there
has been quite a turnover in the
ranks of leadership on both sides of
the Pacific.”
A special confessional
relationship between LCC and LCA
has existed since the 1993 signing of
a Memorandum of Understanding.
The two churches have much in
common: fairly small memberships
working in geographically large
countries, a strong commitment
to the Bible as God’s Word and
to the Lutheran confessions, a
heritage as churches within the
British Commonwealth, challenges
of ministry in societies that have
become very secularized, and a
desire to move forward in mission
efforts both in their own countries
and abroad.
“There are a lot of things
we have in common,” said LCA
President Michael Semmler, noting
a number of areas where the two
churches could work together. “It
seems that time is short and the
world is small, if I may say so, and
it would make sense to pool our
resources when possible.”
Joining President Bugbee as
representatives of LCC were synod’s
vice-presidents Nolan Astley (First
VP), Thomas Kruesel (Second
VP), and Mark Dressler (Third
VP), as well as district presidents
Don Schiemann (Alberta-British
Columbia), Tom Prachar (Central),
and Paul Zabel (East). LCC was
also represented during some
sessions by Dr. Leonard Harms,
LCC’s former mission executive,
and Rev. Warren Hamp, Chairman
of LCC’s Commission on Theology
and Church Relations (CTCR).
The Lutheran Church of Australia
was represented by President
Semmler, district presidents Noel
Noack (Queensland), Greg Pietsch
(Victoria-Tasmania), and Greg
Pfeiffer (Western Australia), as
well as by mission executive Rev.
Nevile Otto. Presidents Semmler
and Bugbee took turns chairing the
various discussion sessions.
Daily meetings began with
morning devotions and Bible
studies conducted by retired LCC
President Dr. Ralph Mayan, who
over the years has been a strong
supporter of the relationship with
the Australian church.
THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN September/October 2012 17