For Richard, a resident at Graceville, spending time in his workshop goes beyond a simple hobby – his handmade planter boxes sell like hotcakes in the local community.

Richard also works as a volunteer in the local community. “I do volunteer work every week, today I helped a lady with a disability just like me,” he says.

December 3 also happens to be International Day of People with Disability – and what a wonderful example Richard sets!

Staff, residents and clients gathered at Graceville in Nambour to celebrate the centre’s 50th anniversary.

St Luke’s Pastor Matt led a rousing sing-along to the tune of ‘From Little Things, Big Things Grow’ to commemorate all that Graceville is to the local community.

Here’s to the next 50 years!

Download the celebratory booklet.

Pictured are Lutheran Services Chair Dr Leena Vuorinen and Rev Ben Hentschke cutting the cake.

This humble building is so much more than its four walls.

It has delivered on its mission of service for 50 years and is a significant part of Lutheran Services life.

Graceville Centre – as it is now known – was purchased for a bargain sum of $8000 for a 1971 opening as a hostel and place of employment for women.

Graceville celebrates its 50th birthday this month.

This photo was in a newspaper about the 1971 opening.

By Hospital Chaplain Cathy Brown

In essence hospital chaplaincy is being a compassionate, listening presence.

Patients may be struggling with fears of dying, remembering past hurts or regrets, worrying about the person/pet/garden at home who they can’t care for whilst in hospital and amongst other things, wondering where God is in their situation.

They may also be celebrating a new birth, recovery from sickness, eagerly anticipating their improved life with a new hip/knee or any one of a multitude of things.

A chaplain needs to approach each person without assumptions, listening for what the patient raises as their significant concern or joy they wish to discuss.

Prayer and talk of God may or may not be part of the visit. However, even in visiting as an LCAQD Chaplain, you are a physical manifestation of where God’s love comes to life.

You show the patient through your listening and compassionate care that God loves them and cares for them.

They are not forgotten or abandoned by the God of their baptism.

God has created us to be in relationship with God and with other people.

Secular research is overwhelmingly affirming that connection with others is essential for good mental health and human flourishing.

I have found the deep connection I have experienced with those in hospital has epitomised these words from St Francis’ prayer: “it is in giving that we receive.” I frequently complete a day of visiting feeling as though I have been ministered to also.

I would encourage anyone who has a passion for hearing other people’s stories and holding those stories with compassion and respect to consider becoming a hospital chaplain.

You may find that you are blessed beyond belief as you walk alongside another in this time of hospitalisation.

Cathy Brown is the Lead Chaplain of LCAQD Volunteer Hospital Chaplains for Lutheran Services. To find out more about hospital chaplaincy please contact her on 3858 3000 or email catherine.brown@lca.org.au.

Donate to the LCAQD Lutheran Service Lenten appeal – Hospital Chaplains here Hospital Chaplaincy | LCA Donations & Payments.

Women from all walks of life come to Mary & Martha’s domestic violence refuge to escape domestic and family violence.

The refuge offers help, security and support to women and children who come to the service at a time when there is nowhere safe for them to go.

Women find safety, emotional support and a non-judgemental welcome as they embark on their new path.

Donations to Mary and Martha’s go towards providing services and support such as:

• • A parenting program
  • Financial literacy and budgeting skills programs
  • An opportunity to attend Lutheran Youth camp – to experience a supportive Christian community while having fun
  • Healthy relationship program

We assist our clients to empower themselves with resilience and skills to actively work towards a better future for themselves and their children.

Our accommodation is safe, secure and modern offering:

• self-contained apartments
• a playground for children
• recreation area to connect with others

Donate to the LCAQD Lutheran Service Lenten appeal – Mary and Martha’s Refuge here Mary & Martha’s refuge | LCA Donations & Payments.

Carolyn Bade is relishing her new volunteer role as Hospital Chaplain at Hervey Bay Hospital.

“It’s a way (to express) Christian service,” she said.

“I’ve always volunteered in some capacity whether in the church or in the community. I thought this is something I might be able to commit to – giving something back to the community and being of service to people.”

Lutheran hospital chaplaincy ministry is run by Lutheran Services for the Lutheran Church of Australia Queensland District. Your donation to the LCAQD Lutheran Services Lenten Appeal helps ensure hospital chaplains are trained and ready to enter service.

Lutheran Services Hospital Chaplains lend a listening ear, spiritual support and pastoral care to Queenslanders at major hospitals in Brisbane, on the Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Hervey Bay, Mackay and other regional centres.

Hospital chaplains can provide comfort and reassurance, assist with spiritual guidance and help people to come to terms with the particular challenges they are facing while in hospital and also when they leave hospital. Our Lutheran hospital chaplains make a considerable difference to people’s experience of hospital and their work is highly valued.

Carolyn said hospital can be a lonely experience at times.

“The ward is very much medically focused … there’s not a lot of time for staff to chat to patients … hospital can be very daunting,” she said.

“(To approach people) I just say ‘Hi I’m Carolyn, the Hospital Chaplain. If you’d like to chat, I’m here to listen’.

Some of our chaplains operate as ward chaplains like Carolyn, providing pastoral care to anyone in their designated ward who requests a visit by a chaplain, irrespective of their religion.

Others operate as denominational chaplains, providing assistance to those in hospital who have identified themselves as Lutheran and have requested a visit by a Lutheran chaplain. Either way, the chaplain’s role is always responsive to the needs of the patient.

Want to know more about hospital chaplaincy? Contact Cathy Brown, Lead Chaplain of LCAQD Volunteer Hospital Chaplains for Lutheran Services. Phone 07 3858 3000 or email catherine.brown@lca.org.au

Donate to the LCAQD Lutheran Service Lenten appeal – Hospital Chaplains here Hospital Chaplaincy | LCA Donations & Payments.

Inclusivity and access are key words in the disability and aged care space.

While access can be ensured with the right built environment, being truly inclusive can be more challenging.

Our Creative Programs Advisor Clare Apelt is a dance facilitator and has learnt that being curious and playful with aged care residents or disability clients can kick start their creative journeys.

Clare recently told Ausdance Qld magazine IN/FORM she believes ‘in the power of creativity and dance to transform and connect.’

“To achieve real participation by a person with a disability of some sort … (as a facilitator) I need to be curious and consult with them about what they want from the activity and any specific needs they might have,” she says.

When aged care residents or disability clients begin work on a project, Clare starts with the premise of curiosity and playfulness to build trust and collaboration.

“My work is process driven and often I don’t know what the end product will look like,” she says.

“I can work with the ideas, interests and strengths of my participants.

“This can be scary at times, but I have learned to trust myself and the process, allowing the work to emerge.’’

The Lutheran Services’ Creative Programs team conduct on-site activities every day with our 1200 aged care and disability clients. But the team has also enabled clients to stage dance performances at theatres in Brisbane and Logan in the past few years.

During 2019 and 2020 there were several successful performances.

If Only I Could was staged at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts with professional dancers working with residents from our Zion and Tabeel aged care services.

Uncomfortable issues such as dementia and aged care were explored in creative ways with Alice in Trinderland, at Trinder Park in conjunction with students from the local state high school.

Collaboration with other disability groups has proved a powerful combination when clients from Keystone Centre at Logan hosted and performed with multi-ability dancers from Mo-Ya-Co in Nagoya, Japan.

Our Keystone clients were then lucky enough to perform in Japan with them as well, before the pandemic saw restrictions on travel. This collaboration is continuing to be fruitful with our clients now performing with their Japanese colleagues via Zoom.

Bishop Paul Smith shares his joyous Christmas message!

www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1790100081149352

Lee Jenkins loves the kitchen, mixing and making in equal measure.

Lee, a client at Keystone Disability Centre at Woodridge, is part of a collaborative inter-country conversation with Popeye Disability Service in Nagoya, Japan.

The two groups are creating and then sharing via Zoom a specially produced performance with accompanying music to reflect what is important to them. As the project develops it will be filmed and launched early 2021.

Confusion Inclusion For You is a continuation of a project started a few years ago between the groups – when the two could collaborate in real life before the pandemic scuppered travel.

Earlier in 2020 the Keystone crew visited Japan, performing at Nagoya’s performance centre with their Japanese friends.

Popeye recently received extra funding from the Japanese government to host the Keystone group again – which includes Emma, Lynda, Matthew and Andre – but the pandemic put a stop to that. So the funding was re-routed into a filmed ‘conversation’ between the two groups.

Confusion Inclusion For You will consist of each person’s story performance, accompanied by a specially written piece of music and based on the contents of a gift box full of meaningful items.

Last week, the two groups revealed to each other what was in their boxes: with the Hulk, sparkly jewellery, ten-pin bowling, dinosaurs, trains and sumo wrestlers some of special items.

Now they know more about each other, conversations are flowing and personalities are being explored.

Lutheran Services Creative Programs Advisor Clare Apelt said the application of creativity can have transformative effects.

“So if you are trying to teach disability clients living skills such as conversation and social skills, the whole thing can be very stilted and not very effective,’’ she said.

“But bring in fun and get people relaxed you explore not only living skills but also people’s personalities and their likes and dislikes.

“I’ve seen people’s personalities shine – like Emma who comes and talks to me now, is a little cheeky by stepping on my foot and saying hello – it’s wonderful.’’

In past performances the group has used popular music featured on the charts. Due to copyright it can be difficult then to share the performances, hence the collaboration with musician Guy Webster.

Having a piece of music composed for your performance is ‘incredibly validating’.

“(Composer) Guy has been drawing on people’s musical loves for the songs to go with the solo,” Clare said.

“For instance, I watched Lynda’s performance and it was the first time she had heard the music in full. In collaboration Guy and Linda talked about what she liked to listen to, so he wrote a melody that was a little melancholic because Lynda loves slightly melancholy love songs.

“As Lynda was moving to the music, she was just beaming.”

When COVID-19 hit and put the NRL season on hold, the footy mad team at Keystone Centre, Woodridge started hosting and posting the Keystone Footy Show to YouTube.

After half a dozen episodes, State of Origin champ and all-round nice guy Scott Prince was their first guest on the most recent episode.

It’s going to be difficult to top this one!

Community Services Manager Dianne Goddard said plans were in the works to continue the Keystone Footy Show next season, possibly in a slightly different format.

“We are looking to buy some more equipment and next year, we’ll continue the show – maybe even tackle some other sports in the off-season,” she said.

“It’s not just footy we love here at Keystone!”