From us to you – Merry Christmas. Wishing you a joyous day spent with loved ones.

A message of thanks from Bishop Paul Smith to our care givers on behalf of all Lutheran congregations in Queensland.

Lutheran Services was pleased to be able to thank staff recently for their enormous efforts during the COVID pandemic.

Large brightly coloured posters with a loud and proud ‘thank you’ message greeted staff when they arrived. A sweet treat was a small token of thanks.

It’s wonderful to celebrate our workers – including staff across disability, aged care and youth & family – who bring their smiles to people’s homes everyday.

Thank you!

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.”

Bishop Paul Smith shares his joyous Christmas message!

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

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.

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.

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!

Bridges Reconnect Team Leader Remi Kamo (pictured) is adding valuable insights to a project that maps the care systems supporting young people and their families in Logan.

Remi, who is completing her Masters in Psychology, was thrilled to contribute to the project, called Pathways in Place: Co-Creating Community Capabilities, with Griffith University.

Between COVID lockdowns and the floods that devastated South East Queensland, it’s been a very challenging time for all of us.

Our staff have gone above and beyond to ensure our clients and residents have felt safe, supported and comfortable during the last few months.

We celebrate our staff and the commitment they’ve shown.

Every staff member will receive a special gift pack full of goodies, including some lovely baked treats made and packed by Lutheran Youth Queensland.

Thank you to all our wonderful staff! We couldn’t do it without you.