by Rebecka Colldunberg

In April a bus load of young people and parents from Immanuel Lutheran Church, Buderim, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast headed to flood-devastated Grantham to offer their love and elbow grease.

The students, aged from 11 to 17, were all willing and ready to roll up their sleeves to make a difference.

The team helped three home owners to clear yards of debris, get rubbish ready for council collection and clean out a shed that ‘looked like a bomb had exploded in it’.

‘Many of the young people told me that if they weren’t here helping out that would be at home watching TV or doing nothing’, says Tom Schmidt, Immanuel Lutheran Church’s youth and young adult director. ‘When I asked them what they would prefer doing, all of them said they would prefer to come along on the trip and help out’.

In fact, many of the young people described their activities as the best way they could have spent their Saturday and were surprised by how much difference their effort made.

‘I have learned that I can really change people’s lives just by getting involved’, said Milli, a student of Immanuel Lutheran College. ‘I feel really positive about it. If you don’t help people and all you care about is yourself, what have you got to show?’

Another Immanuel student, Hannah, agreed. ‘I’m amazed by just how much difference my small amount of work has made.’

One theme that was highlighted throughout the day was hope. The group learned that through small, seemingly everyday efforts they were able to bring the hope given by Jesus into the lives of others.

The mission trip to Grantham was not an isolated event for the church. It was one of many ‘Service Saturdays’ that the church organises.

‘Service Saturdays have been a regular part of our event calendar for almost three years now’, Tom explains. ‘Our aim is to find practical needs in and beyond our community that we can meet, and hopefully at the same time share the love of Jesus.’

Each event that the church organises is independent and always involves different young people. Over the years the members of Immanuel have painted homeless shelters and blitzed backyards. Tom explains that Service Saturdays add a deeper layer to many of the active small-group and youth programs that the church already has running.

‘We strongly believe that it is important for the kids to experience and see that following Jesus isn’t just about talking about it and going to church. Following Jesus is about action. Following Jesus is about living out our faith in real and practical ways.’

In addition to Service Saturdays, the congregation embarks on a yearly mission trip further afield.

‘For the past two years we have gone down to Victoria and helped to rebuild houses affected by the bushfires’, Tom says. ‘This has been a great experience for everyone involved. Coming face to face with these tragedies makes a huge difference, and being able to say, ‘Hey, we were here to help’, feels really good and is appreciated more then we realise.’

The congregation’s pastor, Matt Thiele, says that to get involved in outreach ministry and to make an impact on people’s lives, it is important to pray for open eyes and a willing spirit.

‘It’s my experience that those in need are all around us every day’, he explains. ‘In our local community we are surrounded by hurting people. We just need eyes to see and a willing heart. In our global community we have opportunities right in our face, too. Australian Lutheran World Service is always there with opportunities to get involved. So a Christian might not need to “seek opportunities” to help so much as to “seek open eyes”.

‘It has been my experience that when I pray for God to open my eyes and I declare myself available, the calls for help suddenly seem quite clear and obvious. It’s so important to try to develop Christlike vision because it’s a part of simply walking with him and growing in him.’

As for the Grantham residents, they have not seen the last of the Immanuel mob.

‘We plan to take another group back there’, says Tom. ‘We are running an introduction to Christian faith course for some of the new and growing young Christians in our midst. The course will finish with us taking these young people to Grantham to do some recovery work, and to show them that being a Christian is about not only confessing that Jesus is Lord but also living out that Jesus is Lord. That kind of faith is found in action.’

What if …

• every LCA congregation adopted Buderim’s ‘Service Saturday’ idea?
• every family devoted half a day a month to helping needy people in their neighbourhood? Imagine what a witness to Christ that would be. Imagine how your congregation and family would grow in his grace.