Expressing thanks for Christian care

Many people know the story of the Good Samaritan. When an expert in the law asks Jesus, ‘Who is my neighbour?’, he answers the question with a story and another question. Our neighbour is the person in need in our place and time.

In our communities, people offer loving care to their neighbours in different ways. Recognising this care and thanking God for it are the aims of the LCANZ’s Christian Care Sunday. Developed from a proposal to the 2018 Convention of General Synod, the project has gathered resources to help congregations celebrate, honour and bless people engaged in care. This includes congregational care ministries, individuals in formal and informal care roles, and Lutheran aged-care and community services.

Every LCANZ congregation is encouraged to celebrate Christian Care Sunday, choosing a Sunday in the next year to suit their calendar and local organisations.

LCANZ Bishop John Henderson blessed and endorsed the resources during an online launch on 18 August, saying: ‘It is the love of Christ who compels us to care for one another fully, giving ourselves for each other as he has given himself for us. May we always thank God for those who have cared for us in life, as we too, in our turn, care for others.’

There are Christian Care Sunday resources to help choose a date, in line with the lectionary or other relevant celebrations, while intergenerational worship resources have been provided by Grow Ministries and liturgical helps in line with the Commission on Worship’s Worship Planning Page are available too – including a ‘ready to go’ service order.

The resources are available for free to download from the LCA website at www.lca.org.au/ccs

Once your congregation has held an event, please click here to give us your feedback on the resources.

You can email me at anna.kroehn@lca.org.au if you need assistance planning your celebration.

Christian Care Sunday ideas

• Pray for your local care organisations – including Lutheran aged-care and community services
• Invite a guest speaker to talk about their care work – a doctor or nurse, social worker or chaplain
• Provide a special morning tea for your local aged-care staff team, child-care centre or medical centre
• Write a thank you card to a care professional who has helped you
• Ask a local care service how your church community can support their work
• Surprise your pastor, lay worker or chaplain with a gift card, coffee voucher or bunch of flowers to thank them for their care work

Anna Kroehn is Christian Care Sunday project officer.