Tag Archive for: Australia

Your partnership in the gospel

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Dear Friend of Missions,

It’s amazing to see a new believer “get” the gospel for the first time. There’s excitement, joy, and appreciation from understanding that Jesus saved them. It’s one of the main reasons I enjoy being a missionary. I have the great privilege of being front and center as God’s gospel brings more people into his family.

I’ve also enjoyed working with our ministry partners. God has blessed us with mature Christians who are willing to lead a group, host a Bible study, and share the gospel with others. The excitement they have witnessing God work through a breakthrough conversation, experiencing a great Bible study moment, or even planning future work is inspiring and encouraging.

And God has blessed us with ministry partners like you, located far away but united with us through Christ and the Holy Spirit. We are incredibly blessed and grateful for the prayers and offerings given by WELS members. Thank you! My appreciation for these partnerships reminds me of Paul’s emotion in the start of his letter to the Philippians.

We know we can’t do this work as just two families. But, if we model gospel work in simple ways and equip and encourage others, with God’s gracious blessing, our reach multiplies, and the excitement does too.

If you haven’t already done so, please prayerfully consider making a gift to support this new outreach effort. To get to be a part of this mission work is an honor, and to get to do it with all these brothers and sisters in Christ in Australia and in the U.S. is humbling and exciting. Praise God for the good work he is doing in us and through us—together.

Serving the Risen Savior,
Peter Janke
Missionary to Australia

P.S. Read more about the Australian mission and the service of my fellow missionary Matt Doebler and his wife, Christine, in this Forward in Christ article.

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Establishing the church in Australia

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Greetings, you who are loved by the Lord,

Chances are, if you flip to the end of any of the apostle Paul’s letters you’ll see something that you might typically skip over. There is usually a list of greetings and messages to people that Paul knew.

Do you know who those people are? They are the church—at least the start of it in Asia and Europe. Many of those he mentions are the hosts and leaders of house churches—people like Priscilla and Aquila, Archippus, Gaius, Jason, Lydia, and Nympha. They met in homes; gathered around the Word of Jesus in worship, study, and sacrament; discipled others; and were intimately involved in serving each other. They were guided, mentored, and taught regularly by Paul and others.

In Australia, we are starting our work of building up the church. We are meeting passionate and capable Christians who are willing to host others in their homes, teach God’s Word, and show the love of Christ. We daily encounter people from all over the globe: China, Japan, Korea, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and many other places. They don’t know the good news of the eternal life purchased for us by the blood of Christ, but thanks to the help of WELS members like you, we are there and can share this with them.

When my family agreed to move to Australia with our coworkers, Missionary Matt Doebler and his family, it wasn’t to start a church. It was to guide the start of many churches—groups all over Australia who gather around God’s Word and reflect his love to others. Matt and I can be the “Paul” to these willing leaders and, as God blesses it, to even more leaders in the future. We can mentor, encourage, train, and connect them for fellowship.

I ask you to pray for us and consider giving toward this work. We are so grateful for all the WELS members who have supported World Missions in the past. We praise God for his provision and blessing as we continue to serve his kingdom in this new part of the world.

When you give an offering for the gospel work in Australia you are contributing the gift of time—time for us to be present, seize new opportunities, reach out to new communities, connect, make new friends, and deepen relationships. It gives us time to train and equip leaders and bring them together to unite them in our mission.

In closing, I ask one more thing. The next time you get to the end of one of Paul’s letters and you see one of those early church leaders’ names, say a quick prayer thanking God for the people who start churches—those who pray for and support the work, host the church, and lead the groups. Pray for this exciting new ministry in Australia.

Serving together,
Peter Janke
Missionary to Australia

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Prayer: God, we praise you for using us to bring others to glorify you. We ask you to bless our new mission in Australia. Help the two missionary families who have settled into Chinese immigrant communities as they use a variety of ways to connect with neighbors, show them love, and share the gospel of Christ. Bless the partnership of these missionaries with our sister synod in Australia to reach even more people and grow the existing congregations. If it’s your will, bring small groups together around your Word and raise leaders for Bible study and worship. We know, Lord Jesus, that where your Word is shared, you are carrying out your work, and we joyfully anticipate your saving of many souls. Amen.

Australia: The gospel takes root

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Dear Friend of Missions,

When Australians—including WELS members, Hong Kong Christian refugees, and Brisbane partner churches—requested assistance, the WELS Board for World Missions responded. Last summer, our missionary team of two, along with our families, relocated from Asia to Australia. It is daunting, but we are excited and encouraged by the opportunities for outreach.

Like the U.S., Australia is a melting pot. Thirty percent of the people currently living here were born overseas. Last year, there were over 500,000 new immigrations. Our team is especially focused on reaching native citizens and Chinese immigrants. The neighborhood we live in is 70-80 percent Chinese, and it already feels familiar and comfortable.

It is very early in this new mission effort, but we see the gospel taking root one soul at a time. We study the Word, disciple and encourage each other, and ask for God’s blessing. Together, we work to share the truth of the gospel: the saving love of Jesus.

Watch your mailbox for a letter with more information about this new outreach opportunity. Meanwhile, we ask you to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Brisbane and Fountain of Life Ministries in Maryborough. Pray that people will grow in their faith as they gather around God’s Word.

Please also consider supporting our Australian mission. Your offerings provide the gift of time: time to connect and deepen relationships, train and equip new leaders, and to unite around our mission. We trust that in God’s hands, this ministry will be blessed.

Serving together,
Peter Janke
Missionary to Australia

P.S. Read more in this recent Together article.

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New WELS mission work in Australia brings the gospel to growing communities

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WELS has launched a new world mission effort in Australia. With a large focus on the country’s growing immigrant communities, two WELS missionaries and their families relocated to Brisbane, Queensland, in the summer of 2024 to plant the seeds of the gospel in a region that has been described as largely post-Christian. 

“People in Australia have asked us for help,” says Rev. Larry Schlomer, WELS World Missions administrator. “WELS members who moved there, brothers and sisters from Hong Kong, and longtime partners in Brisbane reached out. It is a joy to meet these needs with WELS missionaries.” 

Missionaries Rev. Dr. Matthew Doebler and Rev. Peter Janke, both members of the Asia-Oceania Team, are leading this effort. While they continue to work with contacts throughout Asia, their physical presence in Australia allows them to establish a firm foundation for ministry within local communities. They are collaborating with two existing churches in Australia: Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Brisbane and Fountain of Life in Maryborough. These congregations, members of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference, provide vital connections and a foundation for expanding ministry efforts. This partnership strengthens the mission by providing existing worship spaces, local insights, and a community of believers eager to spread the gospel. 

Australia is highly diverse. “Nearly 30 percent of people here were born overseas,” Doebler explains. “Last year, over 500,000 new immigrants arrived. Many are searching for community and deeper meaning.” The missionaries are focusing on relationship-building as the first step in sharing the gospel. Their families have immersed themselves in the local culture, engaging in neighborhood activities, visiting community centers, and forming friendships through English-language programs. Simple interactions, like two little boys playing together, lead to ongoing relationships and opportunities to share the gospel. These small connections are how ministry begins. 

In addition to local work in the greater Brisbane area, WELS’ approach to ministry will model early Christianity—small gatherings of believers meeting in homes to study God’s Word and share in fellowship. The missionaries’ goal is to train and mentor local leaders to establish and lead house churches. This grassroots approach is already bearing fruit. In Melbourne, a new group has formed, including believers from diverse backgrounds.  

Though still in its early stages, the mission in Australia is making an impact. Through everyday interactions and steadfast commitment, the gospel is taking root, one soul at a time. “Wherever the gospel is deployed, the Lord is at work,” Schlomer notes. “We trust his Word will bear fruit.” 

Look for this month’s WELS Connection at your local congregation to learn more about mission work in Australia.

Christine Doebler, wife of Missionary Doebler, shares the importance of family ties when serving in a mission field in this month’s edition of Forward in Christ magazine.

 

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Unexpected ways to build connections

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A little blonde haired boy is doing laps around a small play center in a mall near a Kmart. (Yeah, they still exist in Australia). He starts to play with a boy about his age. They chase each other and climb through the play center’s obstacles to head for the slide. Each in turn, they inch down a slide that is inexplicably slow. And then they race back up to do it again. And at least for now, it doesn’t matter at all that they can’t speak the same language. After a while, the boys’ mothers connect and begin talking. Before they leave the moms exchange contact information for hopefully a play date for the newly formed friends zooming around mall.

Three and a half months into living in Australia, we’re just starting to get the hang of some new things. There’s a different vocabulary with a serious affection for shortening words and tacking on an O (servo, arvo, bottle-o, flanno, rego, smoko, garbo, to name a few), there’s some exciting new food options (meat pies, TimTams, excellent coffee, and yes, Vegemite—it’s excellent on toast with butter!), and there are a lot of different people groups here. We knew that having experience living in East Asia would be a benefit in making friends here and it has, but we’ve also met Filipinos, Japanese, Indonesians, Colombians, Malaysians, Taiwanese, and Mongolians. And the main person starting the connection with most of those people: my wife Alanna. And sometimes my son Marvin.

One of the most exciting aspects of ministry here in Australia is that we’re all working on it together. Yes, the WELS missionaries, Matt and Peter (me), but also Christine (Matt’s wife) and Alanna (my wife), and even unknowingly Marvin and Jonas. We’re exploring, trying out things like English programs, play groups, parks, library events, cultural nights, and running into all sorts of people and making friends with so many people. Hopefully, some of those connections turn into coffee, dinners, and conversations. Conversations about God. And all that feels very normal.

I would venture a guess that in your community, wherever you may be, there’s probably someone new, learning a new culture, maybe learning a new language, figuring out how to do basic things, and could use some help. And I bet that person would appreciate a friend. We’ve certainly appreciated all the help we’ve gotten from friends so far.

There’s something really fascinating in Psalm 86. It’s a psalm that praises God for how he listens and delivers those who trust in him. And in the middle of the psalm, the position of emphasis, there is verse nine. “All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.” It’s a beautiful cause and effect explanation. God I trust in you, you save me, you deliver me, you answer me, and you help me.

Written by Rev. Peter Janke, world missionary on the Asia-Oceania Team based in Brisbane, Australia

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Missionaries called to explore new world mission fields

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The Board for World Missions, working alongside the various World Missions One Teams, has identified new world mission fields and is taking steps to deploy missionaries into three new areas. “Spreading God’s Word in any and every place is our high calling,” says Rev. Larry Schlomer, World Missions administrator. “We ask the Lord of the harvest to use us to bring many into his kingdom through our work.”

Missionaries asked to relocate to Australia

Two missionaries from the Asia One Team, currently based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, have been asked to consider relocating to begin outreach based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Schlomer shares, “People in Australia have asked us for help. WELS members who have moved to Australia, brothers and sisters who have had to move from Hong Kong, and long-time partners in churches in the Brisbane area, have reached out. It is a joy to be able to meet these needs with WELS missionaries.” Both missionaries would remain on the Asia One Team as they continue their work with contacts throughout Asia.

Calls issued for Muslim outreach in Senegal

Two calls have been issued to explore new outreach in the West African country of Senegal. The goal would be for new missionaries to spend up to six months living with a Muslim family from the Wolof tribe, immersing themselves in the culture and language of the people they are trying to reach with the gospel. Once they have a better understanding of the culture and Muslim influence, they would develop more specific plans for outreach. The Board for World Missions is committed to supporting this new mission field for a minimum of two years in order to give the missionaries ample time to work within the culture. Learn more about this opportunity at wels.net/mission-work-approved-in-senegal.

New Native American outreach in Four Corners region

The Board for World Missions has approved a new missionary position to coordinate outreach to the Native American tribes in the Four Corners area of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. This new missionary would be tasked with developing a new model for Native American outreach, working closely with native Apache members who want to reach out to friends and family members from other tribes with the pure gospel message. He will work closely with Missionary John Holtz, who leads the discipleship arm of the Native Christians Network and is training Apache WELS members for service and outreach through the Apache Christian Training School (ACTS) program. This missionary also will coordinate with Christ the Rock, Farmington, N.M., to develop existing outreach to Native Americans in the area and work to expand digital outreach efforts.

“These new fields will allow us to bring the gospel to places where the announcement of pure grace is scarce or even nonexistent,” says Schlomer. “May God use these missionaries to bring joy in sadness and hope where darkness has hidden God’s face.”

Learn more about additional world mission fields that are being explored at wels.net/newworldmissionfields.

 

 

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