Winter 2012 | Volume 110 | Number 662
Your Words
Don't Forget About Australia and New Zealand!
I was surprised that the map included in "Where in the World Are the Lutherans?" (Fall 2011) failed to color in Australia and New Zealand. The Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA) partners closely with the Lutheran Church of New Zealand (LCNZ). Compared to Lutherans worldwide, they are a small church, but have "historically strong traditions." These two church bodies not only oversee congregations, but also operate elementary schools and several Lutheran high schools. The Lutheran Church in Australia was established in 1838. Lutheran missionaries first arrived in New Zealand in 1843. The contributions of Lutherans in both of these countries should not go unrecognized.
Kay (Dicke) Rehbein
Oakdale, Minnesota
Lutheranism's Global Reach
I enjoyed reading "Where in the World Are the Lutherans?" We often speak about how "small" the Lutheran world is when we run into other Lutherans. As the article shows, it's actually a rather large Lutheran world.
My own perspective has been expanded by my experience as a former Minnesotan who came to Perth, Australia, three and a half years ago to teach in a Lutheran school that had grown from zero to 1,200 students in its first 11 years.
Three regions of the world, unmentioned in the article, that I've become familiar with that have significant Lutheran influence or history include Australia, Indonesia and Namibia.
But, all in all, the Thrivent article did well to bring forward the stories of a worldwide Lutheran body of believers that is alive and growing.
Tim Schumacher
Australia
You Can Tithe Your Talents, Too
The note about tithing (Your Words, Fall 2011) struck a chord with me. I have long thought that demanding a tithe was an Old Testament "thing," and if we were motivated by Christ's teachings, the "problem" would take care of itself. Folks would give freely of what they had. These days, that doesn't always mean money. It could be a talent for singing, drawing, gardening – you name it. It was refreshing to find a similar sentiment.
Jenny Akers
Blacksburg, Virginia
Everything Old Is New Again
I wanted to write in regarding "A New Way to Save Money and Pay Bills" (Fall 2011). This is a very sound way to manage your financial life, but it isn't exactly new. My wife and I were already doing this in the 1980s. We belonged to a credit union that allowed the creation of multiple savings accounts, where my pay was automatically deposited in amounts we had preset, as well as allowing transfer between accounts by touch-tone phone 24/7.
Whenever a bill came due, we would transfer the needed amount from savings via phone, write the check, and put it in the mail. We always knew where we were in our budget.
Rev. Charles Blakey
Reynolds, Indiana
Note: Views expressed in these letters are not necessarily those of Thrivent® magazine or Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.