Date posted:
LLL Mission Stimulus Grant
by Pam McMahon
In 2015, Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Belconnen, Canberra, received an LLL Mission Stimulus Grant of $11,250 for an outreach program for young families in the local area.
The Tuesday and Friday playgroup sessions at Holy Cross are an exciting growth ministry for the congregation. The Belconnen church is surrounded by and dwarfed by some of the highest apartment buildings in Canberra. The occupants of these apartments and local townhouses are from culturally diverse backgrounds.
This means most parents of the playgroup children have little family support. Playgroup provides a safe welcoming get together for these parents, with many originally from China, Vietnam, Jordan, Belarus, India, Korea and other countries. Tuesday playgroup has just recommenced after a COVID-19-safe break with parents who cannot visit families overseas happy to return. Sometimes we are blessed with opportunities to share our faith and in-turn learn about other faiths. We share the message of Jesus at Easter and at Christmas.
A paid playgroup coordinator has been employed since 2018 and she sets out toys, craft activities, leads singing, reads a story and is a regular welcoming face to families. Volunteers from the congregation assist her and have the time to play with the children and to chat to parents. Playgroup is a vital ministry of our congregation and we appreciate the financial support provided by the LLL.
The LLL prides itself on providing savings accounts that are simple to operate, with a variable interest rate and no fees or charges. The LLL has a variety of savings accounts: personal and joint accounts; guardian accounts for children; and business accounts, including for self-managed super funds and not-for-profit organisations.
As an Authorised Deposit-taking Institution (ADI), the LLL is regulated under the Banking Act and by APRA.
