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A dream 10 years in the making has come true for the congregation of St John's Lutheran Church, Tea Tree Gully South Australia, with the official opening dedication and blessing of a visionary disability housing project.
In an inspiring example of cooperation between the congregation, Lutheran Disability Services (LDS) and LLL, an unused piece of church land was transformed, with three houses built to the exacting specifications of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) that six LDS clients will call home.
LLL Chief Relationship Officer Scott and Communications Officer Jason were honoured to be invited to enjoy an uplifting morning of fellowship to celebrate the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication by the congregation.
"There were a few challenges that popped up from time to time, especially early on," congregation project co-leader Stephen Pfeiffer said of the initiative that was first considered in 2014.
"But it didn't matter what happened, someone seemed to be led to us, to help and guide us, and that happened far too often to be a coincidence.
"We feel like we were led along the way by God and to finally get here is great.
"Scott and his team at LLL have been very helpful through the whole process … they shared our passion for this project."
The wonderful church service, conducted by Pastor Rolly, was attended by approximately 125 people, including state and federal members of parliament, the Tea Tree Gully Mayor and leadership representatives from the LCA SA-NT District and LDS.
"There are two things that spring to mind when I think about this fantastic project," Scott said.
"One is 'determination'. There are a lot of reasons why a project like this may never have eventuated, but there is one thing that ensures that it will and that is determination and I've seen a lot of that here.
"The second is 'partnership'. The partnership between St John's and LDS is at the heart of this project, and I see it as being a blueprint for strengthening congregations and communities across the broader Lutheran Church into the future."
LDS Chief Executive Michael Kromwyk echoed those sentiments.
"We feel blessed to be able to work with a congregation that has the same heart and philosophy as we do," Michael said.
"And it's really good that we've been able to work with a financier such as LLL, who actually 'gets' the sector and gets the missional part of it.
"There's not a lot of lenders in Australia that will actually do this work.
"You've got the Church with a mission, you've got an organisation like LDS that can fulfil that mission, and then you've got LLL who gets all of that and can provide the financing.
"When you work together like that, you're actually helping develop God's kingdom on earth."
Project co-leader Carey Noack officially declared the project complete in front of the three beautifully crafted houses, then Pastor Rolly blessed them, with the event concluding with an LLL-sponsored lunch in the church hall.
Nathan, the son of Janet and Royce, had moved into his new house just days before the opening dedication, with the move continuing a longstanding connection to the church for his family, with Janet and Royce married at St John's and Nathan baptised at the church.
"To get any support housing close to us has been very difficult, so it's very nice to have Nathan so close," Janet said.
"We've been popping in just about every day.
"Hopefully, he's set up for the rest of his life, which would be wonderful.
"The facilities are just fantastic."
Photos: St John's Lutheran Church, Tea Tree Gully SA, in partnership with Lutheran Disability Services and LLL, has completed a groundbreaking disability support housing project.
