News archive: ALC welcomes new staff

February 1 saw the installation of Australian Lutheran College’s new Principal, Rev John Henderson, together with new lecturers Ruth Zimmermann and Rev Andrew Jaensch. It was also a day of farewell for retiring Principal Dr Michael Hassold.

LCA President, Rev Dr Mike Semmler, likened ALC to the engine room of the Church, key in the formation of skilled pastors, teachers and lay-workers for the wider Church community. In addition to teachers and lay-workers, more than 400 pastors have graduated from its halls. It is impossible to overestimate how much that means to a Church of this size. Mike said John’s ’skills in pastoral administration and recent experience in the ecumenical scene in Australia will serve us well’.

Reverend John Henderson At his welcome lunch, Rev Henderson reiterated the important role ALC plays within the LCA community. He said, ‘ALC is the major mission and ministry project of the Lutheran Church of Australia’, and went on to say that, ‘ever since the formation of the LCA in 1966, the campus in North Adelaide has been at the centre of the hopes, aspirations, and dreams of Australian Lutherans. What we do here matters—it matters to faithful Christians all over the country. How much it matters is shown by the steady flow of support from the Church and from individual members’.

John expressed sincere enthusiasm for his role, explaining that, ’as Principal of ALC, I am excited by the commitment and potential of this place. We can be the Church at its best, and I am looking forward to working with the talented and experienced staff, the Board, and all who have the best interests of the Church, and our College, at heart‘. He asks the LCA community to keep ALC in their prayers as he prepares to meet the challenge of teaching, training, and equipping the people of God for service in an increasingly complex world.

John brings to this role many years experience as a pastor of the LCA, having served parishes in Adelaide, on the Darling Downs and in Melbourne. He also brings considerable experience as a church leader, having served as General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in Australia since 2002 and as Vice President of the LCA since 2006.

Since 2002 John has been involved in setting up the Australian National Dialogue of Christians, Muslims, and Jews, and has participated in regional interfaith dialogues in Indonesia, the Philippines, New Zealand and Cambodia. He has a Bachelor of Theology from Luther Seminary and a Master of Theology from the Australian Catholic University. John and his wife, Valmai, have three children.

The service also saw the installation of two new teaching staff members to ALC: Ruth Zimmermann and Rev Andrew Jaensch. Ruth has been appointed Lecturer in Education at the North Adelaide campus, and Andrew is ALC’s new representative in Queensland, as Lutheran Strand Coordinator based at Australian Catholic University’s Brisbane campus [McAuley at Banyo].

Another major part of the service was the farewell of much-loved retiring Principal Reverend Dr Michael Hassold. Mike has retired from ALC having served as Principal since 4 February 2001 and, prior to becoming Principal, as a member of the College’s teaching staff for five years.

Mike was ordained on 13 December 1970 and has served the Church in parishes and at ALC for 38 years. He served in Sale and Ringwood in Victoria, Para Vista in South Australia and at ALC and its forerunner, Luther Seminary. He will now be turning his attentions to enjoying his retirement, but has agreed to stay on at ALC as a sessional lecturer. President Semmler lauded Dr Hassold as ‘a wise and respected pastor—his influence in leading the College has served the Church well and his work will continue to benefit the Church’.

Updated: 04/05/2009 [1.00]