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REGULARS
REFLECTION AND CHANGE Pictured (L-R): Pastor Thomas on his very first (2015) and final (2021) ANZAC Day Services.
THOMA S BÖHMERT
senior pastor
T
his will be my final article for the Plus Ultra publication. At the end of June we are moving to Toowoomba, where I will take up the position as School Pastor at our sister school, Concordia Lutheran College. It is part of a Pastor’s life that from time to time you are called to another place of service, and so after a little over six years of working at St Peters Lutheran College this gives me cause for reflection.
St Peters is an amazing community that truly seeks to live up to its motto, Plus Ultra – ever higher. The breadth and depth of educational and extra-curricular opportunities St Peters students are offered are nothing short of amazing. The extraordinary results achieved by many are a witness to the quality and commitment of the staff in this place. We talk about holistic education (or life-wide learning in the new Strategic Intent) and the many offerings of the St Peters education are witness to that. From opportunities in a wide range of Sports, to Service groups, the formative weeks in Ironbark, the incredible Music Program, community worship, the support for those needing extra help or more challenges, there is something for everyone. These opportunities are offered with the goal of forming young men and women who go into the world with open hearts and open eyes to the needs of others and the understanding that the gifts they have received are not just for their own use but to serve others. This brings me to the other aspect of our motto, Plus Ultra – more beyond. The excellence in Christian co-education we
Plus Ultra | June 2021
seek to offer is based on our belief that God has gifted each and every person and we are called to help them develop their gifts so they can make a positive difference in this world. St Peters prepares leaders of the future and we want our graduates to go into the world with confidence and in the awareness of a greater reality we are all part of and invited into. We want them to know that no matter how well they are able to perform, in all our success and failures, all certainties and doubts, they are held and deeply loved by the God who is love and who revealed that love most clearly through Jesus Christ. The same God provides each with unique gifts and calls all to use these gifts in service of the world, which belongs not to us but to God. This divine love is the constant in all the changes and challenges around us and can carry and inspire us as we travel our life’s journey. I have learned much during my time in this amazing community and am very thankful for the opportunity to be part of St Peters for a little while. Together with the team of Chaplains and many others I hope to have been able to contribute a little to our Plus Ultra and encouraged people to reflect on the more beyond and recognise the God of love behind all we do. I pray for God’s continued blessing on the St Peters community and all who are part of it as you keep serving, growing and changing. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever (Psalm 118:1). Pastor Thomas
