Returning to Moore College has been a real joy and more encouraging than I had imagined. I enjoyed and grew in my time as a student and student wife at Moore College, but as a College Chaplain I have gained a broader insight into the College Community. It has been a privilege to be serving alongside humble, godly and encouraging chaplains, lecturers and many other staff who have a real concern and love for the students. The number of daily informal discussions and gatherings of students and faculty to encourage and pray for kingdom growth amongst one another and for particular people groups is extraordinary.
One of the highlights of my experience as a chaplain is Moore College mission. As a Chaplaincy Group, we arrived in Maitland on, literally, a dark and stormy night—with flooding occurring up and down the coast. Many of the proposed activities were still in question due to the floods and forecast of rain. In the weeks before Mission, we talked with Maitland Evangelical Church (MEC) and joined them in praying, as they shared heavy grief and concern due to multiple sudden deaths, bereavements, and significant illnesses.
So, on that first Sunday morning, it was a joy to meet the people of MEC in person and be among God’s people gathered in that school hall. We arrived hoping to encourage and to serve in whatever ways we could, but we found the servant attitude and welcome of the church a great encouragement and example to us all. Nineteen years of meeting in a school, with the setting up and packing down and working to make spaces welcoming, has developed a “can do” servant–hearted culture.
The planning and welcome by Taire Wilson and the rest of the ministry team meant that the students had many and varied opportunities to serve and observe different ministries on both Sundays and throughout the week. This created a great opportunity to do ministry, to get feedback and coaching, and to try new things.
Some of our opportunities included preaching, serving in children’s and youth groups, observing SRE classes and helping set up for and speak at evangelistic nights. We were encouraged and fed too, as we got to hear each other proclaim the good news of Jesus and enjoyed working together and bonding as a team. The willingness of the students on mission to humbly serve in whatever tasks needed doing, and to work hard at clearly and warmly proclaiming the gospel in ways appropriate to the different contexts, is a great testament to the love and godliness of these students.
We prayed together for the rains and flooding to ease enough for the men’s event to happen, for door knocking to go ahead, that SRE classes would resume, friends would come to the men’s and women’s events to hear the good news, that some would want to hear more, and we praised God for His provision for each of these.
We were privileged to be a part of the launch of the “Go” purpose area, which seeks to equip, enable and encourage members of the church to share the good news of Jesus with others. People gathered in their connect groups for a “Kindle the flame” event, which included an opportunity to hear a story of Jesus’ power and offer of forgiveness for us, and equipped us to practise sharing the good news and to pray for opportunities and the proclamation of the gospel.
Mission is a great opportunity for students to observe and experience ministry in a particular context and culture. It allows students to reflect on the way context shapes the application of ministry principles. We learnt that due to the history of the area many have been deeply hurt by church leaders. As we went door knocking, we were cautious and conscious of the need to listen and love. We were greatly encouraged by many warm conversations about church and the meaning of Easter. In Maitland there are particular opportunities to love and share with local groups, including the residents of a local rehabilitation centre. We prayed with MEC as they prepared equipment and the multigenerational MEC team to go to Katherine to provide support at the Katherine Christian Convention for Indigenous Christians.
We valued becoming part of the church for a week, and particularly being welcomed inside a team ministry and inside a ministry home. Roger and Carolyn Burgess, who met and married while studying at Moore, showed us great hospitality. They and their team were a great encouragement and inspiration as they humbly shared themselves, their faith and ministry philosophy, and how these things play out in their ministry. We observed and reflected on a ‘Purpose’ team staffing model, that included paid and voluntary ministry team leaders. We were impressed by the way they valued the roles women play in this team and the healthy partnership between men and women in ministry.
Mission gave an opportunity to work through anxiety and change. The unknowns of being billeted by a stranger in a country town gave way to rich experiences of being welcomed into the homes of brothers and sisters in Christ. Billeting allowed us to experience something of life in another’s household and culture, and the joy of making new friends. Ministry often involves long hours and extended time away from family. Being away for the ten days gave an opportunity to reflect on how to manage the competing demands of ministry, study and family.
Moore College is concerned for growth in godliness, ministry practice, self-awareness and cultural awareness, and mission is a fantastic learning opportunity. Being out of our normal life and comfort zone and trying new things gave us lots of opportunity to reflect on ourselves, our teamwork, and ministry possibilities. As a chaplaincy group, our time in Maitland was precious and uplifting as we bonded, learnt and worked together, and will continue to be a reference point as we meet to consider ministry. We are thankful for our opportunity to serve among our brothers and sisters in MEC and will continue to partner with them by receiving prayer points to inform our prayers for the spread of the gospel in Maitland and beyond.
Originally published in Moore Matters Winter 2021
