This week we welcome a team of students from Moore College and Mary Andrews College. The leader of the team is one of the Old Testament Lecturers, Dr Andrew Shead.
It is a great privilege to welcome them to the Cathedral. We look forward to their participation in our attempts to reach the city of Sydney with the gospel. They will spearhead our Cathedral Mission Week. This is part of their practical training for a lifetime of evangelistic ministry.
Humanly speaking, the future health of Christianity in our city and nation resides in the hearts and minds of these men and women. They are our leaders in the coming generation.
It is exciting to see how God is blessing our city with so many able teachers of his word. The increase in student numbers at Moore College is one of the key indicators of a future growth of the gospel in our land.
Moore College is one of the oldest tertiary institutions in Australia. For just over 150 years it has prepared people to minister the word of God. About 40% of its students are being prepared for ordination in the Diocese of Sydney.
Most of the clergy of the Diocese of Sydney have been trained at Moore College. All the current members of the Cathedral staff were trained there.
Moore College graduates also serve beyond Sydney. Many are missionaries. They often serve with The Church Missionary Society and the Bush Church Aid society.
They also serve outside of Anglicanism. Many are in non-denominational ministries. Most of the University workers of the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students, studied at Moore. They also work in a variety of denominations. For example many of the Presbyterian ministers of NSW were trained at Moore.
Mary Andrews College (MAC) was established in 1891. It trains women to work in Christian ministry in churches in Australia and overseas. For many years it was known as Deaconess House. The students of Mary Andrews College study at Moore College. They reside at MAC and undertake some specific training in women’s ministry there.
Of recent years Moore College has seen a dramatic increase in size. At the moment it has nearly 500 students. Over 300 are full-time students in the basic first to fourth year courses.
The backgrounds of the students vary considerably. The average age of entry at college is 28. Over 90% of the students already have tertiary qualifications and experience in the workforce. The students reflect the multicultural character of Sydney. The majority of the students come from Australia. There is a growing number from overseas.
In addition to the full-time study, Moore has an external studies department with over 5000 students doing the correspondence courses in 50 different countries.
Moore College has always been a residential college. The recent growth in numbers of students has meant there is insufficient accommodation for all the families. Some families are not living on the campus at Newtown.
It is important that we pray for them and their labours this week. It is also important that we continue to pray for the college, as it attracts and trains future generations of ministers of God’s word.
