Moore Matters Winter 2024

How is Moore preparing students for mission?

Simon Gillham / Acting Principal

AS THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MISSION, THIS IS A QUESTION THAT I AM OFTEN ASKED. MANY PEOPLE I SPEAK TO ARE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS MOORE COLLEGE HAS CONSISTENTLY SENT ABOUT 8% OF ITS GRADUATES DIRECTLY INTO OVERSEAS MISSION FIELDS.

As many (like me) also go into overseas mission work after 5-10 years of Australian ministry experience, the actual percentage of College graduates serving overseas at any time is higher than that, and difficult to pin down. On top of this, almost every graduate of the College will go into a ministry context that is increasingly multi-cultural.

How do we prepare students for mission? Well, the main thing that we do to prepare people for mission is to ensure that they know God and continue to grow in their knowledge of God by hearing him speak through his word, in the fellowship of other believers. That is, the most important training that any missionary needs is exactly the same training that any Christian, and especially any Christian leader, needs. If a person can’t read, understand, teach and live consistently with the word of God in their own culture, we must be very sure not to send them somewhere else to try and do it there.

Many of the most formative elements of studying at Moore happen outside the classroom. A number of these things directly contribute to preparing students for mission. Most obviously, every year, every student, faculty member and chaplain goes on an 8-day mission trip together. This year we sent 14 teams—some overseas, interstate, to rural NSW and to a diversity of places around Sydney. Teams have to work together to navigate different socio-economic, linguistic, cultural

and worldview contexts, to proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus in ways that can be understood. See the report from the Solomon Islands mission this year for an example of what that is like (pp6-7).

Each year we also host a Mission Awareness Week, where representatives from a variety of Christian mission agencies come to the College to talk about their different ministries and opportunities. We intentionally pray for every nation in the world and encourage students to consider what role God might be calling on them to play in his great mission (see pp12-13). For two further weeks in the year, we host missionaries in residence. Missionaries speak at a variety of events, share meals with the students, and make themselves available to meet with anyone interested in exploring mission further. Beyond this, we regularly have international guests and missionary visitors to the College to meet with faculty and students. Kylie Zietsch visited College from South Africa earlier this year. On pages 8-9 you can get to know a little of her journey.

One of the clearest formal ways in which we prepare students for mission is through the mission stream

With locals on Moore Mission 2024 in the Solomon Islands

of the Advanced Diploma. Whether completed parttime over a longer period, or full-time in one year, this course meets the minimum requirements for theological training expected by most mission agencies. It is especially appropriate for students preparing for bi-vocational missionary roles like teachers and doctors and nurses. Specialised mission subject areas include cross-cultural communication, world religions, and mission history.

In our degree level courses, instead of having mission as one of a number of specialities that students might elect to focus on, we have embedded mission in the core of our curriculum, alongside other ministry. Indeed, all Christian mission is a form of ministry, or it is not really Christian. Likewise, all ministry should be working toward our heavenly Father’s missional goal of bringing all things under the feet of the Lord Jesus. This is why the Father sent the Son and why Jesus sends us into the world. By teaching ministry and mission together as a core element of all four years of study at Moore, we model the reality that commitment to the mission of God is no optional extra for followers of Jesus. We teach cross-cultural discipleship in first year as a foundation for all Christian ministry. All ministry involves loving, serving and discipling people who are different to us. The tools of cross-cultural discipleship help us to understand and navigate some of the biggest

and most obvious differences. We learn to listen well and resist jumping quickly to negative conclusions when we see or hear something that is different to what we expected. Understanding others well enables us to teach the Bible in ways that are more clearly understood. Application of biblical truth then pushes beyond clichés and platitudes to wrestle with what sin and righteousness might look like in any specific situation.

In third year, we explore ministry in a secular environment as a case study in cross-cultural engagement. This is especially challenging because it involves recognising and understanding our own cultural biases, and how they might be impacting our understanding of God’s word and our models of Christian ministry. It is always much easier to see how Christians in a culture different to ours might compromise or syncretise their faith, than it is to see our own distortions and errors.

We encourage students to develop ministry approaches from first principles, rather than to adopt particular models. This means that as graduates proceed into ministry, they should be equipped to take unchanging gospel principles and express them in culturally appropriate ways, wherever they are. For missionaries, this means that as they serve in a different part of the world, rather than importing their models and practices and habits and culture alongside the gospel, they will take time to explain the gospel and develop patterns of ministry that make the best sense in their new context.

Moore Matters is the newsletter publication of Moore Theological College

Principal of Moore College » The Rev Dr Mark Thompson

Editors » Jamie Telfer, Heidi Combs Art and Design » Lankshear Design

Moore Matters

Copyright © Moore Theological College 2024 1 King Street, Newtown NSW 2042 Australia moore.edu.au | foundation@moore.edu.au | +61 2 9577 9999

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Cover Image: Moore College students with locals in the Solomon Islands for Moore Mission 2024

Whether or not our graduates ever move postcodes, the culture around them will continue to change and we all need a missionary mindset to clearly proclaim the unchanging gospel of the Lord Jesus, to whoever he leads us to.

Simon Gillham Acting Principal

About Moore College

Moore College exists to train men and women to take the good news of Jesus Christ to the world. Since 1856, more than 5,000 students have graduated from the College and have been sent out by God. Moore College has equipped men and women to serve in over 50 countries across the World. Today over 3,500 students are enrolled in our courses globally.

Moore Mission 2024 in the Solomon Islands

Cross Cultural Sydney

Susan An, a local trainer and evangelist, and Amanda Mason

IN MANY WAYS IN SYDNEY, MISSION HAS COME TO US. NATIONS ALL AROUND THE WORLD HAVE COME TO OUR DOORSTEP PROVIDING US WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE OUR FAITH WITH THEM.

There is a joy in knowing that we are all one people in Christ Jesus. But ministries focussed on a specific culture or people group can also be highly beneficial and effective. I myself became a Christian through going to an ethnicity-based church. When you are reminded every day that you stand out from the crowd, being with others who stand out with you can be a strong drawcard in building a community.

At Moore, we benefit from the wisdom and experience of people who continue on this work of evangelising a specific people group. Their insight, knowledge and research are generously shared with us to grow the next generation of gospel workers reaching the nations. I look forward to gathering before the throne of the Lamb with every nation, tribe, people and language (Rev 7:9) and singing his praises with these, and many other, people groups.

Rev Susan An Dean of Women, MTC

Getting to Know the People Groups of Sydney

Hindus in South West Sydney

By local trainer and evangelist (name withheld for privacy)

I work as a trainer and evangelist with Evangelism and New Churches to reach people from South Asian backgrounds, and Hindus in particular. I work with 5 partner churches across Sydney to run training on Hinduism, cross-cultural evangelism and storytelling, and support their efforts to connect and share Jesus in their local communities.

This year I was involved in the Moore Mission in areas of Sydney with large numbers of migrants from South Asia, in particular Toongabbie and Wentworthville. As part of their training about Hinduism, I took students to visit a Hindu temple and experience the food and culture of these suburbs.

It’s encouraging to see how churches are working together and trying novel approaches to take the gospel to Hindus. For example, we tried an outreach “Prayer night” event with candles, chai and a meal. This leans

on the Hindu values of community and relationship. By sharing a Bible story and offering prayer to the Father in Jesus’ name, we gave visitors an experience of the intimate relationship followers of Jesus experience with God and with each other.

Hindus and South Asians are generous and hospitable and I think they have lots to teach us about community. As they see all of life as spiritual, I love that they are often happy to talk about spiritual things. South Asians love to celebrate special occasions with colour, joy and food, and who doesn’t love a delicious curry!

One big challenge in reaching out to Hindus is there’s not just one set of beliefs but a diversity of ideas and practices that have come about over thousands of years. It’s important to get to know each individual and love them rather than make assumptions. In general, although Hindus are willing to have spiritual conversations and have a respect for Jesus, it’s very hard for them to accept Jesus as the only way to salvation. In addition, because they may believe God is within each of us, they are challenged by the concept of sin as an affront to a personal God. It takes patience, time and love to share Jesus with Hindus, so they can see his holiness, their own sin, and their need for Jesus as the only Saviour.

Prayer

» Give thanks for the creativity of the churches as they reach out to Hindu people groups

» Pray for patience, resources and love as God’s people in this area share Jesus

» Pray that Hindus may be struck by their sinfulness and consequent need for a merciful God

Scenes from 2024 Moore College Mission in Wentworthville and Toongabbie

Theravada Buddhists in Metro Sydney by

Amanda Mason

Teacher in World Religions and the Gospel at MTC and a part-time worker in the public mental health system focusing on the provision of culturally responsive treatment to people from different languages and cultures.

I help Australian Christian communities engage with diaspora—that is people who are living away from their place of origin and are from different languages and cultures.

In particular, I dedicate time to observing, participating in, and studying patterns in ministry to people from Southeast Asian Theravada Buddhist backgrounds. Theravada Buddhism is the type of Buddhism followed by most of the population in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and the Bamar people of Myanmar (and Sri Lanka, beyond Southeast Asia).

Opportunities exist to grow a mutual understanding between Australian Christian communities and these diaspora communities. I seek to facilitate that understanding by working closely with Christian communities in Sydney where Southeast Asian communities live, work and play and where opportunities to build relationships are close to hand for local churches.

There is an exciting opportunity for Australian Christian communities to recognise and respond to the many migrants from Buddhist majority countries. It is a challenge that is still ahead of us for Christian communities to fully reflect a unity that transcends cultural boundaries and echoes Paul’s call for us to act as we are truly made—one body in Christ (1 Cor 12).

A challenge is helping churches respond to the diversity on our doorstep with diversity. It is tempting to think that the learning practises of one cultural group

are mirrored in other cultures. For example, unlike the expectation in many Australian Christian communities that literacy is required for Bible teaching, Buddha’s teachings were taught orally in local languages, and consequently, literacy is not as high a priority among Buddhist-majority cultures as it is in Western Protestant cultures.

These differences continue to challenge Australian Christians as they recognise how God has scattered and is regathering his people in a globalised context and their role as God’s people in that new missiological context.

Prayer

» Give thanks that we can engage with the values and perspectives from both the Western world and Chinese-Thai diaspora worlds.

» For a deeper understanding of the Asian Theravada Buddhist culture in churches so that the gospel would spread.

» Pray for growing engagement between Australian Christian communities and the Diaspora communities.

Church service from Moore College Mission 2024 in Wentworthville and Toongabbie

Moore Mission to Central Melanesia

Mark Earngey / Head of Church History

IN 1956, A PLAQUE DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF CHARLES CHRISTOPHER GODDEN (1876-1906) WAS PLACED IN THE CASH CHAPEL OF MOORE THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE. GODDEN WAS A MOORE COLLEGE TRAINED ANGLICAN CLERGYMAN WHO SUFFERED A VIOLENT DEATH ON THE ISLAND OF AMBAE IN VANUATU IN THE CONTEXT OF HIS MISSIONARY MINISTRY IN MELANESIA.

The plaque was unveiled as “a constant reminder to students of the price which has been paid for the evangelization of the world”.1

In April 2024, two Moore College faculty members (Mark Earngey and Susan An) took off for Melanesia with 10 passionate and humble students to follow in Godden’s footsteps and serve in the evangelisation of that wonderful part of God’s world. On the invitation of Archbishop Leonard Dawea and Bishop Othniel Gamutu, the Moore College team were privileged to share the good news of Jesus Christ across various churches and ministries associated with the Diocese of Central Melanesia (Anglican Church of Melanesia) in the Solomon Islands.

We heard about the compassionate women’s work of the Sisters of the Community of the Church and the evangelistic endeavours of the Melanesian Brotherhood. We encouraged the teachers and students at Norman Palmer Anglican School and St Nicholas Anglican College. We heard the gospel preached and gospel choruses rise at St Barnabas Cathedral in Honiara, and were privileged to participate in the huge Sunday School ministry. We shared about the importance of biblical theological education at the Bishop Palmer Theological College and gave them a huge library of second-hand theological books donated by Moore College faculty, Matthias Media, and various retired clergy from Sydney. And we preached Christ crucified and shared our testimonies to God’s work in our lives throughout various parishes within the diocese.

Admittedly, these more formal events in our program only scratch the surface of our experiences there. We were struck by the deep concern to pass on

1 Sydney Diocesan Magazine (Oct-Nov 1956), 37 as cited on https://moore.edu.au/resources/let-there-be-peace-the-spirituallegacy-of-c-c-godden

the gospel to the next generation of Solomon Islanders. We were challenged by the sense of spiritual battle bound up with the evangelisation of Islander pagan worship. We were humbled by the simple and selfless Christian lives of the clergy who served in financially challenging circumstances. We loved seeing the liturgical love shown to the children in church—the priests and bishops would bless each of the children at the chancel steps at the conclusion of the service. And the singing! We were blown away by the powerful and uplifting harmonies and choruses rejoicing in the resurrection hope we have in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The student team were the model of visiting missionaries. The culture of high church Anglicanism was a new experience for most, and the team embodied the best form of humble curiosity and gospelcentered flexibility. They were adaptable to changing circumstances and spontaneous invitations to serve. At the beginning of the mission we were all rusty with the sometimes sudden sermon invitation, but by the end of our time we could hardly be stopped. The final evening at the cathedral went until 11:30pm and many of our students were delivering passionate 20 minute sermons,

with Bible in hand, and totally off the cuff! Suffice to say, each of these Moore College students would make excellent missionaries—whether abroad or reaching the lost here in Australia.

From little things, big things grow. Today, on the island of Ambae a hospital is named after Charles Godden and Godden’s initiative of translating the Bible into Havai has been recently completed. When our Moore College mission team spoke to clergy from the Anglican Church of Melanesia about Charles Godden, the local clergy spoke with heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of his short-lived missionary service. What a joy, to think that our Moore College trained students continue to go into the world and plant gospel seeds which will grow. What a thought, to consider the impact upon Sydney, throughout Australia, and around the world, of humble and faithful brothers and sisters, offering themselves as living sacrifices unto the Lord. What a prayer, to boldly ask the Lord to set aside more and more for such service. The main thing our Moore College mission has taught us is that we have an extraordinary missionary God who uses ordinary people like us.

Find out more about the spiritual legacy of C.C. Godden. “Let there be peace”: the spiritual legacy of C.C. Godden

Find out more about Moore Missions 2024.

Please pray

The connections we made with the clergy and ministries within the Anglican Church of Melanesia suggested five main areas for prayer. Firstly, please pray for some suitable students from the Solomon Islands to come and study at Moore College. Secondly, please pray that the churches in the Solomon Islands might benefit from the resources and ministry of Youthworks College. Thirdly, please pray for the Anglican schools in central Melanesia—they have huge numbers of students, but need more teachers. Fourthly, please pray for the Anglican Church of Melanesia to hold fast to its biblical convictions as they critically engage with the growing presence of progressive ideologies relative to their islander cultures. Finally, please pray for CMS missionary David Pettett who is serving at Bishop Patterson Theological College. Not only was David invaluable for our mission to the Solomon Islands, but his teaching of Greek and Biblical Studies will be even more invaluable for the training of clergy and clergy wives there too.

Transfiguration Parish, Honiara, Solomon Islands visited by a Moore College Mission team in 2024.

Sharpened and Refined— a Missionary Journey

Kylie Zietsch / Women’s Dean, Johannesburg Bible College, South Africa, in conversation with Isobel Lin

Kylie, you were raised in a Christian home, discipled by faithful Christian mentors, and worked in a variety of cultures from America to Fiji to South Africa. You even studied at Bible College in Johannesburg and had a vibrant ministry there. How did you end up studying a Bachelor of Theology at Moore College?

Despite my education degree, the volunteer work I was doing in Johannesburg, ministering to students and the homeless, lacked the firm foundation of theological education. So in 2010 I came to Moore College intent on studying for a year. But I soon realised I wanted to go deeper into the word and grow skills in how to approach ministry, so one year grew into four.

I am really thankful for my time at Moore. I was surrounded by women with whom I could walk the journey of life and ministry, with whom I could think through future plans, and who encouraged me in my faith. Looking back now, the student body were formative in encouraging me in mission and sharpening me, preparing me for the mission field.

Mission had been on your heart since being a youngster in church when you responded to a call from the front for those interested in mission. Once you had completed your Bachelor of Theology and worked as a Chaplain in a school context, your heart once again turned to the mission field. But this required more training at CMS in Melbourne.

Initially I wasn’t keen to undertake more training but looking back, my time at CMS’s St Andrew’s Hall was essential and so helpful in preparing me for long-term ministry. They want to help you be as ready for mission as possible.

You take yourself on mission, and that includes your weaknesses! They follow you wherever you are. My time at St Andrew’s Hall was invaluable in helping me identify areas of sin and areas I needed to strengthen and just be aware of. A greater awareness of self allows

you to serve deeper. By God’s grace when he sharpens us, cutting bits of our heart and life, we are more able to fully serve, and those things that could hold us back are less likely to if we have dealt with them. So I am really thankful for that training.

Johannesburg Bible College has been seeking to prepare students with biblical and practical knowledge which they can take into their ministry roles for almost 20 years, and your work there centres on working with women students and staff. Can you share some of the joys and challenges of working in that space?

JBC aims to address the needs of the 188,000 pastors in Africa who have no formal training in the Bible. So many of the students who come to us are already doing ministry and understand the need to upskill, while for others studying is a means of kicking off into a ministry role. One of the beauties of JBC is that the students come from all over the continent of Africa. There’s a welcoming unity which reflects the body of Christ. It’s been beautiful, both at church and at JBC, learning with and sitting with people who think so differently and yet they sharpen the lens of life for me. It has been beautiful to be refined by the difference of others and them speaking into my life and the beauty of that twoway relationship.

Yet, living in a foreign culture has many challenges and when I first arrived, realising I was there for the long term, it felt very different from my other short-term

Women’s ministry at JBC

visits. The idea of being a foreigner in the Bible has taken on a new meaning, living in a culture that is not your own. I have been in Jo’burg for 10 years and yet I still don’t understand so many things—I miss things or don’t get the humour, for example.

But so many times I’ve just been wowed by the wisdom and life experience of the students I’ve been working with and other people in the community; I have been open to things I have never previously thought about. We don’t necessarily think the same and we approach situations from different angles, but it’s been really encouraging to see that that’s a strength. We are grown through working through our differences.

It sounds like one of the biggest joys is the women you work with, teach and share life with. Can you help us glimpse what it means for these women to be part of Bible-centred ministry?

Every day before class I get to sit with students and just hear their stories. What a joy it is to see them as they are wrestling with the word, ministry and life. Mum Emily is one such student. The passing of her husband opened new doors for her. She saw her community in a new light and her life in a new light and she used the opportunity to ask, What can I do with my life?

How can I serve? Her eyes were opened to the needs of children whose parents weren’t very present due to work or their drug addictions. It was like God grew her heart to serve and to give. She came to JBC particularly to be trained to reach the children and the youth in her community. A very gentle, humble, Godly woman who just loved Christ, it turned out that Mum Emily was feeding 120 children! Feeding them not just physically but spiritually. Her desire was to be able to teach these children clearly about Jesus so that they may want to grow to know Jesus and serve him. She sat so humbly under God’s word and teaching at JBC, literally putting into practice what she was learning the following Saturday. She didn’t want to hold all the wisdom and knowledge she was gaining but wanted to gift it to the children in her community.

For those who might be considering overseas mission, do you have any advice?

Come to the Lord in prayer! And do not fear. I think sometimes the idea of overseas mission can be overwhelming, so prayer is essential. The community aspect is also important. Talk to the people around you who know you—your pastors, friends, people who see you in ministry—they can give wisdom and insight which could be really beneficial for the journey. It is a journey; mission preparation is not a quick decision or process.

Talk to a mission organisation early as they have experience, know what questions to ask and help you to work through if this is the right path for you or if God has another direction for you.

Kylie’s missionary journey

Church Connection

Hearing from visiting missionaries and being challenged to consider mission at a young age.

Christian Service

Discipled by faithful leaders.

Overseas Experience

Working in America; Student at Johannesburg Bible College; Education Practicum in Fiji

Education Training

Theological

Training

Moore Theological College

Chaplaincy Work

Sydney based school

Mission Training Church Missionary Society

Johannesburg

Bible College from 2017

Scan the QR code and find out more about life at JBC, the mission journey and how you can support Kylie.

Pray for Kylie

» Pray that both my team and I would be really intentional about raising up the next generation of teachers.

» Pray that I keep trusting in Jesus. It’s very easy to lose focus on what you’re doing. When life is stressful or tiring or overwhelming, pray that I just keep fixing my eyes on him and trusting him through those mountain top experiences and all those valleys as well, which are ahead.

TMoore’s mission heart: sharing our resources through the Centre for Global Mission

Malcolm Richards / Director of the Centre for Global Mission

he Centre for Global Mission (CGM) is part of the mission heart of Moore College. CGM is a department of Moore College that supports Christian organisations around the world in the preparation of their leaders by providing theological training materials. CGM does not run courses and does not have students. By providing Moore College resources to our partner organisations to train their students, we allow thousands of our partners’ students to have access to good quality Bible-based courses. The resources are provided free of charge to 35 partners working in around 50 countries, and these partners give their own certificates when students complete subjects.

The main resource that CGM shares with its partner organisations is 20 of the courses that make up the Moore College ‘Preliminary Theological Certificate’. These courses are well known around the world— simply referred to as PTC.

Moore College still runs PTC courses itself through another department called ‘Moore PTC’. Anyone can study PTC courses through Moore PTC and receive a Moore College Certificate for their studies. CGM extends the reach of Moore College by giving access to these same trusted courses around the world.

When a church or partner organisation approaches CGM about the use of PTC, the CGM team helps them assess their needs in terms of what language is spoken and how the subjects will be delivered to their students. CGM has PTC, or some subjects of PTC, in a large number of languages and currently has around 15 active translation projects. The CGM technical team also works on different technologies which help our partners deliver courses to their students.

What are CGM partner organisations like? There is no typical partner. A partner might be a local church, an Anglican diocese, a denomination, a Bible School or Theological College. Courses might be taught in English or another language. There is only room in this article to introduce you to two of CGM’s many partner organisations; we will meet MOCLAM in the Spanishspeaking world and a French-speaking partner in New Caledonia, The Evangelical Free Church.

MOCLAM

MOCLAM is the Spanish language CGM partner. Students studying with MOCLAM come from a range of countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, UK, USA, and Spain itself.

On the MOCLAM website its ministry is described in this way: ‘The goal of MOCLAM is to make accessible yet high quality theological education available to Spanish speakers throughout IberoAmerica. We offer an undergraduate program consisting of 21 subjects, which have a focus in biblical studies.’

MOCLAM has a close relationship with Moore College, with all MOCLAM course material being made available by Moore College through CGM. This means that the subjects that MOCLAM offers are Spanish translations of Moore College’s PTC subjects. All the current MOCLAM workers are, with one exception, Moore College graduates.

MOCLAM also has a strong relationship with CMS. All the current MOCLAM workers are CMS missionaries, including the International Director of MOCLAM, Adrian Lovell, who serves with his wife Anita in Bolivia.

2024 is a consolidation year for MOCLAM after the Covid years. Prior to Covid, enrolments were strong, but Covid lockdowns in Latin America and also in Spain were long and many ministries suffered, including MOCLAM. However, 2024 is looking bright, with MOCLAM intensives already being run in Mexico and Argentina in January.

MOCLAM students

Most of the current active MOCLAM groups are in Chile, Argentina, Mexico and Peru, now with increases in Spain and Bolivia. Cuba has seen huge numbers of students in the past studying PTC courses with MOCLAM. After some difficulties with the program there, made worse by Covid, enrolments in Cuba have now pleasingly again begun to increase.

The leaders of MOCLAM see some great potential in relationships which are currently being explored in Bolivia through local partnerships. MOCLAM is also developing strong partnerships in Chile with the Anglican Church and with the GBU (IFES groups) in Chile and Argentina. Work is also slowly progressing in Spain, with MOCLAM groups functioning in churches in the Canary Islands and through continuing opportunities in the GBU.

Adrian Lovell, International Director, MOCLAM

“It is a great joy to me to see brothers and sisters persevering in their studies over many years … not because they want to earn a certificate but because they want to know our God and his word more deeply, and be therefore better able to teach others the same.”

Prayer for MOCLAM

» Pray for the groups running in various Anglican dioceses in South America, particularly the new initiatives that have only just started up in Argentina and Bolivia. Ask that students would see the subject through to the end, even if their initial enthusiasm might wane.

» Pray for the ‘rebooting’ of the ministry in Cuba, that a shift to a new decentralised model will be sustainable and provide the opportunity for many to study.

» Pray for the many IFES students and staff workers who are studying across Latin America and Spain, that the movement as a whole would retain a gospel focus and that MOCLAM will be a positive influence in that regard.

EGLISE EVANGÉLIQUE LIBRE DE NOUVELLE CALÉDONIE (The Evangelical Free Church of New

Caledonia)

While the Gospel is firmly planted in much of Englishspeaking Melanesia, French-speaking Melanesia is relatively gospel poor. Like the rest of France, New Caledonia has few Bible-based churches. The Evangelical Free Church is the second largest protestant church in New Caledonia. This denomination approached CGM a number of years ago asking permission to use PTC in French as the basis for their pastor training in their Pastoral Institute (Institut de l’Eglise Evangélique Libre). Currently CGM has 12 subjects in French, but will soon have all 20 PTC subjects available for our Frenchspeaking partners.

The relationship with the Eglise Libre came about

through a Moore College graduate, Peter Hynes, who is the pastor in Noumea (New Caledonia) of an independent evangelical church that has historical links to this larger denomination. Until recently, Peter has been the main teacher at the Pastoral Institute, but he plans to change roles. He has been slowly training a group of pastors in the denomination to take over the teaching responsibilities.

As the handover to local teachers is under way, Peter continues to teach the students in the latter years of the course. At the same time, he is also training the teachers by going through each new subject with them before they are asked to teach it. In 2024 there are 3 first-year students in the Pastoral Institute who will be taught by local teachers.

Peter Hynes, Pastor of the Evangelical Church of New Caledonia

“One of the greatest joys is to realise that the Lord was at work answering prayers long before the needs were made known.”

Prayer for The Evangelical Free Church of New Caledonia

» Give thanks for the joy of seeing the Lord work, meet the needs of the church and answer the prayers of many over the last few years.

» Pray too for the students, the main teacher at the Institute, Pastor Beinon, and for Peter Hynes as he teaches and mentors the teachers.

» Pray for safety and opportunity to witness and care for God’s people during this time of civil unrest.

» Give thanks for the PTC material being translated into French to be used to train local pastors.

Students in Noumea

Mission Awareness Week

Heidi Combs / Communications Manager

MOORE COLLEGE’S VISION IS TO SEE GOD GLORIFIED BY MEN AND WOMEN LIVING FOR AND PROCLAIMING JESUS CHRIST, GROWING HEALTHY CHURCHES AND REACHING THE LOST.

The Mission Awareness Team (MAT), led by third year student, Naomi Tompkins, and Second Year student, Brendan Nelson, have a goal to see the gospel of Christ Jesus proclaimed throughout the whole world through the sending and support of Moore College graduates and through the connection of students and staff with mission agencies. Prayer, the proclamation of God’s word and relationship building guide and grow the MAT team as they aim to mobilise 15% of MTC graduates into overseas mission and 100% of MTC graduates into overseas mission support.

“As a team we want every student to be involved in partnering with mission either now or in the future; even if they don’t end up going overseas themselves,

partnering with overseas missionaries to support them through prayer and financial means,” explained Naomi.

An annual event, focussed on raising the priority of overseas mission in the minds of students, is Mission Awareness Week (MAW) which, for 2024, is scheduled for Week Two, Term Three.

“Mission Awareness Week really helps students think about Mission. The week is packed with visits from missionaries, times of prayer with a mission focus, and a fair of Mission organisations, with representatives from groups such as CMS, OMF, SIM, BCA and Pioneers being available to answer student questions,” enthused Naomi.

Simba Musvamhiri, CEO of African Enterprises, will be a guest speaker at this year’s MAW and will be addressing the topic ‘A Vision for Mission’. African Enterprises has a heart for the cities of Africa and has been working with the College’s Centre for Global Mission for over 20 years using the PTC to teach God’s people throughout Africa.

Brendan Nelson and Naomi Tompkins

Student Reflection, Josh Hoole

Mission Awareness Week is an annual opportunity for students, faculty, and staff at Moore College to be continually exposed to the global horizons of the gospel of the Lord Jesus. Although challenges and opportunities abound in Sydney, the city is blessed with an abundance of Christians, Bible-teaching churches, theological colleges, and other Christ-centred gospel ministries. And yet the need remains great throughout the rest of Australia, and indeed the world. Mission Awareness Week 2023 pressed into this reality, as Dan Morris from CMS reminded and challenged those gathered at Moore with the ‘Cross-Shaped Mission’ before us. A key feature of the week was the opportunity for the College community to pray for and with missionaries from various agencies, and likewise to share lunch and continue to discuss the many varied opportunities to serve in different mission contexts. Being continually exposed to these gospel needs, the College community was, and continues to be, struck by the need to partner with and send men and women, or to prayerfully consider going themselves.

The Mission Awareness Team may have a central focus on MAW but the team seek to ensure that mission is part of each day of College life for the students. Student-initiated prayer groups which have a global focus happen on a weekly rotation. These small group prayer times which centre on prayer for specific nations are advertised at Prayer Fair in Term 1.

At the Prayer Fair, over morning tea, students were encouraged to chat and connect with a variety of groups who represented different countries and cultures. From these connections, weekly prayer meetings have sprung up. “About 12 different groups currently meet to pray for various parts of the world. I am part of the Indian subcontinent prayer group,” said Naomi.

“It is great to see each student cohort taking the initiative to keep their fellow students thinking and praying for missionaries, and having opportunities to consider mission themselves,” said Brendan. “MAT welcomes visiting missionaries, including them in lunchtimes with the student population, and year groups prioritise praying for and sharing news about partner missionaries during their weekends away.”

“Joining the Mission Awareness Team has helped me to keep considering what I plan to do post-College. It gives me a reason to start conversations about overseas mission with other people in College, keeping mission in the forefront of my decision-making processes,” explained Brendan.

Click through the QR Code and hear from two CMS representatives who are often at College, connecting with students and helping to answer questions around mission opportunities. Tania Snowdon and Daniel Morris, part of the Enquirer Team, talk about how College prepares you for the mission field, the joy of being part of God’s global church, and what great opportunities there are available at Mission Awareness Week.

Prayer Points

» Pray that students might be convicted of the gospel and gospel needs globally and be keen to partner in mission

» Pray for the team as they prepare for MAW—for team dynamics and planning

» Pray for the preparation of Simba Musvamhiri as he prepares to speak and that many mission agencies are able to attend MAW

» Pray that mission will be a focus for students across the whole year, not just during MAW

Anglican connection in Africa

Erin Mollenhauer / Senior Archivist and Special Collections Librarian

Sydney Anglicans have had a long-standing relationship with the evangelical church in various parts of Africa, and the College’s archives hold a wealth of material relating to this history.

There are strong historic links with the Anglican church in Tanzania, formerly the British Tanganyika Territory. George Alexander Chambers (1877-1963) served as Vice Principal of Moore College and Rector of Dulwich Hill before his appointment in 1927 as the Bishop of Central Tanganyika. His extensive personal papers include sermons, letters, and the Central Tanganyikan Diocesan Newsletter between 1929 and 1965. He also owned one of the most unusual items in our archives—a ceremonial sword! It was given to Chambers in 1952 when he visited Dodoma to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Diocese, and represents the fact that he had “cut through” their difficulties.

Another Sydney Anglican with links to Tanzania, and papers in our archives, is Dr Paul White, best known for his ‘Jungle Doctor’ stories for children. After serving as a CMS missionary for three years in Tanzania, he returned to Sydney and began working with the Inter-Varsity Fellowship (now AFES).

A close relationship has existed for many years between the Anglican Diocese of Sydney and the Church of England in South Africa (CESA), now called REACH-SA. One of the key pieces of research into the history of CESA is ‘From Silvertrees to Lambeth: the Australian connection and the Church of England in South Africa, 1933-1948’ by Peter Spartalis, who also donated his collection of papers to the archives. A key figure in the relationship between Sydney and CESA was Archbishop H.W.K. Mowll (1890-1958). According to Church History lecturer Mark Earngey, ‘Mowll went to great lengths … to support the CESA. He sent advice for a constitution, … and he leveraged an extraordinary array of ecclesiastical relationships in the service of securing episcopal oversight.’1

After retiring as Moore College Principal in 1985, D. Broughton Knox went to South Africa to help establish George Whitefield College in Cape Town. He wrote in the GWC Newsletter in 1991: ‘Keen and Gospel-preaching Christians are here in abundance and for that we thank God!”2

1 Mark E. Earngey, ‘Howard Mowll and the Church of England in South Africa’, in E. Mollenhauer (ed.), Howard and Dorothy Mowll: Global Anglican Pioneers (London: Latimer Trust, 2022), 167.

2 George Whitefield College Newsletter, November 1991, Series 047-12, D.B. Knox Papers, Samuel Marsden Archives.

Partner with us to support God’s mission to the nations

“GIVE PRAISE TO THE LORD … PROCLAIM HIS NAME; MAKE KNOWN AMONG THE NATIONS WHAT HE HAS DONE.” ISAIAH 12:4A

The gospel is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. It is the gospel of the Lord Jesus, preserved for us in his word and preached to us by his servants that brings us into positive relationship with our Creator.

Today in Mauritius, an island country in the middle of the Indian Ocean, more than ever before, the power of God is at work through his word.

Rev Eric Ma Fat, Archdeacon at St Paul’s Anglican Church, part of the largest parish in Mauritius, is witnessing a transformation in his parish. “More and more people are buying Bibles to read, more and more people are becoming biblically literate They are reading the word of God and the word of God is transforming their lives.”

Over ten years ago, Eric travelled from Mauritius to Sydney to complete face-to-face study at Moore College, graduating in 2011 and returning to his home province to be ordained as a minister and put in charge of the largest parish in the diocese.

“Since I came back from Moore, the way I preach and read the Bible is more biblically based, grounded in biblical theology.” Eric’s grounding in sound theological study has had significant influence across his province. Under his leadership, over 1,000 people have enrolled in the PTC and, as a consequence, many of the lay preachers in St Paul’s parish have changed how they preach the word of God, now studying and expounding a passage of scripture from a biblical theology context.

“Our lay preachers now look at scripture from a different perspective, which is very enriching for them, and it is my hope that more and more of our students in the Anglican diocese can go deeper in scripture.”

What a difference theological education can make in the lives of so many!

Nearby on the Seychelles islands, Ryan and Lynne Verghese, 2022 graduates of Moore College and now CMS missionaries, have experienced firsthand the impact that theological training can have in a community.

“In our churches, where there are lots of people without a deep understanding of the Bible, who have not received wonderful theological training, we have

found the human heart still leans back towards a gospel of works. The great benefit of theological training, which roots us in God’s word, is that we can proclaim the great and true gospel of grace.”

“Thankfully people here have been taking online biblical studies through Moore College. Locals are being theologically stretched and are now analysing how to put this theology into practice in their culture. We are here as a resource to model gracebased ministry, in order to strengthen the church in the Seychelles in partnership with the local population.”

“All of us are working together to proclaim the gospel of grace in the Seychelles.”

The need for faithful theological education continues to grow. Current estimates indicate that 95% of pastors of all denominations worldwide have no formal theological training for their work.1

The Need — Global Pastor Training PASTORAL TRAINING GLOBALLY ONLY 5% OF THE WORLD’S PASTORS ARE FORMALLY TRAINED

TO NO TRAINING FORMALLY TRAINED

The Centre for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) estimates:

• 5 million pastors (all Christian traditions) currently serve worldwide.

• 5% (250,000) have academic theological training.

• That means 95% have little or no training for their work!

Academic theological training = certified theological training

Data source: Source 01-01-23 (1)

With God’s church growing—by 2050 it is expected that nearly one in three people worldwide will be Christian—the need for trained church leaders is growing. The demographic centre of Christianity is also shifting from Europe and North America (the Global North) to the continents of Africa, Asia and South America (the Global South) where resources are scarcer. This shift is echoed in the Anglican Church as the vast majority of Anglicans today live in the Global South, in countries like Mauritius and the Seychelles.

A lack of well-trained leaders can leave churches vulnerable to error and false teaching. It is our desire to partner with these areas in need, to train local men and women like Eric, to send graduates like Ryan and Lynne, and to support Anglican parishes with resources such as the PTC, to prepare and equip ministers to lead their flock well in increasingly complex times.

1 The Need — Global Pastor Training https://www.globalpastortraining.org/the-need-1

This June we are seeking to raise financial support to enable this good work and we are asking if you will give generously towards a target of $350,000.

Will you support us here at Moore College with this wonderful work of preparing men and women for ministry to Christ’s global church; will you partner with us in this vital ministry?

God has a glorious plan to see people from every nation come together under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. By supporting Moore College, you are supporting God’s mission to the nations.

Donate today to the Moore College End of Financial Year Appeal. Find out more by clicking on the QR Code below or search moore.edu.au/eofy.

Yours in Christ,

Simon Gillham Acting Principal

GivePraisetotheLord

Oceania

S ource : Wor ld Chr istian Encyclopedia pg s. 8 ,10, 12, 14, 16

Oceania Latin Amer ic a A sia Afr ic a Nort h Amer ic a Europe

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…proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done Isaiah 12:4a

Partner with us as we continue to prepare men and women to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in Sydney, Australia and across the world.

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