Pastoral Care

Students experience a warm and supportive environment that provides rich experiences of fellowship and care from faculty, staff and others within the student body.

The College is more than an academic community, it is a fellowship of Christian believers who watch out for and care for one another in the various circumstances of life, in ways that reflects God’s love for us in Christ. The faculty are pastors, as well as teachers and scholars.

Pastoral care and concern occurs in many ways. Groups and individuals play a vital role in the relationships that are shared. As God’s Word is read and lives are shared, emotional, practical, and spiritual help is provided one to another. Individuals spur each other on to be faithful to Christ who remains our refuge and strength.

Groups

Particularly significant is the meeting together in chapel, sitting under the word of our ‘Chief Shepherd’ and responding to him in prayer and praise. Each student is also involved in a smaller group.

• First year groups provide a wonderful opportunity for incoming students to develop relationships and provide mutual support
• Second to fourth year students meet together in chaplaincy groups with a faculty member and female chaplain
• Students from across all four years also meet each week in single gender groups of three or four to pray for each other
• College also seeks to care for married students and their spouses by offering a series of marriage enrichment days

People

The faculty, in partnership with the visiting chaplains, exercise a pastoral role with each person in their chaplaincy group. Faculty pray individually for students and their families during their weekly faculty prayer meeting. The Dean of Students is responsible for the pastoral care of the college in partnership with the Dean of Women. Both these people make themselves available to meet with students about any matter of concern. The Advisor to Overseas Students takes particular responsibility for the well-being of overseas students, while the three first year advisors focus upon facilitating the transition to college life for all incoming students. The Senior Students exercise a significant pastoral role from within the student body itself.

A high level of mutual assistance is provided between the students in times of sickness and other debility.