Moore College

Equipping men and women to love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ

Moore College Mission: A Week of Evangelism and Encouragement

Moore College Mission: A Week of Evangelism and Encouragement

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Last week,  Moore Theological College students, lecturers, and chaplains left Moore College to spread the gospel across various regions in Australia.

The teams went to 14 different locations, from the lush landscapes of Jamberoo to the vibrant communities of Alice Springs, and from the coastal beauty of Sans Souci to the bustling urban centres of Blacktown and Doonside. These teams join hands with local churches and ministries, working to share the message of hope and salvation throughout our nation.

During their mission trips across Australia, Moore Theological College students and staff members found themselves engaged in encouraging and at times challenging experiences that impacted both the local communities and the mission team members. For example, in Minchinbury and Rooty Hill, students Sarah and Anna had the opportunity to join an afternoon tea with a group of women from Doonside Anglican Church. Sarah shared a touching passage from Luke 7 and her own personal journey to faith as an international student. The group of women displayed immense faith and support for one another, even as they faced personal hardships and health challenges. Their dedication to evangelism and their heart-warming efforts to create a loving family for international students at the church showcased faith in action. 

In Albion Park, mission team members joined the Men’s Shed Open Day and connected with older men who eagerly taught them woodworking and metalworking skills. The Men’s Shed ministry offered a valuable space for community building and camaraderie among its members, with one man even crediting the group for saving his life. One of the long-time members, George, shared a remarkable testimony of how he became a Christian through a Moore College mission over 50 years ago, demonstrating the enduring impact of these missions throughout the years. 

In Blacktown and Doonside, team members had an insightful conversation with a Muslim man from Pakistan. Despite facing personal challenges, this man showed great interest in understanding the Bible, leading to an in-depth discussion on the Scriptures and the story of Jesus. In Tamworth, the mission team visited the Coledale Anglicare food pantry, connecting with community members over tea and coffee, and assisting with setting up and packing up. This event facilitated an impromptu Bible study and prayer session among indigenous women, bringing much joy and encouragement to the mission team.  

These highlights from a few of the mission teams illustrate the experiences and connections formed during the mission trips, as they worked to spread the gospel and support local ministries across Australia. 

Moore Theological College Vice Principal Simon Gillam emphasised the importance of mission trips as a crucial aspect of the College experience. He said, ‘Embarking on Mission with Moore College not only allows our students to put their learning into practice but also fosters a deep commitment to God’s work, grounded in the relationships they build along the way. These missions help cultivate a passion for service that extends well beyond their time at the College, shaping them into dedicated ministers who are prepared to make a lasting impact in God’s harvest field.’ 


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A new era in Historical Studies: AI takes center stage at Moore College

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On March 13, 2023, Moore College hosted a special event showcasing a groundbreaking platform for studying 16th-century documents.  

The platform, www.bullinger-digital.ch, uses cutting-edge AI technology to help researchers delve into the vast Heinrich Bullinger correspondence (HBBW). Developed in collaboration with the Institut für Computerlinguistik at the University of Zurich (UZH), this innovative tool is continually updated with new features and is freely accessible to all.  

A total of 12,000 letters written to and from Bullinger have been preserved at the Zurich State Archives and the Zurich Central Library.  

Thanks to the dedicated work of Prof Dr Peter Opitz and his team of experts, some of these letters (from 1524 to 1547) have already been edited and published by the IRG (https://www.irg.uzh.ch/de/bullinger-edition.html).  

In recent years, Prof. Dr Martin Volk and his team have digitized many of these letters, making them easily accessible with just a mouse click. On February 24, 2023, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the first letter of the HBBW, Prof Volk shared the impressive results achieved by his team using computer linguistic tools. The presentation can be viewed here: https://www.bullinger-digital.ch/downloads/Bullinger_digital_ZB_2021_11_03.pdf  

The event at Moore College attracted researchers and enthusiasts interested in the 16th-century Reformation. Led by Prof Volk and Moore College’s Head of Church History, Dr Mark Earngey, the attendees were captivated by the platform’s use of AI to analyze the historical documents.  

The presentation featured new updates added since the February talk in Zurich, sparking lively discussions and an informative Q&A session.  

Despite the challenges posed by the fact that 75% of the correspondence was written in Latin and 25% in Early New High German, with additional letters in French, Italian, and Greek, the platform can accurately recognize and digitize the texts. This remarkable achievement is even more impressive considering the many different handwriting styles of the authors.  

As Dr Mark Earngey noted, events like these highlight Moore College’s commitment to promoting innovative research and fostering a global community of scholars. The College eagerly anticipates this groundbreaking AI platform’s continued impact on the study of historical texts. 


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Moore College 2023 Graduation Celebrates Taking the Gospel To The World

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On March 20, 2023, Moore College held its annual Graduation at the City Recital Hall in Sydney. The ceremony celebrated the successful completion of study at the College and the places God has taken our graduates to serve since they finished in 2022.  

One hundred and seven students completed their studies in 2022, and most of them could be present at the graduation ceremony along with their families, friends and supporters. These graduates, and those who weren’t able to be with us in person, come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, united in their passion for the Lord Jesus and his gospel, and in their desire to keep growing in faith and knowledge of God to serve wherever the Lord might take them.  

This year the keynote address was delivered by Dr Donald West, the Principal of Trinity Theological College in Perth. In his address, Dr West reminded graduates how the gospel is shaping them and their ministries into the likeness of Jesus Christ.   

A highlight of the night was the conferral of degrees and diplomas to the graduates. Not only did each graduate receive their testamur from the Archbishop and President of the College’s Governing Board, Kanishka Raffel, but as their names were read, we were told where they were now serving. Our graduates have gone out all around Sydney, to rural Australia, Asia, Africa, and the United Kingdom. God’s wonderful work of sending labourers into his harvest continues, and it was a cause of great rejoicing.  

For all the formality of an occasion like this, it really was a celebration of God’s goodness and his powerful work in the lives of men and women today. As the graduates, faculty and Governing Board left the hall to the sound of the hymn “Yet not I but through Christ in me”, we were reminded of how good God has been to us.  

“Our Graduation is one of the most encouraging nights of the year”, said the Principal, Dr Mark Thompson.

“It celebrates the work of these wonderful men and women, but even more the work of our Lord and Saviour in sending us out with the most exciting message a person can hear. We also catch a glimpse of the reach of the College throughout the world, something which itself is entirely a gift of God. This is a day we look forward to every year.”


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Love takes centre stage at Moore College’s CCL event, “Is love really all you need?”

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On Wednesday evening, Moore College’s Centre for Christian Living (CCL) hosted a thought-provoking event on the topic of “Is love really all you need?” The event aimed to explore the Christian understanding of the virtue of love and its role in the lives of believers. 

The speaker for the event was Dr Chase Kuhn, Director of the Centre for Christian Living. Dr Kuhn began by demonstrating that love requires a definition—one that not all agree on. He explained that Scripture tells us where true love is known: it’s in Jesus. 1 John 3:16 says, “By this we know love, that he [Jesus] laid down his life for us.”  

From this definition of love, demonstrated in Jesus’ life and sacrifice, Dr Kuhn explained that virtuous love is unconditional. Love should not consider qualities in a person worth loving, but should manifest as goodwill toward all in a way that seeks their alignment with God’s purposes for them.  

As the main talk concluded, Dr Kuhn demonstrated how the gospel frees Christians for virtuous love: “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). In fact, by loving as God has loved us, we become lovelier.  

The second section of the evening focused on some practical implications of the talk. Moore College student team leader Caitlin Ogg engaged in a discussion with Dr Kuhn about how the principles he advocated would apply to different scenarios: self-love, loving those who are “easy” to love, loving those who are “difficult”, and loving strangers.  

The event concluded with a Q&A session, during which attendees had the opportunity to ask Dr Kuhn questions about the nature of love and its role in the Christian life. The questions ranged from one’s capacity to love, duty versus delight, proximity of relationships, and how to interact with those outside the Christian faith. 

Overall, the event was a great example of Moore College’s commitment to providing opportunities for Christians to engage with important topics from a biblical perspective. The Centre for Christian Living continues to serve Christians in their reflections on how biblical ethics relates to everyday issues.  

For more resources from the Centre for Christian Living, including articles, podcasts, and previous and upcoming events, please visit ccl.moore.edu.au. 

 
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Moore College welcomes back Peter Jensen to launch his latest book on The Life of Faith

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On Tuesday night Matthias Media held a book launch for Peter Jensen’s new book The Life of Faith: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine at Moore College. The event was a resounding success, drawing an engaged and enthusiastic audience of over 80 people. 

Peter’s book is the fruit of his more than thirty years of teaching Christian doctrine. Many graduates during Peter’s time as Principal of Moore College can testify to the brilliance of his teaching and the invaluable resource his lecture notes have been over the years. These are now, freshly edited, available more widely. 

The evening began with a warm welcome from the College’s current Principal, Dr Mark Thompson, who spoke briefly about his years learning from and then teaching alongside Peter Jensen. Another of Peter’s former students, Carmelina Read, gave her reflections. After this the Archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel, who himself studied doctrine under Peter Jensen, officially launched the book. Finally, Peter Jensen then shared about his approach in the book and provided a fascinating glimpse into his journey as a theologian and Christian leader. 

The event concluded with a book signing, where attendees had the opportunity to purchase signed copies of The Life of Faith and meet the author personally. 

“We were very glad to join Matthias Media by providing a venue for this event,” said Dr Thompson. “It is entirely appropriate that Peter’s book should be launched here at Moore College, where through his brilliant teaching he influenced generations of doctrine students. Many of us have been hoping for this day when Peter’s valuable insights into the Bible’s teaching would be made available to new generations of Christian men and women.”  

The Life of Faith: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine by Peter Jensen is now available for purchase online from Matthias Media. 

 


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The halls of Moore College come alive as a new academic year begins

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It’s that time of year when hundreds of students from across Sydney, Australia and overseas converge at Moore Theological College to begin a new academic year, which kicked off last Monday.

First-year student, Phoebe Guerra from the Philippines, said she was both excited and nervous: “I’m enjoying but also feeling nervous about the many new things happening around me at College—so many new people! But it’s so good to be assured by the Moore community that we are here for one another — let’s do this!”

A strong sense of community is evident among the student cohort. At a time when some educational institutions are moving more towards an online model of learning, Moore College remains committed to a face-face communal model of education.

“That’s our main game”, said the Principal, Dr Mark Thompson. “We train students face-to-face and full time for a ministry that is face to face and full time. This is not just a habit, but a deep commitment anchored in the way God values relationships.”

Alongside those studying full-time in the three-year Bachelors or four-year Masters program, are those availing themselves of the flexibility to study the first year of these courses part-time, as well as other courses online. They are just as excited about starting their study and we are thrilled that they are part of our College.

“We thank God for all the men and women that he has brought to Moore College so that we might prepare them for life and service in God’s harvest field”, Dr Thompson said.

 


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