Moore College

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

Moore College welcomes new Dean of Women

Moore College welcomes new Dean of Women

by

Last Thursday, at its final meeting for the year, the Moore College Governing Board approved the Principal’s nomination of the Reverend Susan An to become a member of the College faculty, serving as its Dean of Women. Her nomination came after much prayer and an extensive series of interviews of a field of very strong candidates.

Susan is a graduate of Macquarie University and Moore College and is currently the Assistant Pastor (Maturity & Women) at The Bridge Church in Kirribilli, Neutral Bay and Macquarie Park. Susan has previously served in Anglican churches at Neutral Bay, Strathfield and Enfield, Peakhurst and St Ives. She has taught the Moore College PTC and been a tutor in our online Diploma of Biblical Theology.

“I am delighted that Susan will be joining us in this role”, said College Principal, Dr Mark Thompson. “Susan is very highly regarded by those among whom she has served and has exercised a significant ministry in pastoral care, training, and recruiting people for ministry in the years since leaving College. Her background, experience and gifts make her ideally suited to be the next Dean of Women. We thank God for his kindness in providing us with Susan.”

Jane Tooher, Director of the College’s Priscilla and Aquila Centre, commented, “It is exciting that Susan has accepted the invitation to join the faculty, and I am confident that she will be a blessing to the college in numerous ways. She is a godly woman who has a good theological mind, a deep pastoral heart, and is an excellent team player.”

Susan will join us for the beginning of the 2023 Academic Year.
Read more . . .

Moore College gives thanks for the life and ministry of Archdeacon Narelle Jarrett

by

Moore College gives thanks to God for the life and ministry of Archdeacon Narelle Jarrett, former Principal of Mary Andrews College (1985–2007). Narelle taught at the College and worked closely with successive Principals during the years when women students were jointly enrolled at Moore College and Mary Andrews College.

“In all my dealings with her, Narelle Jarrett was a model of integrity and grace”, commented current Moore College Principal, Dr Mark Thompson. “On numerous occasions she took the time to encourage me as a young member of the College faculty. I am very grateful to God for Narelle and her ministry. So are the very many women who were encouraged by her to use the gifts God has given them in a way that promotes the glory and honour of Christ.”

Jane Tooher, the Head of Women’s Ministry at Moore College and Director of the Priscilla and Aquila Centre, said “Narelle Jarrett was a gifted pastor, preacher, and teacher. Her sermons demonstrated her fine exegetical skills and her ability to apply God’s word to her hearers. Sitting in her lectures, I always got the sense that she was on top of her material and that she loved lecturing. Narelle was an excellent listener, full of grace, gentleness, and compassion. It was lovely to experience this in one-to-one situations but also in other contexts, such as in her chaplaincy group. Her various ministries over the decades demonstrated her deep passion for training men and women (but especially women) for a variety of ministries. As a new graduate of Moore, she asked me to give some of her Mary Andrews lectures while she was away. This idea was terrifying for me, but things such as this she regularly did to raise more workers for the harvest. When Narelle began serving as Archdeacon of Women’s Ministry, it was an honour to be part of the Sydney Diocesan Women’s Ministry Team which she led and to further benefit from her wisdom.”

Dr Peter Jensen, who was Principal of Moore College when Narelle was appointed Principal of Mary Andrews College, and who invited her to lead the Sydney Diocesan Women’s Ministry Team shortly after he became Archbishop in 2002, remarked “I have always admired her imaginative leadership and faithfulness to the Lord. I enjoyed my time working with her as a colleague. Her lectures in church history were much appreciated by students.”

Dr John Woodhouse, Principal of Moore College during the later years of Narelle’s principalship and who worked with Narelle in the integration of theological education for both men and women, has written “I thank God for Narrelle Jarrett’s generous wisdom and godly commitment over many years to the encouragement and training of women for the service of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am particularly grateful for the key role she played in helping and supporting the development of what is now called the Priscilla and Aquila Centre at Moore College. It was a privilege to have served with her.”

Mindful of the great resurrection hope, we look forward to that day when we will be gathered with Narelle around the throne of the Lamb.
Read more . . .

Moore College Farewells Dr Chris Thomson

by

At the final chapel service for Term 4, Moore College farewelled Old Testament lecturer, Dr Chris Thomson.

Dr Thomson joined the Faculty in mid-2016, after study in the University of Cambridge and the University of Edinburgh.

In his farewell to students today, Dr Thomson spoke of his love for Moore College and his gratitude to God for the privilege of serving at Moore in fellowship with a wonderful team of faculty and staff colleagues. Although he will miss college and enjoys teaching, preaching, and chaplaincy, he feels that now is the time to look for a situation that allows more time for research and writing.

Just last week, Chris became an Australian citizen and there was a celebration among the Faculty of his new status as a bona fide Australian.

“We are very grateful to God for the years Chris has spent with us at Moore College”, said College Principal Dr Mark Thompson. “The high quality of his scholarship and teaching has been appreciated by his colleagues and students alike. While we will miss all that he brought to the College, we are delighted that Chris’ considerable gifts may now be used for a wider group of Christ’s disciples.”

Students Jack Stileman and Tony Kong, who spoke at Chris’s farewell, paid tribute to Chris’s example of godly character, his thoughtful teaching and preaching, and his loving pastoral care.

 


Read more . . .

Archbishop of Canterbury visits Moore College

by

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and Mrs Welby, along with Archbishop Kanishka Raffel and Mrs Raffel, visited Moore College on Wednesday. During the tour, they had lunch with faculty, staff students, members of the Governing Board and the bishops of the Diocese of Sydney. The Archbishop took a brief tour of the College, was greeted by the student body, and had lunch with a smaller group.

Principal Mark Thompson said the visit was a success in enabling the Archbishop to see some of what the Lord is doing among us. In his thanks to the entire Moore College Community for their involvement in the visit:

‘From the warmth of the student welcome when Archbishop and Mrs Welby entered the Marcus Loane Hall, to the gracious way he was treated during his question time just prior to his departure, it was a time which commended the gospel and the College.’

This was the first Archbishop of Canterbury to visit Moore College since George Carey visited in 1997.

 


Read more . . .

Chronics and the cross: Living with chronic illness in light of the cross – Tawanda Masango

by

An older Christian once told me, “if you live long enough, you will suffer”. Over the years, I have seen how true this statement is and for our young family, it has been around the area of health. As I look back, I have vivid memories of two occasions where my wife and I sat anxiously while the doctors were trying their best to deliver to us sad and life-changing news. Having walked through such dark moments, I am now even more convinced that we need a good theology of suffering. This is especially so, given the rise of the wealth-and-health gospel, which though appealing, does not prepare Christians for the grim reality of the brokenness of life this side of heaven. With a good theology of suffering, these deep and dark moments often result in a deeper knowledge of God and a unique understanding of what it means to trust in him.
Read more . . .

Moore02 alumni enjoyed their 20-year reunion at College

by

It’s 20 years since our year group arrived at College in 2002. We call ourselves Moore02 and we had our 20-year reunion on Saturday 24th of September.

Starting with a talk on 1 Timothy 4:6-16, we were reminded about what it truly means to be a good minister. Then we took turns to share and pray for each other. Some had travelled from Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne and being at College together felt like we had gone back in time. How precious to have had the example and support of this group of people through the highs and lows of ministry life.

Andrew Leslie, Lionel Windsor and I put aside our staff/teaching hats to become tour guides. While marveling at the impressive new library, our Moore02 peers were almost sad for new generations of students who no longer get to experience the damp, cold and dark library we knew. Thank you to Erin for organizing the Library archive memorabilia – we definitely looked younger in those Societas magazines! Thanks to Paula and everyone who organized College gift bags and the specially prepared video-welcome from Mark Thompson. These touches made our gathering extra special.

Praise God that he works through frail alumni like our Moore02 group. May he continue to sustain us through his grace for his glory, for years to come.

 
Read more . . .