By Kathryn Thompson
Kathryn has been closely associated with Moore College since her husband Mark joined the Faculty in 2003, subsequently becoming Principal in 2013.
Over many decades, a group of godly women has been meeting regularly in Newtown to pray together. They pray for the College and its students, faculty and staff, and their prayers are a labour of love, creating deep bonds of fellowship, as these women unite in their desire to see Christ’s gospel proclaimed throughout our world, with the College resourced to play a critical role in that.
In the 1940s, this group was known as the Women’s Auxiliary and it originally helped furnish student rooms. A number of the doors in what is now John Chapman House still have Women’s Auxiliary plaques on them.
But with the growth of the College, the practical needs of the students became the responsibility of administration staff. So in the 1990s, the group was rebranded by Christine Jensen as the “Prayer and Support Group” and it shifted to focusing solely on prayer support for the College.
These days, this group is quite diverse: it includes current and former faculty wives, current and former student wives, parents of current and former students, those involved in ministries that send us students, and others who are simply convinced of the importance of supporting the College in prayer—including the wives of several archbishops! Some members have been part of this group for 50+ years; others are newer. All recognise that God chooses to act when his people, “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let [their] requests be made known to God” (Phil 4:6).
Some of these women have shared the following thoughts about this “very precious Prayer Support group”:
“[We come] to College to pray with friends and students who know and love our Lord Jesus and want him to be known, not just in Sydney, but to the furthest corners of Australia and to ends of the world. [We do so] recognising our absolute dependence on our loving heavenly Father who delights in His children coming to Him in prayer. Seeing our prayers answered, often beyond our expectations, encourages us immensely.”
—Mary O’Brien (former Faculty wife)
“I think one of the most powerful things Christians can do is to gather together and pray. So I want to prioritise meeting with the women who are part of the Moore College Prayer Support Group to learn about the needs of the College and bring them before our heavenly Father together in prayer. If we want to see God’s kingdom grow in Sydney and beyond, we need to see gospel-focussed servant-hearted men and women going out into the world and so it’s important to pray for them and for those who train them.”
—Vic Colgan (former student and student wife)
“I’ve always known that the work of the College is a great work of God in our Diocese and far beyond. For almost 50 years, I have had the privilege of joining in prayer in fellowship with a wonderful group of women for the needs of the College—especially that the Lord will continue to raise up men and women to be faithful teachers of his Word.”
—Christine Jensen (former student and former Principal’s wife)
God has provided richly for the College in answer to the prayers of these women. He has brought students to the College, supplied the teachers and administrative staff we need, provided us with wise and skilled governors, built and strengthened the links between the College and the churches we serve, and year after year, he has sent out College graduates to ministries all over the world. Furthermore, he has also grown the fellowship of this amazing group of faithful women as they have continued, year after year and out of love, to pray.
To find out more about the Prayer and Support Group visit moore.edu.au/events/. Even if you are unable to attend, we value your prayers on behalf of the College: find out more about how to pray for the College regularly at moore.edu.au/support-moore/prayer/.
