Holroyd Ministry Development College
Holroyd Ministry Development College
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four Principal's Annual Reports are filed here FYIHolroyd MDC 2008 Annual Principal’s ReportSome 120 students from 21 different churches have now completed an MDC Unit since we began in 2001. 30 Units have been taught, discussed, argued on! and now we have had sufficient time to see observable growth in the maturity level of many as they go on to serve our Lord Jesus Christ, His church, and the wider community. Peter Chan and I sincerely say, what a joy to be involved! We have worked hard at not being too repetitious in the type of material offered in the different Units over the years. There has been a mix of theological, practical, cosmological, and charismatic emphasis. Our desire has been to see a balanced corps of students emerge who are equally at home in 21stC Western Christianity and 1stC spirituality! Awards this year were as follows (students must complete 2 Units minimum to qualify)…
The students were presented with their awards as part of the Combined Churches Christmas Celebration at FoC in December. A large crowd applauded them in recognition of the application they had brought to furthering the reputation and effectiveness of the College. As Paul said to the Corinthians, "YOU ARE LIVING LETTERS / REFERENCES READ BY OTHER PEOPLE WATCHING ON!" Holroyd MDC 2007 Annual Principal’s ReportBy the end of 2007, 104 students had completed at least one Unit since we began in late 2001. What began with a word from God while Brian and Elizabeth Rensford were 150km down a 4WD sand track in the then recently-terminated war zone in Mozambique (in 1997), has now become a reality - blessing the wider Body of Christ by equipping a widening array of committed believers to serve their Lord more effectively in their God-given grace gifting. A College of colleagues! People from many nationalities and backgrounds, joined together relationally around a common desire to seek God's blessing on their ministry grace gifting, so they can bless others! Yes, it sounds like a repeat record, but it's so true. In the past year we have had some serious theology (special thanks to Phil Grebert, one of our local Baptist ministers, and a constant prayer partner for some years with myself and Peter Chan), some missions strategy development, and some charismatic material, plus an intensive look at revival and renewal processes. Every December, we reflect on the past year at our annual Awards and Dinner night. This year saw some notable landmarks... Awards this year were as follows (students must complete 2 Units minimum to qualify)…
To all our current students, we say again, take what you have learned at MDC with the same perseverance that has brought you this far, and BE AN EFFECTIVE BLESSING TO OTHERS. We, the Board of Reference and your fellow students, wish no other future reward for you than that!... We again congratulate and honour all students for their achievements this past year, and pray God’s blessing on their future. Once again, our Year-End Thank You's…Again to Peter and Katherine Chan, and their team of Fellowship of Christ people who consistently worked hard to make us all welcome and for the nights to function smoothly. To all those who pick up and drop off other students, everyone who sticks around and helps clean up afterwards! etc, etc, etc. It's all good MDC training! My wife, Elizabeth, for attending and then working so hard at hosting such an enjoyable year-end breakup wards night and dinner. A Final Word of Encouragement to end the year with….It's very encouraging to see several students not only doing further courses (both here at MDC, but also in other training establishments), but to hear reports of them actually doing ministry beyond what they were previously accomplishing! This makes the labour of a lecturer, Principal, Facilitator, et al, so much more fulfilling. After all, The great Commission is essentially a going commandment! And still our stated philosophy is to learn in the context of relationship! That’s how Jesus and the Apostles did Ministry Development... And so do we. By the end of each Unit, you can see and hear the relationship network developing. Long-term friendships have emerged from our times together over the past six years. This is a blessing for each of us as individuals, and for our churches. God bless you, and make you again the best advertisement for MDC 2008! Holroyd MDC 2006 Annual Principal’s ReportWelcome to the wind-up of MDC for 2006. It’s hard to believe we have now completed over five years of Ministry Training, since we began in late 2001… We retained a 4-Unit structure again this year, with a lengthy mid-year break. The intention always with MDC is to release students to DO THE GREAT COMMISSION! This year we had 45 students complete a minimum of one Unit (minimum of 5 attendances out of six). That’s a 25% increase over 2005 levels. And since we began, we now have had 96 students satisfactorily complete at least one full Unit. Our “audit” level continued, where students could attend, participate, but not complete assignment requirements. Regular attendance, active participation (including a satisfactory assessment for participation and servant spirit) will still go towards an aggregate award upon the completion of 12 Units – we stated in the formation of MDC that academic excellence was not what we are looking for, but rather, the development of a willing, serving, reliable minister of God’s grace. Some of the Unit material this year did not lend itself to the way we have done assessments in previous years. Also, the observable increase in competence levels of many returning students has made some of former training scenarios obsolete for them. Hey, that’s great news!! We continued to bring everyone in together for Unit 4, and again used three (x 2 sessions each) teachers. The continuity was remarkable! Although numbers were down on last year’s, the quality of teaching and student participation was outstanding. In the meantime, a core group of committed students (of all ages) continued to learn, grow, serve, and hopefully – make a difference in their local churches and in their witness and service in the community. Fellowship of Christ’s facility now has the feel of our “home”. The layout enabled us to operate three courses simultaneously in Unit #06-3, adding for the first time, a full-blown theology Unit (taught by Sam Abalo, senior minister of Living Word Centre). This was very well received. Les, Brian, and Peter continue to meet regularly to plan, discuss, debate, and pray! We have a vision to make this College a blessing to a wider range of believers than before, from a wider range of church backgrounds. No one has swapped churches as a consequence of attending, as we strive to maintain ministerial integrity. Awards this year were as follows (students must complete 2 Units minimum to qualify)…
We congratulate and honour all four students for their achievements, and pray God’s blessing on their future. Year-End Thank You's…Again to Peter and Katherine Chan, and their team of Fellowship of Christ people who consistently worked hard to make us all welcome and for the nights to function smoothly. Once again too, to Les for his consistent carefully thought-out and developed material. We are truly fortunate / blessed to have such a sound-in-the-faith brother among us. To Daniel Reardon (Mr Domino) for helping most of the year with catering, and again, the guys who picked up hot food on the night. Tinotenda! To those who pick up and drop off other students, everyone who sticks around and helps clean up afterwards! etc, etc, etc. And lastly, to the Fellowship of Christ family for opening their marvellously usable church facility to us all year, and for our annual break-up time of fellowship, food, and awards – we say thank you and God bless you! A Final Word of Encouragement to go home with….We said last year that MDC is meaningless if it remains notes in folders and assessments and grades only… It must translate to action! Our intention, as stated on our website, is to stretch every student participating to become more competent and confident in their field of God-given anointing. Our stated philosophy is to learn in the context of relationship! That’s how Jesus and the Apostles did Ministry Development... And so do we. By the end of each Unit, you can see and hear the relationship network developing. Long-term friendships have emerged from our times together over the past 22 Units. This is a blessing for each of us as individuals, and for our churches. We see 2007 as a year of greater opportunity than ever before for combined, effective times of Body ministry. God bless you, and make you the best advertisement for MDC 2007! Holroyd MDC 2005 Annual Principal’s ReportWelcome to the wind-up of MDC for 2005. Here are some highlights of the year… § We settled on a 4-Unit structure this year, with a lengthy mid-year break, enabling a number of students to go and “do the stuff” – locally (many) and overseas (Richard Tan, Joanne Tran, Elizabeth Wiles, Brian Rensford). § This year we had 36 students complete a minimum of one Unit (minimum of 5 attendances). § We introduced an “audit” level for the first time on an official level, where students could attend, participate, but not complete assignment requirements. Regular attendance, active participation (including a satisfactory assessment for participation and servant spirit) will still go towards an aggregate award upon the completion of 12 Units – we stated in the formation of MDC that academic excellence was not what we are looking for, but rather, the development of a willing, serving, reliable minister of God’s grace. § The widening of attendance criteria resulted immediately in a much larger number of people attending irregularly – visitors came and looked, while others attended for specific sessions (Kevin Hovey’s introduction night for our cross-cultural Unit was exceptionally well-attended, including several pastors from other non-participating churches). § We also deliberately threw everyone in together for Unit 4, and for the first time, introduced a Unit with several teachers. And it worked! Although numbers sagged a bit near year-end, the quality of teaching and student participation was outstanding. § In the meantime, a core group of committed students (of all ages) continued to learn, grow, serve, and hopefully – make a difference in their local churches and in their witness and service in the community. § Fellowship of Christ’s facility now has the feel of our “home”. The layout has enabled us to operate three courses simultaneously, as well as break up for small groups without squeezing one another. § Les, Brian, and Peter have met over the past year to prayerfully plan the forward direction, and make appropriate changes. We have deliberately structured the courses to cater for Christians at differing levels of personal development – from keen new disciples to older, experienced servants of God. § Awards this year were as follows (students must complete 2 Units minimum to qualify)… Ø Overall Achievement – Richard Tan. Outstanding contribution in assignments especially. Ø Most persevering – Daniel Reardon. Daniel typifies the tortoise and the hare principle! If you keep persevering, you will ultimately achieve what no one expected. Keep moving, Daniel! Ø Most developed – Amor Jiminez. This award recognises the change form go to whoa! Amor participated in all 4 Units (only student to do so this year), and made noticeable strides in his pathway towards serving the Lord more effectively. Ø Principal’s special award – Susan Siew. She worked quietly behind the scenes, with a focused attitude, serving, as well as her more public expressions in group times. Someone called her, “an invisible lady”! We congratulate and honour all four students for their achievements, and pray God’s blessing on their future. Thank
You…
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Final Word of Encouragement to go home with….
MDC is meaningless if it remains notes in folders and assessments and grades only… It must translate to action! Our intention, as stated on our website, is to stretch every student participating to become more competent and confident in their field of God-given anointing. But every student is ultimately responsible for their own pathway and fruitfulness. We have seen very good quality teaching and discussion on very relevant, carefully chosen topics. It’s the desire of everyone involved that, having learned new things, and having formed new and deeper relationships with other fellow servants of Christ, together, we now go out and bring glory to Jesus’ name by our involvement in the servant ministry of the Body of Christ. God bless you, and make you the best advertisement for MDC 2006! |
E mail mdc@hnlc.org.au with any questions, applications, or comments. We value feedback, constructive criticism even! Last modified: May 22, 2010 |
