Student story: Jen
It was her heart for pastoral care that originally drew Jennifer Boyd to Mary Andrews College. Growing up in Sydney as one of four siblings, Jen had been able to observe pastoral care being demonstrated by her own family. She remembers that “when we were growing up, my parents were always helping people in really practical ways, my grandparents, who lived next door to us, were really involved in pastoral care at their church, and my aunt and uncle were missionaries in Africa!” These examples meant that she had “a rich childhood full of role models who loved God and demonstrated a humble love for others.” Once she left home, Jen worked as a primary school teacher and later spent her time as a stay-at-home mum to her three boys (now teenagers). She started to find ways to demonstrate the same kind of care through her voluntary ministry roles at her church (St Andrews Anglican Church, Roseville) as well as her local community. She was involved in leading small groups, serving on her Parish Council, teaching Scripture classes at the local school and helping with the church Kids’ holiday Club.
Jen originally thought about doing further training to equip her in her various ministry roles when she heard about MAC through her Women’s Pastor. After a few years of hearing about the college and seeing the MAC promotional video played intermittently, Jen decided to enrol in 2016. By then all her boys had started school and according to Jen “the logistics kind of fell into place – the lectures were within school hours, it was easy for me to get here on the train, I had time to study.” It also felt like it was somewhere she would easily fit in. “In those videos I’d seen there were so many smiling women, of all ages and backgrounds, studying at MAC that I remember feeling comfortable that anyone could attend.”
When Jen started in 2016, she had originally intended to do a Certificate in Pastoral Care, which at the time was made up of two units spread over one year. “I remember wanting to learn more about pastoral care,” Jen reflects, “particularly how to handle the burden of feeling that there’s just so much need out there in our world and actually, wondering how do I care for myself when I feel like I have nothing to offer or that I’m losing myself by caring for others so much?” It wasn’t long before she wanted to extend her studies further. “Once I started at MAC and experienced the combination of practical skills and biblical knowledge that we learn – I was hooked and kept adding on more subjects because I wanted to keep learning!” She even loved the assignments and found their creative style meant she was able to share what she was learning with others through social media, in bible studies and conversations. (Jen even started an Instagram account where she could share what she was learning through text and photos!)
It wasn’t just the learning that hooked her. She loved the teaching style and culture of MAC as well. One thing she remembers is how much she has appreciated “the honesty of the lecturers in sharing with us from their own ministry experiences and reflections from their lives that were relevant to the topics being taught.” The students, with all their different backgrounds also meant she could learn from their life experiences. The openness and honesty and support within the classroom gave her “more confidence to engage with others in a similar honest way.”