Ministry Training for Women

We have an exciting new development at PTC next year. We are starting a training strand for women, with the creative title Ministry Training for Women (MTW). The idea is that often theological training is designed by men and for men, so here is a strand which is designed for women. Carmelina Read, our Dean of Women, has had a large role in getting this started and we have recruited an advisory board of fine spiritually mature women who will help us shape things. They meet tonight for the first time to cast their eye over the plans.

MTW will mesh in with any study program a woman wants to pursue, from a certificate to an MDiv (or even an MA). It will focus on developing insight and skills for church and evangelistic, teaching and pastoral service; and will be a 'safe' place for women to think and learn about issues which affect how they experience church life. It is not primarily for 'vocational' ministry, but will be part of the training for women who want preparation for that (including our deaconess candidates). As well as lectures and seminars over four years, we will also provide or support mentoring and field education. Students will also be able to work on a project relevant to women's ministry.

MTW has received a fair bit of interest and we are having a launch on Friday 15th August at PTC. Anyone interested is welcome to join us. Let us know if you're coming (so we have enough desert and coffee!). There was an article in the August edition of the Pulse (the magazine of PCNSW) with more details.

Going Public

Welcome

Tonight the PTC blog has gone public for the first time. We've been trying it out and making sure we had some content on board. Now we want to be out there in the blogosphere and we're interested to know if you call in and have a look.

I've just come back from church, where I was preaching on Ephesians 1:15-23. It is one of the best nights I've had for good discussions afterwards. How wonderful to spend time talking about the exaltation and ascension of Christ and our hope in his final victory and what it means to 'know' that - tasting, living, walking the reality of being in Christ. The conversations reinforced my impression that lots of people think of the Christian life and being forgiven by Jesus death and going to heaven when we die and trying to be good in between: with no real role for the ascension, Christian experience or New Creation eschatology. I know the latter are sometimes promoted in contrast to the former, but surely we need all these themes (and more).