Deb Earnshaw's experience at Moore College is a family affair as Deb, her three siblings and two in-laws are all current or former students.
Deb is in fourth year of a Bachelor of Divinity with her younger brother Rod. Her other younger brother, Tim, completed his studies last year with his wife, Katrina.
Her younger sister Kate and her husband, Ben Boardman, have just entered first year.
"It's been fantastic" really, really good. We get a bit of teasing but there are a few other big families at college too," Ms Earnshaw says.
"Rod and Katrina in particular have been good study mates," she says.
Celebrating a record intake of female students
As Mary Andrews College (MAC) commences its 115th year of training women for ministry, it is celebrating the highest intake of women students in the history of Moore and MAC colleges.
Ms Earnshaw is one of the 82 women in full-time theological study through Moore and MAC.
There are a further 125 women in Diploma studies through MAC.
"I had been doing ministry for a number of years at Wollongong with AFES [Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students] and I wanted to be better equipped to do my work," Ms Earnshaw says.
"College has been hugely mind expanding, giving me a framework for thinking through issues theologically," she says.
Ms Earnshaw says she has enjoyed living on the MAC campus for the duration of her studies.
"It's provided a fantastic opportunity to get to know the other single girls and guys and families that live around the College," she says.
MAC Development Manager Amanda Garlato says she is greatly encouraged by the growth at the college.
"I think it's a result of prayer over a long period of time for labourers to be sent out into the harvest," Ms Garlato says.
"The Diocesan Mission [has raised] awareness and [is] encouraging people to consider full time ministry and equip churches as they grow," she says.
Ms Garlato says it's essential that more women continue to train for ministry since "50 per cent of our community are women'.
"It was the desire of the founders of MAC 115 years ago that there be a women's worker in every parish in Sydney," she says.
"Given the predominance of women in our churches it seems reasonable and appropriate that we have more women assisting in parishes and as chaplains in schools, hospitals and prisons."
