4. About Mary Andrews College
4.1 Our ethos
Our mission statement is equipping women to serve Christ.
Mary Andrews College has existed as an evangelical training college for women since 1891. It is therefore a college with a long history and a recognised tradition of ministry to women.
Mary Andrews College is
- Evangelical - looking to the scriptures as the basis for all teaching and training.
- Evangelistic - encouraging everyone in the college to be involved in declaring to family, friends and community Jesus Christ as God's Son, our Lord and Saviour.
- Anglican - as a ministry of the Anglican Deaconess Institution Sydney Ltd (ADISL), Mary Andrews College upholds the doctrines of the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Anglican Church, believing that these express the central doctrines of scripture and therefore of the Christian faith.
We warmly welcome Christians from other denominations to do our courses.
We aim to equip women for whatever ministries God opens up for them. We are passionate to see women develop a close relationship with Jesus and be empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve effectively. In order to do that, we know that people need to be grounded in God's word and equipped to reflect theologically about life and ministry. We also want women to have the opportunity to develop pastoral sensitivity, evangelistic skills and leadership qualities. In other words, we want to encourage you to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Our graduates are involved in a wide range of ministries within churches, para-church organisations, missions and their communities.
4.2 Our ministries
Mary Andrews College is involved in training lay women from as young as university age through to women who are serving God faithfully into the later stages of life.
Mary Andrews College is currently involved in the following ministries:
- Diploma course - the Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas of Theology and Ministry
- Certificate in Theology course (new in 2010)
- Pastoral Care Course (internal course) (new in 2010)
- day conferences
- annual Mary Andrews College Conference for women
Pastoral Care course and Certificate in Theology course
These two courses are being offered at Mary Andrews College for the first time in 2010. The Pastoral Care course consists of two subjects, while the Certificate in Theology course involves doing six subjects. These two courses can be completed in less time than a Diploma course, and are assessed at a Certificate level.
Day conferences
Mary Andrews College sometimes runs day conferences for women in various regional centres throughout Sydney. These aim to develop biblical understanding and strengthen evangelistic, pastoral and small group skills.
Mary Andrews College Conference
Mary Andrews College runs an annual conference in July. This conference is for women of all ages, and our aim is to see Christian women equipped for service in God's kingdom, and strengthened in their understanding of God's purposes in the world and for his people. This conference has been running since 1990 with more than 300 women attending each year. There are Bible talks, seminars and opportunities for prayer, reflection and recreation.
4.3 Our history
Mary Andrews College (formerly Deaconess House) was established by the Anglican Deaconess Institution Sydney Ltd (ADISL) in 1891. The original and continuing aim has been to provide churches in Australia and overseas with women trained in biblical studies and skilled in pastoral care, evangelism and other ministries.
4.4 Who was Mary Andrews and why is our college named after her?
After 106 years, in 1997 "Deaconess House" (as we were then called), was renamed "Mary Andrews College" in honour of Deaconess Mary Andrews. Mary served as the Principal of our college from 1952 to 1975.
Mary was born in 1915 at Dry Plain Station near Cooma in NSW, and grew up as a country girl. In her adult life, she moved to Sydney and there had a varied and adventurous career. Before she went overseas in 1938 , she had been a psychiatric nurse, a Bible college student, a student deaconess and a part time assistant in several Sydney parishes and unemployment camps.
In 1939 she was appointed to the district of Lin Hai in Chekiang. There she served in schools and conducted a school for poor children, while at the same time continuing her studies. During this time continual attacks from the Japanese by land, sea and air made life at times very dangerous and uncertain. A highlight of this period for Mary was nursing the hero and author of the book "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo", Captain Ted Lawson. Eventually, Mary once again escaped from the Japanese advance into China. To do so, she trekked across the Himalayas into India. In India she immediately took up work at St Faith's Children's Home in Lahore and also at a home for destitute women and girls. Finally, after a brief return to Sydney, she went back to her beloved China in 1947 , where she brought many to know Jesus and these Christians eventually grew into a very large congregation.
In 1951 she was again forced to leave China after the new Chinese Communist Party came into power. When it was obvious that it was no longer possible to continue missionary work in China, Mary returned to Sydney. She was appointed as the Head Deaconess of the Diocese of Sydney.
In 1952 Archbishop Howard Mowll convinced a reluctant Mary Andrews to consider becoming the Principal of Deaconess House with the vision that, under good leadership, the college could "become a training place from which women will go to the farthest parts of the world equipped to serve God".
During her time as Principal, two wings were added to the college's Newtown premises and the number of students increased from seven to a record 63 by 1962 . Indeed, many women who
trained under her went on to serve God in Sydney and throughout the world. Mary served as the Principal of the college for 23 years.
Mary continued to serve God in Australia and overseas on councils, committees and international bodies. She was finally presented with the Order of Australia Medal (AM) by the Queen in 1980 for her contribution to the church and Australia.
All her life, Mary was a woman who deeply loved God and served him faithfully until her death in 1996.
What a great Christian woman this was for our college to be named after! In many ways this brief excerpt doesn't do her justice. If you would like to know more about Mary Andrews, the fascinating story of her time in China is told in her biography:
Yarwood Lamb, Margaret. Going it Alone. Mary Andrews - Missionary to China 1938-1951 (Sydney: Aquila Press, 1995)
(ISBN 1 875861 09 2)
Mary Andrews College has several copies of this book available in the library and also has copies available for purchase.