Graduation Testimonies

David Lockwood 

October 2009

Picture with me if you will, a place where the sun shines most of the year, where the warm temperatures of the Pacific invite you in for a relaxing soak. Mountainside walks with rivers flowing down to the sea, it seems so good that you could almost taste it. This is where my and wife tried to go but instead we ended up here in the not so sunny setting of Dorset attending Moorlands College. We left our jobs in London following God’s lead to be equipped to grow in the knowledge of our faith so that we could teach others how to grow in their understanding of being a follower of Christ. Brisbande, Australia would have been nice, but I doubt it would have compared to what we have experienced in being here.

The opportunity to study theology has been a privilege, but even greater than that has been the importance of how theology applies to the everyday life. Moorlands has given us the tools to help others develop their relationship with God, but also has set the foundations blocks firmly in place as to our identity as followers of Christ. I’m grateful also not only for the instruction received but also for the bonds of friendship formed during our time spent together. I won’t forget the moments of theological dialogue over the pool table or in the coffee shop, giving driving lessons in pitch-black country lanes, rolling down hills after tutor group and of course playing hide and seek in a convent whilst on a weekend away.

Life at college has also enabled me to witness the Christ-like humility of the faculty here; beaten, out muscled and out played at Hockey and annihilated on the volleyball court, your graciousness in defeat has served as a constant scriptural reminder that ‘blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.’ But as the apostle Paul said, ‘Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.’

Life after college has meant a new location, a new church, and a new job. Having moved to the sheltered town of Hertford as a pastor working along-side someone senior, I find myself feeling what Edmund Hilary must have felt like when looked and thought of climbing Everest; excitement, fear, wonder, curiosity and a sense of overall adventure. I don’t know what lies ahead but to quote the apostle Paul again, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.

Lynn Coombs

October 2009

Like many of my ‘Placement Based’ colleagues, the process from application to the start of the first term at Moorlands was only a matter of weeks.  In which time God was sowing seeds which would come to fruition in the next three years and beyond. The Family and Community Studies course was not solely about the taught content of the course.  We learned as much about relationships in the non-contact sessions as within them.

My time at Moorlands has not only been about formal learning but growing into new friendships with other members of God’s family.  From the overwhelming amount of new information imparted in lectures to the tears and laughter of retreats. One outstanding memory is the Leadership Training Experience where two fellow students stopped me falling into a freezing Thames tributary, only getting one foot wet as I jumped into a canoe.  For me this emphasized the importance of maximising the strengths within the team in which you are functioning at any particular time. Like all journeys, at times I’ve felt bewildered and lost, but have hung onto the words in Psalm 3, “But you, O Lord are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high,” and the assurance that He’s with me.

The foundations of love received from my Mum & Dad and the consistent support from my family – Steve, David, Vicky, Matt & Tom over the last three years has helped me reach the finishing tape for this leg of the ‘race’.

As I begin the next phase of ‘ministry’ working for Barnardo’s and elsewhere I will try to demonstrate God’s unconditional love, which I witnessed so powerfully during my Level 3 placement at Mill Grove Children’s Home in London.  Needing perseverance and a focus, that God’s purpose is supreme whether I understand it or not. Whichever specialism we have pursued in our time at Moorlands, the reality is that we have all been learning about God’s family and all it’s vulnerabilities, as we strive, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to build ‘Kingdom Communities’ where He has placed us.

Graham Poland

October 2009

At the end of our first lecture as we started the MA, John Horder likened what we were doing to dipping our toes into a large swimming pool; such was the vastness of our subject. To be honest, I felt as if I’d just fallen into the pool and drowned!  Since my first life at Moorlands, 30 years previously, my brain had not hurt so much!  Yet there was an excitement in my spirit because I knew that I had just embarked on a scary adventure like climbing Everest, but that I would not regret it.
 
Someone in my church asked me if I was doing an MA because I was looking for a pay rise!  I knew better than that.  But why did I go back to Moorlands after 30 years in ministry?  Well, what we learnt then was helpful, but just like a car that has gone round the clock a few times, I felt I could do with a new engine.  I did it for personal development as a leader because I know that when I stop learning I stop leading.  And I have learnt a tremendous amount.  What I appreciated most was the way in which our assignments often dovetailed with issues I was grappling with in my church and gave me a broader perspective in solving problems.  It would have been an advantage to live near the College to make use of the library and I would have appreciated having more courses specifically geared to leadership, but apart from that I found the study very stimulating.
 
I frequently felt as if I would have been a better student had I not been a pastor and a better pastor had I not been a student, but having finished I can now see that  I am better at what I do and enrolling on the MA was one of the best decisions I have made.   I feel I have a new engine that can now go for another 100,000.  I’m just worried about the body-work.  But maybe I should see John Horder about taking up swimming!