4 Foundation News Moore Matters Winter 2018
A rich human tapestry serving God Trevor Cairney
ONE OF THE MARKS OF MOORE COLLEGE IS THE DIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE THAT GOD BRINGS TO US. THEIR VARIED SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND FAITH JOURNEYS GOD USES TO CREATE THE RICH HUMAN TAPESTRY THAT MAKES THIS SUCH A SPECIAL PLACE. I SHARE THE STORIES OF THREE QUITE DIFFERENT FAMILIES IN THIS ISSUE, THAT SPAN 50 YEARS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR GREAT COLLEGE.
James and Sarah Piggott
J
ames is in second year at Moore College. He grew up in a Christian home on the North Coast of NSW in Laurieton, a town of 2500 people near Port Macquarie. James attended Camden Haven High School before completing a Bachelor of Arts (Government and International Relations) at the University of Sydney. He lived with other Christian students at St. Barnabas’ Terraces, where he met Sarah. While James grew up in a Christian home, he recalls a ‘big gear shift’ when he moved to Sydney to study and live at Barneys. He recalls that he “was really struck by the witness of fellow students. They actually seemed happy about being Christian; not just having faith as an insurance policy to get into heaven in case they died young. God was important to them, and He became important to me!” James and Sarah became even more involved at St Barnabas’ Broadway, and in the activities of the Evangelical Union, before completing their degrees. James then served as an MTS worker on campus in 2011-12. In parallel he commenced as a political adviser for a NSW politician in the Upper House. James and Sarah moved out of St Barnabas’ Terraces in 2010 after 5 years—3 as students and 2 years on staff. After marrying in 2012, they then moved to Flo Harris Lodge, an accommodation hostel for 50 young people at Petersham Baptist Church. James and Sarah served there as chaplains from 2013-17. Daughter Betty was born in January, and the family are now at All Saints’ Anglican, Oatley West. James and Sarah are involved in a French-speaking Hospital Chaplaincy programme to New Caledonians who have been transported to Australia. They spend time at the hospital where they read the Bible and pray with the patients. They aren’t sure where they will serve God, but would be interested in parish work somewhere outside of metropolitan Sydney. They are also interested in French-speaking Theological
Education, and are trying to follow up some opportunities to teach the Moore College PTC course in New Caledonia during College break.
Peter and Val Oram Peter and Val Oram both grew up in Abbotsford. Peter was from a non-Christian home, but Val had a Christian upbringing. Peter was 15 when he left school to be employed in Waterloo as a Lithographic artist and printer. At night, he enrolled in an Intermediate Certificate at Leichhardt Technical College in Lithographic Printing. He didn’t meet Val until he was 20. After a courtship of several years they were married. In 1959, just 3 months before their marriage, some of Val’s friend asked them to go to the Billy Graham Crusade. In Peter’s words, he “thought Billy Graham was a bit of an imposter”, but he went anyway. He was to go three times! Each night he ended up closer to the front. On the 3rd night, he was on the grass near the stage. In his words, “Billy Graham seemed to know me, I couldn’t understand how he had been reading my mail”! When Billy Graham issued the altar call, Peter said he “shot straight up and went forward”. Three months later he married Val, who was by then a teacher. They spent several years in the Glebe area while Peter worked in the printing industry. They eventually moved to a new house at Elanora Heights. However, his boss observed him and suggested he consider full-time ministry. He didn’t have a strong sense of call, so this was a time of struggle and indecision. Their second child was on the way, but people kept urging him to go. Eventually they sold the house to pay the fees, and headed for Moore. In first year, he took part in a mission to Walgett and prepared artwork for the Parable of the Sower in cartoon form. After the mission, he was introduced to David Long who worked with Clifford Warne, who in turn, introduced him to Clifford. He asked if he had ever done drawings of African animals. He said no, but agreed to draw cartoon images of African animals for a series of short Christian film strips, the text of
