Finding a place for growth and formation 

After growing up in a tiny Presbyterian church on the south coast of NSW, Caleb moved to Canberra to study engineering. He struggled with his studies, and he struggled to find his feet at a church of hundreds of people. But through God’s kindness, this season became one of renewed faith and growth for Caleb. After switching to an English degree and working for a few years, Caleb decided to do a ministry apprenticeship at his church, driven by a desire to have good answers to questions about God and faith.

While living in Canberra, Caleb started a relationship with Josie, whom he had first met at Presbyterian Youth camps. Josie had grown up in a Christian family in Sydney and came to faith during high school. She still lived in Sydney, so when Caleb began to consider theological study, Sydney was an appealing destination! Their visits to open days eventually confirmed Caleb’s decision to move to Sydney to study at Christ College, which allowed him to be closer to Josie and pursue formal ministry training.

The transition to Sydney involved grieving the end of life in Canberra, but the community at Christ College made a significant impact on Caleb immediately. “Just the incidental things of being able to talk to people, being able to grab a coffee, that has meant a lot,” he explains. “I feel like I have relationships where people know me and care about me, which means a lot when you move, especially when I moved here by myself.”

Six months into his degree, Caleb and Josie got married. Christ College served as the location for their wedding reception. “Our church didn’t have a hall, so we used the college hall!” Caleb explains. “At our wedding reception so many of the people helping out were from college. They were guys in my year I had only really just met but they were so willing to help out.”

Caleb had started out sharing housing with another single male student, but now he and Josie needed to make a home together. So, they applied for and were provided with housing in the Christ College-owned block of flats in Burwood.

The Blessings from Living in Community

The Blessings from Living in Community

Living in the college community has been a great blessing for Caleb and Josie, through all the ups and downs of beginning married life and coping with the changes of moving away from family. “I would be having a crisis about something in my life, and if I had been studying online I would just be crying about it by myself,” Caleb reflects. “But here there is always someone around to talk things through with. And because I live next door, I can literally just walk over while I am processing or reading something and can ask ‘I’m confused, what does this mean?’”

Living in the college community has also helped Josie discern her own path, encouraged by those who have seen many ministry families go through the same journey. She began to audit some classes, and then started studying part-time alongside Caleb. “People kept telling me this is a time in my life where I have the opportunity to study that I might not get again!” she shares. “I hope to be able to answer questions for the women in whatever ministry we end up in. I didn’t have many women in my life growing up who had rigorous theology or formal training and would have benefitted from it.”

Without housing, Caleb and Josie agree that her studying too would have been much less likely. “Because the accommodation is subsidised, Josie is able to work part-time and study part-time. I struggle to imagine a world where, if we were paying two to three times the rent plus commuting, we’d both get to study,” Caleb explains.

Investing in the Future 

Investing in the Future 

Josie and Caleb are convinced that the buildings that make the Christ College community possible are an important part of forming students into gospel workers. “Training for ministry isn’t just about downloading information but growing in character and godliness and living in community can help with this,” Josie explains.

Caleb encourages the College’s supporters to consider future generations of students. “The reason we’re even able to study here is that someone built a building decades ago,” he says. “I’ve been blessed to live at this college, but there’s only nine units of accommodation. And I know there’s more people who would study here if they could get housing as well.”

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