RN17

NEWS FROM THE
MINISTERIAL COMMUNITY
Esther Mason (Theology, 2015)
Ministerial Association Representative
The year began with second and thirdyear
Ministerial Students visiting
Romania for ten days; an opportunity to
experience Baptist life in a different
country and context. It was fantastic to
see some of the beauty of Romania
whilst also being given an insight into
some of the challenges that nation has
faced in recent years. Our visit is the
continuation of a long association
between Regent’s and the Baptist Union
of Romania, and our hosts, Dr Otniel
Bunaciu and Dr Sorin Badragan, were
both former students.
An additional benefit of our time
in Romania was the deepening of
friendships between Ministerial
Students and a growing sense of
community. Ministerial Students are
now in College just one day a week in
term time, so opportunities such as the
Romania visit and our residential block
weeks have become increasingly vital.
Most Ministerial Students are now
following a congregation-based course
where half their week is spent working
in their placement church and the other
half is allocated to their studies.
However, because we only spend a day a
week in College it is all too easy for
church work to fill more than three
days! Our residential weeks in College
allow time to study a topic in depth and
also give us the pleasure of feeling more
like students. Topics covered during
these weeks have included racial,
gender and disability justice, occasional
offices, and entrepreneurial mission.
It is an ongoing challenge to
ensure that Ministerial Students still
feel part of College life and we continue
to discuss, both at Joint Common Rooms
and Governing Body meetings, how this
might be achieved. A JCR challenge to
other common rooms to field a rounders
team saw a team comprising members
of the Senior and Middle Common
Rooms, including Ministerial Students.
It was an enjoyable evening, with the
provision of Pimm’s for all participants
making it easier to bear our resounding
loss! We hope to see similar events
develop which allow the whole
community to come together.
Advent carols and dinner ending
Michaelmas term, and punting on our
final day of Trinity term, were special
moments; only one tutor and one
student fell in the river this year! A
highlight of the year was a Ministerial
Gaudy held as part of the Jubilee
celebrations. Former Ministerial
Students were invited to attend. Revd
David Kerrigan, then General Director
of BMS World Mission, was an
extremely entertaining after-dinner
speaker. The Gaudy took place during
one of our residential weeks, enabling
Ministerial Students to attend and
benefit from meeting ministers who had
trained at Regent’s in the past. It would
be lovely to see a ministerial dinner
established as an annual fixture so that
those in Baptist Ministry can continue
their association with the College. It is a
privilege to train for Ministry at
Regent’s as part of a diverse learning
community. Whatever the next sixty
years of life at Regent’s bring, our hope
is that Ministerial Formation will
continue to be part of this special place.
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