Chairman of Well-Being Australia Mark Tronson says it has been his privilege to have been a receiptent of wisdom from numerous such people leading up to and during his 18 years of founding the Sports and Leisure Ministry, 17 years as the Australian cricket team chaplain, and now 29 years in faith financed mission.
Three of these people were Professional persons.
Dr Ken Manley
Dr Ken Manley - Professor of Church History, and an Oxford Don., made his lessons as though you were part of the drama. The Dark and Middle Ages fascinated me. The Benedictine Rule was astonishing, there was even humour. One of the rules stated that should a monk come among you who sins and the error is unrectified and I quote, "Then two stout monks will make the matter clear to him"….
I earned First Class Honours, and won 1979 Church History Prize.
In these years I formed a college cricket team [Sydney Churches Competition] and Dr Manley joined the team and enjoyed being 'second drop' and 'first slip'.
He was a founding member of the Sports Ministry. He spoke at the first "Theology and Sports" seminar in Sydney and was part of a luncheon with the late Fred Bennett the then Chairman of the Australian Cricket Board, with Reverend Roger Reid [the founding Sports Ministry chairman, my Industrial Chaplaincy supervisor] and myself in 1984.
This luncheon meeting initiated my Australian Cricket Ministry. Dr Manley later became Principal of Whitley College in Melbourne, and is now semi-retired.
Reverend Brian Hoar
Reverend Brian Hoar – Professor of Practical Theology and Minister of Pymble Baptist Church (now Gordon Baptist) in my years at Morling (theological college).
I was assigned to Reverend Hoar at Pymble Baptist in my second year at Morling and each Wednesday afternoon, rather than class within the seminary walls, it was class either in the Pymble Baptist office or class in practical ministry in the community.
Reverend Hoar, a Cambridge Don., an Englishman, Pymble was his first Sydney Church after arriving from the UK. He was articulate and reasoned, yet allowing the freedom of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide one's thinking. It was a very special year.
Reverend Kenneth L McDowell
Reverend Ken McDowell – Professor of Specialised Ministry, Uniting Church, NSW Director "InterChurch Trade & Industry Mission" (ITIM) 1975-89.
My theological degree was three years and in my fourth year I undertook "Speciliased Ministry" & "Christian Psychology", including Industrial Chaplaincy instructionals, twice visiting a company with their Industrial Chaplain.
Reverend McDowell took me under his proverbial theological wing with one to one tuition, teaching analysis thinking / philosophical understanding.
When I became an Industrial Chaplain at Shell Refinery in Sydney for two days a week as from 1981, he supported my attending the second World Congress on Sports Ministry in Hong Kong (1982).
After that conference and my report, ITIM initiated "Sports Chaplaincy" under an "InterChurch" body.
Three years later ITIM released me to develop "Sports Chaplaincy" as a separate "InterChurch" mission due to funding being faith based as opposed to industry who pays for the professional service.
Reverend McDowell coined the phrase "Sports & Leisure Ministry" (SLM). Reverend McDowell went to Glory in 2010 and his story can be read here
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Reverend Roger Reid the inaugural SLM Chairman was my ITIM supervisor chaplain. Reverend Reid's task was to see SLM become established along with caring for Delma and me in this new Ministry. Reverend Reid's story can be read here.