MCSI Staff
For all those people who worked at MCSI, both paid & unpaid, the experience was transformative and enriching. Each and every staff member was dedicated to serving the students and working towards bringing the MCSI mission into reality. This dedication sometimes involved sacrifices of time, energy and income, but was cheerfully given as each person threw themselves with Godly enthusiasm into the task at hand.
The benefits for the MCSI staff were rich and often unexpected:- the joys of seeing students of all ages learn about God's world and purposes in a university environment
- the delight of working together in true Christian community. You can see from the personal reflections below that the experience of working with the MCSI team was precious to many.
Thanks to all those people who served on the MCSI staff team over the years:
Office Management & Accounts:
Jan McEvoy Jane Strickland Ian Walker
Office Manager, 1999-2008 Accounts Manager Librarian 2005-2008
2004-2008
Helen Ellis, Accounts, 2002-2004, & David Jamieson, Accounts.
Academic Services:
Neil Holm Diane Hockridge Nadia Johnson
Dean 2002-2008 Student Services Manager Registrar 2007-2008
2001-2008
Thomas Smith Kathrene (Kaye) Munoz Julian Jenkins
Assistant to Dean 2007-2008 Registrar 2004-2006 Academic Director 2001-2002
Simon Holt Brenda Holt Di Phyllis
First Academic Director First Student Services First Registrar, 1999-2000
1999-2000 Manager 1999-2000
Promotions & Marketing:
Peter Hughes Nadia Leffler Pam Eldridge
Marketing Consultant 2008 Promotions Manager 2004-7 Promotions Manager 2007
Ian Packer Annette Ferrero Andrew Beeston
Marketing Assistant 2005- 7 Marketing consultant 2003-5 Marketing Assistant 2004 &
MCSI Website Designer
Dan Montoya Susan Lennon
Marketing Assistant 2004 Marketing Assistant 2000-2002
Our wonderful Student Interns
who advised and assisted other students and enthusiastically promoted MCSI among students:
Jen Vytopil and James Turton,
Andrew Harding Kim Stewart Christie Ingersole & Adam Holland
Naomi Middleton Kathrene Munoz
And of course the three visionary directors of MCSI:
Robert Banks 1999-2003 Gordon Preece 2004-2007 Greg Clarke 2007-2008
More on Directors>
Some of the MCSI Board members also played important roles in the MCSI office on the staff team at differing times, on top of their Board Commitments:
Stuart Johnson: Financial Manager 2002-2004, remaining as active board member until 2008
Kara Martin: Marketing Consultant 1999-2000, remaining as active board member until 2004 and serving as a lecturer until 2008. Read Kara's reflection on her MCSI experience here>
Adrian McComb: Marketing & Finance Guru 1999-2002, remaining as active board member until 2008 Reflections on MCSI from Staff Members:
Jan McEvoy, Office Manager 1999-2008
"For me the most significant part of MCSI's history has been the people I have worked with and the students I have met, in particular Stuart Piggin, Simon Holt, Neil Holm, Diane Hockridge
My most lasting memory of MCSI will be the overwhelming presence of God in all the people I have worked with. Even in the tough times, God is always present."
Nadja Leffler, Public Relations Manager 2003-2007. 
"One of the highlights I remember was during the all day workshop with Bishop NT (Tom) Wright in March '06. A man, no longer young, stood up and said thank you, holding back tears. He shared how he'd always felt his work was second class, that he somehow wasn't a real Christian because he wasn't using his gifts and talents for full-time ‘ministry'. As he said thank you, he ended with something like ‘Tom your words made me feel worthwhile and whole again'. He could continue his work even more joyfully. His job? He was a clown.
Also when I first started at MCSI, I was talking to one of the lecturers who had put a lot of time into establishing MCSI. Why do you so passionately believe this is so important?, I asked. "Because I really believe if something like MCSI had existed when my son was at university, then today he would still be a Christian."
These are only two of the reasons why I feel so sad to see the demise of MCSI. Despite trying in so many ways, we just could not make a large number of university students understand that although having an MCSI unit on their transcript would never make them more money, the wisdom and protection that knowledge would give them, was priceless.
My most lasting memory of MCSI will probably be the people I worked with. Each one was completely dedicated to working for and supporting MCSI. Each one had special gifts in their area of work. We worked as a unit - each one supporting the other. And the staff meetings! I have never worked in such a loving environment where the focus of a staff meeting is prayer and devotion to God. Such a foundation has no place for petty grievances, manipulation, and self-promotion. Everyone was wanting God's will to be done - "Servants of God".
May the legacy of MCSI live on in the hearts of all those connected through it and especially through their actions as they continue to apply God's wisdom everywhere. "
Neil Holm, Dean 2003-2008
In my opinion some of the more ignificant points of MCSI's history include:
- the affiliation with the ACT (Australian College of Theology) in 2005 which brought opportunities to offer the Bachelor of Christian Studies, Master of Arts (Christian Studies), Master of Theology, Doctor of Theology.
- the introduction of FEE-HELP - partly because it signalled that private higher education, especially theological education, had come of age as far as the Federal Government was concerned.
- Master of Arts in Early Christianity and Contemporary Practice because it opened up additional postgraduate opportunities within Macquarie University.
- the development of Online courses.
- the development of the MCSI website.
For me some of the important people of MCSI have been:
- Bill Dumbrell, who taught the Bible Survey class many times for MCSI
- Robert Banks, our founding director and leader.
- Tom Howard. Tom was an agent for Macquarie University who worked in the US recruiting students for Study Abroad programs at Macquarie University. He enthusiastically pursued the small Christian universities in the US to whom he marketed MCSI very strongly.
- John Loxton former Deputy vice Chancellor (Academic) and Brian Spencer former Registrar at Macquarie Universitywere both very supportive and helpful to MCSI.
- Stuart Piggin for whom MCSI was a long term dream and whose Centre for the History of Christian Experience and Thought has been a very important adjunct to the activities of MCSI."
Christie Ingersole, student and intern 1999-2001 
"I immensely enjoyed the innovative opportunity to explore the interaction of faith and life as part of my degree. Studying and working at MCSI was a rewarding experience which enriched my university experience in ways that continue to shape my thinking, life and spirituality. MCSI's first winter school, Everyday Spirituality, was such a fulfilling, enjoyable and refreshing experience I included three more MCSI subjects in my degree. The counselling courses in particular provided a greatly appreciated balance to the often anti-Christian sentiment present in Psychology.
I still remember discussions, readings and essays from MCSI courses (with a clarity which, I admit, I cannot claim for other uni courses!). I recall one particular assignment to go without wearing a watch for a week. I enjoyed the sense of liberation from being bound by time and have never worn a watch since. I also recall writing a paper on Sabbath, and now appreciate the refreshing practice of Sabbath which enables me to enjoy God, my family and life. It is a legacy I hope my children will enjoy also.
I am saddened to hear MCSI shall not continue on campus, but pray the online courses will carry on the great work MCSI has already accomplished. To everyone who dreamed, supported and prayed for the fabulous vision of MCSI, thank you! And particularly to Rob Banks, Simon Holt, Diane Hockridge and Jan McEvoy , thank you for making my experience with MCSI so memorable."
Jane Strickland, Accounts Manager 2004-2008
"I have really enjoyed my almost five years of working at MCSI, and what I have loved so much is working with such a wonderful group of people, who care so much for each other. I have worked for several different Christian organisations over the last 21 years, but never have I found such a common bond of Christian love that has existed at MCSI. What I have seen is Christ reflected in how we work together, and so in fact, the staff have lived out the vision of MCSI in that they have lived out their faith in the workplace. How wonderful to know that when someone said that they would pray for me, that in fact they did. There were many times (as Jan said) that we would stop what we were doing and just pray for a particular situation. Certainly we had some times of frustration, and that happens in all workplaces, but we would just "get on with it" (usually after letting off a bit of steam).
Although I have not had a lot to do with the students, I have been encouraged to hear how attitudes have changed, and that what they have learnt through MCSI courses they have put into practice. If that's what has happened, then we have achieved what we set out to do. Maybe MCSI has been for a season, but I pray that there will be a new MCSI in the future, where more lives can be changed as they learn about God's love - and importantly put their faith into practice every day of their lives.
The MCSI Offices
A long-standing MCSI joke has been that the original MCSI office was in Adrian McComb's briefcase! From these humble beginnings MCSI managed to find its first office facilities in the Baptist Retirement Village, next to Macquarie University campus. After a few months the office was relocated to a space above the "Winnebago" sales centere in North Ryde, which provided more office space but was not located on the university campus.
In 2000 a perfect space for the office was found in the dusty bowels of the Student Union Building on the Macquarie University Campus. Surrounded by the banks, the Coop Bookshop, the Campus Hairdresser and the Student Dentist, this was an ideal marketplace location for MCSI to work from. MCSI staff spent the next 6 years in this location.
Despite the new office, MCSI staff 
always seemed to love being outdoors - many meetings and retreats were held outside where staff could enjoy God's creation (and enjoy good food!). And then there was the infamous "boat group" which held strategic planning meetings on a boat kindly made available by a board member. 
In 2006 new office space was required when the Student Union unexpectedly gave MCSI notice that the space was needed for another tenant. A great office facility was leased in the BD Building, on the Research Park side of the university campus. For the first few months the space had no internal walls and the staff worked amongst piles of boxes. But once it was set up this office space proved to be a great space to work in, with its leafy views and comfortable 
fittings. For the first time MCSI had a space that was big enough to house its library and to allow for small classes to meet in the office. 
