5 minutes with Nicky

Please tell us a little about yourself

I have had a wandering life! I spent the first years of my life in New York, school and university years in UK and then my husband and I lived in Tanzania for nearly 5 years where our first child was born. We migrated to Australia in our 30’s and had 2 more children. I started my professional life as a medical researcher and later lectured medical students in physiology. I trained as a counsellor when we came to Australia and am still counselling, supervising and lecturing and trying to keep up with the family, which now includes 8 grandchildren! I serve in my local church through the music ministry, preaching, leading the women’s group and lay assisting. In the wider church I am very involved with professional standards work.

Do you have a favourite bible passage? If so, what is it and why?

There are so many but after John 3:16, the one that has informed my counselling work is Isaiah 61:1b “he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners.” So many of my clients are imprisoned by their pain and their problems and so being able to tap into their faith resources alongside good psychological modalities has been a joy and a privilege.

How do you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus?

The words of a sung prayer we sang in my village church in UK comes to mind - the prayer of St Richard of Chichester. “Most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother, may we know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.” The idea of daily seeking to know and follow Jesus is so foundational yet the ways in which that happens are many and varied - reading scripture of course, prayer, singing Christian music of all varieties from early plainsong through to contemporary songs but also other practices such as Christian meditation, prayer art journalling and other creative practices.

What would you like the next generation of Christian women to know?

That they are known, loved and valued by the Lord despite the obstacles and harm that they may experience in the home, in society and in church. Equality for women has yet to be gained: despite years of arguing and fighting for equality, statistics around domestic violence, sexual assault, pay status and oppression of women in the church paint a sorry picture of failure despite gains that have been made. This is not God’s intention - the Bible clearly sets out a pattern of equality for women and men which does not include limiting women to certain ‘roles’. Patriarchal leadership has prevented women from fulfilling their gifting fully and robbed the church of enjoying the full expression of our Lord’s creation through equal male and female leadership.

What's one thing that you love about your local church?

That we are a welcoming and inclusive community, bringing God’s love and word to people through liturgy, preaching music and serving. We value women and men’s ministry equally (within the confines of Sydney diocesan rules) and regularly have women preaching. Despite being a liturgical church with robes and candles etc, as an inner city church we minister to such a wide range of people from the homeless to judges, barristers, senior members of government and everyone in between.

What did you learn about God at a time in your life you found hard?

That in the hardest times when I couldn’t pray myself, that the Lord sent Christian people to love and support me and my family in the most miraculous ways. This reminds me of all the ways in which God showed up for his people when they were wandering in the wilderness. For me this testimony of Christian community, the body of Christ, being God’s hands and feet, is crucial. Having lived in many different countries, I love being part of the body of Christ wherever we have been, be that the African wilderness or a teeming city.

What are you passionate about?

That each and every person is of infinite worth and value, uniquely created by the Lord to take their place in the world. For many of us it can take a while to discover that for ourselves: to learn to be and value the unique person we have been created to be. We are so often imprisoned by family and cultural harms and expectations that we fail to enjoy our freedom in Christ.

What do you enjoy doing when you rest?

Music has always been something that has brought me joy and fostered my relationship with Jesus, so singing in church and more recently, playing the harp, are both energising and restorative. Creative things of all kinds engage me - my latest craft passion is art junk journalling: creating something beautiful and often meaningful out of discarded materials. I enjoy gardening but you wouldn’t know it from the neglected look of my garden - there just isn’t enough time to fit everything in!