The Origin of 福 (“Blessings”)
During the Chinese New Year season, the Chinese character “福” (pronounced as “fu“) is found on decorations and inscribed on hongbao (“红包”) or red packets. The word signifies blessings and prosperity and is considered most appropriate for the annual lunar new year celebrations (also known as chunjie (“春节“) or Spring Festival). As those of Chinese descent usher in a new year, words of blessings are exchanged among family and friends. 
This is often accompanied by new year goodies, exchanges of mandarin oranges, and giving of red packets of cash (or increasingly digital tokens of money). The character “福” may also be displayed in an upside down manner to symbolize the arrival of blessings (the Chinese word for “upside down” [“倒“] sounds like the word for “arrival” [“到“]).
Why Theology Matters for Christians
“My church is not growing like it used to.”
“I am not seeing the heart-change in those I disciple.”
“How does my ministry of providing for the poor fit into Jesus’s commandment in the Great Commission to make disciples?”
“The students in my youth group have so many questions that I’m not sure how to answer.”
There is no shortage of difficulties that plague those in Christian ministry today. The bigger question is: Where and how do we go about trying to find answers to these and other difficult questions?
Happy, Blessed Christmas!
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government is shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6 ESV
Happy Blessed Christmas to all as we celebrate Christ’s birth with great joy not just today but daily in our lives!
Blessed Christmas 2022
Blessed, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ahead as we celebrate the wondrous birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ anew!
From all of us at EAST
EAST Homecoming Reunion 2022
Over 120 alumni, faculty, staff and children attended the Homecoming Reunion in celebration of EAST’s 30th anniversary on 18 Nov 2022.
I graduated in 2002 with a Master of Divinity when EAST was at Dorset Road. I remembered fondly my time there: together with school friends, we either had meals at Cambridge market (‘Hokkien mee’ or seafood soup) or at KK Hospital. Upon graduation, I lost contact with EAST and most of my school mates. It was only in 2017, when I joined EAST Alumni Relations Office, I was back in the loop with some alumni. I managed to compile the database of every EAST alumni. But many of the alumni that I have been writing prayer emails to were just names to me. During the pandemic, I got to see some of them during the Alumni Zoom meetings. A week before the Homecoming Reunion, I managed to meet up with some alumni who visited EAST. I was able to meet up with Sufen (Taiwan) after 20 years. I met Baataraa (Mongolia) and Timothy Saw (Myanmar) when they came to visit EAST during the last chapel.
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