Ruth Hwmay: My First Semester of Studies @EAST
Ruth Hwmay is a new student from Myanmar and studying Graduate Diploma in Theological Studies. She worships and serves with Agape Baptist Church in Singapore. She shares about her first semester of studies at East Asia School of Theology (EAST) below.
While I have previously not considered attending a seminary, yet this semester marked the beginning of my first year of seminary studies. This semester, I took four subjects: Christian Marriage, World Mission, Exposition of Matthew, and Spiritual Life and Transformation. Each of them provided me with a transforming understanding of God that I had not experienced before.
EAST’s 31st Commencement: Honouring Legacy, Celebrating Vision
On 17 May 2025, East Asia School of Theology (EAST) will celebrate its 31st Commencement Ceremony at Bethesda (Bedok-Tampines) Church. This significant milestone will not only mark the graduation of 30 students from eight nations, but also the conferral of an honorary Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) upon Rev Seung-Rock Yoon—a leader whose servant-hearted influence and missionary vision have deeply impacted EAST and the wider Body of Christ.
Celebrating a Vision Fulfilled
The journey of EAST’s Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program began not without challenge. Initial hesitation from senior leadership underscored the weight of launching such an endeavour. Yet, it was through the persistent vision and support of Rev Seung-Rock Yoon, then East Asia Orient Director of Korea Campus Crusade for Christ (KCCC), that the DMin program took root. His catalytic role—both in challenging the vision and in raising the resources necessary—enabled the launch of the inaugural cohort nearly five years ago.
Dr Lewis Winkler: Summative Project Reflection
If you were to reflect on your growth experiences in the past couple of years, what would they be? How would it affect your present faith journey and ministry? Below is a brief reflection by Dr Lewis Winkler, EAST Resident Faculty of Systematic Theology, about what the graduating cohort of students have experienced at EAST.
The Summative Project gives graduating students the opportunity to reflect upon and share about what God has taught, wrought, and accomplished in and through them during the course of their studies at EAST.
The Cross Brings Peace
The cross is the symbol of Christianity.
The cross is displayed prominently on almost every church. Christians often wear it and display it in their homes and when you see the cross you assume that it signifies something Christian. What exactly does this Christian symbol mean though? Most people recognize that the cross looks backward to the death and resurrection of Jesus. While there are many aspects of the cross and Jesus’ work on the cross, one of the major things that the cross means for Christians is peace. The cross brings peace into the lives of all believers. This may come across as a strange thing, because the cross was originally an ugly instrument on which men were hung to die. Yet today, for the Christian, this former instrument of death and torture means peace.
Peace is something that we all need. We have only to look at the news to recognize that our world is constantly in a state of strife. Nations are fighting against one another, men and women are scheming to defraud each other, many things are not as they should be. We do not even need to look beyond ourselves to recognize this: each of us has an inward sense that things are not quite right. We cannot control ourselves. Even at our best, we are still lacking. We have a sense that things should be better than they are.
Inter College Games 2025
On 7 March 2025, five seminaries came together for Inter College Games 2025 (ICG). It began with a time of worship at Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church before moving over to Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park for a series of friendly but still competitive events. These included sporting events like mass relay, captain’s ball, football, scavenger hunt (Bible quiz), Chinese chess and international chess, and board games like Unlock (table top version of Escape Rooms). This year, EAST snagged the top prizes for Captain’s Ball and Relay Team and cheered our hearts out. We are thankful for the EAST Student Council who organised the Games with the support of Student Councils from the other four participating seminaries: Baptist Theological Seminary (BTS), Discipleship Training Centre (DTC), Singapore Bible College (SBC), and Trinity Theological College (TTC).
Below are two student reflections from Tan Jing Fei who participated in the Captain’s Ball game and Pang Xin Xian, as a member of EAST Student Council, who helped to organise the games.
EAST Library Catalogue
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