Mentoring Groups Outreach 2022
MGs preparing gift packs at EAST Mission Hub
Four Mentoring Groups (MGs) got together on the Wednesday morning right after Chinese New Year school break to pack 60 gift bags for the residents of two HDB blocks at Haig Road. The room was filled with excitement and joy as MG leaders and students of these MGs worked in unity preparing for an afternoon of outreach to the community near our school. February is the time of the year for our annual MG Outreach. All MGs at EAST would set aside time to plan and organize outreaches to “love our neighbours” (Mark 12:31). The purposes of MG Outreach are to help MG members take steps to identify felt needs and reach out to our neighbours near and far, and also to provide an opportunity for MG leaders to model and coach the students accordingly.
Hello, You’re Muted – InterGen Dialogue
Hearing every voice in the inter-generational dialogue
Relationships and communication across the generations of leaders are sometimes filled with tension and misunderstanding. Each generation often carries certain unspoken assumptions about the other, and we may have default ways of communicating that can hinder inter-generational understanding. EAST and Capelle are hosting a face-to-face dialogue to bring the generations together for a time of honest conversations. Hear from the panel members who are in their 30s to 60s, on how we can unlearn and relearn healthy ways to relate to one another, build a culture of inter-generational dialogue, and affirm the unique value that each generation brings to the family of God.
Lewis Winkler: What is the Significance of Lent?
Blessed Ash Wednesday 2022
In the Christian calendar, Lent is “a period of self-examination, fasting, and penance leading up to our Easter Day celebration” (Daily Devotions for Lent 2022, 1) where we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. Some of us grow up in churches where Lent is observed but many of us are either unaware or think that it is not necessary to practise these church traditions in this modern age.
EAST Resident Faculty on Theological Studies, Rev Dr Lewis Winkler, shares on his take on Lent below.
I grew up in what many call a “low” church tradition. Besides events surrounding Christmas and Easter we did not follow the rhythms of the annual liturgical calendar. I thought that sacred seasons like Lent were only practiced by more “stuffy,” “rigid,” and “ritualistic” denominations. For most of the classmates who attended these churches, Lent was a time to complain about all the things they wanted but couldn’t have because they had to “give it up for Lent.” Consequently, the practice held little attraction for me. I enjoyed the freedom of eating, drinking, and doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.
eOpen House Reaches Out
EAST President Rev Dr Chan Chong HIok (right) and Dean of Academics Rev Liong Kwok Wai (left) warmly welcoming participants.
Just two days before the eOpen House was to take place, we only had 35 registrants which included some of our own staff and students. This event had been planned months ahead, and the publicity had also started way earlier than our first eOpen House in March 2021. God nonetheless provided the guests on the actual day, with over 100 from 10 different countries who zoomed in. We are grateful for God’s faithfulness in directing different ones to EAST, even in the midst of the pandemic.
Our EAST President Rev Dr Chan Chong HIok and Dean of Academics Rev Liong Kwok Wai both gave the participants a very warm welcome, along with our lively and interactive emcees, student Daniel Yoncer and ministry staff Agnes Kao. We had three breakout rooms catering to Visiting Students, International Students and Singapore Students hosted respectively by Rev Jonathan Yao & Dr Benson Goh, Rev Jacob Li & Ms Aitee Koh, and Dr Lau Ying Kheng & Ms Wong Ee Yuing. Different students were able to share their experiences at EAST during breakout sessions to give the participants a glimpse of what some termed as a little bit of “heaven on earth” while studying at EAST.
Alumni Gordon & Diana’s Life and Ministry
EAST Alumni Gordon & Diana with friends at Reunion Dinner 2022
What is a “Safe, Sound, Sleeping Place (S3P)” for Kok Meng and Diana? No, it’s not their bedroom nor their home but a special shelter. Read on about the husband and wife alumni of EAST who ministers cross-culturally in Singapore and beyond!
- Can you (Diana) share how different it is spending CNY here (in Singapore) as compared to back in Shanghai or with your parents in your hometown in Anhui?
Of course, there is no firecrackers in Singapore! In Anhui, my hometown, we still can play with fireworks and firecrackers. My niece loves it. In the past, I would travel from Shanghai to Anhui for reunion dinner with my parents and sisters’ families. My sister and I would go to nearby village to buy CNY snacks and goodies. My hometown is a mountainous area near Huang Shan – my niece and I love hiking in the mountains during CNY. On the first day of CNY, my family normally joins the local church for service.
EAST Library Catalogue
EAST Populi
National Library Board eResources
The Digital Theological Library
