Blessed 59th National Day, Singapore!
EAST wants to wish our nation a Happy, Blessed 59th National Day!
Friday 9th August, Singapore celebrates her 59th year of independence as a nation. For nearly six decades, God has blessed our nation with His supernatural grace and rich favour. He has blessed us with exceptional leaders. He kept us protected with peace and harmony within and without our borders. He has prospered us materially beyond all human calculations. Despite our lack of natural resources, by His grace we have transformed from a swamp to be a first world nation. All praise and glory be unto our Living God for His mercies and grace.
– Rev Dr Chan Chong Hiok, President of East Asia School of Theology
Operations Team: Chris Wong, David Lim & Raymond Lim
L-R: Chris Wong, David Lim & Raymond Lim
The three gentlemen behind EAST Operations Team consist of alumnus Raymond Lim who graduated with a Master of Divinity in Intercultural Studies (2019), Chris Wong, Zone Pastor of Living Sanctuary Brethren Church, who joined in 2018 and David Lim who had years of experience in the manufacturing sector. All three of them were instrumental in the EAST move from Middle Road EAST Office and Dorset Road EAST Library to Joo Chiat Road campus in 2020. Shifting the library which involved curating, packing, and moving 16,000 books to its present locale was a massive project as there was no lift available at Dorset Road campus then. By God’s grace and with the help of library staff, Mala, and many other unnamed faculty, staff and students back then, the library was safely and successfully relocated. This was amidst the Covid pandemic no less!
Alumna Bessie Lim: Updates since Graduation
Alumna Bessie Lim graduated with a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies in 2010 despite having challenges with her vision even back then. She always used to sit in front of the class so that she could hear better as she could not see the slides. She would also frantically take down notes as the lessons went by.
Over the years, her sight gradually deteriorated to the point where she lost her sense of depth and perception and she had to carry two canes, one white cane on the left hand for people who are visually impaired and a support cane on the right hand for her slipped disc problem. Bessie had no third hand to carry things so she decided to apply for a guide dog as a better solution. One day while making carrot soup, she dropped a small piece of carrot and she could not detect it. Several hours later, she noticed a pile of something black on the kitchen table top and it was moving. These had to be ants and she had a lot of cleaning to do and Bessie lost confidence in herself in being able to take care of a guide dog and soon withdrew her application.
A for Aleph!
Front Row (L-R): Sze-Chieh Winslow, Ying Swant, Sherlyn Khongsai, Sofia Manee
Back row (L-R): Myo Zaw, Joshua MG, Sila Sethsophonkul, Rammungchan Phungsok, Soreichan Ningshen, Themreiso Lamlang Awungshi
Two weeks before we start the new academic year, we will hold an orientation program called Aleph for our new cohort of students. We warmly welcome our 13 new students! The international students from this cohort are from East Asia, India, Myanmar, Philippines, and Thailand.
Aleph – the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet – signifies a new start and more to come for our new students. This two-week program is an immersion experience to orientate and prepare them for the first semester at EAST.
Aleph was held from 28 June to 12 July. We kicked off with a Welcome Program, where our student council president started with a time of worship then followed by a simple yet fun ice breaker game to get everyone to remember each other’s name quickly!
Alumna Naleng Real: Reflects on Recent Trip to EAST
Cambodian alumna Naleng Real who graduated in 2007 with a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies has from time to time found it refreshing to return to EAST for an intensive course to re-tool herself when the opportunity arises. Recently in May, Naleng was able to attend her younger co-worker’s (Chakriya Sok) graduation at EAST’s 30th Commencement and attend Dr Guy Saffold’s Organisational Change Strategies intensive course. Below is a short reflection by Naleng.
Motivation to Return to EAST and Singapore
After EAST in Singapore, my journey with EAST has been profoundly impactful, and when the opportunity arose to return for an intensive course on Organizational Change Strategies, I eagerly seized it. This decision stemmed from my respect for the institution and my desire to further enhance my skills to benefit my ministry in Cambodia.The decision to return to EAST for the intensive course at EAST are the following. Firstly, the curriculum of the course, designed by Dr. Guy Saffold, addresses the challenges and strategies of organizational change within Christian ministries. It is highly relevant to my current role as a project director for the “Sustainability Project” at Fountain of Hope in Cambodia. The practical nature of the course promises to equip me with advanced skills to guide my organization through the necessary adaptations and transformations to ensure sustainability.
EAST Library Catalogue
EAST Populi
National Library Board eResources
The Digital Theological Library
