Alumnus Matthew’s Calling to Mongolia
Alumnus Matthew Ong in Mongolian Countryside during winter.
EAST Alumnus Matthew Ong graduated from EAST with a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry in 2018. He received God’s calling to Mongolia through a pastor’s light-hearted response to a baby’s cry in his congregation, “Is there a Mongolian baby crying in our midst?”
That question was God’s prompt in his heart back in 2014, which led to a friendship with the first Mongolian family (Luya and Tuul) attending his home church, Glory Presbyterian Church. Between then and now, Matthew has made four to five trips to Mongolia itself, getting to know the country and the people better.
Newest Faculty: Derek Atkins
L to R: Derek Atkins, Caleb (14), Lai Kein
At the previous East Chapel, Mr Derek Atkins shared a message from Psalms 121 and reminded us to turn to God and fix our eyes on Jesus Christ in times of trouble and uncertainties. He and his wife Lai Kein did just that when the Covid-19 pandemic started. Back then, they had returned from the mission field to visit Lai Kein’s family for Chinese New Year. That short visit has since ballooned into an entire re-evaluation of God’s plans in their lives. Now, Derek teaches at EAST, and Lai Kein serves in a local Methodist Church. Meanwhile, their teenage son Caleb is transitioning to a home-schooling lifestyle in Singapore, while attending a ministry for third culture kids. Read more
Facilitating Small Groups Online – Workshop for Sisters
As part of the “Sisters in Ministry Toolbox” series of workshops, Mrs Josephine Li will be conducting the session on “How to facilitate an engaging small group online.” This FREE ONLINE workshop will cover practical tips to engage learners through inviting physical and technical set-up and facilitation techniques specifically for an online setting.
This is a great training opportunity for yourself and/or other small group leaders in your church! ALL SISTERS are warmly invited to join the workshop!
Date/Time: 11 September 2021, Saturday, 3.00 PM – 6.00 PM (SG Time).
Registration deadline: 3 September 2021.
Dean of Students: “God, my life belongs to you.”
L to R: Lazary (17), Lisbeth (21), Siew Leng, Casey Lok, Latricia (14), Lemuel (25)
Rev Dr Casey Lok and his wife Siew Leng are no strangers to EAST. Even before Casey joined EAST as a resident faculty in 2015, Casey was with EAST as a student and graduated in 2007 with a Master of Divinity in Teaching and Exposition. He went on to obtain a Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Theology in Practice from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2017, and was ordained as a Minister by the Association of Mission Practising Churches in 2019. In 2018, he was appointed Associate Dean of Students to assist the then Dean of Students Dr Roland Tan. In July 2021, Casey stepped up to be the new Dean of Students.
Mental Health Resources for Parents/Caregivers
Mental health of young people is a key concern for Singapore with recent events throwing a spotlight on it. For this #SaturdayGoodRead, EAST News reproduces a set of resources originally compiled for parents of youths at Grace Baptist Church (GBC). We thank Ms Hannah Yeo of the GBC Youth Ministry for graciously allowing us to do so. May it be a timely and useful resource for parents or caregivers to engage in ongoing conversations with their teenagers, not only for those who have signs of mental health challenges.
According to the Straits Times, “more than half of the young people polled by the National Youth Council [NYC] in the second half of 2020 said that mental well-being was a challenge for them, with some citing anxiety over the future, stress over finances, and worries about academic or work performance.” Even before the onset of COVID-19, mental health for youths was an issue flagged by NYC (see its April 2019 issue of Y+).
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