Adjunct Faculty: Cambodia EEC Teaching Reflections
4th November 2022 was a special day for me. Not only it was a day where I took to flying after close to three years of pandemic restriction, it was also the day that EAST Extension Centre (EEC) could conduct classes on location. The class in Cambodia was probably the first to meet face to face since the pandemic.
I was there to teach New Testament Narratives class to a cohort of students taking Master of Arts in Leadership and Graduate Diploma. This cohort started in 2018 and they are mostly Christian workers. There are organisation leaders, church planters, teachers, Crusade staff and even a missionary from Singapore who has been in Cambodia for 19 years. Before the pandemic, EAST sent instructors to Cambodia several times a year to cover the modules necessary for them to complete their programme.
EAST Ministry Weekend 2022
Dr Raymond Go and Mr Derek Atkins' Mentoring Group serving at an orphanage at Batam, Indonesia.
The world is entering a new ‘normalcy’ of living with the Covid 19 endemic. Borders restrictions are lifted in most countries and we are seeing a travel ‘revenge’ after battling the Covid 19 pandemic the past three years. The Office of Mentoring at EAST, which used to send Mentoring Groups (MG) for weekend mission trips, decided that by faith, they will start these trips again. Six MGs were divided into five teams and they were sent to Medan, Batam, & Jakarta in Indonesia, Chiang Rai in Thailand and Sarawak in East Malaysia during the Sept 16 – 19 weekend. These trips aimed to help each group to learn precious lessons in “classroom without walls” settings – bonding with each other, serving together, enhancing the faculty mentors’ and students’ spiritual formation in their lives, relationships, service, and reflection of their walk with God.
Soul Care for Indonesian Doctoral Students
(Front row, L-R) Drs Sarinah Lo, Lau Ying Kheng, Jeannette Shubert, Rev Jonathan Yao, & Dr Ishak Wonohadidjojo. Ps Hendra Bangun (3rd Row, extreme left)
A Mentoring Group (MG) Retreat was held on 21-23 October 2022 at Medan, Indonesia for 15 doctoral-level students with the theme “Soul Care for Ministry Professionals.” It followed an in-person module by Dr Ishak Wonohadidjojo on curriculum design and development as the last module for the doctoral program coursework phase. This is part of the Asia Graduate School of Theology Alliance (AGSTA)—East Asia School of Theology (EAST) Doctor in Education (EdD) program, Indonesia. The program began in end-2020 amidst the Covid pandemic and the cohort did most of the modules online.
“Soul care is what we needed—thank you! How I wish we had MG Retreat at the start of our program. It would have better prepare us spiritually, to be more resilient, and grow in community as we seek to balance our studies and ministry over the last two years,” said retreat participants. This was the first time the cohort could gather in-person since the program began. Mentoring and transformative holistic education are the values and practices EAST brings to the AGSTA-EAST partnership for doctoral programs.
Cru Singapore’s 50th Anniversary – His Story, His Glory
L-R: Mr Goh Hock Chye, Rev Tony Yeo, Rev Lam Kok Hiang, Rev Dr Chan Chong Hiok
2022 is a milestone year for both Cru Singapore and EAST. On 17 September, Cru Singapore held a celebratory event at Bethesda Bedok-Tampines Church to mark her 50th anniversary celebrations and saw about 400 people gathering together for a time of worship, prayer, message, photo-taking at a photo-booth, and food (snack boxes were distributed and coffees made available to go with the pastries). Guests who arrived were treated to a keepsake coffee table book of over 50 stories titled “His Story, His Glory”. It is a collection of stories from the lives of Cru Singapore staff, disciples and volunteers from the pioneers, the present and even the past (one specially penned by Chan Chong Hiok on behalf of Chen Hui Lin, leader of Media Ministry for many years, who has gone back to the Lord).
Below are thoughts from an EAST staff, a faculty spouse and an alumnus who were present at the event. May their sharing give you a glimpse of the day’s festivities.
Jessica Ang: Adamant Faith and Centrality of God’s Word
Alumni Richard Kwan and Jessica Ang
Through Jessica Ang’s recent involvement with “The Silent Pandemic: Loneliness in the Church” seminar held jointly with EAST and Capelle, we managed to get in touch with Jessica as she was an EAST Alumna (Grad Cert in Missions, 2005) and so was her husband Richard Kwan (MA in Missions & Evangelism, 2005). Below is a short interview with her on her study experience at EAST and where God has led her to serve since then.
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