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+).
Introducing Student Council President: Brandon Chan
Left to Right: Adeline, Brandon Chan, Brandon’s brother, Brandon’s sister-in-law Front row: Brandon’s dad and mum
Sports has always been a big part of my life. I always loved everything that is related to sports in general. Since I was a young boy, I would want to go to a park, a court, or an empty field. My parents even sent me to swimming lessons when I was seven years old. It was then no surprise that I took up studying sports at polytechnic and university. God led me to EAST through sports. A simple tennis game turned out to be a profound game changer.
Tsubasa@Tokyo 2020: Failure & Faith
Tsubasa: A Manga on the Failure and Faith of Christian Athletes
The newly released manga, Tsubasa: Searching for Wings, has been providentially timed for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games season. Many athletes will be able to identify with the characters in the manga – seeking success and significance, fame and glory in winning (tsubasa is wings). Ultimately, however, one’s true joy can only be found in knowing Jesus Christ as the Saviour and realising one’s identity as God’s beloved.
The manga is based on a story of Reina, a reporter who is herself once a figure skating competitor who had to retire due to an ankle injury in her younger days. She had to interview three real life Christian Olympians and “research key to mental toughness” among these athletes – Brazil’s Paralympian Daniel Dias, American Sprinter and Bobsledder Lauryn Williams, and Japanese Taekwondo Athlete Yoriko Okamoto.
Experience of 1st Year MA Leadership Student from Mongolia
Boggii (Oyunbolor Munkhtuvshin), 1st year MA Leadership student & her family
Hi, my name is Boggii and I am a first-year student at EAST studying MA Leadership. As a mother of three young children, the last 10 years or so have been me feeding, changing tons of diapers, cooking, cleaning and driving kids to and from school. Many nights were sleepless and days endless, where I felt hopeless and weary not just physically but spiritually as well.
EAST Library Catalogue
EAST Populi
National Library Board eResources
The Digital Theological Library
