Faculty Development Days Reflections
At the end of each semester, EAST faculty come together to learn and grow as educators. The recent so-called Faculty Development Days was held with a dual focus on “Distance and Online Theological Education Competence” and “Nurturing a Disability-Inclusive Seminary” for the two days respectively. Below are some reflections by two of EAST faculty who were in attendance.
Reflection of day one by Rev Derek Atkins
I found the Distance and Online Theological Education Competence (D/OTEC) session very insightful. Ever since the Covid pandemic, there has been an explosion of distance and online classes of every kind, including among theological schools such as EAST. As we work toward utilizing this teaching method more effectively, it is helpful for us to consider what methods will help us deliver effective theological education in an online environment.
Student Reflections on Thanksgiving 2024
The EAST Student Council organised a school-wide Thanksgiving event on 15 November 2024. For Themreiso (from India) and Myo Zaw (from Myanmar), both first year students, it was the first such experience in Singapore and they were much ministered by both the people and event. Read of their personal reflection below.
Today, I arrived at school early at 9 a.m. to help arrange for the Thanksgiving program. As I began assisting, I noticed Henry and Elijah (Student Council members) working tirelessly to prepare for the day. Their dedication reminded me of a valuable lesson: true leadership is found in serving others. This insight inspired me to reflect on my own attitudes toward service and leadership.
Derek Atkins: Reflections on US Presidential Election Outcome
Photo: BBC News
Here is a short reflection by an American EAST resident faculty, Rev Derek Atkins on his personal response to the recent US Presidential Election outcome. May it cause us to pray diligently for our political and governmental leaders–local or global–as instructed by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:1-3.
Dear fellow Americans, good morning from Singapore.
I have been watching the election results throughout the day. Given that recent headlines were predicting this race would be a “coin toss,” I am surprised to see that Donald Trump won the race. I know many of you are happy at this result, and many of you are saddened by this outcome. For the record, I did not vote for either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump–I casted a write-in ballot for Condolezza Rice as President and Kay Bailey Hutchinson as Vice President.
MG Ministry Weekend Reflections – Part 2
Last week we shared part one of reflections from three Mentoring Groups (MG) on their EAST MG Ministry Weekend trips. We now present more reports from three other MGs who visited an Indochina country and a neighbouring country where Singaporeans love to go for weekend trips. To find out more, read the reflections by Dr Justine Han, Dr Raymond Go & Rev Derek Atkins, and Dr Lewis Winkler who are MG leaders.
4. Teaching and Outreach in Ho Chi Minh City – Dr Justine Han
Our MG experienced a great unity as a team in serving one another personally and while doing ministry. We had great fun and bonding times to get to know each other better. Although almost all of our ten student team members were new in going for the ministry weekend, we thoroughly enjoyed serving the hosting church members through presenting four seminars and two children outreach programs.
MG Ministry Weekend Reflections – Part 1
Praying for the needy in Cambodia, September 2024
This past September over a period of three to five days, various EAST Mentoring Groups (MG) fanned out to neighbouring countries for cross-cultural ministry in partnership with local agencies and churches. The purpose of EAST MG Ministry Weekend is to engage our faculty and students in ministering to the field needs of EAST local partners located within those countries. Below are three reflections shared by Dr Mona Bias, Dr Alvin Tey and Ms Su Panum from their experiences in leading three of these groups.
1. Ministry Among the Refugees – Dr Mona Bias
Imagine for a moment that you are without citizenship in any country. There is no chance for a good education, employment, or even of a promising future. On a daily basis, there is no certainty of food for the next meal. Along with being considered illegal, there is a constant fear of repatriation to the country that you have deliberately left behind.
Hopeless and helpless. That is exactly how one father felt over their situation. His family has been waiting for 25 years to be relocated to the USA. The same feeling of displacement and uncertainty enveloped the other refugees.
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