EAST Thanksgiving 2025
A glimpse of EAST Thanksgiving 2025
On 7 November 2025, EAST Community gathered for a time of Thanksgiving as the students ended their classes for the semester. This event was organised the week just before the exam week as a faith step since some will travel immediately after their exam. The current cohort of students comprise of nationalities from 12 countries including Cambodia, Germany, India, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. The event kicked off with a warm welcome by emcee Jing Fei (Singapore) wearing a Peranakan themed shirt (ready for the “Ethnic Fashion Show” afterwards). Then our youngest student Isaac Do (Vietnam) teamed up with Ruth Hmway (Myanmar) to lead the crowd in an exciting time of games. The first question was, “What is the main purpose of Thanksgiving for Christians?” Dr Samuel, an EAST faculty, shouted, “To eat turkey!” He recanted by stating, “To thank God for His blessings!” to approving cheers from all present.
Dr Lewis Winkler: Summative Project Reflection
If you were to reflect on your growth experiences in the past couple of years, what would they be? How would it affect your present faith journey and ministry? Below is a brief reflection by Dr Lewis Winkler, EAST Resident Faculty of Systematic Theology, about what the graduating cohort of students have experienced at EAST.
The Summative Project gives graduating students the opportunity to reflect upon and share about what God has taught, wrought, and accomplished in and through them during the course of their studies at EAST.
MG Retreat 2025
The beginning of January traditionally begins with a Mentoring Group Retreat for the EAST Community and this year was no different, except the location has shifted from Changi Village or Katong to Loyang, still in the eastern part of Singapore. The retreat was held at the Center for Performance Transformation (CPT) Training and Camp Centre. The surroundings were lush with greenery and it was by the seaside, a perfect location where one could spend an afternoon of personal reflection time and worship God.
The meat of the retreat was having Rev Dr Chua Chung Kai share from his heart with the EAST Community. The theme was “Returning to the Way of the Master”. On the first day, he spoke on “Searching for Greatness”. He shared from the text of Mark 10:35-45 where Jesus’ disciples had argued with one another about who was the greatest, It is a natural desire in all of us to want to be somebody and there is nothing wrong with that, as every single one of us is made in the image of Jesus, made in the image of God. However, Asians tend to be less straightforward about acknowledging this desire as opposed to the Westerners. Often, we have both the wrong ideas about greatness and wrong indicators for greatness. How we measure greatness may not be how the Lord measure it.
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.
Newly Arrived Students: Thanawat & Phichanida Wichaphon
L-R: Rev Jonathan Yao (seated), Wong Ee Yuing, Boon-Koh Aitee, Phichanida Wichaphon (Peung), Thanawat Wichaphon (Off)
Thanawat and Phichanida Wichaphons are the first couple to have arrived in Singapore from Thailand for our new semester this June. They are better known by their nicknames Off and Peung. Off has been enrolled in Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies since July 2022 and Peung has been attending online Partners-in-Ministry classes. They are thrilled to finally take the classes at EAST on-site in the upcoming semester and have face to face interactions with faculty, students and staff.
EAST News had the opportunity to ask a few questions to get to know this “cool couple” better (as some have described them) and share their journey to EAST. Read more
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