Yes, I noticed. I missed out “one issue” of my monthly
ministry update. So sorry for that. It was a busy time to generate annual
reports and send to heads of churches/organizations and student sponsors. The
reports gave an overview of SAM Northern Centers academic activities and
students’ academic progresses. I know that academic materials may not be a very
appealing read, but if you are interested to have a copy, kindly advice so I
can email you the pdf reports.
Generally, the “major milestones” in 2016 were:
1.
Partnering with a Christian publisher to publish
a BM book in Biblical Interpretation
2.
Three OA students graduated with their
Certificate in Christian
Ministry from STM in
October
3.
SAM forged partnership with STS to offer the
Master in Ministry program in Ipoh
4.
4 courses were conducted in SAM Penang in both
Juru and SP; 3 diploma courses in Ipoh; 2 certificate/diploma courses in Ipoh;
3 certificate courses in Ipoh
Anticipated tasks for 2017:
1.
Create a bank account for SAM Northern Centers. The
process is on-going. Didn’t realize so super many red-tapes in the Anglican
church! We are not registered as we do not want to “expose” the sensitive
nature of our ministry. So, we are functioning under the coverage of the Anglican
church. Therefore, we need a lot of “maneuvering” in this matter. Thus far, we
are parking our funds in BJAC current account. We are now in the process of
creating a new (second) account under the OA church with signatories from SAM
committee. Several factors were considered as we decided to transfer the funds
to an account that can be (independently) accessed by the SAM committee.
a.
The funds are collected for (theological)
training purposes of the OA church they should rightfully have an access to it.
Besides, I gave myself a 10-year span to surrender the leadership to the OA
church
b.
As a diocesan staff, I am subject to transfer.
Therefore, this matter should be looked into now rather than later. In fact, I
am foreseeing a transfer in the next one/two years. It will be good to begin
sharing/transferring more leadership responsibilities till I can fully
relinquish the leadership reign to the OA church
c.
The mother church of BJAC
is creating much fuss in our financial matters. But I suppose, it is just timely
2.
The Master in Ministry program in partnership
with STS requires a minimum of 10 committed students. We are launching the
first module in June but thus far we only have 6. Do join us to pray for more
students. This is probably the only master program conducted completely in BM
on a modular approach. Finance is not a problem. Scholarship aids, church
sponsors, and study grants are available
3.
SAM Penang: the meeting place will move from
Juru to Prai while the Sungai Petani center remains at Taman Lagenda. There are
several enquiries from prospective students in Prai. Not sure yet if they will
turn up for class and commit to the program. Currently we have a regular of 10
in Prai n 11 in SP
4.
SAM Ipoh: pray for our new administrator,
Riboni, who will take on the task to promote student participation and update
student academic records. Pray also for the OA/BM church. While many have the
heart to serve, many also do not have the “staying power” to discipline
themselves to attend class, do assignments, n attend to ministry
responsibilities at the same time. I have always stressed to my team that we
cannot afford to lower the standard just to meet the needs of the students. Instead,
it is the students that need to raise themselves. We do not want graduates who
are “below the bar.” Regular students cannot be estimated but it was
approximately 5-7 for diploma classes and 3-6 for certificate classes. Registered
diploma students are 7 and certificate students are 16. Pray for Fione, our Ipoh coordinator. The
Ipoh/Gopeng team needs wisdom to inspire the students to commitment and to
promote the ministry of the school in Kinta Valley
5.
BM book – commentary on the book of Philippians:
on-going project. We hope to publish this in partnership with several
seminaries in Malaysia.
In the meantime, I am also translating my doctoral dissertation into BM so that
it can be published to benefit the OA/BM church
6.
Teaching team: will greatly appreciate
continuous partnership of teachers who are qualified, available, and possessing
a passion for this BM theological education ministry. Our team is working very
hard and guest lecturers received a very small token of love gift. I am praying
for SAM financial status to be stable enough to give more
7.
Adjunct duties: I have recently accepted an
additional responsibility to serve as an adjunct lecturer in STM. Thus far, I
have not received any teaching schedule. However, as this is a secondment from
the diocese, it will need to be prioritized over my adjunct commitment in SPECS
teaching team
I take this opportunity to thank you for your partnership
and prayers that have sustained this ministry, without which it cannot
function. It is “lonely” but writing my monthly updates to you and knowing you
are my partners encourages me to keep going. Thank you, from the very bottom of
my heart. I wish you God’s richest blessings as we venture into another
challenging year to labor for our God and King in this land.
SB
301216
