Events and Happenings
Coming events in 2014
11 Oct 2014 Dr Elaine Goh
24-27 Oct 2014 SFI Retreat
In our busy life, we must create a 'protected' time to rest, centre ourselves and be 'still' before the Lord. This retreat will be such a 'protected' time. It will be a guided retreat where we will be allowed time to be still and know that He is God. Do come and join us.
Completed events
The Life of Christ
Jonah: The Dark Side
The Book of Ezekiel
Date :
2.00pm-
9.30pm,
Saturday 27 April 2013
Place :
Berea, Holy Light Church (English), 11-C, Jalan Gertak Merah, 80000 Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
Berea, Holy Light Church (English), 11-C, Jalan Gertak Merah, 80000 Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
Programme:
It is no surprise that Book of Ezekiel is widely neglected. It is weird book in many ways, but a wonderful word from God can be had for those who persevere. This seminar we will work out the main themes of the book of Ezekiel through examination of specific passages. We will also consider how the book speaks to us as Christians today.
It is no surprise that Book of Ezekiel is widely neglected. It is weird book in many ways, but a wonderful word from God can be had for those who persevere. This seminar we will work out the main themes of the book of Ezekiel through examination of specific passages. We will also consider how the book speaks to us as Christians today.
Speaker:
Dr Peter Lau is a trained medical practitioner who holds an MDiv
from Sydney Missionary and Bible College and a PhD from the
University of Sydney. He has been lecturing at Seminari Theoloji
Malaysia since 2010. He has also taught at Sydney Missionary Bible
College and the University of Sydney. Dr Lau is married to Kathryn
and they have three children — Zachary, Jeremy and Sophie.
Lamentations
Date :
2.00pm- 9.30pm,
Saturday
17 November
2012
Place :
Berea, Holy Light Church (English),
Jalan Gertak Merah, 80100 Johor Bahru
Synopsis :
We live in
a world filled with pain, grief, and lament. So we
insulate ourselves from these things in order not to
hurt ourselves. We cannot run away from tragedy, pain,
and grief. These things are part of the natural world
that we live in. But because we continue to insulate
ourselves from them, we have come to a point where we
are often hopelessly lost for words when tragedies
strike us. We run out of words to say and to offer to
those who are grieving. We try to reduce the
consequences of the tragedy, play down the scale of its
magnitude, and brush aside the pain of its implications.
We have become a culture unable to wrestle deeply with
pain and grief. We have lost the social practice, lack
the words of comfort, and muddle the concepts necessary
to help us face pain squarely in the face.
We are
expected to come to church happy and glad all the time.
There are no more private places to grieve and work
through the pain in a normal church worship service. We
launch off into praise expecting everyone to be able to
jump-start to praise God when the person is hurting deep
inside. As one writer puts it, we have ‘lost the ability
to sing the blues in the church’. We put little emphasis
on the confession and penitence part in the worship.
There is little time to orientate ourselves to come
before God’s presence. There ought to be a place for the
blues in the church because its absence is often a
result of our own pride and arrogance to think that we
must always be victorious in the Christian walk. How can
we recover the voice of grief and lament? How can we
recover an authentic voice that can help us voice our
deepest sorrows and pain? How can we speak for those in
grief and how can we speak for ourselves when we go
through a similar road? The book of Lamentations has
something to offer, it teaches us to respond adequately
to grief and suffering, to learn to live with the
silence of God, and to live with unanswered questions
Speaker :
Rev Dr Anthony Loke is an ordained
minister with the Trinity Annual Conference of the
Methodist Church in Malaysia as well as a Old Testament
lecturer in Seminari Theoloji Malaysia. His current
interests include studying the Old Testament, writing
articles and books, speaking about the political and
social contexts of Malaysia, and a strong advocate
against injustice and oppression. He is married to King
Lang, who is currently working with the SIB church in
Sarawak to develop their kindergarten ministry. They
have two grown-up children studying at the tertiary
level overseas.
Presbyterian Heritage and Christian Spirituality
Learning from our history and going on in Christ
Date :
2.00pm- 9.30pm,
Saturday 13 Oct 2012
Place :
Berea, Holy Light Church, 11-C, Jalan Gertak
Merah,
Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru
Programme:
Session One: Hebrews
and Heritage
Insights from the book of Hebrews.
What is
Presbyterianism? Key elements in Presbyterian
identity. Questions about Presbyterianism you always
wanted to know but are afraid to ask.
Session Two:
People, Places, Memory and Mission
Presbyterian churches from the Reformation to the
present day, including Malaysia
present day, including Malaysia
Session Three: Following
God's Call
Presbyterian frameworks for serving Christ in Church
and Community
and Community
Speaker:
Dr John Roxborogh is a Presbyterian
minister from New Zealand. He and his family lived in KL
while he taught at Seminary Theology Malaysia from 1983
to 1990. He has studied church and mission history in
Scotland, served in parish ministry and taught mission
studies in New Zealand. He was coordinator of lay
training for the Knox Centre for Ministry and Leadership
in Dunedin where he also taught courses on
Presbyterianism for ministers and elders. He is
currently an Honorary Fellow at the Centre for the Study
of Christianity in Asia at Trinity Theological College
and is involved in writing projects on Malaysian church
history. Visit
his website at roxborogh.com
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SFI seminar on Citizens in Digital Spaces
Citizenship in Digital Spaces: Challenges and Choices
Date :
2.00pm- 9.30pm,
Saturday 22 Sept 2012
Place :
Berea, Holy Light Church, 11-C, Jalan Gertak
Merah,
Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru
Programme:
2.30-4.00pm
Session One: Understanding The Digital Communications
Revolution (Dr Calvin Chong)
Revolution (Dr Calvin Chong)
4.30-6.30pm
Session Two: Trapped in Cyberspace: Internet Addiction
(Mr Ray Chua)
(Mr Ray Chua)
6.30-9.30pm
Session Three: Platforms and Resources to Engage the
Digital Generation (Dr Calvin Chong)
Speakers:
Dr Calvin
Chong is Associate Professor, Educational Studies at
Singapore Bible College. His areas of teaching and
research interests include hermeneutics, orality and
storytelling, design learning, and digital technologies
in education. He also serves on the Central Council of
the Evangelical Fellowship of Singapore, the Theological
Advisory Board of the Graduate Christian Fellowship, and
is a Global Advisory Partner with RBC Ministries.
Ray Chua is a
psychologist at National University Health Systems. He
is currently working to bring the Cyber Health &
Internet Programme to secondary schools in Singapore. He
was formerly Assistant Manager (Counselling/R&D) at
TOUCH Cyber Wellness (TCW). He led the development of
cyberwellness education materials used in schools and
led the counselling team to help youths overcome
cyber-related problems. He was also involved in the
cyberwellness training of students, teachers,
counsellors and parents at 22 schools, organizations and
churches. He has a honors degree in psychology and his
research focused on cognitive-behavioral factors
influencing excessive gaming. He is married with two
daughters in primary school. He is currently serving as
Honorary Treasurer on the church council of Geylang
Evangelical Free Church where he had worshipped for the
past 21 years.
Soul Care: The Art and Science of Spiritual Direction Course (27-31 August 2012)
Soul Care in Malaysia Bible Seminary
It has been an exhausting but rewarding
experience in teaching
Soul
Care: The Art and Science of Spiritual Direction
in an intensive module 27-31 August 2010 at the
wonderful campus of the Malaysia Bible Seminari
(MBS) in Kuang, Selangor. There were initial
apprehensive in the understanding of spiritual
direction especially with its emphasis on the
dimensions of spiritual experiences. All the
students are evangelicals and most are
experienced pastors or pastoral workers. Many of
them are studying theology in the seminary. It
is understandable that spiritual direction with
its emphasis of listening, silence, watching for
the movement of the Holy Spirit and the presence
of God challenges their evangelical Bible-centred
framework. I hope that the lectures,
lectio
divina, small group sessions and practicums
helped to relieve some of their anxieties.
Basically the module is designed in such a way
that we begin with ourselves and our
relationship with God. This includes being aware
of ourselves, our needs and frustrations and how
we employ filters when we listen to others. We
also need to learn to be aware of the movements
of the Holy Spirit in our own lives. This come
from experiences of listening to and responding.
Only then are we able to discern these movements
of the Holy Spirit in others. We also have to
learn to be open to others and allow them space
to process their spiritual quests. This involves
trust and patience. Finally only in love do we
speak into the lives of each other. Soul Care is
the journeying together of two or more souls
towards the awareness and enjoyment of God in
whom we move, live our daily lives, and have our
being, as we rest in His goodness.
--------
Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts
Date : 2.00pm- 9.30pm, Saturday 11 August 2012
Place : Berea, Holy Light Church, Johor Bahru
Synopsis : Spiritual gifts are endowed to all people of God because of His grace. They are meant to empower every part of the body of Christ to serve God effectively to build up the body of Christ for God's glory. It is vital for Christians to know the gift(s) that God has given them so that they are able to live a fruitful Christian living. Among the major topics that this seminar aims to discuss include the meaning and significance of spiritual gifts, importance of knowing one's gifting and ways to discover it.
Speaker : Rev. Dr. Philip Siew, BTh
(Trinity Theological College, 1983); MTheol (SEAGST, 1991);
MTh (Fuller, 1993); PhD (Fuller, 1999), is
a lecturer in Homiletics, Missiology,
Evangelism, Church Growth and Hebrew in the Chinese
Department of Seminari Theologi Malaysia, and the Director
of Advanced Ministerial Studies.
--------
Spiritual Formation Institute Seminar on Spiritual Friendship
SFI Seminar 2012/1
Spiritual Friendship
We live in an increasingly lonely world. Technology that is meant to
connect us ends up causing us to have less face-to-face time with
each other. Yet the bible clearly states that it is not good for
humankind to be alone (Genesis 2:18). Medical science bears this
out. How then are we to find the relationships we need for healthy
living?
This is also a question for followers of Jesus Christ. We are meant
to follow Christ in the company of friends. Jesus calls us to follow
Him in community. Yet the church can be as lonely as the world
around us. How are we to find the community we need to follow
Christ?
Date : 2.00pm- 9.30pm, Saturday 25 February 2012
Place : Berea, Holy Light Church, 11-C, Jalan Gertak Merah,
80100 Johor Bahru
80100 Johor Bahru
Program
:
This seminar will seek to answer some of these concerns:
What is spiritual friendship and why do we
need it?
What constitutes healthy spiritual friendship?
What is a practical and doable way for
experiencing spiritual
friendship?
friendship?
The seminar will cover the following topics:
1. The Need for Spiritual Friendship
2. The Components of Spiritual Friendship
3. The Practice of Spiritual Friendship
We need friends as much as we need food and water. Come and see
why. Come and see how.
Speaker:
Soo Inn is a director of Graceworks, a ministry committed to
promoting
spiritual friendship in church and society (www.graceworks.com.sg).
He runs this ministry in partnership with his wife, Bernice. He also
serves as honorary pastor of Evangel Christian Church, Singapore.
Bernice and Soo Inn have four sons.
Soo Inn has a BDS from the University of Singapore, a ThM from
Regent College and a DMin from Fuller. His primary passions include
connecting the Word of God to the struggles of daily life, and the
promotion of the discipline of spiritual friendship.
He has been a supporter of Arsenal Football Club since 1971 and his
favourite movie is Star Wars 4.
--------
Christian Spiritual Formation
-The journey in Christ to Christ
What is the Christian spiritual life or spiritual formation? How can we
grow spiritually in the midst of increasing demands of family and work,
the busyness of life and in the loud jarring noise of contemporary
culture? Deep within us, many of us feel dissatisfaction with our
spiritual life, longing to connect more intimately with God and achieve
a balance in our personal life, church and workplace/home/school. The
Spiritual Formation Institute was started in 2003 with a seminar on
Christian Spirituality by Dr Alex Tang. Come and join him eight years
later with this anniversary seminar to revisit Christian Spirituality in
the context of Christian spiritual formation.
Date
:
2.00pm- 9.30pm,
Saturday
12 November
2011
Place :
Programme:
Session
1 : The Mind of Christian Spiritual Formation
What are Christian spiritual formation, Christian education and
discipleship? This session defines these terms and gives a biblical and
theological basis for them.
Session 2 : The Heart of Christian Spiritual Formation
What drives our spiritual
life and growth? This session give insight into the
drives and motivations of Christian spiritual formation.
Session 3 : The Soul of Christian Spiritual Formation
How is spiritual formation worked out in our personal life, workplace,
family and church? This session deals with spiritual formation and the
Speaker:
Dr Alex Tang is a senior consultant paediatrician in a private hospital
and a practical theologian
with a deep interest in the spiritual life. His PhD research is on
spiritual formation in congregations. He is a spiritual director, Bible
teacher, preacher, blogger, socialmediorater (facebook, twitter), avid
reader, cultural observer, lousy poet, and a fanatical Trekkie. Alex is
the author of many books and his latest publication is
Tales from the Monastery
(2011). Check out his website
Kairos Spiritual Formation <www.kairos2.com> and his blog
<www.draltang01.blogspot.com>.
What is the ROI* of a child in church
-The Challenge of Ministry to Children
Date
:
2.00pm- 9.30pm,
Saturday
20 August 2011
Place
:
Programme:
Session 1: Children's Church
or Sunday School - What's in a Name?
We will look at the characteristics of a teacher as well as the reasons
for Christian education programmes in church.
Session 2: Classroom Management and Curriculum Development
We will look at how we handle God's truth and apply it to the church
setting for children of different ages.
Session 3: Hands-on lesson preparation and delivery
We will look at an actual Bible passage and look at the different methods
used for the child to learn the Bible truth.
Speaker:
Mona Lee Chia was
born in
Spiritual Formation Seminar (Saturday 12 March 2011)
Speaker: Dr Alex Tang
Spiritual Formation Seminar with some Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) students with some unexpected results
Spiritual Formation Seminar with some Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) students with some unexpected results
The Stories that Jesus Told - Exploring the Challenges of His Parables (Saturday 26 March 2011)
Speaker: Rev Dr Lim Kar Yong
Synopsis of Seminar
Jesus is a master storyteller. But the parables he tells are more than interesting plotlines that captivate his audience. They reveal the character of God and his kingdom, announce the expectation God has for his people, and challenge the assumptions of the hearers in order to orientate their lives in the light of the coming of the kingdom. We will carry out an in-depth study of selected parables of Jesus to learn afresh the impact and challenge they have in our lives today.
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Synopsis of Seminar
Jesus is a master storyteller. But the parables he tells are more than interesting plotlines that captivate his audience. They reveal the character of God and his kingdom, announce the expectation God has for his people, and challenge the assumptions of the hearers in order to orientate their lives in the light of the coming of the kingdom. We will carry out an in-depth study of selected parables of Jesus to learn afresh the impact and challenge they have in our lives today.
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The Christian Approach to Chinese Beliefs and Culture (Saturday 9 April 2011)
Speaker: Canon Rev. Daniel Tong
Session 1: Chinese Traditions
Believers in Christ desire to honour
and please Him, but do often struggle with doing so while yet
respecting and continuing to uphold the ethnic cultural heritage
that is ours as Chinese. This struggle between faith and culture is
not something new. In this session, principles with which to
evaluate the acceptability or not of a cultural belief and practice
to the teaching of the Bible will be presented. A number of Chinese
festivals will be explored so to help participants understand how
these principles are to be applied.
Session 2: Ancestral
Veneration
The call to honour our father and
mother is universal. In Chinese tradition, this thought has been
extended to the care of and obedience to our dearly departed. What
does the Bible have to say about this? What are we to make of the
traditional practices of venerating our departed ancestors? In this
session, we will seek to better understand the Chinese perspective,
and determine that which is acceptable or unacceptable for us who
believe in Christ.
Session 3: Feng Shui
The Chinese have practiced Feng Shui
for thousands of years, but how much do we really understand this
practise? Is it really a science? Why do people engage in this
practise? Feng Shui has enjoyed renewed interest in South East Asia
in recent years. In this session, we will explore the origin of this
practise and seek a deeper understand of its primary principles.
This will provide us with a better basis with which to decide on
whether or not we should engage in Feng Shui.