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Warmest greetings in the name of the Lord! It’s my third personal message to all of you for the year as we enter the last academic trimester of 2008.
The Demise of Dr.Tan-Chow May Ling
The last trimester was a difficult one for the College as we mourned the passing away of our late well-loved teacher-theologian, Dr.Tan-Chow May Ling. Many of us will remember her as the Cambridge scholar who experienced and demonstrated the depth of God’s love in and through her suffering. Although she was constantly in pain, she did not hesitate to take on teaching responsibilities when given to her. Even when she knew that she was in the last few months of her life and was extremely weak in her physical body, she had hoped to teach her last class in June. Her passion to teach God’s truths left an indelible mark in many of our lives and we will always remember her as the scholar who knew her God. Yes, she will be greatly missed by many of us and we look forward to have another round of theological debate with her when we see her again in our eternal home. We have uploaded two eulogies on our website to honour our dear sister. They are found at http://www.tca.edu.sg/gazette080604.html.
Programmes Validated by the University of Wales, UK
In the midst of the season of mourning, we did see many exciting things that took place as mentioned in my last personal messages. Let me give a brief update on the latest developments for the various programmes validated by the University of Wales (UoW). As of end of the 2nd trimester, we have more than 80 students from the Schools of Creative Arts, Counselling and Divinity (English) who have either signed up as new students or as transferred students into the UoW validated programmes. It is an exciting journey for these students as they pursue their respective area of studies with the assurance of international credibility and recognition. It is our desire to see students having the ability and recognition to serve the Lord in the Church and marketplace wherever the Lord will position them. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.tca.edu.sg/ukuniprogram.html.
After much deliberation, however, the College has decided not to launch the Chinese programmes that are validated by UoW. The main reason is the high costs involved for translation work and thereby rendering the overall cost of the Chinese validated programmes to be more expensive than the English validated programmes. As tuition cost is a major concern for many of our students in the Chinese programmes, the College will continue to offer our current high quality Chinese programmes to ensure affordable education for our students. The College will be actively looking for similar partnerships with other renowned Chinese universities in the region. For more information on our Chinese programmes, please contact Dr. Joy Tsai (joytsai@tca.edu.sg), Dean of School of Divinity (Chinese).
Weekly Small Groups
In my last personal message, I mentioned the change in format for our small groups and chapel. The new format of our small groups has opened doors for many life-changing experiences. Students have shared with me how they have benefited by the open and transparent interactions within the small groups. I have personally seen students laughing, crying and praying with each other during these sessions. It is a moving sight every time I see such ministry taking place among faculty and students. I envision the small groups providing another avenue for students to be accountable to one another and spur each other towards their calling in Christ.
School of Leadership
During the last week of June, the 2nd cohort of students in the Master of Arts in Organisational Leadership (MAOL) started their classes with professors from Azusa Pacific University (APU). This year was very special as we have the privilege of Dr Michael Whyte, the Provost of APU, teaching in one of the classes. Dr. Whyte confided in me later that the class he taught was probably one of the best in terms of quality and depth of engagement during the class! I do look forward to see many more leaders in the Church and marketplace taking this high quality programme given that the content is very much applicable in both arenas. The MAOL programme is highly subsidised by APU where students pay only 25% of the total tuition fees. If you want to be a highly proficient and well educated Christian leader in your ministry or work, do email Dr.John Kirkpatrick (johnkirkpatrick@tca.edu.sg) or visit our website at http://www.tca.edu.sg/Leadership/leadership_maol.htm for more information regarding the MAOL programme.
Hostel Facilities
For those of you who have not visited our campus at Paya Lebar, the building work for the hostel block is completed and ready for use. Once we have the licence to operate, the hostel will be available for international students. The hostel will allow us to provide a conducive and comfortable environment for the training of international leaders and ministers.
Final Words
As we continue to ensure and offer high quality programmes with a practical ministry emphasis, there will be new faculty joining us in the next few months to be part of the vision of the College. The renewal process is needed to ensure that the College stays relevant in meeting the needs of our generation. We are also planning to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the founding of TCA College in 2009. There will be a major week of celebration in September 2009 for this special occasion and more information will be coming your way soon.
Do continue to pray for us as the College continues to pursue its calling to equip and release leaders and ministers to fulfil the Great Commission.
Rev. Wilson Teo
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