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30th Anniversary Celebration
 We want to thank God for His presence and provision during the 30th Anniversary Celebration from the 4th to 5th September cum Graduation Ceremony on the 6th September. In total, more than 400 participants attended the two day conference and they were thoroughly blessed by the various renowned speakers and scholars who spoke in the English and Chinese workshops and plenary sessions. The celebration culminated in the Anniversary Dinner on the 6th September. Together with the faculty and staff, more than 350 alumni, students, board members, supporters, church leaders and guests graced the momentous occasion. It was indeed a historic moment for the College as we celebrated God’s faithfulness and leadership for the last 30 years. Many are still asking for the faculty and staff to repeat the Bollywood-styled “Indian Dance” performance that took place during the Anniversary Dinner!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who had stepped forward to support the entire week of celebration either by donation or by being present at the various events. Thank you for celebrating with us this important milestone as we journey on to educate leaders for the Church and the market place.
School of Counselling (SOC)
Following the month of celebration in September, we welcome two new full time faculty members to our School of Counselling on the 1st October 2009. Rev Sam Kuna, an experienced and effective administrator and counsellor joined us as the Dean of SOC. Rev Dr Danny Goh also joined us on the 1st October 2009 as one of the professors in our College. Dr Goh was serving in Singapore Bible College for many years before joining us and he brings with him a pastoral heart to equip students for the ministry. They will serve together with the rest of the highly competent faculty members in our SOC team to train and equip qualified counsellors for the Body of Christ. Incidentally, both of them are trained in Marriage and Family Therapy and you can expect various aspects of training in this area in the coming months. Both their profiles can be found on our website. With the entry of these two new faculty members, we will bid farewell to Dr Kok Jin Kuan. Having served faithfully with us for more than 3 years, Dr Kok will transit back to Malaysia by the end of the year. We look forward to her future contribution as an adjunct faculty.
School of Divinity (SOD)
The School of Divinity will also welcome a new full time faculty member, Ms Leong Sian Nuan, in our Chinese Department. She will complete her PhD studies in New Testament at Edinburgh University by December 2009 and will return to join us in January 2010. She is effectively bilingual and will have the opportunity to serve the student body in both the English and Chinese departments. We have also confirmed two very competent and qualified full time professors for our English Department and they will be joining us in the middle of next year. The College will make further announcements in the coming months once we are able to provide more information. We look forward to the addition of these new faculty members as they serve alongside the current team to further strengthen our various core areas in the College.
One other piece of good news is that the Chinese Department has just received another 5 years of accreditation with Asia Theological Association for both our undergraduate and graduate programmes. The accreditation team was very satisfied with the academic standard and ministerial formation provided by our College to educate leaders for the Body of Christ. This affirms the academic rigour and effectiveness of our Chinese programmes in equipping pastors and leaders.
School of Leadership (SOL)
Another staff movement is also taking place as we will be bidding our farewell to Dr John Kirkpatrick. After serving with us for the last 2 years, Dr Kirkpatrick has sensed the leading of the Lord to pastor a church in Jakarta, (Indonesia). He will take on his new role as the Senior Pastor of an international church in Jakarta in January 2010. We want to bless and release Dr Kirkpatrick to fulfil God’s mandate upon his life to train and equip leaders in various parts of Asia. The College coverts your prayer as we search for the new Dean of the SOL.
Faculty Development
As part of our continuous effort to ensure that our faculty members stay relevant and competent, the College is sending Paul David and Lily Lim for their doctoral studies in Gordon-Cornwell and Fuller Theological Seminary respectively, in January 2010. Besides them, Dennis Lum, the Dean for SOD (English), is also in the midst of pursuing his PhD, majoring in Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. Another of our future faculty member, Joseph Tan, is now in Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (USA) studying full time, majoring in Old Testament studies. All of them will need your prayers as they study hard to be good and anointed teachers to bless the Body of Christ.
Conclusion
As we come to the close of 2009, I want to personally thank all of you for your relentless support, faithful financial giving and countless encouragements. The College exists to serve you and we will continue, by the grace of God, to be faithful to God’s mandate to educate and disciple the Body of Christ through our competent and highly regarded faculty members. We look forward to 2010 when you return to classes again and receive your training and equipping for the work of the ministry. Do contact the College if you need any form of assistance or more information on our programmes or to sign up for courses.
Have a Blessed Christmas and Exciting New Year!
Blessings,
Rev Wilson Teo
President
TCA College
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