FEBC’s Golden Jubilee Thanksgiving Retreat
FEBC’s Golden Jubilee celebrations begin tomorrow, September 17, 2012 with a thanksgiving retreat at the Resort Lautan Biru in Mersing, Malaysia. A total of 116 FEBC alumni, students, faculty and friends from 14 countries will be heading to Mersing for the retreat. As FEBC principal, here is my word of welcome to all participants:“The Far Eastern Bible College officially opened 50 years ago on September 17, 1962. It is fitting that on this very day, 50 years later, we take time off to remember God’s good hand upon our beloved school, our alma mater, and give thanks to the Lord for all His good gifts and blessings upon us, calling us not only to salvation but also to service. What a privilege it is to serve the living and true God, even our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! What a privilege to be trained in this school of prophets founded by one of the most outstanding pastors and theologians of the last century—our late founding pastor and principal, the Rev Dr Timothy Tow. “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.” (Heb 13:7).
“We often hear the Rev Tow quoting the Rev Paul Contento who said, “Without the Bible College, the Church would die.” Indeed, it is for this very reason that FEBC was founded, to train a new generation of men and women who will be faithful and true pastors, teachers and missionaries to feed God’s people with the sincere milk and pure meat of God’s forever infallible and inerrant Words inspired and preserved, and to warn them of the spiritual dangers and doctrinal heresies that abound in these last days. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2 Tim 2:2), and “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3). This is surely part of the Great Commission which the Rev Tow called “The Unfinished Commission” (Matt 28:18-20).
“Our hearts are encouraged to know that He has used a good number of FEBC graduates to teach in Bible colleges and even to establish new ones. We have graduates here who are part of this worldwide movement. In this retreat, they will share with us how the Lord has used them in the work of theological education.
“Many of us here have had the Rev Tow as our teacher. Not only do we remember him for his many theological insights into God’s Person and Word, we also remember him for the hymns he had written to teach those biblical and theological truths. In this souvenir handbook, you will find many of the familiar hymns and songs he had written. We have sung them before; let us sing them again and learn from them again.
“Now, this Istana (Malay for “Palace”) —the Resort Lautan Biru—is it not our third campus? How we enjoy our annual college retreats here since 2001. With such an excellent conference hall and comfortable dorms with King Koil beds, with the South China Sea breezes blowing as we have our makan, it is truly a home away from home. That we have such a palace as this is again due to the vision of our late founding principal; the Lord’s good hand was upon him. Surely we can say with thankful hearts, “The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” (Ps 16:5, 6).
“I have no doubts that we will have a most blessed time of fellowship with the Lord, with His Word, and with one another in this thanksgiving retreat. But are we here just to enjoy one another’s company? I trust not. We are here to see what more the Lord wants us to do for Him in momentous days ahead. What more can FEBC do for the Lord? Will FEBC do well, or will FEBC fall like many other seminaries? Each of us has a duty to make sure FEBC does not fall away nor fail the Lord in any way. Will our sons defend the Faith? Please pray. May God help us.”
The thanksgiving retreat will be filled with the preaching of God’s Word, the singing of hymns and choruses penned by the late Rev Dr Timothy Tow, and the sharing of reports and testimonies by our alumni who are involved in the Bible College movement worldwide (see programme on the next page).
You are most welcome to attend any of the classes on Thursday which is Open House day at FEBC. You are also cordially invited to the Alumni Thanksgiving Service on Friday night, September 21st, 7.30 pm at 9A Gilstead Road. Welcome also to dinner which will be served between 6 to 7 pm.
Do not miss the Golden Jubilee Thanksgiving Service on September 23rd at the John Sung Memorial Chapel, Calvary Pandan BPC, 6 pm. May God’s Name be highly exalted, and His Word magnified even more (Ps 138:2). JK
FEBC’s 50th Anniversary Thanksgiving Retreat @ Resort Lautan Biru, Mersing, September 17-19, 2012
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Date/Time |
Mon, Sep 17th |
Tue, Sep 18th |
Wed, Sep 19th |
| 7.00 am |
8.00 am Assemble by “Sea of Galilee”, FEBC for departure to Mersing |
Personal Devotions | |
| 7.30 am |
Morning Chapel |
||
|
Rev Tan Kian Sing |
Rev Biak Lawm Thang |
||
| 8.00 am |
Breakfast |
||
| 9.00 am | Thanksgiving & Testimonies | ||
| Chairman/Speaker Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew | Chairman/Speaker: Rev Dennis Kwok | ||
| 9.45 am |
Praise Item: ASEAN students |
Praise Item: Chinese Students |
|
| 10.00 am | Reports:
(3) Thailand: Weerapong & Warunee (4) Indonesia (Batam): Rev Kiantoro Lie |
Reports:
(10) Kenya (Bomet): Rev Michael Koech (11) (Eldoret): Nelson Were & Carol Lee |
|
| 10.45 am |
Break |
||
| 11.00 am | (5) Indonesia (Pontianak):
Peter Yoksan (6) Korea: Rev Dr Park Seung Kyu Testimony: Rev Koa Keng Woo Sketch: FEBC Students |
(12) Cambodia: Sopheak, Rotha, & John Saray
Testimonies: Chhim Vanarith; Rev Lee Kim Shong, Rev Stephen Khoo Sketch: FEBC Students |
|
| 12.30 pm |
Lunch |
||
| 1.30 pm |
Free Time |
2.30 pm Depart to JB for Thanksgiving Dinner |
|
| 6.00 pm |
Dinner |
||
| 7.00 pm | Thanksgiving & Testimonies | ||
| Chairman/Speaker:
Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo |
Chairman/Speaker: Rev Dr Prabhudas Koshy | ||
| 7.45 pm | Praise Item: African Students
Reports: (1) Kenya/Rwanda: Rev Dr Mark Kim (2) Tanzania: Rev Judah Pallangyo Testimony: Joshua Yong Video: College History |
Praise Item: FEBC Choir Reports:
(7) Ethiopia: Rev Dr Prabhudas Koshy (8) The Philippines: Rev Reggor Galarpe (9) Australia: Rev Errol Stone Testimony: Rev Hien Nguyen |
|
| 9.30 pm | Supper & Good Night | ||
“I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” (Ps 138:2).
To Magnify His Word: Golden Jubilee Yearbook of Far Eastern Bible College (1962-2012). Get your copy of this landmark book (280pp) at FEBC’s Golden Jubilee Thanksgiving Service, to be held at the John Sung Memorial Chapel, Calvary Pandan BPC, on the Lord’s Day, September 23, 2012, 6 pm. Do join us to praise and thank God for His good hand upon FEBC all these 50 years. Soli Deo Gloria!
