The Academy for Spiritual Formation (Singapore) in Malaysia

Attended the historical first The Academy for Spiritual Formation (Singapore) which was held in Majodi Centre in Johor Bahru, Malaysia from 12-15 October 2-15. This is the first Academy to be held outside the United States. The Academy for Spiritual Formation is one of The Upper Room Ministries. This Academy was organised by a Singapore team and I was very grateful to them for inviting me (a Malaysian) to attend. It was a wonderful academy and I will spend some time processing what I have learned and experienced.

What I want to share here is the creative way the team have designed the altar piece to enhance the daily theme.

Day One: Return

      

 Day Two: Rest

 Day Three: Renew

 Day Four: Re-engage

I will share more about the academy later.


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Calling, Vocational Holiness and Spiritual Formation in the Workplace

Calling, Vocational Holiness and Spiritual Formation in the Workplace

9-13 November 2015

Malaysia Bible Seminari

Lecturer: Dr Alex Tang

Committed Christians are often concerned about discovering God’s will for their lives in terms of what occupation to take up or who to marry. The deeper question will be to discern what God wants them to be and become. Another concern is how they are to live and have their being in their workplace and marketplace. Central to this is how to maintain the vitality of their spiritual life and growth in the modern lifestyle that is extremely hectic and exhausting. This course will deal with Christian discernment or decision-making and the theology of God’s calling and vocation. It will examine Ignatian and Wesleyan approaches to discernment. The issue of hectic and busy lifestyles will be examined and approaches developed to nurture the spiritual life. The concepts of Missio Dei and Sabbath in their vocations will be developed.

While there will be some overlap with my previous MBS courses, this is a different course which deals with different aspects of our spiritual lives. My previous courses are 2012: Soul Care-The Art & Science of Spiritual Direction (caring for one another in ‘persons-in-formation’); 2013: Leading Change in Spiritual Formation Communities (leadership in a spiritual growing community – ‘persons-in-community formation’); and 2014: Dynamics of Spiritual Formation (understanding spiritual growth – ‘person with Christ-in-formation’). You do not need to have attended my previous courses to attend this. 

Suitable for people who are making important life choices or are interested to know more about Godly decision-making and who are also interested to learn about spiritual maintenance and growth in busy and stressful lifestyles: pastors, lay leaders, church members, and seekers of truth.

Contact: Malaysia Bible Seminari Address: Malaysia, Selangor, Kuang, Lot no. 728 Jalan Kg Sungai Serai邮政编码: 48050

Phone:+60 3-6037 1727

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Biomedical Ethics Course in Malaysia Theological Seminary 2015

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Finding God in all places retreat

the retreat process

There and Back Again

Reflections on attending SSCS conference 2013 

Prayer and worship every morning and evening

The conference of The Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality (SSCS) was held on the retreat-like beautiful campus of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana from June 29- July 2, 2013. I was glad to be able to attend and present a paper though the journey there was long and tiring. It was an 18 hours flight from Singapore to New York, 4.5 hours from New York to Chicago, and another 3 hours by bus from Chicago to South Bend where the campus is located. This is only the traveling time and did not include the transit and waiting time. But the journey was worth it!

The Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality (SSCS) normally holds their conference as part of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) conference which involves about ten thousand participants in a convention center of a major city. It is decided to be a good idea for the society to have its own conference away from the hustle and bustle. This was smaller group consisting of professors and a few graduate students which meant that I was able to meet and talk personally to these spiritual mentors and authors whose books I have been reading and studying for the last forty years. I was able to talk to and interact with Bernard McGinn, Mary Frohlich, Pieter G.R.de Villers, Bo Karen Lee, Lawrence Cunningham, Ann Ansell, Angela Reed and Arthur Holder. There were many others but these are some of those whom I wanted to meet face to face. I was disappointed not to meet Philip Sheldrake and Sandra Schneider who were not able to attend. 


I also met many of the younger scholars.  I am encouraged by Glenn Young (Rockhurst University) with his course on teaching mysticism (a course I myself am thinking of teaching) and Tom Schwanda (Wheaton ) who is working on Puritan spirituality (another area I am interested to explore). I have enjoyed the hospitality and friendliness of these participants. Though I am the only Asian from outside the States and stranger to the clique, I felt welcomed and accepted as their equal. I even have a door-gift for traveling the furthest distance, an honour I am vying with Pieter who is from South Africa.

The theme of the conference was Wonderous Fear and Holy Awe. It was fascinating as one academic paper after another was presented by the speakers;  seeing it unfolding through topics such as St. John of the Cross, ecopiphany, Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Gregory of Nyssa, Clement of Alexandra, spousal kiss in the Song of Songs as espoused by two Cistercians, Hildergard of Bergen, Pascal, Henri Nouwen, Meister Eckhart and Kierkegarard. One thing I have to get used to is their presentation style.  Presentation is reading directly from their papers. Only a few gave out outlines and even fewer use Powerpoint. It can be challenging if the speakers do not enunciate well! I gave my presentation but as I was pretty jet-lagged and very nervous, I am not sure how it went, but I hope it went across well.

The papers are of high standards. These are heady academic stuff and I must confess I enjoyed the intellectual challenge tremendously. It was fascinating to categorise the different types of fear (of the Lord) and different types of wounds implied by St. John of the Cross. An interesting discussion was did Jesus experience the fear of God in the garden of Gethsemane? While the intellectual side of me is lapping this up hungrily, my pragmatic side keep asking about its practical application. I have to continually give myself permission to pursue the knowledge of the wonderous fear and holy awe of God for its own sake.

I have enjoyed the conference and learnt much from it. Made some friendships that I will like to follow up and nurture. What was the warmest feeling was that I realize that I am not alone in this interest in Christian spirituality.  There are only a handful of people in Malaysia and Singapore who are into this area and I have lived with the loneliness of a pioneer in the field for a long time. It is good to find company in this diverse group of individuals with the same interest though I have a travel a long way to meet them.

Soli Deo Gloria

entrance to campus of the University of Notre Dame

my memorable door gift

Leading Change in Spiritual-Formation Communities Course in MBS

I will be teaching this course

Malaysia Bible Seminary

Leading Change in Spiritual-Formation Communities

22-26 July 2013

 

Course description

Spiritual formation is the task of the church. Christian spiritual formation may be understood as a three-stranded process of person-in-formation (Christ-likeness in the inner being), persons-in-community formation (becoming a people of God), and persons-in-mission formation (being missional for Kingdom expansion). The biblical, theological and psychosocial aspects will be developed. The approach to faith formation is never individualistic but communal. The contemporary discipleship and faith formation models will be examined. A Christian spiritual formation paradigm which includes the role of the faith community, and spiritual-formation elements will be introduced. Leadership to effect transition to spiritual-formation communities will be considered in the context of local faith communities. This is a 4 credits course.

Objectives

The expected general outcome of this course is that students will demonstration deeper understanding of spiritual formation, spiritual formative elements in the context of their faith communities, and nurturing spiritual formation communities (SFC).

By the end of the course it is expected that students will specifically demonstrate:

1.      An enlarged knowledge base:

• The biblical and theological basis of spiritual formation.
• The nature of spiritual development
• The nurture of spiritual development
• The role of faith communities in spiritual development.

2.      The capacity to discern effective formative elements in the context of their faith communities.
3.      A deeper understanding of the dynamics of spiritual formation communities

For more information contact
 

MALAYSIA BIBLE SEMINARY

Lot 728, Jalan Kundang,

48050 Kuang, Selangor Darul Ehsan,

Malaysia

Mobile Phone: 6012-223 4527

Tel:   03-60371727           

Fax:  03-60371728

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Leading Change in Spiritual Formation Communities

LMC 557 – Leading Change in Spiritual Formation Communities (2 Credits)
Alex Tang, PhD

Spiritual formation is the task of the church.  Unfortunately some churches have become dispensers of spiritual services rather than enhancers of Christian spiritual formation.  They tend to influence their members to be religious consumers rather than encouraging them to grow into Christ-likeness.   A Biblical, theological and psycho social approach to faith formation in the context of communities will be developed.

• 23 Feb; 9, 23 Mar, 2013
• Sat, 9.30 am – 5.00 pm

 I believe they has a first course free program. Read more

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

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?

                       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.

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Registration Form          
(Seminar cost RM20.00 includes refreshment, dinner and seminar notes).

Spiritual Formation Institute Seminar 2012/1      

Spiritual Friendship

Name: …………………………………………………………………………………..………………………………………….. Church…………………………………………

Tel    : …………………………………………………………………………………. Email:………………………………………………………………………………………..

Please register with Sister Grace Soon of HLCE (Tel:07-2243285)


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