A New Chapter

　　In the heat of summer three years ago, with fear and trembling I began a new chapter in life when I came to HKBTS. I entered the Seminary to be equipped for ministry after receiving a clear calling from God that comes with an inner peace and assurance. However, I lived a long way away from the Seminary. I had to spend long hours in daily commuting after school and I naturally felt physically tired. In addition, having been out of school for nearly twenty years and no longer being young, I found that re-immersing myself into a new environment to join a full-time study program was a great test for me. Furthermore, apart from the high pressure of study, it was not at all easy for me to keep a correct balance of my family life and church service. Facing all these difficulties and pressure, how on earth could I walk through that path? In retrospect, I could not remember clearly what happened. What I do know is that God’s grace has always been with me along the way and has become even more abundant!

　　I felt both bitter and joyful in these three years of study. What was bitter was that I had not imagined that the coursework of the Seminary would be so hard-pressed. No doubt there were long hours of class lesson and also there were the many designated reading materials, small group study reports, and topical term papers to work on. That would certainly demand considerable intellectual strength and stamina to manage. In the meantime, there were a great many extra-curricular activities and hidden curriculum inviting active participation from the students. To acquire a high GPA in each subject or to achieve good performance in every event was considered to be highly difficult. However, to get better equipped and to model good life testimony, I am determined not to muddle through but to try hard to do my best. I understand that in so doing I pursued not my own personal accomplishment nor the winning of admiration from others, but that I can have great discipline and growth in every aspect. As a result, I might be able to shoulder multiple duties in my future pastoral ministry.

　　Admittedly, there was the joyful aspect in my studies. I thank God for the colorful life and learning resources provided by the Seminary. The spacious campus, the green and serene environment, the abundant library collection, and the delicious food served in the canteen bring happiness and satisfaction to the body, heart, and soul. Studying in the midst of such an ethereal, comfortable environment, even the hard study would sometimes become a happy event that pleases the mind.

　　However, what I found most joyful in my study is the serious and yet open intellectual environment. It is true that the Seminary has its denominational background, but in student admissions and in handling perspectives concerning the many problems of faith, the Seminary goes beyond its denominational and traditional boundaries to allow much room for us to make intellectual enquiry. It is this fully inclusive and equitable learning environment that teachers and students coming from varied different denominational backgrounds can engage in serious and unrestricted thinking about the Christian faith as they establish their own conviction in a rigorous way. Students can speak their minds freely in expressing their opinion and also listen to the viewpoints of others under the principle of mutual respect. That is to be followed by an enthusiastic discussion where one reflects on one’s own limitation and insufficiency. For one who has long been immersing in the Baptist community life, I find the Seminary to be the perfect arena to reflect and to refine my core beliefs. In the reflection of theology and faith, my teachers have admonished me and exposed me to many theological concepts, holy ceremonies and rituals, and even spiritual experience. Three years are not too long. What I could experience has been, after all, limited and even for the part that I came to know my understanding was fairly superficial. And yet, they have already broadened my horizon so that I can see farther and broader. I am convinced that such training can help me build a solid theological foundation and is certainly crucial for my future ministry.

　　Even though the Seminary advocates an open atmosphere of learning, it does not tolerate irresponsible words and speeches. This is especially the case when we quote scriptures to justify an action. As students seek to explain a biblical text, the Seminary holds up a rigorous standard. Therefore, I always keep pushing myself to remember the seminary motto: “to correctly handle the word of truth.” I continue to strive to study the Bible in the original languages and to apply the hermeneutical methods to avoid misinterpreting the text. I regret that due to my limited natural endowments and power of understanding, I have only mastered the basic skills. I pray that God will allow me to continue learning and practicing what I have learned on this basis so that I may strive “to present myself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

　　I must thank my teachers. Through my struggles, I have been encouraged by my teachers’ life examples and precepts over these three years. I must also thank my many fellow-schoolmates with whom I have learned together. No matter what program of study, full-time or part-time, whatever number of years of study, they have all become a driving force encouraging me to grow. Time after time they have offered to give me a helping hand when I was in trouble or when I was overcome by anxiety. I see the whole learning community here as a church where many individuals gather together with all their different personalities and backgrounds. All these students enrich this special congregation with their different viewpoints and ways of doing things. The Seminary community provides a precious learning ground where we interact and learn to get along and cooperate with all kinds of people. This opportunity of learning to adapt to challenges prepares us for similar situations in our future fields of ministry.

　　Looking back over my three years of learning, I can only say that it has indeed been one of my life’s most wonderful experiences and one filled with God’s abundant grace. Although I have graduated from the Seminary, a rich nostalgia will always remain in the bottom of my heart, accompanying me as I open another chapter in my life and as I enter my field of service.