The Burning Bush Vol.. - Far Eastern Bible College

THE GENESIS OF FEBCBULLETIN ON THE FOUNDING OF THE FAR EASTERNBIBLE COLLEGE (Malaysia Christian, March 31, 1962)Burden of Early Years and the Irresistible Hand of GodIf there is one phrase to describe vividly the circumstances leadingto the founding of the Far Eastern Bible College, it is “the irresistiblehand of God.”The idea of a Bible College first dawned on certain elders of LifeBible-Presbyterian Church in 1954 when the need of training dedicatedChristians for the propagation and defence of the Gospel in these days ofapostasy in the Far East was felt. That need became a burden whichincreased with the years, but it was not until 1959 that the proposal for aBible College was presented before the Life Church Session. Thisproposal, however, was shelved, but as we wisely look back after theevent, we can now see above the burden of early years “the irresistiblehand of God.”One year after the shelving of the proposal, God’s hour for thefounding of the Bible College struck. Dr J Philip Clark, General Secretaryof the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions, USA,visited Singapore, and seeing the same need as we for a Bible College forthis part of the world, he offered to send missionary teachers to our help.A meeting of the Sessions of Life, Zion, Faith and Galilee Bible-Presbyterian Churches was convened in September 1960 to consider theoffer, and the decision to establish the Far Eastern Bible College, Godwilling by Easter 1962, was unanimously taken.Period of PreparationAfter that historic meeting of the four Churches, a pro temcommittee comprising Rev Timothy Tow, Rev Quek Kiok Chiang and DrTow Siang Hwa was appointed to study with Life Church theincorporation of an annex to the new church building project at GilsteadRoad to house the Bible College. The committee was also charged withdrafting the College constitution, curriculum and prospectus, and toreceive donations and books from the Christian public. Over $500 andabout as many books from many parts of the world have been receivedthrough their hands.83