After two years and five months of serving as a Church Ministers’ Apprentice (CMA) in CERC, I’ve officially graduated from the program and have begun my third year of apprenticeship, the transition phase before four years of full-time theological training.
This post is long overdue. I realise it’s been quite some time since I last wrote to all of you who have supported, prayed for, and encouraged me to take this step into full-time paid ministry. I’m truly sorry for the silence. But perhaps that silence itself says something…I’ve been so caught up in the joy, weight, and wonder of ministry that time has simply moved.
Nevertheless, I would love for all of you to know what the Lord has been doing — through me, through CERC, and through His Word.
And that’s really the purpose of this update:
To encourage you with the wonderful work God has done in His church, much of which I was privileged to be part of as His instrument.
To invite you into partnership for what’s next: to support and sustain this work as I prepare for seminary and a lifetime of pastoral ministry in Malaysia.
The night before it all began…
The night before CMA began — sitting in my new office space with Vanessa, my first-year supervisor.
It was the night before my official start date, May 11, 2023. I remember sitting in my new office chair, surrounded by quiet walls and the hum of fluorescent lights. My heart was racing. I had come in early, simply to “feel the place.” Standing next to me was Vanessa, who would supervise me in my first year, especially for my work with university students during that first year. Her smile that night, full of warmth and steel, summed up what I would come to experience throughout CMA: that ministry is hard, but God’s sovereignty meant that there was really no reason (ever!) to give up.
New beginnings, in more ways than one!
Our wedding day (June 17, 2023). Thankful for a wife (Joo Hui) who shares the same mission, willing to walk the narrow road of ministry with me.
Barely a month into CMA…and I got married! To start both marriage and full-time ministry at once was… well, sanctifying. There were moments I felt like I was juggling plates that refused to stay in the air. Yet through it all, I saw how God had given me a wife who not only understands ministry but runs beside me in it: helping, pushing, praying, believing in not me, but God.
The students under my care at the time (many of whom have just entered the working world this year) would probably be surprised to hear that I was overwhelmed. I think I give off an air of confidence, charisma, and “wisdom” rather easily — my bald head, goatee, and Indian genes often make people (lovingly, in jest) call me “Guru Shaun.” But the ability to wield one’s tongue effectively does not necessarily equate to ministry competence. Such competence, the kind that forms a true shepherd’s heart, only comes through doing actual ministry, through caring for souls, through having your love for God and His Church refined in the fire of real people’s lives.
When ministry became real.
When I first started, I thought I understood ministry.
After all, I had memorised verses like Luke 19:10 — “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost” — and Matthew 28:18–20 — “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”
I thought: Of course, ministry is about people.
But I didn’t yet realise that ministry is people.
Growing up in church all my life, I was familiar with the Bible, but not changed by it. Until university, I was a nominal Christian: a “believer” in name but a stranger to Jesus. It was through patient and loving brothers and sisters in university who opened the Word with me that God opened my eyes.
So when I began full-time paid ministry, I carried that same passion, but also a subtle misconception. I thought if I just dumped Bible data onto people, transformation would follow. I tried to teach truth at people rather than shepherd them.
The mountain of books I brought when I moved into church premises!
But the CMA program doesn’t let you hide behind books. It forces you into the messiness of real lives — sin, doubt, repentance, and hope. I learned quickly that being “Guru Shaun” meant little if I couldn’t truly love and lead souls.
A cute little collage made by Chloe, one of my former students, capturing snapshots of preaching, teaching, and everyday ministry among local university students
One of my key responsibilities was serving as the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) staff for Monash Christian Fellowship (MCF). I went in thinking it would be straightforward: plan Bible studies, preach, disciple students. But it took a full year for me to learn what John 2:24–25 meant — that Jesus “knew what was in man.”
Laughing with students at a university CF camp. I don’t remember the joke, but I remember the bonds, real, gospel-centred friendships formed around the Word.
By the end of that first year, I realised that real “revival” doesn’t come from charisma or eloquence, but from cutting precisely with the Word of God and God’s sovereign will. It’s hard work — sometimes heartbreaking work — but it’s what changes lives.
The Word bears fruit. Always.
At RUFCON with my daughter, Mary. Yes, my wife and I were blessed with a child, now 19 months old!
Preaching at “Geddit in GG”, our Old Klang Road Growth Group (my key adult ministry during CMA) evangelistic event. A space for people to think deeply about life’s biggest questions about God and themselves.
Teaching “Knowledge for Life” from the Bible at White Water Summer Camp. Helping youths see that true life is only found in Jesus.
When I chose the photos above, I didn’t realise most of them showed me smiling while preaching. (For the record, I wasn’t smiling all the time — only when the passage called for it… at least, I tried to 😄). But in hindsight, those photos capture how I truly feel about ministry. I’m not giddy-happy about it — it’s not a “ha-ha” kind of joy, but I do love it. Every moment. Even the hard ones. Even when I’m not literally smiling.
Because beneath the exhaustion and the endless learning curves, there’s a deeper gladness: the kind that comes from knowing I get to handle the Word of life and see it shape real people. Even if, in the end, I hadn’t passed my apprenticeship, I would still say these two years in CMA have been the best of my life.
Every ministry I was in — from university CFs to adult growth groups — confirmed one thing: God’s Word works. There were moments of tension and opposition. There were also moments of breathtaking grace, where hardened hearts softened before the gospel. I saw firsthand that even when resources are scarce, the Word never returns empty. The Word of God truly does what it always promises: it bears fruit and grows among those who hear it.
Leading a Bible study at Nottingham SOLIDD, a small Christian Fellowship that began with no permanent space — just hungry students and the Word.
One of the most rewarding ministries I’ve been part of is Nottingham SOLIDD, a Christian Fellowship for students from Nottingham University Malaysia.
When I first met a few of the Nottingham students with deep questions about life, God, and truth…but no one to teach them from Scripture. (Read about Divyesh’s story here)
We had little to start with, often borrowing small rooms just to meet. But the hunger was real, and the Word sustained us. Now, SOLIDD is growing, not just in numbers, but in conviction. Students are learning to think biblically, live faithfully, and serve joyfully.
With the Nottingham SOLIDD student leaders at a retreat in Cameron Highlands — planning, praying, and strategising about how to grow God’s work in university.
I’m still serving them as I enter my third year of apprenticeship, while preparing for what’s next: seminary.
The next step: seminary training
My two years in CMA have taught me two things:
How desperately the Word of God is needed to shape people into Christ’s likeness.
How essential proper training is for anyone who will teach that Word for a lifetime.
I’ve learned that knowledge by itself doesn’t change lives, but neither does zeal without knowledge. Ministry is not just about caring for people; it’s about caring for them with the truth. I’ve seen how easily good intentions can drift into error when Scripture is handled loosely, or when emotion replaces exegesis. If I am to shepherd others faithfully, I must be mastered by the Word — in its original languages, its doctrines, its history, and its depth. That kind of mastery can’t be improvised; it must be trained.
Seminary, then, is not a retreat from ministry but its refinement. I want to be equipped not merely to “know more,” but to see more clearly how every text points to Christ and every doctrine guards His gospel. My hope is to return better able to teach, train, and raise others who will do the same — pastors, leaders, and lay Christians grounded in the Scriptures.
I’ve tasted the fruit of ministry that flows from God’s Word. Now I long to dig deeper into the soil that produces it. A robust theological education will not replace what God has already done through CMA; it will strengthen it. For the long years of ministry ahead, I want a mind sharpened by truth, a heart shaped by grace, and hands ready to serve the church in Malaysia for generations to come.
But I can’t do this alone.
Partnering together for the Gospel
To complete my training in seminary, I need to raise an estimated RM 1,000,000.
This will roughly cover:
54% – College tuition and fees
40% – Living expenses during the four years of study
6% – Insurance and ministry costs
This is a large sum, but not an impossible one. The same God who called me into ministry will supply what is needed through His people.
As the Apostle Paul once wrote:
“Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.” (Philippians 4:17)
Would you prayerfully consider partnering with me — either through monthly giving or a one-time gift — so that together, we may see Christ’s church in Malaysia continue to grow for the next generation and beyond?
Your support doesn’t just fund one person’s education; it fuels a movement of gospel preaching and faithful discipleship across Malaysia.
How to give
Bank: RHB Bank Berhad Account Name: CERC Theological Training Trust Account No.: 2-14062-0010147-0
Please include “Donation – Shaun” as your reference, and send your receipt to me via WhatsApp (+60122012341) so I can personally thank you and keep you updated on the journey!
A Final Word
If there’s one thing the last two years have taught me, it’s that God’s Word truly forms people. It formed me, from a nominal Christian to a servant of the gospel. It’s forming the students and adults I ministered to. And by His grace, it will keep forming His church until Christ returns.
So thank you for walking with me this far and I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership in the gospel with you!
The work is far from over. In fact, it’s only just begun.
