Timithy Jerry, a master’s student in theology at Sabah Theological Seminary (STS) in eastern Malaysia, relishes his weekends – but not for time off. (Anto Akkara, ENInews)

Jerry, who belongs to the Iban tribe from eastern Malaysia, is one of a number of students who are sent on weekends to churches of different denominations, some in remote villages, for Sunday services. “It is great opportunity to interact with people of different ethnic traditions,” Jerry told ENInews.

The school, located at the city of Kota Kinabalu, has 336 students including over three dozen from a dozen countries in southeast Asia.

“The diversity of denominations and ethnic traditions here is really enriching,” said Van Eng Thangi, a Presbyterian masters student from Myanmar. “This experience will certainly help me when I go back to my church,” he said.

“Besides international students, we have students from almost all the 20 major denominations in Malaysia,” said the Rev Chung Song Mee, dean of studies at STS.

The seminary is located in the Sabah province in eastern Malaysia, which is a Christian stronghold in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Christians number more than one third of the more than two million people who are mostly ethnic Malaya tribes and Chinese.

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“We have even part-time Roman Catholic students on our rolls,” added Chung who gave up her secular teaching job to join STS in 1980 after graduating from Singapore Bible College.

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Seminary in Malaysia opens ecumenical worlds (Anglican Communion News Service/ENInews)