My journey of healing Mark tells of change in the Church
AQUALIFIED lawyer is set to become one of the first British-born Chinese priests in the Church of England.
Reverend Mark Nam has spoken to the Post about his experience of religion, racism and self-acceptance, after he was ordained as a deacon in the Diocese of Bristol.Mark has been serving as assistant curate at two South Gloucestershire churches since June, and was ordained at Bristol Cathedral earlier this month.
His journey to become a priest has been years in the making, after he embarked on an unusual career change.
Mark, who lives in Longwell Green with his wife and three children, said: “I originally trained in law – I studied my undergraduate here [in the UK] and did my post-grad in Hong Kong.
“Hong Kong is a place where ex-pats go to make money, and then they leave, and they don’t necessarily put much back into the country.
“That just didn’t sit right with me – I wanted to give something back.”
He embraced his Christian faith and helped to set up a church and community centre there, providing charitable services including food for refugees.
After several years there as a pastor he felt compelled to pursue theological training, and returned to the UK to attend Trinity College in Stoke Bishop.
Now 39, he has completed four years of study there and was officially ordained as a deacon on Sunday, October 11.
After about a year another ordination will be held, where he will officially become a priest.
Mark said: “The community in this part of Bristol has been incredibly warm.
“I feel called to reach out to the community and see how the Church can serve and benefit them during this difficult time.”
A statement released by the Diocese said Mark will be “one of the first British-born Chinese priests in the Church of England”.
He said his choice of career is “quite unique”, and said this is partly because many Chinese parents in the UK prefer their children to pursue careers like law, medicine or banking.
Mark is the third generation of his family to live in the UK, and said that his parents were much more open to his choice of job.
However, he said his journey has not been without difficul
I think it’s very positive that the Church of England has recognised the lack of diversity, and I support them in wanting to represent the people that the Church purports to serve Reverend Mark Nam
ties, and balancing his Chinese and British heritage has been challenging at times.
He said: “There were times when I was teased for being different.
“Growing up as someone from a minority [background] in the UK, I felt that over the years I have in some ways repressed myself a little bit, in an effort to fit in.
“For many years, both inside and outside the Church, I felt pressure to assimilate myself. Doing my training I realised that God was calling all of me, and that it’s not helpful to deny myself.
“It’s been a journey of healing. I believe God loves all of us and we are all valued, even though we are different.”
In June, the Church of England announced a new commission, to drive forward “bold changes” to help achieve racial equality.
Just a fraction of the clergy are from black, Asian or ethnic minority (BAME) backgrounds, and Mark hopes the Church will work to become more diverse.
He said: “I think it’s very positive that the Church of England has recognised the lack of diversity, and I support them in wanting to represent the people that the Church purports to serve.”
He wore a personalised stole during his ordination ceremony, which represented the union of Chinese and British cultures.
One side of the stole was embroidered with the symbol for East, and the other for West, joining in the middle.
An ordination stole is traditionally presented to candidates as a gift, and Mark’s father Tony had hoped to present it to him ahead of the day.
However, just two days before Mark was licensed by the Bishop of Bristol in July, his father died.
He raised money for the stole through a crowdfunding page instead, raising £1,760.
Mark is now working to mentor other BAME clergy who have been raised in the West, alongside his work at churches in Longwell Green and Oldland Common.