Rev Ian Yong Commissioned for NZCMS Role in Auckland

On the 30^th June, Rev Ian Yong was com­mis­sioned by NZCMS in a new role of Inter­cul­tural Min­is­tries Enabler working within the Auck­land Diocese. A man of several hats, Ian also serves as an assist­ant priest at St Paul’s Symonds Street. During his time there, he has started a fruit­ful min­istry among inter­na­tional stu­dents in central Auck­land – running out­reach lunches, Alpha, and recently bap­tising several students.

This new part-time role with NZCMS has the goal of sup­port­ing other churches to engage in min­istry with people from other nations, and helping our churches to be places of inter­cul­tural worship and fel­low­ship. Ian will work along­side Rev Alice Kinyua (who is based in Nelson) and build on the work started by Bishop Ana Fletcher, pre­vi­ous NZCMS team member and now assist­ant bishop in the Wel­ling­ton Diocese. Ian will con­tinue his min­istry at St Paul’s for 30 hours, and in this new role with NZCMS for 10 hours per week.

So how did Ian find himself in this space?

God works in Mys­ter­i­ous Ways

If you sit down and listen to the story of Ian Yong and his wife Daisy, you cannot help but reflect on the Scrip­ture Isaiah 55v8: ^“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Ian says, “I am a Malay­sian born Chinese Anglican Priest, married to Daisy, and we have two chil­dren, Gabby and Isaac. We had been part of a Chinese Church in Auck­land for 15 years before joining the Anglican Church.”

Eleven years prior Daisy would say “we lived the perfect life”. They were settled, living on the North Shore of Auck­land, min­is­ter­ing to over­seas stu­dents, in a church they loved, enjoy­ing life, and cer­tainly not Anglican!

God started unset­tling the Yongs with the sense that they should move to Christ­ch­urch.  While they had some family in Christ­ch­urch, they were content and settled and had no reason to move.  It was a genuine wrestle until it become clear that this was indeed God’s leading and so in faith they made the move to Christ­ch­urch, right after the earthquakes.

On arriv­ing in Christ­ch­urch, attend­ing an Anglican Church was not on the radar, but their chil­dren had atten­ded St Timothy’s Anglican in Burn­side and loved it.  “Just come once”, they asked, “please”!

That “once” saw God confirm this was where they were sup­posed to be.  As they settled into the church and make their life in Christchurch.

“While at St Timothy’s, the Anglican Parish of Burn­side-Hare­wood,” Ian says, “we heard the call for ordin­a­tion and were sent back to Auck­land for train­ing at St. John’s college. After serving at St Mat­thias, Panmure Parish, running the Alpha Course wit­ness­ing many people espe­cially those of Chinese origin came to Christ, we had the priv­ilege of joining St Paul’s Symonds Street.”

Weaving a picture of partnership

The church service on the 30^th of June at St Paul’s Symonds Street Anglican Church in Auck­land was a picture of a beau­ti­ful part­ner­ship between St Pauls, the Diocese of Auck­land, NZCMS and Ian himself to serve this city and the diversity of people’s who live there.

Ian sees himself as a trail­blazer, called to walk the edges of the Pākehā world and min­is­ter to many inter­na­tional stu­dents via St Paul’s student lunch min­istry and running Chinese Alpha among other things. He says, “I am excited to work with NZCMS to join in with God in serving Auck­land city to see how we can support cross-cul­tural min­istry and mission with inter­na­tion­als in Auck­land. I pray when God calls, we follow, Jesus sends, we go, and the Holy Spirit moves, we are trans­formed. No more, no less!”

Get in Touch

If you’re a church wanting to engage in evan­gel­ism and dis­ciple­ship across cul­tures in NZ, Ian (ian@nzcms.org.nz) and Alice (alice@nzcms.org.nz) would love to hear from you.

If you would like to support Ian fin­an­cially or pray­er­fully, please contact NZCMS via our website or call us and we would be happy to help.