The Revd Mark Nam has been nominated for a National Diversity Award in the Positive Role Model Award for Race, Religion and Faith category.
He is vicar of St John the Evangelist, Woodley and founder of The Teahouse, a network that raises the profile and participation of Chinese-heritage clergy. Mark has served as the Minority Ethnic Vocations Champion for the Diocese of Bristol and is a mentor for UKME and GMH clergy in The Church of England.
Chinese-heritage clergy like Mark represent just 0.02% of stipendiary clergy in The Church of England. As a trail-blazer and role model, Mark challenges two cultural stereotypes, namely: a) what a typical English parish priest might look like; and b) what a Chinese-heritage person might aspire to be.
In addition to his parochial responsibilities, Mark is a trustee for SPCK Publishing, and the Li Tim-Oi Foundation which provides grants to women in the Majority World to access theological training. Mark is a chaplain to the Asian Christianity MA students at CMS (Church Mission Society) and a trustee for CARG (Campaign Against Racism Group) who work with the Government to combat hate-crime against East and South-East Asian ("ESEA") communities.
Mark has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of issues affecting the ESEA communities in the UK. Each year on 11 November at 11am, he is invited to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph in London in honour of the 120,000 Chinese Labour Corps who served Britain during the First World War — yet who remain largely unrecognised and without a formal memorial.
In 2023, Mark received the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lambeth award for his “outstanding contribution to raising the profile and participation of Chinese-heritage clergy and communities in the Church of England and commitment to serving the overseas Chinese diaspora, particularly those settling in the United Kingdom from Hong Kong".
On hearing of his nomination, he said: "I do want to say that at first, I wasn't sure if I ought to stand for nomination—but then I discovered the awards ceremony will be held at Liverpool Cathedral. The cathedral backs onto Europe’s oldest Chinatown, and Liverpool was where my paternal grandparents first arrived in the UK as migrants. That really struck a chord. It felt like something of a full-circle moment—returning to the place where my family’s journey in this country began. If I make it to the ceremony, I hope to carry not just my own story, but theirs—and the stories of many other migrants—into that sacred space. Thanks so much if you're able to support. It means a lot!"