The Revd Mark Nam, Vicar at St John the Evangelist in Woodley, Reading, has been shortlisted in the National Diversity Awards.
Mark had been nominated in the Positive Role Model Award for Race/Faith/Religion category and now, following a public vote, will be part of the ceremony for shortlisted nominees.
He said: “The ceremony will take place at Liverpool Cathedral — in the very city where my grandfather arrived from China in 1918. To stand in that place — a century later — for work around race, faith, and identity feels like a quiet echo across generations.
“Thank you to everyone who’s offered support and encouragement along the way — I’m deeply grateful to all who have shared the journey. Whatever happens, I’ll be carrying your stories and voices with me in September.”
Mark is the 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".