Alan Lam
Senior Minister
My life was always about performing and pleasing people. Getting good marks, being a good boy and doing good. I was happy when things were going well and kept trying harder when they weren’t. I knew that there was something more. In God’s grace, he helped me to realise that I’m part of something bigger. This universe has been made by and for Christ. I was once God‘s enemy but now a child of God through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, ascension and sending of the Spirit. I’m now good because of how good Jesus is and not because of how good I am. Jesus died my death so that I can live his life. God is pleased with me because of Jesus. I don’t have to pretend in front of God.
This gave me a higher peace, principle & purpose in life. We aren’t an accident. I seek to love others because God first loved me. I stopped working as a medical doctor addressing sicknesses to be a spiritual doctor addressing the worst sickness - sin. I did a ministry apprenticeship (with CBS at UNSW) and then studied theology (at Moore College). My greatest prayer and joy is seeing people know and grow in Christ.
My parents left Vietnam as refugees. I’m grateful to be in Australia which is a peaceful and prosperous country. I’m ever thankful that I can look forward to heaven. I’m married to Glorya and we have five children. We also speak Chinese and Indonesian (at least try to). We enjoy movies, board games and the trampoline. We are getting more experienced with (and have survived) camping. We are blessed to be in Lugarno where we’re close to nature and part of a friendly neighbourhood. Our desire is that people will enjoy a much better suburb - the heavenly city to come with God and all good things.
alan.lam@lugarnoanglican.org.au
Elvin Hong
方德雄牧师
Mandarin Minister
I was born in Brunei and came to Sydney as a young teenager to study. I grew up in a non-Christian household and followed my grandparents in worshipping Buddhist idols. By God’s grace, my parents allow all seven of their children to attend Sunday School, where I first learned about Jesus – the one who made us and saves us unlike idols, which were made by humans and cannot save.
At the end of university, I decided there is no matter way to use my life than to share this great news about the Lord Jesus. To be equipped well for this, I did a two-year ministry apprenticeship at UNSW (FOCUS) and then theological training at Moore College.
I am married to Cate and we are blessed with 4 children and a dog. My passion is to share Jesus with Chinese speakers, ground them in God’s word, equip them to serve, and raise up future generations of gospel workers for the Lord’s harvest.
国语堂牧师
我在文莱出生，青少年时期来到悉尼读书。我是在一个非基督徒的家庭长大的，从小跟着祖父母拜佛像。感谢神的恩典，父母允许我们七个孩子参加主日学。就在主日学里，我第一次认识耶稣—祂是创造我们的主，也是救我们的主；而那些偶像只是人造的，不能拯救我们。
大学毕业前，我决定将一生用于传扬主耶稣的好消息，我认为这是最值得的事。为了更充分地装备自己，我在新南威尔士大学（FOCUS）参与了为期两年的事工学徒训练，随后在摩尔神学院接受了神学培训。
神赐给我和妻子Cate四个孩子和一只狗。神放在我心里一份负担，就是希望把主耶稣介绍给讲中文的人，帮助他们扎根在神的话语里，装备他们去服侍，也一起培养下一代的福音工人，为主收割庄稼。
elvin.hong@lugarnoanglican.org.au
0425 280 278
Josh (& Amy) Chin
Student Minister
I arrived in Sydney as an international student in 2013 to study my university degree. Having been raised in a Christian family back in Malaysia, I had always thought of myself as a believer, but my understanding of salvation and the assurance of forgiveness was dependent on my own deeds - whether I would behave like a typical good Christian, and whether I could cancel out my own sin by doing good works. Even though I loved Jesus and being part of church, I thought that there was no way I could be sure of God's love, because my own life was full of selfishness and poor decisions.
After coming to study at UNSW, God graciously helped me to find a church that showed me how to read the Bible for myself. As I continued (alongside other students) to find answers in God's Word, I was moved in discovering that Jesus had paid for all my sins - past, present and future, by dying on the cross. I did not have to prove that I was good enough to be saved, or confess enough to be forgiven. On the contrary, God knew that I could not save myself, and so he gave his Son to be our sacrifice, so that we can be reconciled and declared righteous before our loving Creator.
Near the end of university, I began to consider the way God had blessed me with strong Christian support and equipped me to read the Bible and teach others too. He also provided Amy to me as a wife, and we both were committed to serving his kingdom with our lives. We got married in 2022 and after a few years of me working in the legal/insurance industry, we became ministry apprentices at our university church, learning how to faithfully teach and train students and graduates with the gospel of Jesus. It is our hope that after I finish studying at Moore Theological College, we would be able to return to Malaysia to grow the church with the word of truth entrusted to us.
Amy and I love food (especially Malaysian), music, playing sports and napping with Zebra, our cat. Come say hi to us at Lugarno!
josh.chin@lugarnoanglican.org.au
Sharyn Gaspari
Kids Leader
Ian Scarfe
Seniors Leader