From Resistance to Calling: How a Reluctant Student Became a Campus Pastor in Sydney (VIDEO)

By Tom Mills, Dec 19, 2023

Growing up as a minister’s kid, Sijin Yang didn’t want anything to do with church work. The fact that he is now four years into directing the Student Outreach to the World ministry with Harbour City Church in Sydney, is surprising and unexpected, even to him.

Sijin knew he was a Christian but for some reason it never translated to his purpose. At the end of high school, and beginning of college, he enjoyed the freedoms of not having a curfew and setting his own timetable. His faith was a little rocky. Even as he got involved with SOW campus ministry there was still a sense where on Sundays and at ministry meetings, he’d be one person, and then on Friday and Saturday nights, he’d be a different kind of person.

Over time that “sparkle” wore off and he began to hear about God’s mission, the Great Commission. Eventually it took root, and he took on student leadership roles. Now Sijin directs the SOW campus ministry, whose mission is to disciple students to love Jesus, serve His Church, and reach His world.

Now fully engaged in God’s mission, he still stops to ask, “Why did God save me?” One way to answer that question, Sijin says, is “because He loved me.” That's true. “But,” he goes on to say, “another way that you could pose the question is for what purpose did God save me? And it is to participate in the amazing work of the gospel.”

Tom Mills is a content creator for Mission to the World. He is a graduate of Wheaton College. Tom loves meeting and interviewing believers all over the world, capturing stories of God's global church.

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Pray for the people of Sydney, Australia, a city which has been described as "post-post Christian pagan." Pray that God would open eyes to the truth of the gospel.

Pray for MTW's ministries in Sydney, including Harbour City Church, City Sanctum, and Student Outreach to the World, as well as the Pacific Islands Island to Island Partnership.

Give thanks for Harbour City Church in Sydney, Australia, and pray that God would continue to use it to reach people who come to Sydney from all over Australasia.

Pray for City Sanctum, a ministry to businessmen and women in Sydney, Australia that helps believers live out their faith in the workplace, and welcomes non-believers exploring their faith.

Pray for college students around the world to be impacted through MTW’s partnership with RUF.

Give thanks for Harbor City Church in Sydney, Australia, which is thriving with four campuses after years of struggles getting established.

Pray for missionary kids as they develop friendships with local children to have an impact for Christ.

Pray for those who feel called to missions, but don't yet know what or where God is calling them to. Pray for clarity, but also a resting peace in our sovereign God.

Pray for Harbor City Church in Sydney, Australia, and their mission to reach Asia. “New Australians”—second-generation immigrants and internationalized young adults of predominantly Asian descent—are the source not only of Harbor City Church’s steady growth, but also of its impact, much of it through its Student Outreach to the World ministry.

Pray for God to move among the Pacific Island nations of Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga through the Island to Island Gospel Fellowship.

From Resistance to Calling: How a Reluctant Student Became a Campus Pastor in Sydney (VIDEO)

GET INVOLVED

Jess: A Life Transformed in Sydney (VIDEO)

A Huddle of College Students Grows into a Flourishing Church in Sydney

Leaving My Life of "Anything Goes"

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