Embeddedness and Belonging: Global Majority Heritage, Belonging, and the Church
February 18 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Facilitated by Rev. Mark Nam 甄英深
National institutions shape everyday life in quiet but powerful ways—through what they name, remember, and choose to make permanent. In this reflective session, Revd Mark Nam explores how deeply embedded institutions such as the Church of England influence belonging far beyond their immediate settings.
As the established church within the UK’s constitutional settlement—interwoven with state, crown, and public life—the Church of England remains a vital participant in national conversations about identity, memory, and belonging.
Drawing on his journey as one of the first British-born Chinese priests in the Anglican Church, Mark reflects on how inclusion can be sustained—or quietly lost—over time. From discovering Li Tim‑Oi, the first woman ordained in the Anglican Communion, to the restoration of his ancestral name at ordination, he shows how progress fades when stories are not institutionally embedded.
The session highlights the importance of permanent markers—memorials, academic scholarship, and liturgical recognition. Referencing his contribution to Chinese Heritage and British Christianity (SCM Press) and efforts to establish a memorial at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Mark invites participants to consider how organisations can move from symbolic gestures to lasting inclusion.
About the facilitator
Revd Mark Nam is a British-born Chinese vicar in the Church of England, writer, and national advocate for Global Majority Heritage inclusion. He is the founder of The Teahouse, a network raising the profile and participation of Chinese-heritage communities and serves as UKME Dean for the Diocese of Oxford. A commissioned portrait of Mark featured in a six-month exhibition at the British Library exploring British Chinese communities and culture.
Mark writes academically, including a chapter in Chinese Heritage and British Christianity (SCM Press), lectures at Anglican theological colleges, and has contributed to an upcoming volume on artificial intelligence and theology with Bloomsbury(2026). He is a regular speaker on BBC local radio and faith-based media, a trustee of SPCK Publishing and the Li Tim-Oi Foundation, a recipient of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lambeth Award in 2023, and a 2025 National Diversity Awards winner. Mark tweets @marknam.
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