Rev Yong Chee Weng and Rev Quek Lee Siu first crossed paths in 1998, united by a rare ambition to enter full-time ministry.

Rev Chee Weng was a chemical engineer with a heart for missions, while Rev Lee Siu, fresh from earning her accounting degree, was already working full-time at her church.

The couple got married in October 2001. Three months later, the pair of Malaysians enrolled in the Bible College of Malaysia and finished an accelerated Bachelor of Theology in two years.

“We knew we were destined for a life of ministry,” said Rev Lee Siu, now 49.

Over the next 20 years of their marriage, they would obey God’s call to raise their family and serve Him in, not one, not two, but three countries around the world.

First stop: North Africa

In 2009, they answered God’s first call to serve in a country in northern Africa.

With their two young daughters, they moved to its capital to minister to an unreached people group.

Rev Lee Siu (left) with her two daughters having tea with their new neighbours in northern Africa.

However, their mission soon collided with the turbulence of the Arab Spring, which brought on a surge of terrorism.

Foreigners became targets to gain leverage. Rev Chee Weng, 50, recalls a chilling incident where over 40 foreigners working at an oil and gas field were killed. Not long after, a French tourist was brutally beheaded.

Their sending church, Calvary Church Kuala Lumpur, grew concerned for their safety. Yet, the couple pressed on.

They learned the local language and met hundreds of locals. Most had never met a Christian before or been told about the Jesus of the Bible.

“What little they knew was misinformation. From their description of Christians, I myself wouldn’t want to be a Christian,” recalled Rev Chee Weng.

In north Africa, Rev Chee Weng planted a children’s church, teaching local children Bible lessons.

Amazingly, God used their two girls, aged five and one at the time, as a bridge to the locals, especially women and families.

“I thought my girls were just following our call but God had better plans: They became the key and opened doors for the Gospel to be shared,” Rev Lee Siu said. 

But fears for their safety were growing. After much prayer, they returned to Malaysia in 2014.

“It was a difficult decision,” Rev Chee Weng recalled. “But the Lord said, ‘I’m the One who called you to go. Now, I’m calling you to come back. Will you obey?’”

Ministering in the Middle East

Following their return, the couple spent five years ministering in Malaysia. It was during this season that God began to stir Rev Lee Siu’s heart for the United Kingdom (UK).

However, despite the growing burden, no doors seemed to open. “I felt discouraged and depressed. I understood God’s call, but couldn’t seem to move,” she admitted.

“But then, He opened a window for us.”

A pastoral position became available in a country in the Arabian Peninsular, at a church co-led by pastors from both the Anglican and Reformed denominations.

Rev Lee Siu preaching at the Christmas Service of the Protestant Church in the Middle East.

Having been part of the Assemblies of God (a Pentecostal denomination) all their lives, the shift was a “strange” experience for them, Rev Lee Siu said with a laugh.

However, it was a formative time. She learned invaluable lessons on pastoring in a multi-denominational and geopolitically complex context – experiences that would prove essential in the seasons ahead.

As time passed, Rev Lee Siu’s desire for the UK faded, but Rev Chee Weng never forgot.

Mobilising missions in the UK

In 2022, Rev Chee Weng came across an online advertisement for the position of Senior Pastor at Manchester Christian Chinese Church (MCCC) in the UK and showed the ad to his wife.

She believed that an established Chinese church would never consider a woman for the role of its Senior Pastor, but her husband encouraged her to apply anyway.

“At the interview, I learned that all six of my references said my strength was in missions, but the church was hiring a Senior Pastor and not a Mission Pastor. Why should they consider me? Looking back, I know it was God who gave me the words,” she said.

She responded to the panel explaining that as Senior Pastor, she would be able to mobilise the entire church to adopt a missions-minded approach and reach out to the lost in the UK.

Soon after, the response came: The position was hers.

Staying faithful

Today, Rev Lee Siu oversees the 800-member non-denominational church spread across seven congregations in Cantonese, Mandarin and English.

“Many people think the UK is fertile ground, that people are actively seeking and just waiting to receive Jesus. But that is far from the truth,” she shared.

A corporate prayer meeting at MCCC, where faith and a heart for the lost is growing.

Her husband, who serves part-time as a pastor at MCCC, echoed her sentiments by describing the spiritual health of the Church in the UK as “disheartening”.

While the work is not easy, the couple’s goal is simply to remain faithful to the call they believe the Lord has given them for this season, one of which is to grow the church’s missions and outreach efforts.

“We support two local church planters in Bhutan who have started churches amongst unreached peoples. We also support a local outreach for new and second-generation migrants from unreached communities,” Rev Lee Siu shared excitedly.

“Like every mission field, there are challenges. There is a reason God has sent us here. How do I do what He has called me to do?”

Your mission field is where you are

After two decades of life in missions and pastoral care, what is clear to Rev Lee Siu and Rev Chee Weng is that missions is never meant to be carried by full-time missionaries alone.

“If every local church took greater responsibility to define what true missions looks like and reached out to those around them, we wouldn’t need missionaries,” Rev Lee Siu said emphatically.

For Chinese New Year, MCCC organised a Food Fest to reach out to local mixed communities around Manchester.

To live missional lives, said Rev Chee Weng, believers must ask: “Is Jesus truly the Lord of our lives? If He is, we would be compelled to share the Gospel in life, word, and deed.

“Acts 20:24 is what drives my life, to finish the race and complete the task given to me, testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

As they near their 50s, these pioneer missionaries are now seeking to pastor their congregation and train young missionaries. Personally, they remain ever-ready for God’s call.

Rev Lee Siu said: “The Lord who calls is the One who makes things possible. In missions and ministry, He has opened doors that seemed so tightly shut. Yes, we have been a blessing, but we have received so much more.”

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