Adam was born and raised in Beijing. His mother was baptised in 1990 and she had a terrific influence on his life. In 1999 he went to London to study, and the dormitory he stayed in was next to Spurgeon’s well-known church – Metropolitan Tabernacle. His own faith grew there as he studied the bible. He was baptised in 2003 at a Baptist church in Newcastle, England. He then migrated to Australia in 2008 and since then has been part of two Baptist congregations in Melbourne.

In 2018 he started to think more about his giving to God. At the time he was developing a couple of businesses and at one point made a large donation to his local church waiting expectantly to see what would happen to his business. But things got tougher! He even had to sell some beloved assets to feed his family but kept pursuing God whilst still working on his business. As Adam reflects, “During 2020 I began a journey of thinking differently about the purpose behind my giving. I started thinking and praying more about how my money could be used most effectively not just through random giving and also not just because I wanted to see something in return.”

Looking for a bigger platform he became aware of the Baptist Union of Victoria. “I spoke with the BUV Support Hub’s Partnership Development Pastor, and we had a very encouraging conversation. I was inspired by the BUV’s approach to Church Planting and realised that my donations could play a significant role in that.” However, the next couple of years were difficult. His mother passed away in China and he lost a business due to the times we were in. “The Pastor at the BUV was always in the loop with information, and we met, talked and prayed together regularly. I felt appreciated and valued as a person but also realised that this was a significant way that I could partner with what God wanted to do on earth, bringing His love and care to others in places where churches didn’t yet exist”.

Realising this, in 2023 Adam made what he felt was a covenant with God to donate a certain amount but by the end of the year, he had donated three times that figure!  “This journey together has changed my life. I’ve worked hard on developing my business but at the same time I have been committed to my vision for giving because I had realised that giving was about being generous with whatever I had at any stage, not about what I would get in return.

“What I then realised was that I wanted my business to succeed so that I could give. It gave my hard work so much more inspiration and meaning. I would never have imagined this, but this has been one of the great joys of my life. I am excited to continue to partner with the opportunities of seeing God’s kingdom come through church planting and placemaking in Victoria. I am also inspired about what I see God is doing in me not just through me.”

In February this year, Adam took a trip with Andrew Naylor and Danny Ang from the BUV office. They visited Olivine, Donnybrook where they met with church planters Kathryn Jensen and Michelle Mitchell over lunch. Kathryn and Michelle were able to communicate both the difficulties and the rewards of planting something new in a completely new environment. As they have expressed, “It feels like just the beginning and it is hard ground, but God is blessing the work.”

Adam was impacted deeply by the work being done and remarked later “Michelle and Kathryn are God’s good servants, for sure. It is great to partner with this kind of work.”