This interview is part of our series of getting to know the speakers who will be at the Next Gen conference for children, youth, and young adult ministry leaders in January. We asked them some questions about our theme for the year, “Follow Me.”
Rev. Shirley Yang serves as an associate pastor at Metro Community Church in Englewood, New Jersey, focusing on Special Needs and Women’s Ministries. After studying psychology and education, she pursued Christian education and later earned certification in special education. She is a proud mother of two children, Ethan (19) and Evelyn (17), and their dog, Toby (3).
Where do you currently live?
Tenafly, NJ
Can you describe a pivotal moment when you responded to the call to follow Jesus?
I was at a youth retreat when the gospel became personal to me. The speaker had us write our names into Galatians 2:20, which was crazy to me because I grew up revering the Bible. How could I write in the sacred book? But I followed the speaker’s directions and wrote with a pencil: “[Shirley has] been crucified with Christ and [Shirley] no longer lives, but Christ lives in [Shirley]. The life [she] now lives in the body, [she] lives by faith in the Son of God, who loved Shirley and gave Himself for Shirley.” That changed everything for me, and I’ve chosen to live for Him since.
How has your understanding of what it means to follow Jesus changed over time?
Over time, I’ve come to understand that following Jesus means sticking with him in great depth and intimacy, through all the great, glorious times but especially through the hard times. He never promised us that life would be “easy”, but that He’d be with us. Circumstances have tried to tell me otherwise, but I’ve come to understand that I can trust Him completely, with EVERY aspect of my life, and to keep my focus on Him and no one or nothing else.
Who is the most interesting person you follow online (social media, blogs, podcasts, etc.), and why?
Daniel Henney because he’s a hottie who is down to earth and loves dogs 😉
Just for fun: What was your last Google search?
Can my dog have rotisserie chicken? lol
