Meet our lovely leaders

Mike & Lin’s Background

I was born in NZ, along with my 4 brothers into a migrant family from Holland. Brought up in 2 cultures and married into a third culture has helped me value and engage in different cultures. Lin is from Malaysia and of Chinese ethnicity. We have totally different backgrounds and beliefs, but after finding truth in Jesus Christ, we have experienced the greatest miracle where God has deeply touched our hearts, transforming our lives to share God’s love to Internationals. We were called to the Auckland Tabernacle church in 2001 and continues to be a joy to see people find meaning & purpose in their lives through their relationship with our living GOD and the blessings of true freedom, joy and peace the world cannot offer. Global is family for us, with loving aunties, uncles, brothers and sisters, a united leadership together serving our Father GOD, whose deepest desire is to embrace those who are lost from him. Our desire is to help many on that exciting journey, with the guidance and care of Jesus the GOOD shepherd.

Mike&Lin

Our Pastor, Mike Van der Vlugt and his wife Lin

Eva's Background

Eva

Our Assistant Pastor, Eva Koh

I come from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and grew up in a Christian home. I thought I knew Jesus then, but I wasn’t really following Him. Life circumstances led me astray and I pursued all things worldly, but this lifestyle negatively impacted my marriage, family, and mental health, so we moved to New Zealand to start afresh. My family arrived Auckland in June 2012, and we ran a café business in Newmarket. During this time, God connected us to several people from Global, even before we stepped foot inside the church! It was in Global that I discovered my ministry passion and in 2018, I took a leap of faith by leaving my well-secured job to answer God’s calling to go to Bible college. Looking back, God has been leading my family to Global from the beginning. Since then, we have been serving in the church as a family. You will often see my husband Teng in the kitchen and my sons, Isaac and Jairus doing something IT-related. My family has experienced many occasions of God’s supernatural provisions, so I look forward to telling you more!

Leadership Team

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Agnes Leong

Celebration
Hi! I’m Agnes and I come from Macau, China. I have been to Global for eleven years. I came as an international student and Global is my second HOME. My passion is in worship and my dream is to write beautiful songs that would touch people’s hearts and bring them closer to God. I also love to meet new people. I hope to see you in Global soon!
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Gavin Wen

Celebration - Technical
“My name is Gavin Wen from Guangdong China. I came to NZ as an international student in 2000 and got invited to Global in 2002. After my baptism in 2003, I felt God’s calling to serve in the worship and technical teams. My wife Jane and I met in 2009 and decided to start a family together in 2011. God blessed us with 3 wonderful boys Nathan, Daniel & Bryan and we enjoy all the fun and laughter they have brought us. I’m looking forward to seeing you in our Global family on Sunday.”
Luke

Luke Park

Prayer & Intercession; Discipleship
“Hi, my name is Luke. I’m originally from South Korea. I first joined Global in 2016 where I met my wife, Reika. She is originally from Japan, and we serve together at Grapevine, the Japanese friendship ministry. I also lead the groups called, “Upper Room,” and “High Tea (Bible Study Group).” My passion is for us to grow together in God, following the example of Jesus. Please talk to me if you’d like to join any of these groups!”
don n aileen

Don & Aileen

Caring & Connecting; Mission & Outreach; Equipping & Empowering
“We are Don and Aileen, originally from Vietnam. We came to Global at different times, however, we both found it home. We love serving God in our international family, and we have been abundantly blessed by the Lord through the care of our pastors, elders, brothers and sisters here. My mum who is in Vietnam says to me “I stopped being worried because I have seen how much you are being loved and looked after.” I like outdoor activities like camping and fishing, I enjoy being with people, making new friends. Aileen loves cooking and baking, she enjoys giving people her delicious food and cakes. We are looking forward to welcoming you at our church.”
Tony

Tony & Faith

Caring & Connecting
“We are Faith and Tony with our daughter Joy from Korea, Taiwan and NZ! We love to connect with families and individuals and get to know them. Since we’ve been in Global, we’ve enjoyed love, care and nurturing from various members of this group, and we hope to pass the blessings to others joining us. Like our second family, we share ups & downs with our brothers and sisters from similar and different backgrounds. Out of the same love from Jesus, we’re able to do this.”
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Jonas & Vivian Kuhn

Caring & Connecting
“We are a German-Chinese couple. Being multicultural, we are passionate about bringing different cultures together. That’s why we are so happy to serve in Global, such an international ministry.
Vivian has been in Global for 17 years while Jonas also has been in Global for almost 10 years. We both love meeting new people and making them feel welcomed. At the moment we’re leading Beloved Friendship Group on some Sunday afternoons. So if you are new to the church and want to make friends, come to join us!”
CJ&May

CJ & May

CJ, Celebration
May, Prayer & Intercession
We gave our hearts to Jesus Christ when we were teenagers in 1980s. We were persecuted for our faith at first and our lives were tested in many areas but by His Holy Spirit, He gave us strength and assurance. We migrated to New Zealand from Malaysia with our children, Abigail and Benjamin. We have no family in New Zealand, but God provided us with a big family in Global. We know that these are not coincidences but divine appointments! To serve the Lord, together with our children in Global, is our greatest joy and honour!
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Magdalene Phythian

Tab Governance
“My name is Magdalene Phythian and I am a Global Governance Board elder as well as one of the leaders of Cornerstone life group that meets in Central Auckland in my home. We meet fortnightly which includes a shared meal, prayer and bible study. I have been with Global congregation since 2000 with a short stint at a start-up fellowship in Balmoral. You will find me leading one of the several discussion groups at the Global congregation.”
Wayne

Wayne Chen

Tab Governance
“My name is Wayne Chen. I am a Global representative on the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle Church Governance Eldership Board. I was invited to Global in 2006 and got to know more about Jesus through the church family and the Bible. Since then, I have served in Global in areas of preaching and Bible studies. Professionally I had worked as an engineer for 12 years before choosing to home-school my children full time.”