Stepping Out in Faith: An Interview with the Superintendent
Interview by: Kennedy Mayhew and Paige Antonides, grade 11 students at Surrey Christian School

Ben Yap, our new superintendent, has lived and worked all over our globe – from Australia to China to the UK. Just days before the school year started, he arrived here in Canada, and we are so grateful to have him. In October, we met up to ask some questions and get to know him better.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Whenever I get a chance, I like going for bike rides. I brought my bike over here from Australia – everywhere we go, I bring my bike. I’m primarily into road cycling, but I know that mountain biking is really big here, so I may have to try that as well.

What is your favourite movie or band?
One movie that I watched recently that I’ve enjoyed is Top Gun Maverick, which was kind of fun. When Top Gun first came out in the 80s, I quite enjoyed watching it as a young person. Watching the sequel allowed me to relive those memories. There is this one Australian band that I often listen to called Powderfinger. It’s been around for a while but it’s easy to listen to, and I grew up with it.

What is one thing that has surprised you most living in Canada so far?
How many public holidays you’ve had so far! In around six weeks we’ve had only one full week school – maybe two. One of the holidays was even unplanned – the Queen’s memorial.

Who or what would you say is your biggest inspiration?
When I hear of people who are or were missionaries, I get really inspired by them. The fact that they are willing to step out of their comfort zone or routine and follow God’s calling is very inspirational. Whether it’s in inner city suburbs or whether it’s going to Nepal or moving to central Africa, I love to hear their stories about how they trust in God’s leading and then live out their calling in a place that is unfamiliar. I feel that it encourages me in my faith when I see other people live out their faith in this way.

Could you tell us a little about your family?
I have two kids, Summer and James. Summer was born in the UK and has lived in the UK, Australia, China and now Canada. Then James was born in Australia and has also lived in multiple countries. They’re quite different – James is active and loves sports, while Summer is more thoughtful and enjoys reading and listening to music.

If you weren’t in education, what job would you want to have?
If I weren’t working in education, I’d be really interested in exploring the idea of working in a restaurant. Maybe being a restaurant manager or head chef and managing the kitchen. I love cooking, I love working with teams, and I love serving people.

Why did you choose to go into education?
Before I became a teacher, I had worked many different jobs. One of the jobs was in schools as a basketball coach. When I came home after working with young people, I felt really energized and motivated. Even though I enjoyed my other jobs, I knew that this was my calling. I really enjoyed working with young people and being part of their development. Through working as a basketball coach, I realized that working with youth was something that I wanted to do with my life.

What is one thing you want the SCS community to know about you?
I deeply care for people. I care that they know God and that they know that God is active and He is faithful. I want people to know that they are in a space where they can be connected to others and accepted. I’d love to be able to help people see where God is working in their lives. God is always at work in our lives. He is active, moving, and passionately pursuing us.

What is one thing you appreciate about the SCS community so far?
The people are super kind and caring. It really stood out to me that everyone is very welcoming and genuinely friendly.

How will you live into SCS’s mission Educating for Wholeness by Engaging God’s World in the Servant Way of Jesus?
The mission has three main parts to it. Educating for Wholeness – the idea of wholeness is about balance. I think about balance and how I can live a balanced life. A big part of this for me is just being aware of much I’m leaning on one area of my life at the time. It means looking at how I spend my time and what that reveals about my priorities. The second part is engaging God’s world – the idea of being intentional about thinking beyond ourselves and looking into how we can serve the community and our world. Finally, the third part of the vision statement is about living in the servant way of Jesus – it really is about being humble and not thinking about ourselves first. It means looking to Jesus as an example of how to live and to completely rely on God.

This article was previously published in Avenues.