Pastor Lee’s journey to ministry was never straightforward.
It began with despair, addiction, prison, and a tragic death that changed the course of his life.
Gazette journalist Afraa Kori reports on his path from prison to pulpit.
“God has turned a depressed, angry, hopeless addict like me into a contributing member of society,” Pastor Lee said.
When Pastor Lee Wong stands before his congregation at Fire Church in Beaconsfield, he speaks with the conviction of someone who has lived both darkness and light.
Raised in Melbourne without his parents close by, he became “a practical orphan” and drifted into the streets.
“This is the beginning of the downfall,” Lee said. “My parents were overseas during my teenage years. I roamed the streets looking for a family.”
In 2005, Lee’s life took a tragic turn when he faced his first legal trouble. A young woman accidentally consumed GHB from a water bottle he had bought from his drug dealer, mistaking it for water.
“I didn’t think anyone could possibly just gulp that down because it tasted horrible, but unfortunately she did,” Lee said.
“I was going to take her to the hospital but I had a car full of drug-affected people that made this difficult.
“An off duty policeman then came and started lecturing us about the dangers of drugs. She passed away during this time.”
After a police investigation and a 13-month court process, the death was concluded to be “accidental”. However, Lee admitted to selling drugs and was subsequently charged with trafficking, possession, and drug use.
In March 2006, he went to prison, a sentence that dramatically altered his life.
“In the early days, I was so depressed that I was bedridden for weeks, having no motivation to get out and despairing of life,” Lee said.
“It was horrible in that I was suicidal at times but then it was great because it forced me to lean into God in an otherwise uncommon way. This formed my calling into ministry.”
After prison, Lee avoided the city for a period of time because of the trauma and painful memories from the tragic incident.
He became a devoted Christian, which gave him purpose and healing, removing the need to return to his old life.
“If I didn’t follow Christ, I would be dead or in jail,” Lee said.
His faith deepened, eventually leading him to become a pastor.
“I had an encounter with God in a carpark,” Lee said.
“I started reading the bible for hours each day and felt this strange knowing in my heart about giving my life to God for service.”
At first, he resisted, feeling unworthy: “Why would God use me, when I am obviously a wreck?”
But over time he came to believe “this is exactly the type of people that God uses to glorify himself”.
“The Apostle Paul was a murderer of Christians and he became an influential figure,” Lee said
“God has turned a depressed, angry, hopeless addict like me into a contributing member of society so he can work on other people.
“I’ve learnt how to forgive myself and others and endeavour to better myself and my community for the rest of my life.”
For many years, Lee served faithfully at Fire Church in Carrum Downs under the leadership of Pastors Alex and Jess Barcenas. In 2025, the Barcenas became national leaders of Fire Church Ministries, which today has campuses across suburbs and states.
Recently they prayed for Lee and released him to establish Fire Church in Beaconsfield.
“Initially, I was hesitant about planting a church because I knew just how much work would go into it,” Lee said.
“God, once again touched my heart and dropped the idea, and a week later my oversight in ministry approached me with the idea of planting a church around Beaconsfield.”
Fire Church is a highly missional church, and its Beaconsfield campus, launched five months ago, is carrying that DNA with a stronger focus on prayer to drive regional change. Lee plans to expand into prison ministry, street chaplaincy, marketplace evangelism, and a community food pantry.
Partnerships with the Casey Pastors Network and Beaconsfield Neighbourhood Centre are also underway.
Having experienced it firsthand, Lee hopes his church will play a role in strengthening families and addressing social issues in the community.
“Too little is being done to support strong families. I’ve volunteered with youth outreaches and almost every single youth that is on the streets, has no home or is being abused at home.
“The real reason behind my drug taking is actually depression and hopelessness. So while some people cannot relate to the drugs and youth gang experience, I think a lot more people can relate to depression and hopelessness.”
The most rewarding part for Pastor Lee is “seeing people who are broken come into the church and then find wholeness and restoration”. He also loves “the challenge of raising up the next generation of leaders”.
Outside of ministry, he takes pride in the simple things.
“My greatest accomplishments would be getting married to my lovely wife and having a son,” Lee said.
“Growing up, the world sold me the idea that to be “alive” is to party until I become unconscious.
“But after experiencing both sides, I have to say that living a quiet life, where I earn my living through honest work and then coming home to prepare dinner for my family is the far more wholesome path.”
