Meet Our Staff!
We, the staff of UP, would like to introduce ourselves so that when you come to worship with us,
you'll already know a few friendly faces. It's our pleasure to serve those who worship with us. We
look forward to meeting you!
[Pastor]
Dr. Soon Chung
Pastor Soon has been the senior pastor at UPC since its inception. He completed his undergraduate studies in Political Science at UCLA, then went on to study at Princeton Theological Seminary, and received his doctorate from Gordon-Conwell Seminary. In his spare time, Pastor Soon enjoys playing with his four children, spending time with his wife, and playing an occasional game of basketball.
[Elders]
Thomas Hong
Thomas accepted Christ as a freshman at UCLA in 1992, and has been at UPC since. Along the way, he met and married Phuong, a fellow church staff worker, and together they have four exceptionally cute kids. When he is not being swarmed under by Kaitie, Krista, Samuel, and Silas, Thomas enjoys reading bedtime stories, playing volleyball with his wife, and listening to audiobooks.
Ted Liu
Ted is a co-treasurer at UPC. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in Linguistics. Ted is famous for his rilling culinary skills, which feature ribeye steak, ribs, King crab and lamb. Ted and his wife Helen both serve as strong members of the prayer team and are best known for their selfless generosity and hospitality. They enjoy traveling to Taiwan, watching Battles Galactica and playing board games. They have two adorable sons together, Evan and Micah.
Stanley Yung
Stanley is a co-treasurer at UPC. He graduated from the UCLA School of Film and Television and is an independent film producer, whose past productions include Cat Fish in Black Bean Sauce. He enjoys playing roller hockey and volleyball. He and his wife Robin have two sons, Holden and Lucas.
[Staff]
Yvonne Chang - College Ministry Director
Yvonne got her B.A. in Religious Studies at the University of Virginia (Go Cavaliers!) and then went on to get her M.Div. at Princeton Seminary. At UPC she leads the undergrad ministries and is involved in the Welcome Committee. She enjoys having a good conversation over a good cup of coffee. Watch out… when she lets her guard down, her corny sense of humor tends to emerge.
Esther Chung - Christian Education Director
Esther amazes us all in the number of things she can juggle - not only does she coordinate all the activities and Bible study lessons for the Children's Ministry, but she is also a mother of four children! Esther graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary with a M.A. in Christian Education. Esther also helps to organize events for the Convalescent Ministry.
Laine Furukawa - Worship & Youth Director
Laine was born and raised in Oahu, Hawaii, and has done missions in Fiji and New Zealand. He is serving as our Director of Worship and Arts. He enjoys a diverse range of music from blues to rock to hip hop. His hobbies include surfing, listening to and playing music, computers and tech toys, and barbeques on the beach.
Jessica Furukawa - AWANA Director
Jessica was raised in Redding, CA, and she and Laine have been happily married since 2008. Jessica is the coordinator of our AWANA program and she has a heart for Children's Ministry. Jessica's hobbies include watching movies and spending time with her Pomeranian pet, Chia.
Yumi Lee - Administrator
Yumi graduated from UCLA's class of 2009 with a degree in Architectural Studies and serves as one of the small group leaders of Korean Cell Group. She has a heart for music and also serves on the Worship Team. In her spare time she enjoys listening to music and spending time with her loved ones.
[Interns]
Jane Park
Jane is a 3rd year student majoring in English and minoring in Japanese. When she is not working or studying, she enjoys hanging out with her friends from Agape Undergraduate Christian Fellowship, helping out with the Children's Ministry, and working out with her UCLA Taekwondo teammates (Go Bruins!).
