Meet Our Team
We the staff at the University Presbyterian Church, would like to introduce ourselves so that when you come to worship with us, you’ll already know a few friendly faces. It is our pleasure to serve you and we look forward to meeting you.
Rev. Dr. Soon Chung: Lead Pastor
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 Seminary, and received his doctorate from Gordon-Conwell Seminary. Pastor Soon enjoys going out to eat, traveling, watching UCLA games and attending his son’s track and field events.
Contact: info@upcla.org
Rev. Yvonne Ash: Associate Pastor
Pastor Yvonne focuses on discipleship, pastoral care, youth ministry and the executive aspects of the church. She grew up in Virginia, attended the University of Virginia and went on to get her Masters in Divinity at Princeton Seminary. She enjoys unwinding with friends over coffee and listening to podcasts and jogging.
Contact: yvonne@upcla.org
Stephen Kim: Worship Leader
Stephen Kim is serving as the Interim Worship Director. He graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering at UCLA in 2017 and has volunteered at UPC since his undergrad years on the worship team, Agape (undergrad) and youth ministries. His hobbies include playing music, snowboarding, and video games.
Contact: stephen@upcla.org
Esther Chung: Christian Education Director
Esther supervises and plans for the Christian education programs for the church. Esther holds a B.A. from King’s College and M.A. in Christian Education from Princeton Seminary. Esther is mother of four grown children and in her free time, she enjoys music, cooking, and reading.
Contact: esther@upcla.org
Yumi Lee: Administrator
Contact: yumi@upcla.org
Jennifer Song: Associate Administrator
Jennifer Song is serving as the Associate Administrator. She graduated from UCLA in 2022 with a B.S. in International Development Studies and Political Science. She speaks English, Korean, Russian fluently and is working on learning German and Ukrainian. Her hobbies include singing, portrait photography, and reading Korean webtoons.
Contact: jennifer@upcla.org