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 is an east coast transplant who now happily calls LA home. Her focus is on pastoral care and the executive aspects of the church. She's a UVA and Princeton Seminary grad and is grateful to live life to the fullest with her husband, kids, friends and church family.
Contact: yvonne@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
Dan Kim
Ministry Associate
Dan serves on worship and in small group ministries. He grew up in southern California, bounced around a lot pursuing a career in experience design, then got his head and heart straightened out by God to pursue ministry. He’s a graduate of UCSD, Fuller Theological Seminary, and a growing husband and father.
Contact: dan@upcla.org
Hayoung Kim
Administrator
Contact: hayoung@upcla.org
Jennifer Juarez
Bookkeeper and Student Intern
Jennifer is currently completing her undergraduate studies at UCLA. In her free time, she enjoys reading in the statue garden and watching videos about farm life, animation, or the show Taskmaster. At her church, she focuses on finance and office support. As a volunteer, she is involved with Agape, the youth group, and managing social media.
Contact: info@upcla.org