Community Groups / Hospitality / Missions

Clara was born in Los Angeles but grew up in Seattle. She is a true Seattleite who loves coffee, eating pho, is a proud fan of the Seahawks, and is naively hopeful that the Mariners will one day win the World Series. She has her Masters in Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary. At the church she enjoys preaching and teaching the Gospel and building genuine relationships with people God has placed in her life. Clara loves spending time with her husband Mark and two sons’ Xander and Axel at her favorite place, Hawaii.

Worship Team (Visual, Creative, Media)

David grew up in Southern California and completed his bachelor’s degree in music at Cal State, Fullerton and Master’s degree in Ministry Leadership at Calvin Seminary. Although he was heavily involved in church ministries since childhood, David could not have imagined that God would call him to vocational ministry in his late twenties. It was in the gift of experiencing God’s goodness through worship and a community of believers that David grew in his conviction to answer the call to ministry. David is married to Jean who is a special education teacher. And together they two sons’ named Asaph and Barry. As a family, they love camping trips, exploring new and interesting places and enjoying different kinds of food.

Education

Derek was born in South Korea but mostly grew up in the Seattle area since he was 5 years old. Whether it was Seattle, Kent, Sammamish, Woodinville or his current home in Bellevue, he has always considered the Seattle area his home. Derek received his undergraduate degree from UW and then received his Masters of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary. Ever since, he has been pastoring in the Seattle area for about 24 years. Derek has a passion for Godly community, discipleship, and a heart to build the next generation. He is married to Mi-Young and they have two kids, Elle and Ryan. Besides God, the church, and his family, he is a die hard homer for every Seattle sports team.

Lead

Eric was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. After graduating, he worked in the corporate world for a few years in downtown Seattle but sensed God’s calling to head into ministry. He eventually moved to Pasadena, California to attend Fuller Theological Seminary and there he served as the associate pastor at a couple local churches in Los Angeles. Eric is married to Jessica, and they have three kids, Josiah, Ezekiel, and Emily. He loves three things in life, Jesus, his family, and diet coke. In his spare time, you can find him golfing and lifting weights. If you stop by the church, please head over and say hello. He’d love to meet you!

Executive/Operations

Raised just a few miles from New Life, Kenny is a local. Though he lived six years in Boston and two in Los Angeles, in 2018 he returned home to stay. A graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Kenny wears many hats at New Life, including preaching, managing systems, and the staff of the church. He describes himself as Pastor Eric’s “other half ”, which has made the two of them a great team over the years. He spends his time outside of the church with his wife Rose, making his three kids (Henry, Piper, and Hattie) laugh and running the Burke-Gilman.

New Life Kids (Elementary/Family)

Joyce was born and raised on the East Coast. She graduated from the University of Virginia, where she met her husband, Ben, and then went to seminary at Liberty University for her Masters in Christian Education. She grew up in Northern Virginia most of her life, but decided she wanted a change and moved across the country with her family to Washington in August 2019. Before working in ministry she taught Kindergarten for several years. She is also a mother to two children, Lucas and Eliana. Her hobbies include watching T.V. shows, organizing, going to the beach, and having long deep meaningful conversations. She is so excited to meet you and can't wait to start walking this life with you!

Finance

Jane was born and raised in Washington and graduated from the University of Washington where she met her husband TJ. She never would have imagined that working in finance and accounting would reveal her love for working with numbers and data in excel spreadsheets. She also loves coffee and good food, especially baked goods and sweets, and it brings her joy to share those things with those around her. Whenever the opportunity arises, she loves venturing out to find new places to eat and explore with TJ and their two kids Jojo and Theo.

Youth (Middle/High School)

Tyler was born and raised in Seattle, growing up with his mom and two younger brothers in the Green Lake area. He attended and graduated from the University of Washington and worked as an engineer at Triumph Aerospace. He started his journey in youth ministry during college when he started volunteering and leading a small group for NEXT Youth Ministry at Community Church Of Seattle (Hyungjae). His vision for New Life Youth is to provide a place for youth students to grow spiritually and build long-lasting relationships at church. In his free time, Tyler enjoys playing sports and video games with his friends, traveling, and eating good food. If you see him at church, say hi!