GC2 Staff & Leadership
The staff and leadership here at GC2 is comprised of men and women who love, care, and pray for every single person in the church. If you have questions for any of our staff, feel free to reach out and email them or call our church office to speak with them.
Luke Chen - Lead Pastor
Pastor Luke Chen was born in Taiwan but grew up in a predominately German neighborhood of Chicago (Perhaps that’s why he took high school German). He originally wanted to be a doctor and graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor degree in biochemistry-molecular biology. (This explains his occasional nerdiness.) God, however, had other plans for him and called him into the pastoral ministry. God also gave him a wonderful wife, Ruth, who got him organized and introduced him to Jamaican ways of life.
After seminary God took Luke and Ruth to Toronto, Los Angeles, and San Diego (Yay, no more Midwest winters!) mainly to pastor in Chinese American churches, until 2009 (He doesn’t speak much Chinese). In 2009 he and Ruth started GC2 Church with a group of around 30 amazing brothers and sisters in Christ. In addition to his love for the Lord and ministry, Pastor Luke loves his wife, his three grown daughters, and he would love a dog and a cat, if he had them. He also loves to try out new restaurants! In his spare time, he has remodeled his house, re-landscaped his yard, taken strenuous vacations, flown his drone for ministry and fun, played around with his multiple cameras, and taken long drives to nowhere.
daniel thompson - Associate Pastor
Daniel is the newest addition to the GC2 staff, joining us at the beginning of September 2018. He and his wife, Sarah, bring with them their experience and passion for serving the church, global missions, discipleship, and foster care/adoption. Daniel and Sarah married in 2011 and since then have fostered ten children, five of whom they have had the pleasure to adopt - Liz, Gabi, Jonathan, Niameh, and Jonah. Daniel's biggest passion is to help everyone glorify God and enjoy him forever!
Jill Mcmahon - Children's Ministry director
Jill moved to the San Diego area over a decade ago, when her husband’s work transferred them here from Chicago. Both she and her husband were formerly from the Philadelphia area. Originally a classically trained singer, Jill found yet another calling when she became a wife and mom. Working with children and helping them learn about God is incredibly fulfilling. What could be more important?
Karla Ng - AWana ministry director
Karla and her husband, Caleb, have been San Diegans for over 19 years. Along with their energetic teenage son, Trevor, they are blessed to serve in Awana together as a family. Karla graduated from Biola University with her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and works as a Pediatric nurse at Rady Children’s Hospital. Her children’s ministry experiences include: Awana Club Director, Sunday school teaching, Vacation Bible School Family Leader, and Community Bible Study Children’s program teacher. “I love children and it is such a blessing to see God’s work in their hearts and lives from the time they are very young. Being the hands and feet of Jesus to His precious children is my passion.”
Jessica Teng - Worship band leader
Jessica volunteers her time leading our worship band ministry. She and her husband, Casey, were the first couple married in GC2 and have been plugged in all over the church for years. They are raising their three children, Kenzi, Callen, and Addy. Jessica calls herself an almost-stay-at-home-mom and she is also a nurse with Kaiser Permanente.
If you want to use your musical gifts with us at GC2, please reach out to us through our contact form.
Elder Council
Our Elders serve the church by providing long-term vision and spiritual care and discipleship for our church. The GC2 Elders are shepherds for our flock, helping us all to follow Christ together.
The members of our Elder Council are:
Ministry Council
Our Ministry Council serves the church by providing leadership and oversight of the week-to-week ministries of our church. Each Ministry Council member has a specific area of focus and they support each other so all our ministries are faithful and effective.
The members of our Ministry Council are:
