We are very pleased to announce that at the Congregational Meeting on Sunday, June 29th, Reverend Jason Ko was unanimously affirmed as our next Senior Pastor and Head of Staff. Jason comes to us with remarkable pastoral experience, special interpersonal gifts for building a joyful community, a compassionate heart for missions, and a deep love for the Lord, which is foundational to how he ministers. Born in South Korea, Jason came with his parents to the US at the young age of five. He enjoyed a typical American childhood with Cub Scouts, Little League baseball, and caddying for a golf club. He attended Rutgers University and graduated with a BS degree in Finance in 1996. After a few years in business, he attended Princeton Seminary and graduated in 2002 with a Master of Divinity degree. He is currently working to complete his Doctor of Ministry degree at Fuller Theological Seminary. Jason was a Youth Associate Pastor at churches in New Jersey and Texas for a total of 8 years. Most recently, he has served for 16 years as Senior Pastor at Community Presbyterian Church in La Mirada, CA (near Fullerton). During this time, he also served one term as the Moderator of Los Ranchos Presbytery, and 6 years on the Board of Trustees of the Presbyterian Foundation.
He has been married to his wife Cathy for 24 years. They have three children: Michelle (20) is finishing her 3 rd year at UC Irvine majoring in mechanical engineering; Jaimie (19) is completing her first year at UCLA majoring in applied mathematics; and Ethan, who will be a senior in high school. In his free time, Jason enjoys sports, road trips, reading, and cooking Texas-style BBQ on his smoker.
So that Ethan can finish his senior year at his current high school, Jason plans to delay moving his family. In the interim, he will work full-time at RBCPC starting in September but will live in temporary housing.
His “life verse” is Philippians 2:3-5: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.”