English Pastor — Rev. Kenneth P. Carlson
Pastor Ken Carlson grew up in Nebraska and Montana, and first came to California as a college freshman. While studying philosophy and computer science in college he sensed the Lord’s call to full time ministry. He and his wife Joni married right after finishing college.
Pastor Ken served in pastoral ministry for several years while completing his M.Div. and Th.M. at Talbot Seminary, during which time he and Joni were called to missions. During this time their two sons Paul and Daniel were born. Upon graduation from seminary, they went to Taiwan with Overseas Missionary Fellowship, where they served for four years. After studying Mandarin there, he was involved in seminary teaching and leadership training. Upon return to the U.S. he served for a few years on the home staff of OMF before coming to CFC in April 1994.
Check out Pastor Ken’s web site.
Assistant English Pastor — Rev. Chris Yen
Chris grew up in Orinda where he graduated from Miramonte High School in 1994. He began studies at UC Berkeley in 1995 and graduated in 1998 with a B.A. in Psychology. After graduating from college, Chris worked as a television news editor for ABC7 News/KGO-TV in San Francisco.
Chris sensed God’s calling into full-time ministry and began studies at Western Seminary in Portland, OR in the fall of 1999. He graduated in the spring of 2004 with a M.Div. Pastoral Studies and a M.A. in Counseling. During his seminary training Chris was able to participate in numerous internships that honed his skills in the counseling field, especially in the areas of children’s counseling and addictions counseling. Chris also served actively at Hinson Church as a worship leader and children’s ministry worker. In addition, Chris led the junior high program at Chinese Evangelical Church in Hillsboro, OR, planning and leading weekly fellowship meetings. Chris joined the staff of CFC in September 2004.
In his spare time Chris enjoys many hobbies including playing music, painting, and reading.
Chinese Pastor –Rev. Wilson Wong
Wilson Wong, a former high-tech executive in Silicon Valley, served as a bi-vocational preacher and church elder for many years before he became the Chinese pastor of the Chinese for Christ Berkeley Church in 2005. He learned about Jesus Christ at the Christian fellowship of his middle school in Hong Kong, taught Sunday school by 14 and preached by 18. In the same year he committed his life to Jesus.
He came to the United States in 1967 to study at San Jose State University, where he started a campus Christian fellowship. After post-graduate studies he went to Taiwan for two years, founded the Computer Department at Chung Yuan Christian University, and preached the gospel in many universities.
Since then, Wilson has participated in the pastoral ministry of three churches. For the last 15 years, he was an elder at Chinese for Christ Church in San Jose. A popular speaker, he also preaches at churches and conferences in the United States, China and other Asia countries. Professionally, he had served as CEO for several high-tech companies and founded a network company that went public. After that he went on to found several other high-tech companies.
In addition to his professional degrees, Wilson completed a Master degree in Exegetical Theology from Western Seminary and serves on the board of Partners International and Western Seminary. He is married to Susan, a doctor and a Bible teacher. They have a daughter and a son.