Center Church
Leadership Team
Photos by Jacklyn
Lead Pastor
Samuel Choi
Having served in vocational ministry since 1995, Samuel now serves Center Church as Lead Pastor. He’s also a business owner, but you should ask his wife Carol about that! He values sincere service to Christ, excellent virtue by the Holy Spirit, and knowledge of the Father. In his spare time, you can find Samuel reading books or watching Korean variety shows with his daughter.
Pastor
Godfrey Catanus
Godfrey grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. After graduating with an MDiv from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, he served students as a youth pastor for over a decade. Now, he serves Center Church as an elder. Godfrey thinks it’s imperative for Christians to remove anything that can hinder their own faith journey, and the faith journeys of others. He enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, listening to jazz and classical music.
Elder
Mike Co
Mike likes to garden and go biking on Sunday mornings. He has three boys and a beautiful wife, and he lives in a happy home in Irvine. Mike is a dentist and hopes you brushed your teeth twice today.
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Elder
Ruben
Ruben migrated to the United States from the Philippines in 1977. After working as an Electrical Engineer in the nuclear power plant industry, he retired from Southern California Edison. His heart is for evangelism and discipleship - having served on church boards in the past - and he now serves as an Elder at Center Church. He enjoys traveling and spending time with his children and grandchildren.
Deacon
Nico Co
Nico is a SoCal native and professional guitarist. He also serves as Deacon and Music Director at Center Church. Nico considers self-awareness and integrated thinking to be crucial to Christianity. When he’s not working as a faculty member at Concordia University Irvine, you can find him prepping for his next gig or browsing Craigslist for rare guitar finds.
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Deacon
Joanna Wong
As one of Center Church's first members, Joanna is privileged to serve the church as Deacon and Lay Counselor. She is also a lawyer, certified domestic violence victim advocate, and educational speaker. She is forever motivated by an unwavering belief that every person has the Imago Dei and has inherent immeasurable value and worth. In her spare she shares memes with her husband and contemplates whether the Hamilton turntable should have received a Tony award.
