Meet Our Pastors
Senior Pastor
Pastor James immigrated to the United States at the age of 15 from South Korea before finding his home in Los Angeles, California. He attended USC (go Trojans!) and majored in biomedical engineering with the intent of becoming a medical doctor. But God had different plans for him and during his senior year at USC, God called him into ministry. After obtaining his BS, he enrolled at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he has since completed his Master of Art in Pastoral Counseling, Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy (MSMFT), and Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling.
One of Pastor James' foremost and unwavering commitments is to strengthen and empower the families of this generation. This dedication remains steadfast as he serves as the senior pastor at GMC for both the English Ministry (EM) and Korean Ministry (KM). With a heart for unity and understanding, he has been uniquely equipped to preach in both Korean and English— at times, simultaneously— a rare gift that serves to bridge generations and cultures within the church. GMC is deeply blessed to have him as a leader, and he is equally thankful for the partnership with the pastoral staff and lay leadership team, whose faithful support enables him to carry out his calling in service to the church.
His beloved life partner of 32 years (and counting), Alisa-his wife, shares in his fervor of serving the Lord. You will often find her serving alongside her husband or in the neighborhood serving the elderly or special needs community. Alisa’s smile is as contagious as her love for the Lord. Together, they are blessed with three precious daughters—Faith, Hope, and Joy—each of whom is embarking on her own journey in pursuit of God's plan.
If he’s not at church, you’ll likely find Pastor James indulging in his favorite treat at Wendy’s! Pastor James enjoys spending time with his family and fellowshipping with God’s people. While he's naturally an introvert, his life calling compels him to be otherwise!
EM Pastor
Pastor Won is a 2nd generation church planter, pastor, and Korean-American. He is a life-long New Jerseyan that immigrated to the US when he was but a few months old back in 1971.
He grew up a pastor’s kid (PK), and just about despised everything about church, his father, and God. And yet God chose to have mercy through his saving grace as he was found & saved by Jesus the summer between his junior and senior years of high school at a youth retreat. And while his early collegiate years at CMU and Rutgers were spent in rebellion, the Lord brought him back to the fold late in college.
Pastor Won has extensive church planting and pastoral ministry experience. He has pastored churches in Flushing, Brooklyn, NYC, and NJ. For ten years, he served as the lead planter and pastor of Maranatha Grace Church in Fort Lee / Englewood Cliffs, NJ. After serving as Metro NYC’s Send City Missionary for the Send Network (church planting arm of the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention), Won joined a church plant in Manhattan to serve as planter and pastor of DoXa Church NYC.
The Lord has now called PW to serve the English Ministry of NJGMC. His desire is to see the winds of revival sweep over the church as he lives out and servant-leads this wonderful Gospel community on mission.
He loves his wife of 26 years, Diane, and their five children, affectionately known as "the Kwaklings" (Madelyn, Naomi, Bethany, Owen & Jordan), and he’s soon to gain a son-in-law, Matthew Chung. In some of his free time, he coaches volleyball and track & field at Eastern Christian High School. He was also once a rabid fan of all things Rutgers Athletics which has resulted in tremendous humility and sanctification to his life.
