church leadership & staff


  • Joseph Lum, SEnior Pastor

    Joe was born and raised in Seattle, was saved by the Lord Jesus from his sins at a young age, and called to the ministry after his studies at the UW (BS Electrical Engineering, 1992). He was ordained in 1998, educated at The Master’s Seminary (Master of Divinity, 1995), and Dallas Theological Seminary (Master of Sacred Theology 1998; Doctor of Ministry 2005 in Biblical Counseling). He assisted in the planting of Living Hope Bible Church, has served there in various roles since 1995 and as the senior pastor since 2001. He enjoys spending time with his family, fellowship with other believers, worshiping the Lord, home projects, working out, and has been very involved in short-term missions often with a focus on training pastors (Cambodia, India, Philippines, Uganda, Mexico, Honduras, Malawi, South Africa, and Sierra Leone). He served for four years as a board member of Action International Ministries, a mission agency reaching the neediest people in the world with the Gospel. His favorite scriptures include Ecclesiastes 12:13, Acts 20:24, 2 Timothy 2:15, and 2:24. 

  • jerry mitchell, pastor-teacher

    Jerry was born in Illinois, but spent most of his growing up years in Southern California. He accepted the Lord through the family of his best friend, who had cared for him and witnessed to him for several years. Shortly after receiving Jesus as his Savior, at 20 years old he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he was followed-up and encouraged in his faith by the Navigator Ministry. After his discharge, he enrolled in Biola University and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Bible, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Talbot Seminary and a Doctorate in Ministry from California Graduate School of Theology. He served on John MacArthur's staff from 1970-1980 when he became the Senior Pastor of Crossroads Bible Church. He faithfully served at Crossroads for almost 40 years. He and his wife Jan have been blessed with 4 children and 10 grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, gardening, and spending time with family and friends. Jerry Mitchell joined Living Hope Bible Church as a part-time Pastor-Teacher as of February 2022.

  • Thomas Bell, associate pastor

    Tom was born in Long Island New York and lived there until his early teens. Just prior to moving to southern California he accepted Christ as his Savior and Lord in a small evangelical Church. When he and his family moved to the San Fernando Valley, he continued to grow in his faith attending another evangelical church. In high school, he became a bold witness for Christ and it was then that he first sensed God might be calling him to pastoral ministry.  In college, he was active in the campus ministry Campus Crusade for Christ. He  earned a BA in Speech Communications from California State University Northridge and went on to earn his Masters of Divinity Degree from the Master’s Seminary in1988. While he was attending Seminary, he was serving at Grace Community Church of Sun Valley where he met his wife-to-be Carole. They were married in 1984 and God has blessed them with 3 children and one grandson. Tom and his wife Carole have been actively serving the Lord together for over 38 years. Most recently he served as a Staff Counselor at Canyon Hills Community Church and prior to that the Adult Ministries Pastor at Crossroads Bible Church.  In addition to ministry, Tom and his wife Carole enjoy reading, having people over to their home and taking trips to see family and friends. Tom Bell joined Living Hope Bible Church April 2023.

  • JOHN MAR, Elder

    John was born and raised in Seattle. He believed and trusted Jesus as his Lord and Savior while in college through a Bible study in the book of John and was part of the core team that planted this church. John graduated with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Washington and a Master's in Business Administration from Seattle University and works for Boeing as an Industrial Engineer. He has served in various ministries at LHBC through the years, in children's ministries, VBS, short-term missions trips, small groups, worship leading, finance team, A/V, and as a deacon. He enjoys personal finance, reading, traveling with his family, and good food. John is blessed with his wife, Wendy, and four children.

  • Jim yamashita, elder

    Jim was born in California. As a youth, he grew up in a Buddhist home and lived in the east coast. He was resistant to other religions until he met his future wife Michele who was a new Christian. They married and moved to the Seattle area after finishing his surgical residency and fellowship. They started attending LHBC in 1993 where he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He served in the past as a deacon and has gone on several short term mission trips to Mexico and Africa. He has been blessed with 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren and has one on the way. He retired in 2022 and enjoys spending time with his family and friends, playing golf, running, hiking and other sports.

  • daniel mar, ELDER

    Daniel was born and raised in Washington as the third of five homeschooled siblings, graduated from the University of Washington, and works as a research scientist for UW Medicine. He is grateful to God for saving him and bringing him into fellowship with the LHBC family at an early age, and for giving him plenty of opportunities to serve and grow in the faith over the years. In his spare time, Daniel enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

  • ted way, elder AT LARGE

    Ted is passionate about youth ministry and has served in various ministries at Living Hope Bible Church, from the high school group, college group, and now the middle school group. He was born in Taiwan, went to elementary school in Tucson, AZ, and then went back to Taiwan for middle and high school, where he accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. After receiving his PhD in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, he and his wife Alice moved to Seattle in 2008, where he now works as a program manager at Microsoft.  He and his wife enjoy spending time with their daughter and son in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

  • victor chow, deacon

    A lifelong Seattle area resident, Victor came to Christ while a sophomore at the University of Washington. He met his wife Vivian while there and now they have three children. Victor helped plant Living Hope in the early 90's and has served in a multitude of areas, from worship leader to small group teacher. He enjoys opening God's Word in Youth Ministries.

  • peter fong, deacon

    Peter was born and raised in Spokane, Washington, having attended a non-denominational Christian church since early childhood and coming to know the Lord as Savior at age 11. Peter graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelor's and from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a Master's degree, both in Electrical Engineering. He joined LHBC at its one-year anniversary in 1992 and has been with the churh ever since, now with his wife Jenny and two children, Chloe and Ethan. He is currently employed in software engineering at the Boeing Company. Peter's hobbies include electronics, home and auto repair, and as a member of the LHBC's Facilities team, can frequently be seen lurking in the electrical, heating, and utilities rooms.

  • patrick lin, deacon

    Patrick was born in Arizona, but his family moved to the Seattle area soon after, where he was raised throughout his childhood. He grew up attending church, but only came to know the reality of his sin and the good news of Jesus Christ in his junior year of high school. He came to LHBC in April of 2021, and has since been involved with various small groups, the Young Adult Ministries, worship, and other opportunities God has given him to serve.

  • david miyatake, deacon

    David was born and raised in Seattle, he attended the University of Washington as an undergraduate and for dental school. He accepted Christ during this time in college when a student shared the gospel with him. After graduation, he opened his dental office in Maple Valley in 1982, practicing dentistry until retirement in

    2021. Married, with one daughter, he and his wife have attended LHBC since 1992. He is especially passionate about short term missions trips, sharing the Gospel and performing dentistry in areas such as Honduras, Uganda, China, Philippines, Mexico, and Nigeria. For fun he enjoy golfing, traveling, and eating.

  • ALEX BIGU, DEACON

    Alex was born and raised in Romania, where he spent his first two decades of life. Soon after moving to Los Angeles in 2008, a family crisis led him to seek God and to look for a church. He started attending a baptist church and heard the Gospel multiple times. He was convicted of the sin in his life and his need for salvation. Shortly after, he repented and believed in Jesus Christ as his personal Lord, Savior, and most treasured possession. He has been part of several short term mission trips to Mexico and Romania. Alex is married to Florica and is expecting their 3rd child. In his spare time he enjoys serving & worshipping the Lord with his family, reading, cooking, yard work, house projects and lending a hand wherever needed. Alongside his wife, Alex is passionate about caring for the elderly and being hospitable. He imagined spending his career as a Commercial Airline Pilot, however the Lord led him to the Commercial Real Estate industry where he has held multiple roles in Building Engineering, Construction Management, Facility Management, Sustainability and Energy Management. Alex has attended LHBC since 2018 and has been involved with different ministries, most recently serving on the Missions Committee.

  • darla lubberS, deaconess

    I was born and raised in the Issaquah area.  I graduated from Western Washington University and work as a CT technologist in Seattle.  I was raised in a Christian home and made a commitment to follow Jesus at an early age.  I have enjoyed my time here at LHBC and look forward to serving the church body.  Some of my favorite things to do include hiking, biking and anything outdoor related.

  • vicki miyatake, deaconess

    Vicki was born and raised in Seattle. She graduated from the University of Washington from the School of Art in Interior & Textile Design. She has worked as a store manager, accountant, ophthalmic assistant & helped run her husband’s dental office as administrative manager & dental assistant for 30 years. She recently retired. Vicki was saved at the age of 36 after attending LHBC for a few months. She has served at LHBC for 30 years in various ministries. She has been on a variety of short term mission trips, Mexico (Cancun, Baja), China, Philippines, Washington, Canada, and Honduras). Vicki has been married to David Miyatake for 33 years and has one daughter. She recently became a grandmother of a healthy baby boy! She loves people and loves serving the Lord!

  • karen berger, children's ministry coordinator

    Karen was born in California, but moved to the Bellevue area when she was five years old and has lived in the area ever since. She was saved at a young age and grew up attending and serving alongside her family at church. Staying local, she graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a degree in Home & Family Life Education and a K-8 Teaching Certificate. Using her degree, she has taught in the public, private, and homeschooling fields for the past 26 years. Her teaching role at home is coming to an end as two of her four homeschooled children are already in college and the other two are finishing high school. Since her college years, she has volunteered as a teacher or ministry leader in Children's Ministry at the churches she's attended. She has also been employed as a Nursery Director for two different organizations. After attending LHBC for six years with her husband Rick and their children, Karen joined LHBC staff as the Children's Ministry Coordinator in March 2019.

  • Rich Sand, facilities manager

    Born and raised in Spokane, I was blessed to be a part of a Christian family and accepted Christ as personal Lord and Savior when was about 12 years old. Graduated from Washington State University and shortly after that, served in the US Army as an Artillery Officer during the Vietnam War.  Married to Sue for 54 years and have been blessed with 2 children and 3 grandchildren. Career background includes sales/sales management; construction management, and most recently, retired from over 10 years in Association and Property Management. Been attending LHBC since August 2023 and became a member December 2023. Began as Facilities Manager in January 2024. Anxious to be used by the Lord in the Facility Management Ministry and in turn, bless the church and its people.

  • Wendy Mar, Administrative Assistant

    Originally from San Francisco, California, Wendy came up to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administrations and stayed in the Pacific Northwest. Wendy accepted Jesus as her personal Savior at age 7 at VBS and reaffirmed her faith in high school. She enjoys spending time with her husband and four kids. She was part of the core team that led to what is now Living Hope Bible Church and has been an Administrative Assistant since November 2017.

  • nita susanto, administrative assistant

    Upon graduating from high school in Indonesia, Nita came to the United States to pursue her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree  in Graphic Design from Iowa State University. She was involved in the Indonesian Christian Fellowship back in college and during one of the college retreats, was saved and accepted Jesus as her personal Savior.  In that fellowship, she met her husband, Andy, and have been blessed with two children. She takes delight in cooking and baking for her family, gardening, traveling, and interior design.  She has been an Administrative Assistant with Living Hope Bible Church since December 2018.