WESTGATE STAFF:

Owen Lee
Men's Community Life Pastor

owen@westgatechurch.org

Vitals
Owen was born and raised in the “Old Country.” No, not China, but “Old Sacramento in California.” He is the youngest of five in his family. His first exposure to church was when a neighbor invited him and his four siblings to go to church with him.

At the early age of 9, Owen prayed to receive Christ and gained “permanent fire insurance” from hell. Though he was secure in his faith, Owen’s Christian walk did not take off until he developed a vital discipleship relationship with an older Christian brother. In college, Owen completed an AA degree in automotive technology and is factory trained by General Motors. Later, he completed his BA in Strategic Business Management.

In 1991, Owen decided not to just attend mission conferences nor merely listen to missionaries share, but to actually GO on a mission trip. That summer he went to Macau, an island off of Hong Kong & China which is famous for its gambling industry. It was there that Owen’s heart began to be aligned with the heart of God for the lost. It was on this 6 square mile of island that Owen decided that he would invest his life in impacting the Kingdom of God. It’s also amazing that when one responds to God’s will, God responds back. On this same mission trip, there was this fun loving and passionate team member named Grace. Owen would have never imagined that a few years later, God would bless him with Grace as his wife. They were married in 1993.

With a new purpose came a new direction. Owen enrolled at Multnomah Biblical Seminary and completed a Masters in Pastoral Studies, in hopes of becoming a full-time missionary. But, it wasn’t until 2 years later that God would make it clear to him that he was to be a local pastor in the US. Owen and Grace had always kept this simple life phrase in regards to missions- ”Planning to go, but willing to stay.”

In 2002, God blessed Owen and Grace with a loving daughter named Faith. She is a constant reminder that God is faithful to those who put their trust in Him.

A Few of My Favorite Things
Sports- "I don’t enjoy watching sports, but I rather be playing the game and perfecting my skill level in that sport. I enjoy snowboarding, downhill mountain biking, road biking, tennis, golf and open track car racing."

Movies- " My favorite movies are; Remember the Titans, Pay It Forward, August Rush, Facing the Giants, The Ultimate Gift, and of course my Asian side of me, Body Guard From Beijing (Jet Li), Thunderbolt (Jackie Chan) and Initial D (Japanese Street Racing anime)"

Books- "My down fall is that I am so active that I don’t slow down enough to read as much as I should. But some of my favorite and inspiring books are by Max Lucado, Steve Farr, Stu Webber, and Craig Groeschel and of course the Bible."

Hobbies- "Cars and cooking. I love making things go faster and more powerful. I enjoy cooking gourmet foods that make you want more of it and definitely creating something outside the norm."

What If's
What if you were not in ministry? "I would be a pit crew technician for a race car company, or own my own restaurant."

What if you could spend time with any famous historical person? "Besides Jesus, I think I would like to hang out with Joseph and learn patience and forgiveness like him. Another cool person is the kid who brought the food for the feeding of the 5,000. I would love to hear how that experience changed his understanding of God."