Asian American Baptist Church

Here are the pastoral staff members of AABC:

Dr. Lynn Eckeberger - Intentional Interim Minister
(shown with wife, Everell)

Benjamin Wong - Associate Pastor
(shown with wife, Lisa, and their children, Nicholas and Clarissa)

I was born in Hong Kong and came to the United States when I was three years old. As such, I was raised the "American" way, but still valued and cherished my Asian heritage. I was raised in a Christian home and by God's grace I came to have a personal relationship with the Lord at age twelve.

I am married to Lisa and we have two children, Nicholas and Clarissa. We are originally from California, and left the fast-paced world of Silicon Valley to come to Dallas! There are no regrets, only constant reminders of God's blessings as I graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with a Master of Theology (Th.M.) degree in 2002 and we have this opportunity to serve at AABC.

Edward Lee - Assistant Pastor of Youth Ministry
(shown with wife, Christina)

I was born in Tulsa, OK, and raised up in a Christian home. I began attending church as youngster with my parents, but did not actually accept Jesus Christ as my personal Savior until I was 10 years old when my pastor at the time walked me through the gospel and explained who Jesus was and what he did on my behalf.

When I got into college, I began to learn what it means to have Jesus Christ be not only your Savior, but also the Lord of your life. During a very difficult time in my life, God graciously taught me more about His character, mainly His faithfulness and goodness. As a response, I have committed myself wholeheartedly to pursuing God in all areas of my life and to seek to experience the abundant life that Jesus promised to us in John 10:10.

This pursuit led me to begin my studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in the fall of 2002 to obtain my Masters in Theology. I am also serving as the youth intern at AABC and love the opportunity to impart onto the current generation of young people a passion and desire to know Christ and to make him known. I am happily married to my wife, Christina, who is also a part-time student at the Seminary. We enjoy reading, eating yummy food and surfing the Internet.

Alvin Lee - Assistant Pastor of Community and Communications
(shown with wife, Bethany)

Although I was born in Michigan, I have spent the majority of my life near the beaches of Southern California. Growing up through the years, I attended the same church in Torrance, California. Yet, even though I had attended church for most of my life, it was not until I was 12 years old that God took hold of me, and it was then at a summer youth camp that I placed my faith in Jesus Christ.

Through serving in my church during high school and serving on a short-term mission to Trinidad, I sensed that God was calling me towards vocational Christian ministry. Knowing that this would still be a ways down the road, I stayed where I was, pursuing a Computer Science degree at UCLA. Through college I grappled especially with the tension between genuinely living as a Christian because the Gospel was genuinely true... and just "doing the Christian thing" because I grew up in the church and that's what everyone around me did. To this day, I imagine that is the struggle that many of us "churched" individuals continue to wrestle with.

A year and a half out of college, in August, 2002, I left California for Dallas in order to pursue Th.M. studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. In leaving California, I also left the love my life - Bethany - knowing that God would preserve our relationship despite the distance. And He did! On May 29, 2004, we were married and finally came together once again, settling down in Dallas for the time being. Together we share a passion for missions, unreached people in Asia, cooking, volleyball, and most board games. We do not share a passion for country music (that's hers) or coffee (that's mine).

Michael Lee - Assistant Pastor of Christian Education
(shown with wife, Roberta, and their son, Payton)

Michael was born in Seoul Korea but moved to the U.S. with his family at the age of six. He remained in Houston, Texas until moving to Austin for college, where he graduated in 1999 with a degree in Biochemistry.

Upon graduation, Michael moved back to Houston and started a youth ministry at Tallowood Baptist Korean Mission while accepting a full-time position as a fifth grade teacher at Varnett Charter School. In the fall of 2000, he enrolled in Dallas Theological Seminary and began taking extension courses in Houston and accepted a new position at The Honor Roll School in Sugar Land as Science Lab Coordinator. Michael and Roberta Sun were married on July 27, 2002.

In 2003, after three hectic years of taking seminary courses part-time, serving as youth minister, and teaching at The Honor Roll School, Michael and Roberta moved to Dallas in order for him to pursue studies full-time.

Starting in 2005, Michael interned at AABC for nearly two years and transitioned into a part-time role as Pastor of Adult Christian Education on November 2006. On May 2007, Michael graduated magna cum laude from DTS, completing his Master of Theology program with a concentration in interdisciplinary studies (Systematic Theology & Intercultural Studies). Shortly after, Michael began working full-time as Pastor of Christian Education.

Payton Jaeyong Lee, their first child, was born on December 28, 2006. In addition to spending time with Roberta and Payton, Michael enjoys reading, studying and discussing theology, fishing, and playing competitive sports like basketball, football, and softball.