David and Jean Park
David came to know Jesus at the bottom of the pit and will never forget God’s grace and kindness to him. He began his career in investment banking and then left that to join World Relief in order to bring financial services to people in developing countries who didn’t have access to banks. After business school, he spent thirteen years in real estate finance. David now spends his time leading community groups, serving on boards, and investing in developing wholehearted leaders. He is active in the Christian Economic Forum, Praxis, Marketplace One, and other faith and work communities. David’s professional and academic journey had him moving to a new city every other year for 16 years, before settling down in Houston for 8 years. In each of these locations, David served as a lay leader in various capacities, including on worship team, as a small group leader, in pre-marital counseling, and on church leadership team. Worshipping in different countries and cultures, and with people from different ethnic backgrounds in the US, has provided a rich set of experiences to draw from as we start City Chapel.
Jean came to know Jesus at the bottom of the pit and will never forget God’s grace and kindness to her. Jean began her career in economic analysis and left that to work at a school for emotionally disturbed teenagers on the brink of being sent to prison. She went to Fuller to study marriage and family therapy and practiced in the most challenging parts of south central Los Angeles. She is now practicing as a coach, helping her clients integrate the hard parts of their story and move on to being more healthy as spouses, parents, and professionals. Jean serves on the Young Life Global Cities Board and is active in the Women Doing Well and We Want More ministries. Jean is passionate about youth, women’s, and family ministries, and served for many years as a youth teacher and pre-marital counselor.
David grew up in Houston and loves to play basketball and golf. Jean grew up in Los Angeles and loves to host people in her home. They have three boys who are entering 7th, 5th, and 4th grades at the Geneva School of Manhattan, a Christian classical school. They live in the upper west side of Manhattan with a 2 year old dog named Evie.