Meet Our Staff
Pastor Lucas Hong
Lucas Kunsuh Hong (he/him) is the head pastor of South Hayward United Methodist Church. A Local Licensed Pastor in the United Methodist Church, Lucas is a fourth generation minister in his family and hopes to continue fostering relationships in the church and the greater community. He received his Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School in 2025 and his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara in Economics & Accounting with Minors in Education and Music in 2022.
His faith was nurtured in Korean United Methodist Churches and is rooted in a commitment to forgiveness, reconciliation, and taking seriously the voices of the younger generations.
In his free time, you can find Pastor Lucas bouldering, baking, watching movies, learning how to DJ, and listening to hip-hop music.
His favorite Bible passage is: Mark 12:41-44 (NIV)
"41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, 'Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.'"
Ken Rawdon
Ken Rawdon (he/him) is the choir director at SHUMC. He received his BA and his MA degrees in piano performance at California State University, Fresno, where he was the recipient of the Amparo Iturbi Piano Award. He is well known as the vocal music director at Mt. Eden High School in Hayward, California, where he taught for 30 years. Over that time, his choirs were recognized as some of the finest high school choirs in the state of California, often being featured at both CMEA and ACDA conventions and conferences, winning numerous accolades, and performing at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Alice Tully Performance Hall.
Mr. Rawdon recently served on the California state board of the American Choral Directors association as a Chairperson and is in high demand as a clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor for many High School Concert Choir festivals and competitions in the state. Staying active in the art form he loves the most, Mr. Rawdon is currently one of the directors with The Crystal Children’s Choir of San Jose as well as the director of choral activities at Chabot College in Hayward. He also conducts a Community Choir in Alameda known as “ALAMEDA SINGS!”
He has received numerous artistic and community awards over the years, and some of the ones he treasures the most include:
• Educator of the year, Harvard Alumni Association — 1997
• Arts Educator of the Year, Alameda County Arts Commission — 2008
• Choral Music Educator of the Year, California Music Educators Association, Bay Section — 2012
• John Pappas Humanitarian Award, City of Hayward — 2017
• Choral Director of the Year -- American Choral Directors Association -- 2024
Ken is also an elected official, currently serving as Vice President on the Hayward Unified School District Board of Education, now in his 2nd term.
Ed Keller
Ed Keller (he/him) is the organist and pianist at South Hayward UMC and he currently serves as the treasurer. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Duke University and PhD from the University of Michigan, he taught mathematics at CSUEB for 42 years. Although his degrees were in mathematics, he has always been active as a musician. He played trumpet in the orchestra, marching band, and concert band at Duke, and has sung and played in churches ever since childhood.
When he moved to California in 1969, he joined Wesley UMC (which is now South Hayward UMC) and began playing trumpet, piano, organ, and guitar at church. Over the years, he has served on lots of committees, including the Church Council, Board of Trustees, Finance Committee, and Worship Committee, and has directed the annual Christmas musicals.
He loves contributing to the music at South Hayward UMC. Music gives the members of our congregation a way to rejoice in happy times and to find peace and comfort in times of trouble. Personally, he finds that music allows us to express our deepest emotions in ways that cannot be put into words.