Meet Our Staff

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Rev. JaeHee Lee was born in South Korea and grew up in Seoul, an ever changing, growing, and innovating capital city of the country. Her faith journey began at the age of 7 when she heard of Jesus the first time at Sunday School. Her life as a teenager and young adult had been restless until she encountered Jesus in person at college retreat as her personal Savior. She was born again on that day, and gave her whole life to Jesus. She graduated from Korea Methodist Seminary with M. Div. degree in 2003. 

During her first year of ordination process in the Korea Methodist Church, God called her to leave her home country and serve God’s people in the United States. She studied in Wartburg Lutheran Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, and transferred to St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City and graduated with another M. Div. degree in 2013. She served as an ordained elder in the Iowa Annual Conference and served as a full time Pastor for 11 years in Waterloo, Woodward, Eldridge, & McCausland. 

During these years of ministry, God put in her heart a new vision, “My House shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7b), and opened a door for ministry and she came to serve at South Hayward UMC in July of 2024. Rev. JaeHee Lee carries a burden that God put in her. Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with all nations and bringing God’s healing into the lives of the broken. We are all broken in one way or another and as children of God we are called to be wounded healers in this broken world.

 Rev. JaeHee Lee has two grown sons in South Korea. As a nature lover, she loves to explore what the golden state offers, along with its rich historic heritage and cultural diversity. 

Ed Keller is the organist and pianist at South Hayward UMC and he currently serves as the choir director. 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.