JD Hettema

Lead Pastor

JD gave his life to Jesus at 17 years old after hearing the gospel preached at a youth ministry. He graduated from UCSB in 2003 and then did 8 years of youth ministry in Southern California. In 2009, he and Lauren got married and JD began work as a police officer for Santa Barbara PD.

In 2016, JD graduated with a Master of Divinity (M.Div) from Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, MN. JD and Lauren currently live in Chino Hills with their 4 kids: Audrey (9), Owen (7), Pierce (4) and Julia (2).

JD’s favorite books include: Desiring God by John Piper, What About Free Will by Scott Christensen, and A History of Western Philosophy and Theology by John Frame.

Jackson Tran

Associate Pastor

Jackson became a Christian at 20 years old after attending a church service he was invited to by his future wife, Lauren (different Lauren than above!). He graduated from UCI with a B.A. in 2013. He and Lauren got married in 2014. Jackson worked in business management for almost 8 years.

Jackson graduated with a Master of Divinity (M.Div) in 2021 from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jackson and Lauren currently reside in Anaheim with their 2 daughters - Evelynn (“Ebbie”; 5) and Faith (3) - and a third child who is due March 2024!

Jackson’s favorite books include: God the Son Incarnate by Stephen Wellum, Don’t Fire Your Church Members by Jonathan Leeman, as well as Canon Revisited and The Question of Canon both by Michael Kruger.

Davin Hahka

Facilities and Technology Deacon

Davin was raised in a Catholic home. However, he put his faith in Christ alone for his salvation when he was 18 years old.

Davin received a B.S. in Microbiology and an M.S. in Biology from CSU Pomona. He has worked in a clinical lab for the past 10 years and currently is a project coordinator for laboratory information system.

As a deacon, Davin is responsible for managing Echo Church’s physical meeting space and technological needs for gatherings. He ensures that facilities used by the church are properly kept up and managed. He also runs the technology team for church gatherings and ensures that equipment is up-to-date and well-maintained.

One of his favorite books is The Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent, which encourages the read to remember the gospel daily.

Praise Lee

Deaconess of Women’s Ministry

Praise (pictured to the left) “accepted” Jesus multiple times in third grade at several different altar calls. She attributes these “multiple times” to a lack of understanding; she did not pursue a relationship with Christ until 9th grade and was subsequently baptized. It was not until the first year of college that she truly experienced the depravity of her sin. Since then, Praise has been in awe of God's grace.

She graduated from UCSB with a B.A. in Psychology, but found her true passion for nursing later. She received her nursing degree from Azusa Pacific University. Praise has been an oncology nurse for 12 years and still loves it!

She has been married to Jason (below) since 2013. They have 3 boys together: Jedediah (8), Abel (6), and Obe (5).

As a deaconess, Praise is responsible for leading the women’s ministry of Echo Church. She maintains a calendar of women’s events and manages a team of leaders to help successfully facilitate each event. Praise, under the oversight of the elders, also takes a shepherding role among the women of Echo, alerting the elders to shepherding needs of which they should be aware.

Her favorite books include The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield, Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 12 Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur), and None Like Him by Jenn Wilkins.