John C Lee

He was born on February 9,1948 in Andong, South Korea to Nam Sik Lee & Cha Kyung Kang, the second born of their four sons.

Pastor Lee immigrated to the US in 1972 and attended Ohio State University. In 1976, he met and married his wife, Sue, who later joined him in Columbus. He did not know the Lord during this time, but through the faithful prayers of his wife, the Lord saved him one Sunday when, after repeated refusals to join Sue for Sunday worship, he finally gave in to her pleas. He heard the gospel for the very first time that morning, & he believed.

From the moment the Lord saved him, Pastor Lee was all in for Christ. He, together with Sue, diligently served their church in Columbus, and two years later responded to the call to ministry the Lord undeniably placed on his heart.

Pastor Lee moved his family to California to attend seminary. He commuted weekly to his classes at Bethesda Seminary while working as a swap meet merchant in a town five hours away. After his ordination and much prayer, the Lord led him to Tucson, without any connections, to plant a Korean church. Pastor Lee spent his days seeking out sheep without a shepherd in the local Korean community, & nights as an after-hours janitor in order to provide for his family. He led the first service of Tucson Full Gospel Church (now Apple Tree Church) on December 9, 1990 with his family and two others in the pews - and through his faith and obedience, the Lord steadily grew the church. Pastor Lee loved the Lord, his family, and his flock fiercely & sacrificially.

Throughout his twenty-nine years of faithful ministry at Apple Tree Church, he was used by the Lord to shine the hope of the gospel both here in Tucson and beyond. Pastor Lee led dozens of revival services across the country & missions trips around the world, spreading the gospel and encouraging churches in Mexico, Mauritania, Kenya, Tajikistan, Brazil, Philippines, China, Korea & Japan. He loved the children and youth in his fold, and his vision was always to disciple & build up the next generation of Christians.

After retiring from full-time ministry in 2019, Pastor Lee continued to seek opportunities to teach & preach the gospel. He served for two years at a struggling church in Spain as an interim pastor; traveled to various cities and countries to train & encourage pastors; and led small bible studies in his home.

He was an exceptional golfer, an off-key singer, an accomplished Boston Marathon qualifier & athlete, a peanut snacker, and lover of travel and lattes.

Pastor Lee is survived by his beloved wife Sue, daughters and sons-in-law Deborah (Jeff) & Jane (John), and brother Chang-Sun. He will always be the ever-proud grandfather of Elijah, Samuel, Elora, Josiah & Isaiah.