Meet Our Staff

Gerald R. Mann

Gerald R. Mann (Jerry) was born in Cleveland, Ohio.  He attended Malone University in Canton, Ohio and interned at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto and Mount Olive Baptist Church in East Palo Alto, California during the summers of 1969 through1971.  He received his Master of Divinity degree and his Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.

He married Carol Edwards of Canton, Ohio in January 1972. In 1974, after his serving two years as assistant pastor of the Holy Trinity Baptist Church of Cleveland, they moved to California to attend Fuller.  While working on his advanced studies, he served as the Youth and Christian Education Pastor at Friendship Baptist Church in Pasadena.

In 1984 he moved to San Francisco and joined the staff of Young Life San Francisco as the Area Director of the Greater Mission District of San Francisco encompassing, the Mission, Filmore, Bayview, Hunter Point and Potrero districts of San Francisco. He held this position for seventeen years, and later was  the Director of Continuing Education for Young Life nationally for eight years. He has also served several churches as pastor, interim pastor, and consultant over the years.

For over forty-five years he and his wife Carol (deceased)  were involved jointly in discipleship, teaching, and evangelism ministries while he held positions as youth minister, teacher, pastor, and counselor.

Dr. Mann has serves as adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, Eastern University, the Berkeley School of Theology (formerly known as American Baptist Seminary of the West) and guest lecturer for Gateway Theological Seminary (formerly Golden Gate Baptist Seminary). He is the former Dean of Fellowship Bible Institute and College of Theology and Urban Studies in San Francisco.  He has also led various seminars for the Bay Area Sunday School (also known as BASS) and is a noted radio and retreat speaker.

He has served on the Executive Committee for the National Network of Youth Ministries, the

Board of Bridgemont High School, the Redwood Glen Camp Board, the Board of Growing Healthy Churches (the American Baptist Regional Board), and  currently serves on the MCYM Board. (Military Community Youth Ministry, also known as Club Beyond.) He also served as the Co- Chairperson for youth with the Billy Graham Crusade in San Francisco, and for Tom Skinner Crusades. He has also authored several bible studies and booklets and has received awards for mentoring, youth leadership, and various youth programs.

He has three grown children and resides in San Francisco, California. Dr. Gerald Mann currently serves as the lead pastor of Sunset Ministry in San Francisco.

Susie Chong

Susie Chong has been with Sunset Ministry since it started as a church plant of the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco in 1998. She has served in various leadership positions including Welcoming Team, Worship Team, and Shepherding Board.

Her current role at Sunset Ministry is the church administrator and the stewardship coordinator. She continues to teach 4th and 5th grade Sunday School.

She enjoys traveling whenever possible, trying out new restaurants, and connecting and building relationships with the church family and others.

Her desire and hope is for all to serve with a joyful heart and to worship so that we can bring glory to God and help others understand who God is, so that they in return can bring others to Christ.


  • Jeff Finger

    Jeff Finger is a native of Nashville, Tennessee and spent his formative years south of Chicago. After completing a degree in Mathematics from a small college in Southern Cal, he spent two years in aerospace before attending Asbury Seminary in Kentucky. His circuitous and winding career path then led him through seasons as a church planter, pastor, worship director and even construction before he became a full-time Mathematics teacher at Balboa High School, where he has spent the last 9 years. He still freelances as a musician and enjoys refinishing furniture and good Chicago style pizza.

    find out more about Jeff at www.jeffreyfinger.com

  • Juan Tandez

    Juan is a bay area native growing up in South San Francisco. He completed his degree in Broadcast Media from San Francisco State. He loves to serve and came to Christ in 2016. He hopes to use his talents to continue to spread the Word. In his free time Juan loves to fish, play basketball, and find new coffee spots.

  • Jerry Dela Pena