The Ministry of the Chinese Church began on January 1, 1894. The Woman’s Board of Missions of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church sent Mrs. Naomi Sutton as a missionary to San Francisco’s Chinatown. She began her ministry by teaching English and caring for sick children in her home. In 1900, a store at the corner of Jackson and Stockton Streets was rented for church.

In 1904 the Reverend Gam Sing Quah became the first Chinese pastor of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He brought stability to the work and many souls were won for Jesus Christ.

In 1915, the Women’s Board of Missions sent Julia McCaslin, a graduate of the Cumberland Presbyterian Theological Seminary, as a commissioned missionary. She help organized our congregation in San Francisco Chinatown.

In 1948 Dr. and Mrs. Davis Bryson helped to revitalize the youth ministry, Sunday school, and the Sunday evening service.

In 1952 Reverend Tom Jung retired after serving the church faithfully for 40 years.

Reverend Samuel King Gam, the eldest son of Reverend Gam Sing Quah succeeded Jung. The church’s ministry grew and sharing a vision of even greater growth, the Session approved building a new Sanctuary. Before the building program started, Reverend Samuel Gam went home to be with the Lord. Shortly afterward the Reverend Paul Wu became the pastor. Under his dynamic leadership the sanctuary was completed in 1958.

In 1965, Reverend Ernest Chan became pastor. Under his ministry the church purchased the Educational Building adjacent to the Sanctuary and the Fellowship Center in the Richmond District. Reverend Chan resigned in 1987. He served the church for 22 years.

The session issued a call to Reverend Dr. Lawrence Fung to be the pastor. On September 23, 1990 he was installed as Senior Pastor. Under his leadership, the church started a Second Campus in Daly City in February, 2005. Reverend Lawrence resigned in 2008. He served the church for 26 years.

Reverend Walter Lau began serving at the church in 1990. He became the Senior Pastor on July 1, 2008. Reverend Lau discipled several generations of youths, training them to become church leaders. He also coached countless married couples to have healthy marriages through his marriage ministry. Under his leadership, the church purchased the Cumberland Mission Building in Daly City. Reverend Lau retired on July 1, 2024, after 34 years of service.

On 1 July 2024, the Board appointed Rev. Alan Leung as Senior Pastor. Pastor Leung has been serving at the Cumberland Presbyterian Chinese Church since July 1, 2022.

At present, the Cumberland Church has two campuses with a total of six worship services. The San Francisco campus has Cantonese, Mandarin, and youth worship services. The Daly City campus has Cantonese, English, and youth worship services.