News

Dear Ones,

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we celebrate the gift of music! During worship we will not only be giving thanks for the 20+ years of music ministry of our own Hyunjung Choi, but we will also learn about the stories behind some of our favorite hymns.

After worship, we invite you stay for a BBQ celebration in honor of Hyunjung. There will be Hot Dogs, Korean Short Ribs, plenty of side dishes and, of course, dessert! It promises to be a Sunday celebration that you won’t easily forget!

I look forward to seeing you there,

Luke

P.S. don’t forget that this will be a communion Sunday. If you plan on worshiping via the live stream, I invite you to have bread and juice at the ready to join us during the celebration of the Lord’s supper.

Dear Friends,

This Sunday marks a special event in our liturgical calendar—the celebration of Pentecost. In worship, we will gather to commemorate the birth of the Church and reflect upon the powerful events that unfolded on that momentous day.

Pentecost is often referred to as the Church’s birthday, and rightly so. It marks the day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in a dramatic display of flames and enabled them to speak in various languages. As the Spirit empowered them, their tongues became the Church’s first words. In that incredible moment, the disciples were filled with a renewed sense of purpose and a divine calling to spread the Good News to all nations.

This divine outpouring of the Holy Spirit had a transformative effect on the early Church. The disciples, once fearful and uncertain, were now emboldened and equipped with supernatural abilities to communicate across language barriers. It was a powerful demonstration of God’s presence and God’s desire for unity-in-love while also celebrating the diversity of all creation.

As we commemorate Pentecost, we will remind ourselves that the same Holy Spirit who empowered the disciples is still active within our Church today. Just as the early Church found its voice through the tongues of fire, we too are called to speak boldly about our faith, to share the message of hope, and to bridge divides with love and understanding. The Holy Spirit empowers us to reach out to others, breaking down the barriers that separate us and drawing people into the fellowship of believers.

Let us approach this Sunday with hearts open to the transformative work of the Holy Spirit. May we embrace our role as the Church, born of fire and words, and allow the Spirit to guide us as we engage with the world around us.

In Joy and Peace,

Luke

Dear Friends,

In our fast-paced lives, it is easy to overlook the holy moments that often go unnoticed in the whirlwind of our routines. We rush from one task to another, seldom pausing to appreciate the sacredness that surrounds us. This Sunday, as we gather together for worship, we will be looking at a story in which Moses is confronted with the reality that God is closer to us than we often realize.

Indeed, each day presents opportunities for us to stand on holy ground if only we pause and open our hearts to the sacred. It may be in the gentle smile of a stranger, the beauty of nature, or the profound silence in the sanctuary. We are called to slow down, to breathe, and to be attentive to the whispers of the divine in our lives.

I look forward to sharing more with you on Sunday.

Take Care,

Luke

Dear Friends,

I hope this message finds you well as the Spring days continue to get longer and warmer.

This Sunday, our worship service will focus on how the first Christians thought about ministry when the church was formed nearly 2000 years ago. Guiding our time together will be a reading from Acts 2:42-47. In this passage, we discover that simplicity was at the core of their approach. We will also explore what the early church prioritized and how these foundational elements can guide our own ministries today.

It is my hope that this week’s worship service will be a time of spiritual renewal and recommitment for all of us, as we seek to follow in the footsteps of the early church and continue to spread the love of God in our community and beyond.

Take Care,

Pastor Luke

Dear Friends,

During this 50-day season of Easter, we have been looking at some of the different resurrection stories that are contained in the gospels. This Sunday, we will be turning our attention to a story in the Gospel of Luke

known as “The Walk to Emmaus.” As we explore this text together, we will be contemplating how we might go about opening our hearts to the

full worth, dignity and rights of all people around us.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to see the world through his eyes.

We are invited to see the full humanity and worth of every person,

regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves and forgive as we have been forgiven. Of course, these Christian ideals are easy to say, but can be exceedingly difficult to follow… So where is the best place to start?

By the end of our time together, it is my hope that we might discover an answer or two to that question…

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Luke

Dear Friends,

I hope this message finds you well. I want begin this message by thanking all of the volunteers, staff and musicians who made Easter Sunday so special. What a joy it was to not only worship together, but also fellowship over great food and cheer on our young folks during the egg hunt!

As we continue forward in the 50-day season of Easter, we will begins looking at some of the “post-resurrection” stories in the gospels and the book of Acts. This week we will be focusing on the story of Doubting Thomas.

This familiar passage tells of the disciple who refused to believe in the resurrection of Jesus until he saw and touched his wounds. This story is often reduced to Thomas’ lack of faith and is used as a cautionary tale for those who doubt. That being said, there is MUCH more to Thomas’ story than what first meets the eye.

I hope you will join us this Sunday in worship as we explore the full breadth and meaning behind Thomas’ questions and experiences with the risen Christ.

See you soon,

Luke