Category: Pastor’s Blog

A Word from Pastor Sun Hee
The Gift of Positive Thinking

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice…Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God… Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:4, 6, 8

God has been very gracious to us here at SAINT PAUL this year, especially the last a few months. You can feel the Spirit moving in many places and you could almost feel the wind of many changes. It’s both exciting and at the same time, it could be unsettling. At times like these, I am reminded of the a few passages that I often go to for reflection and prayer.

Our thoughts are very powerful. They create our moods and shape our days. If we think we can’t—or think we can—we’ve often found it to be true later. More importantly, underneath these thoughts, we need to ask where/whom do I rely on when times of change or times of trouble. Where do I draw strength?

We might not be able to create positive thinking at times of deep despair but we can be reminded of the gift of positive thinking from the Source—Our Lord who gives us strength. This will shape our following thoughts, actions, our days, and so on. Just as God has shown us time and time again that He would be with us every step of the day, we move forward into our unknown yet amazing future at SAINT PAUL. That’s why it is important for us to be more prayerful and reflect upon God’s words, at such a time like this.

My hope for us in this new chapter of our life at SAINT PAUL is to Hope and Think positively. That isn’t some modern self-help catchphrase; Paul preached that same message two thousand years ago. What’s more, he wrote it from a jail cell! He lived what he taught.

God gave us reason, wisdom and intellect. He made us smart—smart enough to guard our minds and hearts from “stinking thinking.” So take Paul’s advice: think positively….and rejoice always. Think about some ways you can help yourself stay positive when in doubt.

A great way to combat negative thinking is to stuff your brain with your favorite Scripture passages. When doubts arise, instead of hearing “I can,” you’ll hear “I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13) or “The Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1). Hope you enjoy learning about these passages today.

I am sure God will be gracious to us and guide us into what God holds for us!!

A Word from Pastor Anne
Making and Being Made into Followers of Jesus

Many of us are giddy with excitement at the growing Ministry Center! Some have waited for so long that it is hard to believe it is happening so quickly. After the exterior walls were put up, many have gone out to write their names and blessings for the coming ministry on the walls. Walking out into the new space is exhilarating! This is a busy fall with the 50th Anniversary, Crop Walk, Dinner Dance, Stewardship campaign and Golf Tournament. Our 50th Anniversary theme is Blessed for 50 years, To Be a Blessing for the Next 50!

This theme describes what is happening here at SAINT PAUL. We are giving witness to the signs of growth among us. We heard in September from Jordan Ilagan about his trip with the Philippines Solidarity Task Force. There will be opportunities to hear more and consider joining next year’s trip. Our new member, Paul Maumalanga, told of his own journey that has brought him to our church. He is part of the Men of Faith small group and serving on the Finance Committee. You can read that in the newsletter. Kristine Welcher shared about her own adventures with Extreme Couponing and how God has allowed her family to live more freely and generously with what they have. Some are talking to her about learning about couponing. That was in last month’s newsletter.

We are continuing in our theme of Evangelism with our series on Movies and Faith Conversations. We want to grow in comfort and ease in talking about our own faith with others. With movie theaters, Netflix, Redbox and YouTube, there are so many ways to see movies. These can lead to conversations about choices in challenging situations, where we find our help and giving witness to the God we trust.

Even as we find ways to reach out and invite others, we must also strengthen existing ministries to receive more new followers. Our Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) and Core team approved a Safe Sanctuary policy this year. This policy sets guidelines to protect children, youth and vulnerable adults. The goal is to provide “a safe and secure environment for all children, youth, volunteers, and paid staff who participate in ministries and activities sponsored by the church. The following policies and procedures reflect our congregation’s commitment to preserving this church as a holy place of safety and protection for all who would enter, and as a place in which all people can experience the love of God through relationships with others.”

All volunteers with children, youth and vulnerable adults must attend an annual training, agree to abide by our policy for the safety of all and complete the volunteer application. This includes a background check for those 18 and older. Inappropriate behavior can destroy individuals and communities, so we are being proactive to provide a safe setting. So many are stepping out to lead and build our unity in Christ! Outreach Ministry leads us out to raise money and awareness for hunger through the annual CROP Walk. Linda Canuto and team are planning another Dinner Dance as we give thanks and raise money for our new Ministry Center. Our United Methodist Men (UMM) sponsor the annual Golf Tournament in Alameda to support ministries. The Finance Committee is leading the way with our Stewardship campaign.

As I said at our 50th anniversary celebration, Pastor Sun Hee and I are privileged to serve here at SAINT PAUL! Like the Apostle Paul, we cannot help but give thanks to God for you. We know that we follow on the firm foundation built by previous pastors. We join with the many active faithful followers here. And we desire to be used by God and be part of what God is doing among us and what is still to come.

We are blessed with the prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness of so many here at SAINT PAUL! Let’s continue to grow in investing our resources for the life giving Kingdom of God for another 50!

A Word from Pastor Sun Hee
Blessed for 50 years, to BE a Blessing for 50 more!

On September 14th, we have an amazing opportunity to celebrate the 50th Year Anniversary of SAINT PAUL. In November of 1964, the vision for a new Methodist Church in the Tri-City area was formed, and with eighty-four members SAINT PAUL was born. The church was incorporated in January of 1965, just a few short months later. This year also marks the 20thyear since we held our first worship service (Easter Sunday) in this current location in 1994.

The journey of SAINT PAUL can only be described being guided by the grace of God. We are so blessed to not only have our own building in its current location, but after 20 years, our New Ministry Center, the Virginia Maniti Williams Ministry Center (which is Phase 2a of our project), is being built and expected to be completed by the end of this year. Whenever I think of this, it gives me goose bumps. We tend to come and go throughout the week and on Sundays, but we do not always think about the many ways that God has blessed us and is using us to better serve the world for Kingdom purposes. That’s why it is important to take a moment to reflect and really celebrate all of these blessings while pondering where it is that God might be leading us.

I have been fortunate to work with an amazing team of people who have been preparing since early this year. As we started to share many ideas and plans, it became obvious to us just how blessed we have been. We have now reached 50 years of faithful and amazing ministry! Clearly, we have experienced maturity during this past season, but we also feel that SAINT PAUL is still energetic and young at the same time! This is good news! We have also come to the realization that there have been many, many people that God used to bless us to be where we are. Out of gratitude for all the blessings and the spiritual maturity we have experienced and received, we are committing to be a blessing to others for God’s Kingdom through continued maturity and with a greater sense of service to the congregation. Just as God once promised Abraham, we believe God is promising to be with us and use—“I will make of you a great nation and will bless you. I will make your name respected, and you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2 CEB)

As you can see, this is an exciting time for the people of SAINT PAUL United Methodist Church. There are many conversations stirring of ‘what if…’ and many hearts tuning into God’s leading us to those that need the blessing of God – His Word, His grace, His love. This anniversary, we are not going to take the promise of God lightly. We will receive it with conviction and with grateful hearts.I want to offer special thanks to all the people who have been on this journey of the blessed past 50 years. Really, you have been faithful and God is smiling upon you! I hope that many of you will come and celebrate the 50th Year celebration for SAINT PAUL! It will be our testimony and witness to God’s blessings and goodness!!

Pastor Sun Hee