Category: Pastor’s Blog

A Word from Pastor Sun Hee
FAMILY FUN NIGHT… MORE THAN JUST FUN

In a couple of weeks, we will be opening up the doors of our church to show some love and hospitality to those that are in our neighborhood. Hopefully, you saw the postcards already, but on Saturday, April 18^th, we will be hosting our very first “Family Fun Night”. It will be an evening filled with games, music, laughter, and of course, because we are Methodists… food! For sure this evening is purposed to be an evening of fun for kids and adults of all ages. But this is so much more than just an opportunity to get together to have fun. In actuality, it is a way of sharing our story with those that are geographically immediate around us.

I have joked before, and I know some of you have as well, that when I try to explain to my friends how to find our church, I usually tell them, we are the church “behind the mosque”. I even thought for a few moments about putting that on my business card. But humor aside, I know the stark reality that too often the church remains hidden. Most of what we do as a Christian community tends to happen “inside” the walls of the church. But church is not supposed to exist that way. Church is supposed to be the “light of the world” and a “city built on a hill” as Matthew 5 says. It cannot and should not be hidden.

That’s why we are going build some carnival games, have our music team prepare some entertainment, have tables full of fun crafts for kids, and of course, because we are Methodists… have food… all sorts of food. It’s so that SAINT PAUL can become visible in our community, and especially, our immediate neighborhood can come to understand that we are not just the church “behind the mosque” but rather we are a church that wants to connect with people in their neighborhood – to love them, to offer them spiritual support, and just simply be a blessing to the community.

Rob Bell, in his book, Velvet Elvis, talks about how if the Good News is really going to be the Good News, it has to be Good News to everyone! And what he meant by that was that if a Christian, or a Christian community, or a church for that matter has truly understood and received the Good News of Jesus Christ, their very presence should be Good News to those around them – that their faith in Jesus somehow becomes a positive impact and presence in the neighborhood.

Especially, as we continue to celebrate the resurrection Spirit of Easter, I pray that our presence in Fremont will be more and more of Good News to others. I can’t wait for Family Fun Night. It’s going to be such a great opportunity to love our neighborhood. I hope that you will join me and many other faithful servants of our church in making SAINT PAUL a friendly, warm and welcoming gathering place for fun and for more than just fun – for faith, fellowship, and yes, because we are Methodists, food (especially, the spiritual kind). Amen?

Praying for us to be the Light,

Pastor Sun Hee

A Word from Pastor Anne
Making Room for Jesus

We started off this Lent season focused on having Christ-Centered Hearts with our Revival speakers, Rev. Siosifa Hingano and Pastor Pete Hingano. Our worship preaching has used Enemies of the Heart by Rev. Andy Stanley. What a practical help on some basic things that get in the way of our life with God and clog up our hearts from having more of Jesus! Sometimes the Holy Spirit just puts things together in wonderful ways.

Recently I had a few sessions with a personal trainer at the gym to help me with my exercising. This was a first for me. Each session focuses on a different part of the body – core, legs, upper body. (My arms are still feeling rubbery from the other day.) I noticed that he 1) makes goals beyond what I would myself, 2) watches and makes sure I do them correctly so I don’t hurt myself and get the most from the workout, and 3) helps me when I can’t do it myself.

This is so much like our life in general and life with God. Most of us would stay comfortable where we are and not push ourselves and our faith as far as someone else would. As we go beyond our abilities to build new abilities, we are not doing things correctly since our muscles are learning it and not strong enough. I am so frustrated when I try to do more and then hurt myself or do not really get the benefit of working out. This is when I usually get sloppy, hurt myself or just stop. Maybe you know this pattern too.

What was wonderful is that when I struggled to do the exercises, he would gently help lift the weights while I did as much as I could to so I could complete the workout. What a weakling I felt like! And I am getting stronger.

Isn’t this true with God and the body of Christ? We have friends, small groups, leaders and the Holy Spirit ministering to us to follow Jesus beyond our comfort zone, to correct us and help us when we cannot do it ourselves. And we can grow stronger in faith and following Jesus!

I hope your hearts are feeling cleaner and healthier from guilt, anger, greed and jealousy. I heard that the sermon topics have led to lots of conversation! Praise God!
Remember, fights are fueled by “I’m not getting what I want.” James 4:1-3. Let’s admit this together, pray to God honestly and celebrate the successes of others as we continue to serve with the gifts God gives each of us. God is doing amazing and wonderful things here among us. We have so many talented and gifted people! God will use it all to build up the body of Christ and tell others about Jesus!

Cleaning Our Hearts for Jesus

• Fight Guilt with Confession
• Fight Anger with Forgiveness
• Fight Greed with Generosity
• Fight Jealousy with

1. Admit – Do you know what the problem is? I’m not getting what I want.
2. Bring all your desires and disappointments to God.
3. Actively celebrate the success of others.

A Word from Pastor Sun Hee
FROM THE INSIDE OUT – HEART MATTERS

Another season of Lent has begun. Ashes have been placed on our foreheads, Lenten disciplines have been committed to, and the other usual business in the life of the church leading up to Easter is already taking place. But for some reason, this Lent feels very different for me. Perhaps, it’s because of the amazing Revival we had with Rev. Sifa Hingano and his son, Pete Hingano, where we heard the call to receive the power of the cross and live with Christ-centered hearts. Or maybe, it’s due to the host of seemingly unrelated conversations and various things happening around me that all point me into new directions and new ways of thinking. One thing for sure, all of these serendipitous elements are causing me to pay attention to my heart. Yes, my heart! For sure, I believe that God is calling me these days to pay more and more attention to what’s inside my heart.

Friends, what is inside of our heart absolutely matters. And it’s important for us to do a real good heart check from time to time to know what is the condition of our souls. I don’t know about you, but so many times, the stuff that is inside of my heart eventually finds its way out and affects all these different aspects of my life. Even when I try to ignore it, the heart stuff will eventually surface. That’s why the Scripture reminds us that God is not nearly as concerned with what goes in our mouths and He is with what comes out of our mouths (“… it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles…” Matthew 15:11)

Andy Stanley, in his book, Enemies of the Heart, says, “Somehow, what’s in our hearts, good or bad, is eventually translated into words and deeds.” He says this is an important subject because heart issues always takes a toll on relationships. “People with shrapnel lodged into their hearts from something in their past don’t really want to be known. Being known is tantamount to being found out or discovered,” says Andy. Consequently, Andy believes that people build walls around their lives and that the things that pour out from their mouths are ultimately connected to a wounded heart.

In his book, Andy Stanley addresses four “invaders” or enemies of the heart. And he explains that these enemies, if left to their own devices, will grow in power and influence. These enemies have the tendency to numb your soul, steal your life, and threaten your relationships. He identifies these four enemies as – Guilt, Anger, Greed, and Jealousy.

Pastor Anne and I will be preaching through this book and this theme in the upcoming weeks believing that it is so important for all of us to be aware of these enemies and to know how it is that we can be free from them. Thankfully, we have Christ’s sacrificial love that has been already laid as a foundation to make this possible for us. And we have at our disposal four spiritual exercises that we can engage in order to effectively neutralize the affects of these enemies. We will be excited to share about these in the series during Lent, and we encourage you to pick up one of Andy Stanley’s books, so you can intentionally and diligently follow along in this series. I have already started reading the book and applying some of what I’m learning, and it’s been making a huge difference!

I want to close with what Andy Stanley shared in one of his interviews regarding his book:

When one of Andy’s sons, Andrew, was eight, Andy was sitting on the edge of his son’s bed, having a talk about the events of the day. Without thinking, Andy put his hand on his Andrew’s chest and asked him, “Is everything okay in your heart?” As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Andy thought he was asking too much from an eight year old. But he paused and said, “Yes, sir, Daddy.” That began a weekly and sometimes biweekly habit that Andy continued for five years.”

I’m definitely planning on trying this with Kevin. And I hope that you will also join me in getting into the habit of checking your heart matters regularly…. Is everything okay in your heart?

With a heart full of gratitude and a desire for an honest heart check,

Pastor Sun Hee