Pastoral Letter: A Place Where Differences Become One
Dear SUM Family,
From Monday through Thursday, I was in New Jersey attending the Conference of the Association of United Methodist Church. This gathering brought together pastors serving Korean congregations, clergy in Cross-Racial/Cross-Cultural ministries, the NEXUS movement (by, for, and with the next generation of Korean American United Methodists), and women clergy. Pastors, missionaries, and families from across the nation came to worship, to share fellowship, and to witness God’s grace together.
The experience was truly remarkable. When the sounds of traditional Korean instruments—kkwaenggwari, a small hand-held gong; janggu, an hourglass-shaped drum; daegeum, a large bamboo flute; and gayageum, a 12-string zither—blended with piano, electric guitar, and bass, a shiver ran through my whole body. When pastors and families from many ministry settings lifted their voices as one choir, the harmony of different gifts and voices filled the room like a great symphony of faith. In those sounds, I heard our journeys of faith woven together.
Most participants shared Korean heritage, yet brothers and sisters from different racial and cultural backgrounds also blessed the gathering with their presence. Differences did not divide us; they became harmony at the foot of the cross. Though our languages and histories were not the same, we worshiped as disciples who had all received grace, and the worship grew deeper and richer.
It was not only in worship. We gathered to hear the Word, and in small groups we shared ministry stories, visions, experiences, and wisdom. Each conversation filled empty places in me. Through the testimonies of others, I reflected on myself and received new strength and courage.
What stayed with me most deeply, however, were the unseen acts of service. The hands that prepared and served meals, the feet that drove vans, the hearts that prayed in quiet, the many who worked tirelessly behind the scenes…. Without their hidden service, this gathering could not have been possible. Seeing this, I thought of SUM. Those who serve in the kitchen after worship, who prepare the offering, who quietly pray for our church during the week…. Our church, too, is such a community of grace, where Mission Possible is lived out every day.
Not every story I heard was bright. Some shared discouragement. Others spoke of failure and disappointment. But thanks be to God, the stories did not end there. God is alive. God does not give up. God raises us again in love and mercy.
That is why this gathering was more than just a conference. It was a Mission Possible moment. Mission Possible is not about our strength but about God’s grace that turns what seems impossible into life renewed. In that grace, we gave thanks to God. In that grace, we encouraged one another.
By the time you read this letter, I will already be back in Simsbury. In my heart, I still carry the sounds of traditional and modern instruments joined in praise, the choir’s harmony, and the diverse stories shared by Christ’s disciples—as I prepare to welcome Sunday with you.
I hope that you, too, will walk with God through the week, bringing back what you have seen, heard, and reflected upon, and sharing those stories with our SUM community. In gathering and scattering, may we continue to experience the Kin-dom of God together.
Tomorrow, we will gather for World Communion Sunday. At a table that stretches across every border and language, Christ himself invites us through his life, death, and resurrection. God’s saving work embraces the whole world and every nation, making us one body in him. I warmly invite you to join us at this holy table of grace.
In Christ,
Pastor DH