Pastoral Letter: At the Turning of Seasons
Beloved SUMC Family,
How has your walk with the Lord been this week?
Last night’s rain was at times gentle and beautiful, and at other times strong enough to startle me. As I drifted to sleep, I wondered, “When the rain passes, how much closer will autumn feel?”
Perhaps you have noticed it too. The season is shifting. The hills and fields that stayed lush and green all summer are now turning red and gold, dressed in colors too many to name. Many of you told me, “Simsbury is breathtaking in the fall. You will love it.” After the long, hot summer, I wondered when the change would come. And now, almost suddenly, it has arrived at our doorstep.
On Wednesday morning, I joined our new District Superintendent, Rev. Heather Sinclair, along with pastors from across the Connecticut District. We gathered at Grace UMC in Southington, where Rev. Carol Bloom, a dear colleague with whom I studied at Drew Theological School and later served in the same community during my years in Greenwich, is now the pastor. Seeing her again was a joy, as was worshiping, sharing communion, and reconnecting with so many colleagues—some long-time friends, others whom I have come to know more closely since moving into this district.
DS Heather shared a Ministry Plan Template and invited us into reflection. We began with a verse that brought deep strength and comfort:
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NRSV)
And then came the first question:
● Mission Statement: Why does your church exist in this neighborhood? What would the community miss if the church were gone?
● Vision Statement: What do you dream God will do through your church? What scripture defines your ministry?
What a profound question. How would you answer?
As we continue our series Mission Possible, we remind ourselves that our mission and vision cannot remain ideas or slogans. They must become visible in our lives, in our ministries, and in the fruit we bear. That is why we pray daily, read and reflect on Scripture, gather in worship, and scatter into the world. Through our lives together, God’s Kin-dom—God’s good and hopeful plan—is revealed.
This Sunday also brings a special joy: the beginning of our Confirmation Class.
Can you imagine the excitement? Even at a young age, our children are learning to confess God as Creator, to embrace Jesus Christ as Savior, and to walk daily with the Holy Spirit. In this journey, they will begin to practice what it means to live the Kin-dom of God in their everyday lives.
This is not our accomplishment. It is God’s gift planted in our community. I ask for your prayers, encouragement, and blessing for our confirmands as they take these first steps of faith.
At Our Doorstep: Mission Possible
(Gospel: Luke 16:19–31)
This week’s Gospel is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. One feasted in luxury behind closed doors; the other lay outside his gate, longing for crumbs. Jesus reminds us that the Kin-dom of God is not far away. It begins right at our doorstep.
The tragedy of the rich man was not his wealth, but his blindness. He failed to see Lazarus at his gate. The miracle of grace is that God opens our eyes—to notice, to stop, to respond with love.
Faith is not only about great ideals. It is about seeing the neighbor before us, finding the courage to pause, and offering even the smallest act of mercy. Mission Possible is not a distant dream—it is already breaking open in the faces and lives of those God places near us.
This Sunday, let us gather in worship with open eyes and open hearts. At the Lord’s table, in the Word, and in community, may we discover again the Christ who meets us at the door and leads us into the Kin-dom already breaking in.
In Christ’s hope,
Rev. DH Choi