Pastoral Letter: Grace in Familiar Places

Dear Simsbury United Methodist Church Family,

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ.

This is already my fourth letter from Korea.

During this visit, our family has been traveling together to different places throughout Korea. Some were places I had never visited before. Others were places JiSun and I remembered from before our children were born, or from when they were still very young.

As I returned to those familiar places, I found myself seeing them differently. Then I realized that it was not the places that had changed the most. It was me.

Time had quietly changed the way I see the world. The experiences of life had shaped my heart, my values, and even the things that now catch my attention. I found myself standing where I once would have kept walking. I noticed beauty I had overlooked before, and I found gratitude where I might once have simply taken another picture and moved on.

As I stood there, one thought stayed with me.

Perhaps revisiting places filled with memories is one of the ways God gives us grace again.

The memories remain, but God gently meets them with fresh grace.

Looking back, I realized that God has never erased the years behind me. Instead, God has quietly continued to add grace to every season of my life—even to seasons when I did not recognize it at the time. As I reflected on that, I wondered if the same is true for all of us.

What memories is God creating in your life this summer?

Perhaps around a family dinner. Perhaps during a quiet afternoon of rest. Perhaps through an unexpected conversation that will stay with you for years to come.

Although I am in Korea, my heart often returns to SUM.

I continue to follow the life of our church through worship, our website, and the messages so many of you have shared with me. Every message reminds me that distance may be measured in miles, but fellowship is measured through prayer.

Thank you for allowing me to carry your stories with me. Please know that I continue to carry each of you in my prayers from across the ocean.

As I look back over this past year, I realize we have been writing a story together. We have laughed together, prayed together, walked through difficult moments together, and through it all, witnessed God's faithfulness together.

Seeing that story again from a distance has become another gift of this journey. Many moments that once seemed ordinary now feel like grace. Our shared memories remind me that God has been faithfully present among us all along.

But our story is not finished.

God is still writing.

God is still at work in the life of SUM.

By God's grace, every one of us has a place in that story.

That is why I find myself looking forward to returning—not simply because I miss home, but because I look forward to discovering the next chapter God is preparing for us together.

Until we meet again, may God continue to meet you wherever this summer finds you. May God give you fresh grace in familiar places, strengthen your faith through every season, and remind you that our individual stories are always held within God's greater story.

I look forward to worshiping with you again soon.

Peace in Christ,

Pastor DH
Simsbury United Methodist Church
sumct.org
pastordh@sumct.org