Pastoral Letter: Our Stories, God's Story
Dear SUMC Family,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As another week has passed here in Korea, I have the joy of writing my third pastoral letter to you.
This week, JiSun (officially registered as Jiseon) and I spent three days attending a spiritual retreat. As many of you know, JiSun is pursuing a Master of Divinity at United Theological Seminary. As part of the degree requirements, students participate in two spiritual retreats, both of which are held in Korea during the summer. I was grateful to share this time with her.
During those days, I met pastors and ministry leaders serving God's kingdom in many different places around the world. As I listened to their stories, I found myself laughing with them at times and quietly sharing in their tears at others.
Every story was different. Different cultures. Different ministries. Different joys and different burdens. Some spoke of hope, while others shared seasons of pain. Some told stories of peace, while others spoke honestly about conflict, perseverance, and waiting.
Yet beyond every story stood the same faithful God.
The more I listened, the more I realized that every story ultimately pointed to God's redeeming work. Through Jesus Christ, God continued to reveal love, grace, and hope. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, God continued to restore, strengthen, and lead people in every season of life.
As I reflected on those stories, I realized once again that SUM is also filled with stories.
Some of us are celebrating new beginnings. Others are quietly carrying burdens that few people can see. Some are waiting for answers. Some are grieving the loss of someone they love. Others are faithfully serving day by day, often without recognition. Every life carries a story, and every story matters deeply to God.
When our stories are placed into God's hands, they become part of God's story.
No story is too ordinary to be touched by the love revealed in Jesus Christ.
The Scriptures remind us that God is the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end. Yet God also meets us faithfully in the middle of our stories, where faith is often formed one ordinary day at a time.
The retreat also included lectures on pastoral ministry and a variety of theological topics. Those sessions became more than opportunities to learn. They became moments of reflection. God gently reminded me once again that faithful ministry begins by being emptied before God so that God may fill us anew. Along with spiritual renewal came theological renewal, giving me space to prayerfully reflect on the ministry to which God continues to call me.
The daily worship services and times of prayer became some of the most meaningful moments of the retreat.
During those quiet hours of prayer, SUM naturally entered my heart. I pictured our sanctuary, our fellowship hall, the many places across our campus where ministry quietly unfolds each week, and the people who faithfully worship, serve, encourage, and love one another. Even from across the ocean, I found myself praying for each of you and for the life we share together as the body of Christ.
What brings me the deepest comfort is knowing that long before my own prayers rise to God, the Holy Spirit is already interceding for the Church. I simply have the privilege of joining that prayer, trusting the wisdom, guidance, and faithful love of God.
My prayer for us is simple.
Wherever this summer finds us—whether at home in Simsbury, traveling with family, serving others, resting, or preparing for a new season—may we continue to carry one another's stories in prayer.
May we celebrate God's goodness with those who are rejoicing.
May we gently carry those who are walking through sorrow.
May we remember that although our stories are different, we belong to the same Lord, are guided by the same Holy Spirit, and are being shaped by the same faithful God.
And wherever God leads us, may our prayers continually remind us that we are one body in Jesus Christ, growing together as faithful disciples until we gather again.
I look forward to worshiping with you again soon.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor DH
Simsbury United Methodist Church
sumct.org
pastordh@sumct.org