Pastoral Letter: Listening Faith for Our Future: Loving Boldly

Dear SUM Family,

This week, the 227th Session of the New York Annual Conference began under the theme, Faith for Our Future: Loving Boldly. With your prayers, I am now in Stamford, Connecticut, attending the Annual Conference.

Here we talk together, worship together, share Holy Communion, enjoy fellowship, and deal with the work of ministry. In the middle of all these things, we are asking how the church can continue to do meaningful ministry in a changing society.

Some conversations feel a little distant from me. But some come very close. They touch my heart and make me think deeply about the church and its ministry. In the middle of many discussions, decisions, and conversations, I am experiencing God’s grace here.

That grace does not come because everything is going exactly the way I want. Rather, I experience grace because I believe the Holy Spirit is present here and is guiding us. I also see grace as people with different perspectives seek to follow that guidance together, listening and speaking with openness and respect, within prayer and Scripture.

One moment that stayed with me was a short video prepared by the Rules Committee. In the video, a character introduced himself as John Wesley while holding a tablet device in one hand. It was funny, but the message was faithful to the basics. It reminded us how Christians are called to speak with one another, conduct meetings, and make decisions together in prayer, Scripture, and respect.

There was nothing particularly new about the message. Yet it felt important. In a place where many different thoughts and opinions are gathered, it was a good reminder to return to the basics. The future of the church depends not only on what decisions we make, but also on how we talk, listen, and discern together.

At our recent Church Council meeting, we also talked about communication. Since then, I have been praying that healthier and more meaningful conversations may continue among us. Please continue to share your thoughts, concerns, and hopes with me as we seek to be faithful together.

As we are thinking about the future of our Annual Conference, I find myself also thinking about the future of our life and ministry together at Simsbury UMC. I look forward to returning to Simsbury and seeing you again soon.

Thank you for your prayers.

Peace,

DH

Rev. Dong Hyun Choi
Simsbury United Methodist Church
sumct.org
pastordh@sumct.org