Pastoral Letter: Imagining SUM Together
A First Pastoral Reflection as We Prepare for Church Council
Dear SUM Family,
This week, spring rain has visited us often.
Not long ago, spring flowers covered the once-bare ground with many colors. Now their season is quietly passing, and the rain is soaking the earth, drawing out deeper greens from the trees and fields. The seasons seem to move quietly, yet within them unseen changes are always taking place.
Our daily lives are much the same.
In the conversations we have, the news we hear, and the prayers we share, we catch glimpses of what is unfolding in our church and in the wider community. Joy and sorrow, gratitude and concern, can all find us in the course of a single day.
Last Sunday, we listened together to the words of Jesus as he walked toward the cross. The disciples could not fully understand where Jesus was going, yet Jesus did not leave them with fear alone. He promised them, “I will not leave you orphaned.” He promised the presence of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who would remain with them.
That is why I invited our church to pray as we prepare for the May 31 Church Council meeting. I hope we may breathe together in the Spirit—not only holding our own thoughts and concerns, but making room to listen for what God may be showing us.
All of us have been called by Christ. Within that calling, each of us seeks to live into the work entrusted to us—in our daily lives and within the life of the church.
We do not all live our faith in the same way.
Some find their breath again in the quiet stillness of an early morning service. Others see the life of the church in the laughter of children and the sound of busy footsteps in the hallway. Some quietly prepare meals in the kitchen. Others hold someone’s name quietly in prayer, unseen by anyone else. Some have loved and sustained this church for many years, while others have only recently walked through the doors, slowly finding their place among us.
In the life of the church, there are different hopes and different rhythms.
Even when we are facing the same direction, we often carry different stories within us. Not every story is the same, yet we still gather in the presence of the same Lord and try to worship together. Along the way, we learn from one another and experience the grace God continues to give us.
And so lately, I have found myself wondering what kind of church we are imagining together.
What kind of church do people encounter when they first walk into SUM?
How will the children growing up among us remember this church someday?
What kind of church do we hope to pass on to the next generation and offer to our neighbors?
If you were given a large blank canvas and invited to draw SUM freely, what kind of church would quietly begin to take shape?
It does not need to become a polished paragraph or a formal vision statement.
It could be a drawing, a short reflection, or even a few handwritten words that feel more like a sketch than a finished thought.
One memory that has stayed with you, one glimpse of hope, one picture of the church you hope our children will remember someday—that is enough.
I hope this letter does not end simply as something you read.
If you feel led, I hope you will express your thoughts in your own way and perhaps even share them with the SUM family.
I would love to hear the stories you carry within you—the SUM you have loved, and the SUM you hope we may continue to become together.
In the next reflection, I hope we can ask together what God may be holding in God’s heart for SUM in this season.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor DH