Pastoral Letter: The Holy Spirit and Us

Dear SUM Family,

The sun has been warm, sometimes almost too warm, and the cool breeze keeps changing the feel of the day. After helping the boys get off to school in the morning, I often take a slow walk around the neighborhood. It has become one of the moments I enjoy. These days, I have been listening to a novel as I walk and prepare myself for the day. How has this week been for you?

This Sunday, I am looking forward to our Church Council gathering, where the whole SUM family will look at where we are, remember the road we have walked, and prepare for the steps ahead.

Two weeks ago, we opened our holy imagination and asked together, “What kind of SUM do we dream of?” Last week, we reflected quietly on another question: “What kind of SUM might the Holy Spirit be leading us to become?” We do not pretend to know the Spirit’s will completely. At times, we may discover a gap between the direction we desire and the way God is leading us.

That is why discernment in the church is not simply the work of gathering opinions; it is also a form of prayer. We bring before God what we desire, and at the same time, we listen for what God may desire for us. In that posture, even when the way is not fully clear, and even when our steps are slow and careful, we learn the next step together.

The early church did not begin with all the answers either. In Acts 15, the church gathered with real questions and real tensions, and they spoke, listened, prayed, and discerned a way forward together. In the end, they were able to say, “It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us...” (Acts 15:28).

I love that phrase. The church is not a community moved only by one person’s certainty; it is a community learning together how to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In Ephesians 4, Paul speaks of the church as “one body.” Our roles, thoughts, and gifts may be different, but we are called to be joined together in one Spirit and to grow together. A healthy church is not necessarily a place where everyone thinks alike; it is a place where different people learn to remain in Christ and grow together.

SUM is on that road, too. We come from different generations, experiences, worship rhythms, and places in life, and yet we share a love for this community. Some have carried and cared for SUM for many years, and others are newly finding their place in this community. Around the quiet table of Holy Communion, in the more open rhythm of praise, within the deep rhythm of traditional worship, and through online worship and many ministries, we each love SUM in our own way.

Because of that, our conversations may not always be easy. Yet within this very diversity, we may learn to listen more deeply, look at our reality more honestly, and discern the next step more faithfully.

Tomorrow, we will look at our current reality through both numbers and stories, and consider how we can continue our ministries in a faithful and sustainable way. Finance, worship, education, leadership, communication, the next generation, and our connection with the wider community are not merely administrative matters. They are part of the shared stewardship we carry before God.

More than anything, I hope this gathering will be less about rushing to conclusions and more about listening and understanding first. I invite you to write down the thoughts, suggestions, or hopes you carry with you on the Post-it notes provided. We will receive each person’s voice with care and gather them as we prepare for the ministry of SUM ahead.

We are not gathering because we already have perfect answers. Perhaps we are gathering so that, by listening to one another, we may learn together how God is at work among us now.

I pray that this Church Council will be more than a meeting, and that even our words, our silence, our questions, and our suggestions may become part of our prayer before God. And may we learn again in that space. We are not people walking alone; we are the body of Christ, called to grow together in one Spirit.

Peace,

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