Newsletters
2020 Newsletters
December
Our calendar has come to the last page, which is December. It means 2020 is al-most over. What a year we have lived through! It has been a truly unprecedented span. This year has been like a ride on a rollercoaster. But by the grace of God, we have made it through. Thanks be to God!
November
Our calendar has come to the last page, which is December. It means 2020 is al-most over. What a year we have lived through! It has been a truly unprecedented span. This year has been like a ride on a rollercoaster. But by the grace of God, we have made it through. Thanks be to God!
October
Since last March, it has been seven months that we have to deal with Covid-19. Our lives have been totally different from before the pandemic. In addition to that, we’ve experienced how crucial the Black Lives Matter Movement is, because police have abused their power over people of col-or. So many people are being treated unfairly. It is not right. That is why people stand against racism. We are in solidarity with BLM. In November, there will be a presidential election. It is a very pivotal time to choose the right leader of this country for the next four years. We’ve also seen wild-fires that have caused the loss of many homes and even lives. And hurri-canes and tornadoes continue to hit the soil of America.
September
Last month, I was filled with emotion because our church lost our beloved member, Joanne Evelyn Ahrweiler. I miss Joanne. She always radiated love, kindness, and a warm smile. It is so surreal that she is no longer with us. But her new life journey has begun with God. May she rest in peace with God, and may we be given strength to bear an irreparable loss!
Our warm weather is slowly diminishing as summer is fading. Now we can often hear the sound of crickets, and the wind is getting cooler. Leaves are ready to change their colors. There seems to be nothing against the law of nature. The season of fall is coming, whether we are enduring a pandemic or not.
August
Greetings in the name of our resurrected Christ Jesus! I pray that all of you are staying healthy and well. The Pandemic has brought us a new normal life. We may feel our lives are weird, uncomfortable, and even fearful. Because of the Coronavirus, we must maintain social distance and wear a mask in public. In this time, let us think in a more positive way, because as we think, we live, and the world comes to us through the way we think. Positive thinking helps us look and hope for light in darkness. Here are some good things I’ve found in this epoch of Covid-19.
July
How is it with your soul in this time? Recently I have felt physical and mental fatigue. It may be the result of the Stay at Home order that is last-ing longer than I expected. Now the length of the order has passed three months. But the weather is forcing people to engage in outdoor activities. I can see more people walk by and run on Army Trail Road. They might be tired of being inside.
June
The current circumstance of Covid-19 brings to mind the psalms of lament and Jesus on the cross. Jesus was helpless and vulnerable, but what he could do while he was dying was pray using the psalms. Many people might ask where God was in that difficult situation of Jesus’ suffering. It looked like God was silent, absent, and was not answering the prayer that Jesus prayed.
May
Covid-19 is still forcing us to stay home, even though Easter and the warmth of spring have come to us. When we go to buy essentials, we follow guidelines and put on masks and observe the distance of at least 6 feet. Given this situation and as time passes by, we’ve come to realize that human relations play a crucial role in our lives. It is almost impossible for us to live without love and social connec-tions. We as humans are created to be in relationship with one another. When we lose connections and contact with each other, we easily fall into loneliness which could bring life risks.
April
Since the middle of March, we have been grappling with a powerful wave. We all know that the wave is the Coronavirus 19. This virus has shaken our lives because we are asked to quarantine ourselves and practice “social distancing” as well. The Coronavirus is extremely contagious. I was told that in South Korea, some groups of people did not follow the guidelines from their government and thus they caused the virus to spread in their nation. That indiscriminate behavior led to South Koreans being in danger because of the virus. If they had followed the instructions, it would have been a very different story. Their reckless acts meant that one of my relatives had to temporarily leave home and move to a friend’s house in a different area. Given the severity of this virus, we are forced to live a different lifestyle in a different world.
March
Now we are in the season of Lent. In this season, I want all of us to think about our community of faith. God calls us to be in this community and be-long to it. In this community we experience life together, whether it be good or not. Our church community is different from any other organiza-tions because our life together comes from God and the Word of God. Our life together is possible through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spir-it. In other words, we are united with one another in God through Jesus Christ.
February
Our beloved United Methodist Church has been struggling with the issue of different perspectives on human sexuality. This year will be especially crucial for our denomination, because the Gen-eral Conference (from Tuesday, May 5 to Friday, May 15 in Minneapolis, MN) will possibly make a decision about the split of our church. In this time of uncertainty, I’d like to look at a brief history of the church that helps us guide the church’s path in the future, for the past teaches us how to live in the present.
January
Happy New Year!
2020 New Year has come to us. The first thing we need to remember is that when you fill out any forms, do not forget to write 2-0-2-0. It seems unreal that we are in 2020. In this time, we often think about our resolutions. We have made lots of resolutions in past years. What resolutions do you have for 2020?