Are you keeping cool?!

Yesterday I was quite worried about the weekend heat, because we do not yet have air conditioning in the sanctuary at the Presbytery Center on 9723 Garibaldi in Temple City. Worshiping with 200+ folks at 1:30 in the afternoon without air conditioning was going to present quite a challenge for Mideast Evangelical/MEC! (A challenge almost matched at Trinity in Pasadena, as they tried a Saturday afternoon worship in THEIR no-AC sanctuary.)

I decided to stop by to see just how hot it was, and found the folks moving their worship to the fellowship hall. It was so hot that Grace Taiwanese had finished their lunch quickly and went home, which cleared the air-conditioned fellowship hall for MEC to worship there, thank God!

Korean Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church

The MEC folk had good spirits about the move and I heard this mobile worship went well. I left early so I could visit with Rev. Dr. Heidi Park, our minister member who moved last year to Cincinnati to be a professor at Xavier University. She had also visited Korea, and her husband continues to go back and forth between Korea and Pasadena for his research. She is doing fine, Xavier has been a welcoming community, and she is doing very interesting research on the physiological impact of historical trauma-she has learned that there are changes to the DNA of a people as they are haunted by past persecution. This research was observed initially with Holocaust survivors after World War II, and Heidi is looking into the struggles of the Korean people. (Interestingly, after speaking with Koreans who have immigrated to the United States, Heidi is hearing that immigration has been more traumatic than memories of past wars.)

There are other ways God’s people are on the move in our presbytery. Rev. John Moon just began his ministry at Korean Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, and we pray for him and for his people, that his faithfulness and pastoral gifts help to support and heal and lead the people of KGSPC into a future of hope and service. His installation service is Sunday, August 6, at 4 p.m. Please come and celebrate and pray for this critical new chapter in KGSPC’s ministry.

Pasadena Presbyterian Church

This coming Sunday, Pasadena Presbyterian Church will be hearing and voting on a new pastor for their Korean Language Ministry, and the next Sunday, July 23, the Presbytery will install Rev. Walter Contreras as pastor of their Spanish Language Ministry. Please show your support at this 2:30 p.m. service. Rev. Ann Oglesby-Edwards, PPC’s transitional head of staff, is working diligently with skill and sensitivity in addressing multiple interim tasks at the church. Blessings on PPC as they are experiencing an exciting time of transition!

Tonight, the Commission on Ministry will be considering several requests from churches asking the Presbytery to walk with them as they consider their future ministries. One and possibly two churches will be utilizing the New Beginnings process this fall, which will lead to new awareness of the church and their neighborhood, and with this awareness the church members can discern God’s will for them. If your church is interested in New Beginnings, most of the same personnel who led our churches through New Beginnings two years ago are still doing it, so there is still a Presbyterian-focused approach available to our churches. Let me know if you are interested; if your church has not used the stimulus funds (the Presbytery reserved $2,000/church for church development processes like New Beginnings), then the net cost to the church is $1,500, which is still a relative bargain for the data you receive. Of the ten churches that went through New Beginnings two years ago, significant decisions have been made in seven churches at least, which is a very good track record.

It’s exciting to see how many churches are on the move in our Presbytery. I’m not sure why God decided to move us in the dog days of summer, but it certainly does help to remind us of the challenges of the Exodus. And I have always loved that God was perfectly happy without a structure built by humans who tried to contain God who cannot be contained. And if we can comprehend God’s freedom to roam, may we learn to be equally free to move as God leads us.

So as we begin our mini-Exodus and the new promise (and challenge) of change, as our churches take bold steps into an unknown future, may we give thanks that God goes with us every day, even as we worry about discomforts along the way. And thank God that we can band together as God’s people, and be as Christ for each other and for all our neighbors in San Gabriel Valley. May we encourage and support each other on this journey, that we all may stay faithful and embrace the opportunities of change that God is presenting to us.

And let us pace ourselves. To that end, I will be taking the second half of July for vacation, and then will help lead a seminar for new immigrant clergywomen in Florida (including Mary Ren, our Mandarin pastor at Alhambra True Light!), so I will be out of the office July 17-August 6.

Trusting in our nomadic God,

Wendy

Yesterday, Mideast Evangelical Church worshiped for the first time in their new home at 9723 Garibaldi Avenue in Temple City. They were welcomed by Grace Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, who have been worshiping at this location for about 20 years. Each first Sunday of the month, MEC has an intergenerational bilingual communion service, with simultaneous translation of the sermon. Grace worships (in Taiwanese) at 10:30 a.m., MEC (in Arabic) at 1:30 p.m. if you’d like to worship with them.

Members of the Mideast Evangelical Church pray for Maher Makar.

Thanks to the excellent translation, I was able to appreciate Rev. Maher Makar’s sermon. As a Bible scholar, he provides Bible study as well as modern application.

As he considered Acts 7, when Stephen preached about Moses, Maher noted how the Bible uses “40 years” to represent a completion of a phase in one’s life. So Moses’ life was divided into three 40-year blocks. The first 40 years, Moses was raised and taught in the house of the Pharaoh. The second 40 years, after killing an Egyptian, he lived in Midian as a shepherd. The third and last 40 years was, of course, the Exodus.

Maher’s message was that God chooses whom God chooses and when God chooses, and what we do in service to God’s mission is not based on our skill and strength, but on God. So it’s never too late to serve God, because God will make us able.

For several years I’ve been thinking about how things will change as the Baby Boomers move into retirement age. The Boomers (born 1946-1964) have been so dominant that they have recreated each phase of life in their own image. As one person said, “when the Boomers started to have children, it’s as if they invented parenthood.” Many of the recent changes in the church (for instance, praise music, and also the marginalization of the church) came from the Boomers’ critical view of the traditional church.

We are now in a post-Christendom world, where about half of US Christians attend church. But as the Boomers age, some are becoming nostalgic for their roots-which include the church. Some are seeking new community and activities to replace their job and child-raising responsibilities. Some are considering the ultimate questions of life as they age. And some, who do not find their way back to church, are often met with grace and compassion by chaplains while in the hospital or hospice. So there are new opportunities to proclaim the gospel to those who have never really experienced a life of faith, or walked away from it.

I have noticed a new awareness of the times when God calls individuals in their advanced age. The first time I heard this was in a Pentecost sermon given by Mark Lau-Branson. He noted the Jewish tradition of wanting to die in Jerusalem, even for those who lived all over the world. This resulted in Jerusalem being a kind of international retirement community, so when the Holy Spirit came down on Jesus’ disciples and attracted the attention of the people, many of these early Christian converts were awaiting death. As noted by Maher Makar, Moses was 80 when God called him to confront Pharaoh. And we all know that Abram and Sarai embarked on their journey at the ages of 75 and 65, and did not bear Isaac until 25 years later.

As Maher said in his sermon, when God called Moses to confront Pharaoh, Moses probably thought, “Why come to me now? Why didn’t YHWH come to me when I was 40, when I was strong and able?” But as God made so clear when speaking through the burning bush, God does not call us when we are ready to do great things with our own abilities, but God calls those whose abilities are doubtful, so that we must answer with faith, and our actions reflect God’s glory, not our own. It is not up to us to decide when it’s convenient to serve the Lord, it’s up to the Lord to know when the time is right.

Recently we had a meeting of the advisory team for Rev. Lauren Evans, our new Chaplain for Retired Church Workers. I always enjoy talking with Lauren about her ministry, because as Rev. Doug Edwards points out, we have the opportunity to look anew at ministry with retirees. Due to our longer lifespans (I believe Board of Pensions said that our retirees live on average into their 90s), we can expect to live 20+ years after retirement. So retirement is not just an ending, but a whole new chapter for life and ministry.

Karen Berns

Doug mentioned that the most important factors in our well-being in retirement are community, purpose, and health. As church families, and as the Presbytery family, we have the opportunity to welcome retirees into community. As Presbyterians, we know God calls us for God’s purpose-and we understand that the nature of that call can change over time. While we often think we can’t control health concerns, we do know that community and purpose do have positive impact on one’s health. Conversely, we are challenged to be a welcoming community and to support one’s evolving call, even as health considerations may affect the ease with which we can put someone into areas of responsibility.

In the coming years, I believe there are growing opportunities for outreach with older adults. And as we open up to God’s call in unexpected times, may we be reminded that God calls all of us, not when we are ready, but when God ordains it.   And as God calls us forward, may we respond with faith, because as God told the 90-year-old Sarah, “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?”

Trusting in our wondrous God,

Wendy

I have noticed that we are in an exciting season, as churches are making significant decisions that will impact their ministry into the future. As they consider new journeys into an unknown future, I am reminded of the Exodus. I lift up to you the little story of how God empowered Moses to lead the Israelites as they fought Amalek-but Moses got tired, so he needed his partners to help him. This is the essence of what it means to be a presbytery-that we help each other in ministry, as individuals and as churches. So I ask you to lift up to God the following events in prayer.

After five years of trial, Korean Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church will be welcoming Rev. John Moon as their new pastor, to be installed August 6, at 4:00 p.m. This church has experienced denunciation by their former pastor, and years of legal and interpersonal turmoil, and are attempting to rebuild with a determined core of leaders. Churches that have gone through a painful split with the pastor and conflict within do not survive unscathed, so I ask that you pray regularly for Rev. Moon and for the church as they connect with each other and seek to serve Jesus and the people Jesus loves, even as wounded healers.

As you probably know, there have been countless leaders who have contributed time and wisdom to Korean Good Shepherd over the years. One key leader is Rev. David Won. Last week, Rev. Won was hospitalized briefly, then jumped back into ministry, even leading a meeting just this last Saturday in Rowland Heights. But Rev. Won will need a stent to be placed in a clogged artery, either this or next week. Please pray thanksgiving for his help, and hope that God will watch over the procedure and Rev. Won’s recovery.

This coming Sunday, Mideast Evangelical Church will be worshiping in their new home in Temple City. There will be some kinks to be worked out for sure-the biggest concern is that the air conditioning in the sanctuary needs to be replaced, so please pray that the temperature in the next two Sundays is, say, 25 degrees cooler than yesterday, especially when they worship at 1 :30 p.m.! But their energy is great, and positive, and I am hopeful that this will be a boon to their loving and growing ministry.

Many of our churches are being very intentional about discerning their future ministries, and they are asking the Presbytery for help. So we will be forming several ministry teams, working in various capacities with churches, as requested by their sessions. These teams will take different forms and have different focus areas, depending on what the church sessions identify as their hopes and needs, and the Presbytery’s wisdom as COM considers their requests. My prayer is that God will lead us to the people best suited to work with these various churches, and that the people will make themselves available for this important work of the Presbytery.

One ministry team that had been developed almost two years ago worked with Pasadena Presbyterian Church. The team completed their work and has since disbanded, but I believe they played an important part as PPC reviews their ministry and their administration for mission. This coming month, PPC is preparing to install Rev. Walter Contreras as their Spanish-language pastor on July 23 at 2:30 p.m. They are also getting ready to call their Korean-language pastor-which means that for the first time in many years, PPC will have two installed pastors. They are also doing incredibly important work in strengthening their leadership infrastructure, and developing a common vision for ministry as one church. Thanks to the faithful leaders of that church, and the interim work of Rev. Ann Oglesby-Edwards, and to Rev. Tom Erickson, who helped reestablish the church’s confidence that God will be with them as they go forward in faith.

I have spoken with two churches about using the New Beginnings process to help them embark on a new chapter in the life of their churches. You may have heard that we don’t do New Beginnings anymore, but what the PC(USA) did is to partner with the Disciples-who developed the New Beginnings process-to continue to support churches who want to use the resource. The person who did the administration for the PC(USA), Michael Whitman, is still the person working with PC(USA) churches doing New Beginnings. The cost is now $5,500 if a church does it alone, or $3,500 per church if two or more want to join a cluster. The churches follow the process separately, but the savings come because the trainings can be done jointly and the assessor can meet with multiple churches on one trip. The Presbytery still can provide $2,000 towards this fee thanks to the Synod stimulus fund, if the church hasn’t already used their share in the past.

New Beginnings is not perfect, nor will it give you instant answers about your future ministry, but I still believe it is a cost-effective way to get data about the neighborhood and for all church members to give input in an organized fashion, and many of our churches have made significant decisions after going through the process in the past. Let me know if you are interested in this program, as we are hoping to start with at least two churches this September.

As a presbytery, our job is to support each other as we seek to follow Christ in worship and service. I am greatly encouraged that many of our churches are taking bold steps to transform their ministries, and I am humbled that they are asking for their sisters and brothers of the presbytery to walk with them. I ask you to pray for our churches, their leaders, and those who will know Christ through them. Here is a prayer that comes from the Presbyterian Book of Occasional Services that lifts up our churches and reminds us why God called us together:

Gracious God, pour out your Spirit of power and truth upon the whole church, that we may be for you a holy people, baptized to serve you in the world. Sustain the church in ministry. Ground us in the gospel, secure our hope in Christ, strengthen our service to the outcast, and increase our love for one another. Show us the transforming power of your grace in our life together, that we may be effective servants of the gospel, offering a compelling witness in the world to the good news of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

May it be so, in your church and in all our churches,

Wendy

This last Saturday we tried something different for our Presbytery meeting-we held our first annual All-Presbytery Work Day. I say first annual because prior to the event, some of us were bracing ourselves for whatever would happen, as signups were slow and the logistics of the day required a few wings and a few prayers. So we committed that whatever happens, we would take it as a learning opportunity for future workdays.

Well, as one person shared later, the day was anointed, and I would like to thank the Justice, Peacemaking and Mission Committee, who organized the event, with help from the Education Committee, who organized the worship and who connect with Tapestry Youth Collective. The Presbytery meeting included several important decisions, including:

• Approval of a loan for several needed repairs that also will greatly improve the energy efficiency and accessibility of the new Presbytery Center in Temple City
• Approval of the call of Rev. Walter Contreras to the Spanish Language Ministry of Pasadena Presbyterian Church, with his installation on July 23rd at 2:30 p.m.
• Approval of the call of Rev. John Moon to Korean Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, with his installation on August 6th at 4:00 p.m.
• Approval of a small grant to help support the new worshiping community, Church Glorious, in West Covina
• Connecting with our Tapestry Youth Collective Middle School Work Week participants, and dedicating our offering to Tapestry
• Commissioning the Youth Trip to Peru this July.

Some of you may appreciate the import of Rev. Moon’s call, which represents a new chapter for Korean Good Shepherd, a church that has persevered through years of turmoil due to an attempt to take the church out of the Presbytery. I encourage you all to attend one or both of these installations, which will be true celebrations of our connectional church. Both churches have much potential as well as challenge, and your prayers are welcome.

After perhaps the shortest stated meeting in San Gabriel Presbytery history (1.4 hours, including 25 minutes for worship), about 30 adults and 30 youth grabbed their sack lunches and went to work. Some of the sites had full contingents, some had only a few (though they had some of their own members as well), but the day was a blessing for the workers, and I hope for the churches and mission partners who welcomed us.

For me, the day was a reminder of the many jobs we pastors get to do. It’s been said that the pastorate is one of the last true generalist jobs, and I for one rejoice in the diversity of gifts used, and opportunities to work offered, in ministry. I have often said that my favorite day in ministry started out in Honolulu, meeting as a trustee for the $30 million Hawai’i Conference Foundation, then flying home to Kauai to count and sort potatoes for the next day’s food pantry.

So on Saturday, Rev. Jeff O’Grady, pastor of San Marino Community Church, and his Princeton intern Alex volunteered to bag the sandwiches for the sack lunches. Rev. Oswaldo Garcia climbed a ladder at Puente de Esperanza in La Puente to clear spiders from the rafters. Rev. N’Yisrela Watts-Afriyie worked with Angel Interfaith Network to put together much-needed supplies of toiletries and clothing for patients as they leave LAC+USC Medical Center. Revs. Diane Frasher and Jake Kim worked in the community garden of First Presbyterian Church of Pomona. Revs. Mary Ellen Azada, Matt Colweel and Jennifer Ackerman applied labels with the presbytery’s new address to over 1500 envelopes. And I got to haul concrete that had been broken up with a jackhammer at Shepherd of the Valley, which was a nice counterpoint to the day I mixed and poured concrete at my church in Waipahu.

Of course, it wasn’t just the pastors who did this work-there were many more ruling elders, youth, and friends who led us. I would not put a jackhammer in the hands of most pastors! Like former Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons said, we are a do-it-together church in a do-it-yourself world.

On Sunday I got to preach and fellowship with the English language service of Alhambra True Light Presbyterian Church. During lunch, one of their commissioners commented on the renewal of baptism that was part of the worship service. He stated exactly what Rev. Jennifer Ackerman proposed when she designed the service-that we are baptized into Christ so that we may go out and do Christ’s mission in the world. And that’s who we are, and that’s what we did.

There is much need for the grace of Jesus Christ in this world. We have the awesome opportunity-and responsibility-to be bearers of that grace. Let us take that opportunity, together with our sisters and brothers in Christ, and see God’s hand at work in our world.

Thanks for everyone who participated in our first Work Day! And blessings on all of you, for all the ways you reflect God’s glory in your life and your work.

Peace,

Wendy

One year ago, many of us woke up and got ready for church. A few of us heard at church that there had been a mass murder in Florida, at the Pulse nightclub. It was the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in U.S. history. The tragedy highlighted the brokenness of this world, as a man from one marginalized group targeted people from another marginalized group, claiming revenge for US intervention in the Middle East. The nightclub itself was one woman’s reaction to her brother’s death from AIDS; her brother had told her that as a gay man, gay nightclubs were the one place he felt safe.

A little over two weeks ago, on May 26, a man boarded the Portland MAX Green Line train at the Lloyd Center and started harassing two young women with racist and anti-Islamic slurs. Three men attempted to subdue him, and they were stabbed, two of them fatally. In the last two weeks, there have been other terrorist acts in England, but the people of Britain continue with their determination to “keep calm and carry on” and respond to the violence with love.

The Grief and Shock are Deep
A few months ago, February 20, 8-year-old Jonah Hwang, a child of First Presbyterian Church in Pomona, was killed by a man who shot into the house where Jonah and others had gathered for dinner. Police found that this man had shot at the house four different times. The man has been arrested, but he has no connection with the family living at the house, and there is no known motive. The Hwang family, the family whose home was shot at, and the whole church family who have cared for them continue to heal, but the grief and shock are deep, and continued prayers are appreciated.

This last week, several members of the Presbyterian Church in Southern California passed away after long illnesses. We pray for Ruth Mandernach (First Encino) upon the death of her husband Bill, the family of John Chandler of Los Ranchos Presbytery, and our own Karen Berns and family upon the passing of our San Gabriel member Don Berns early last Monday morning.

We are reminded every day that this world can present us with much to grieve, whether our loss is due to long illness or sudden catastrophic violence. As we face such grievous events, how are we to respond? With certain violent incidents, people have sometimes responded with added violence, demonstrating the axiom that violence begets violence. But we also see that there is another way to respond, even when it seems that the world hates us, and our Lord and Savior and leader of our lives names this directly. We Christians respond to the hatred of the world with love.

It is no coincidence that the memorial service for Ricky Best, who was killed as he defended those two young women in Portland, included the song “They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love.” I am appreciative that the people of First Presbyterian Pomona have shown strong and persistent love as they care for each other and grieve together, and that others from partner churches have reached out with resources and support. And I know that the legacy of our close friends and partners is carried forward in the lives of all who loved them.

A Happy Day
Last Friday was graduation day for the Alliance Ted K. Tajima High School. This has become one of the happiest days of the year for me. I was delighted to hear multiple allusions to the “Tajima Family”-but only once was that restricted to the likes of my sisters and me. In their minds, the Tajima Family now includes the students, parents, teachers, and administration of this school where young people have been empowered with education and hope, even as they face the difficulties of their lives. Some have had to hold jobs, or care for their siblings, or fear themselves or their parents being deported, or live through violence and poverty and disease in their community-and yet all look forward to college to transform not only their lives, but the lives of their families. As the Senior Class President, a young Latina admitted to UCLA, said,

“My parents are undocumented immigrants, and I am the first person in my family to graduate from high school and go to college. That may not mean much to everyone, but when your father had to quit school at 11 because his family could not afford to let him go to school, a high school diploma means so much more. When your mother had to quit school at 11 because she was a girl, and women weren’t expected to have an education, a high school diploma means so much more. When your neighborhood is filled with dropouts, gangbangers, and people without hope, a high school diploma means so much more.”

We are all challenged with the brokenness of the world and the difficulties of our lives. Yet we have the opportunity to respond as Jesus would respond, with love and faith in the wider mercy of our God. My family was blessed with the suggestion of a man, Dale Okuno, who was inspired by my father’s faith to suggest that a school be named after him. We are blessed to see how a legacy can be carried on into future generations, to a family that is not limited to biology or inheritance.

San Marino Community Church

Jesus tells us to love one another, even in the face of the world’s hatred. This Saturday we have the opportunity to show love to some of our churches and mission partners with the All-Presbytery Work Day. We still have slots for workers if you want to participate, so please come this Saturday, June 17, and show your support. We may not have lunches if you didn’t pre-register, but come anyway.

The short Presbytery meeting starts at 9 am at San Marino Community Church, and we expect to start working at the various sites by 11 am. If you have questions, please contact Wendy Gist or call the Presbytery office, which is now at (626) 614-5964. We will also have worship, with offering going to the Tapestry Youth Collective.

May every action of kindness and justice, of love and forgiveness, be carried forward and magnified in the power of the Holy Spirit. Giving thanks for God’s eternal wisdom and the saving grace of Jesus Christ, may we take every opportunity to spread the love that he shows us, that all may be one.

Praying for grace,

Wendy