Pastor's Letter Greetings Siblings in Christ, It is a dark time now, darker more for our brown and black skinned siblings, who always run a much higher risk of being stopped by ICE agents, detained and their families not knowing where they are or what has happened to them. Sadly, this isn’t new to them, as much of the nation we know today has been built on the abuse, violence, oppression of non-white people. AS Christians we are called to name this and be better. As my brother in faith, Rev. Dr. Israel (Izzy) Alvaran wrote, “Now is not the time for statements alone. This moment implores us to love beyond words – to courageously rise up against empire and tear it down with all the strength given by the spirit.Call your senators and representatives and demand … [Read more...]
Pastor’s Letter 2026 January
“Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the shepherds were impressed.Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The shepherds returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!Luke 2:16-20 (The MSG) Greetings Siblings in Christ, Happy Christmas season and a Blessed New Year to you! I pray that your spirit was moved and grew during the Advent season and the celebration of the birth of Jesus, God incarnate, on … [Read more...]
Pastor’s Letter 2025 December
The angels returned to heaven and the shepherds decided to go to Bethlehem. They found Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the manger. The shepherds returned, awe and in praising God for all they had heard and seen. Luke 2:15-18 Dear Siblings in Christ, As a child and young teen, I don’t recall ever learning about Advent as the time ahead of Christmas – but I definitely remember it being the waiting period before Christmas. I feel blessed to have siblings who can help me remember particular things about the Advent and Christmas season in our school, neighborhood, church, and home. Sometimes their recollections ‘correct’ mine, especially my older siblings’ recollections. I have no recollections of difficult or painful times around Advent and Christmas which, having shared … [Read more...]
Pastor’s Letter 2025 June
Pastor’s Letter Greetings Siblings in Christ, I truly give thanksgiving for our faith community that gathers at BMUC. I give thanks for the ministries and missions that we offer and the people we serve. I am grateful to be among you all and, with those of us who have been here for a season or more, to welcome new folx in to our community. Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow! We have been doing much these past several months from Winter Necessities Kits, to Lenten practices, to Easter celebrations, to our Bazaar, which is just completed and our upcoming Pentecost celebration on June 8, when we also welcome 3 new persons as members into our faith community (See article later in this newsletter.) After this period both I and our Lay Members to Annual … [Read more...]
Christmas Letter 2024
The angels returned to heaven and the shepherds decided to go to Bethlehem. They found Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the manger. The shepherds returned, awe and inpraising God for all they had heard and seen. --Luke 2:15-18 Dear Siblings in Christ, During the winter months when I was little, one of our outdoor activities was sledding, as there was lots of snow. We didn’t actually have hills so much as slopes to go sledding. I recall we had two Flyer sleds, and boy could they fly. We could get two, sometimes three of us, if we were smushed together, on a sled. A Flyer sled has a wooden ‘guide’ extending out at either side at the front of the sled (probably all sleds of that style did) that you either put your feet on to steer the runners, or tie a rope on each … [Read more...]
Pastor’s Letter 2024 April
Dear Siblings in Christ,Are there scripture passages, even chapters in the Bible that you find troubling, or confusing – out-of-date or, you may think simply ‘no longer apply’ to contemporary culture? Do you wonder how to respond when others bring up those scriptures and want, or ‘expect’ you to explain? Maybe you want to better understand those scriptures for your own growing relationship with God in Christ. You would not be alone. Many people, including clergy, find some scripture challenging to understand or interpret into contemporary life, even life we hope for when we pray ‘your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ Are there contemporary social behaviors, social mores, economic or political activities, or familial relationships or actions that you wonder … [Read more...]
Easter 2024
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 (CEB) Greetings Siblings in Christ,A blessed and joyful Easter Season to you! Each year before I begin my Easter letter, I pray and think ‘what can I share about the amazing gift of Resurrection Sunday?’ As my faith grows, deepens, transforms continually, I always see something differently about God’s gift of the resurrection. This year is hope. We hear that we are living in an unprecedented time of upheaval in politics, in social relationships, in economy. I don’t know if this is fact as I, nor I am guessing most of us, have not experienced humanity’s acts since its inception. It is, we can say, a time of … [Read more...]
Pastor’s Letter 2023 December
As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the shepherds talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Luke 2:15-18 (Msg) Greetings and Blessings Dear Siblings in Christ, It is an awesome thing that God determined to come and live among the humans that they created in their image. We might wonder what possessed God to decide to leave a place of security, of love, of justice and mercy, of kindness and compassion to live with humans – flawed, oftentimes more emotionally driven than spiritually led, sometimes overly confident, sometimes completely insecure, yet hungry for love and learning and, sometimes, a willingness to become something … [Read more...]
Pastor’s Letter 2023 July
Greetings from Annual Conference Session (ACS) Lay Members to ACS Paul Iwahashi, Olivia Iwahashi, & Rev. Pam We are writing to you post-2023 Annual Conference Session (ACS). We want to share with you some of the highlights we witnessed and experienced One of the newest items to come out of ASC this year was a vision statement for the Cal-Nevada UMC developed by the CORE team. The CORE team, comprised of four main areas, oversees the implementation of the mission and vision of the annual conference, and follows up on decisions made at the annual conference session. The vision statement developed is Follow Jesus; Thrive in Community; Healing the World. Bishop Dyck said, “A vision statement can help us in our daily living, decision making, behavior and witness… … [Read more...]
Pastor’s Letter 2023 May
Grace and Peace my siblings in Christ, I write to you from our Palestine Holy Land Pilgrimage. We have just begun our pilgrimage in Bethlehem, West Bank, entering one of the many Palestinian refugee camps and along the Barricade Wall (called also The Separation Wall). I am reminded that it is still the Easter season, the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus, a Palestinian Jew. Having to go through the military checkpoint to enter and leave Bethlehem, I am reminded as the Gospel of Luke shared, Joseph with a very pregnant Mary, walked from Nazareth to Bethlehem, around a two week walk. If this were today, they would have had to go through a military checkpoint, having to explain what right they had to go in or to leave. This day … [Read more...]
