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 November
Reflections on the Annual Dinner for the Coalition of Concerned Medical Professionals (CCMP)I wanted to take a moment to share some reflections from the wonderful Annual Dinner that Berkeley Methodist United Church (BMUC) recently hosted for the Coalition of Concerned Medical Professionals (CCMP). BMUC has been a proud sponsor of this all-volunteer organization for the past two and a half years, and this year’s dinner marked CCMP’s forty-ninth year of faithful service.CCMP’s mission is a living expression of the gospel call that Jesus gave to all his followers: to care for the sick, to lift up the poor, and to love our neighbors with both compassion and courage. Since I began volunteering with CCMP in March of 2023, I have had the privilege of advocating for individuals and families who … [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...]
Easter, 2025
A Blessed and Happy Easter Dear Siblings in Christ, I write this to you as we near the 5th Sunday of Lent looking toward the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus the Christ. I pray that you are well during this Lenten season, fully immersed in your own reflections of faith, walking with Jesus toward Jerusalem and his last Passover meal. I look forward, knowing what the disciples did not know at this point in time on the journey – that Jesus was indeed resurrected; that we celebrate that resurrection over 2000 years later! Praise be to God for the resurrection of the Lord! This knowledge resounds in the church throughout the world, together with singing ‘Christ, the Lord is Risen Today. Alleluia!’ This Good News has been lit like a new flame in … [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...]
