Dear Siblings in Christ,In mid-October I joined other clergy of JAUMCs in visiting the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. We went to see the special exhibit Sutra and Bible, showcasing altars, statues, prayer books, and - accidentally found stones with Lotus Sutra inscriptions and handwritten annotated bi-lingual Japanese and English Bibles, called the Kitaji Bibles. We were blessed to be led through the exhibit by one of the curators, Emily Anderson. The exhibit displayed the power that religion both Buddhism and Christianity, faith, ritual, and community carry in all circumstances, but especially in the most heartbreaking of times.It was my first visit to the JANM, so I was not only viewing the special exhibit, I was also … [Read more...]
Pastor’s Letter 2022 August
Dear Siblings in Christ, I recently went to the movie theaters. Angled two rows behind me were two people chatting during the trailers for upcoming movies. I looked back to see who was talking; not annoyed at that moment, just curious and hoping (the wishful kind of hoping, not the faith kind of hoping) that they would stop chatting when the movie began. I like chatting to be kept to a whisper, if at all, so as not to distract from the movie experience, as it is a public space and not my living room. I also own that I am not very good at tuning out extraneous noise when I am trying to focus on something. I also noticed that the two folx appeared older than me. I gave a lot of grace - maybe hearing issues for at least one of them; this was their occasional … [Read more...]
Pastor’s Letter 2022 July
Hello My Siblings of Berkeley Methodist United, I am humbled and pleased to begin my pastoral ministry with you in July. I look forward to worshiping God in Christ with you; hearing your stories, the history of BMUC and what you are hearing from God about BMUC’s future ministry in Berkeley and in the world. I love all types of music and music styles and am pleased that BMUC is quite diverse in its music and music video styles for worship. I want to share a bit about myself so that you might have some context about who I am today and how I listen for God’s call on my life and my ministry as pastor. I have been a Christian for almost/most of my life, having been raised as a Catholic. I left organized religion for a few years in my latter university years. As I … [Read more...]
Craig’s Corner 2022 June
The Last Newsletter… Pam’s Pontifications? Pam’s Place? Pastor Pam’s Point-of-View? I have no idea how Pastor Pam will approach this opportunity to communicate with you, if she’ll use alliteration the same way, or even if she’s the newsletter writing type. But for me, I’ve been so glad to have this chance to share my thoughts and vision with you all these past four years. And it meant a lot to me that you took the time to read it. So I want to leave you with one Scripture. My favorite. 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:34-35 Everything I’ve taught, everything message I … [Read more...]
Craig’s Corner 2022 May
Now it’s time…to say goodbye…to all our company…again… If you missed last Sunday’s worship (4/24) you may not have heard but the Bishop and Cabinet are appointing me to a new church. If this sounds like a flashback, it is. In an unusual circumstance, my appointment to Wesley UMC did not work out and instead I will be appointed to Evergreen Valley UMC, also in San Jose but on the East Side. My appointment begins July 1 so until that time, I will still be your pastor and will still be journeying with you in faith. If you’re unfamiliar with the process in the UMC, a pastor is only guaranteed to serve a particular church from year-to-year. BMUC was fortunate to have been under the leadership of Rev. Naomi for so long, but typically a pastor is at a church … [Read more...]
Craig’s Corner 2022 April
Craig’s Corner Now it’s time…to say goodbye…to all our company… If you missed last Sunday’s worship (3/13) you may not have heard but the Bishop and Cabinet are appointing me to a new church. I will be joining the people of Wesley UMC in San Jose (not too far) beginning July 1. Until that time, I will still be your pastor and will still be journeying with you in faith. We have some exciting things coming up (including Easter!) so it’s not over yet! As we reopen to the public, I hope you will take the opportunity to come by the church and take part in all we are doing. If you’re unfamiliar with the process in the UMC, a pastor is only guaranteed to serve a particular church from year-to-year. BMUC was fortunate to have been under the leadership … [Read more...]
Craig’s Corner 2022 March
Getting ready for Easter! Although the mask mandate has been lifted state and county wide, our COVID team decided to remain worshipping online to get a better feel for how the infection rate will be affected by the change. We all remember last summer when mandates were first lifted before we discovered Delta and Omicron variants to the virus and the need to shut down again because of the rapid spread of the infection. We definitely wanted to avoid that scenario and decided to play it safe for now. The good news is we plan to reopen on Palm Sunday – April 10. Just in time for Easter Sunday. We hope that the COVID infection rate and the relatively low number of cases will remain low and there won’t be a need to do anything differently. But just … [Read more...]
Craig’s Corner 2022 February
Help Wanted! The proverb goes, “Many hands make light work.” And it’s true. The more hands we have, the more we are able to do together. The saying is also true we shouldn’t “burn our candle on both ends.” Which we seem to be doing more and more of. It’s a delicate balance to run and maintain a church and its property. It requires skills and knowledge that encompass a wide range of talents. From keeping financial records, to project management, to facilities maintenance – those are just fancy words for the tasks we need to have done on a routine basis. The more people we have who can do those jobs, the easier it is for us to do all the exciting and meaningful things we do together. The wonderful thing about BMUC is we often have … [Read more...]
Craig’s Corner 2022 January
As has been the tradition the past few years, our first Craig’s Corner of 2022 is taken from the Pastor’s report to our annual charge conference. Not everyone gets to attend, especially this past couple of years when we’ve had to limit attendance, and even though this report is available to anyone who asks for it, I know not everyone gets a chance to read it so here it is (with some updates from when I wrote it back in October). Please enjoy! Pastor’s Annual Report The journey of faith goes on… Who would have guessed that a year after my last annual report we would still be doing virtual worship? The pandemic is still the backdrop against which everything else is measured in 2021. However, things have gotten better. With the vaccine readily available, everyone who wants it … [Read more...]
Craig’s Corner 2021 December
Being prepared… But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. – Matthew 24:43-44 Advent is a time of waiting…but not idle waiting. Just as the early Jews were preparing for the coming of Christ, so we too are preparing for his eventual return. Whether that happens during our lifetime or not is beside the point. It’s the journey that’s important. I’m especially reminded at this time of the story of the Ten Virgins. Five of them were prepared for a long wait and five were not. The ones who were prepared … [Read more...]
