With the help of those who donated time, talent, and hard-work, we were able to receive donations of plants, get good deals on meat and chicken for curry (as well as rice). Also, because of our volunteers, delicious menu items such as udon, ohagi and other delights were available. It’s these wonderful volunteers who really made this year’s Bazaar a success I hoped it would be.
Rev. Karen Yokota Love catches up with Judy and Bruce Yasutake and Wendall Watanabe.
Thank you, Rev. Karen, for making your first Blaine apple and blueberry pies, and for bringing your pastoral leadership and wisdom to us. Thank you, Rev. Mia, for shepherding our young people (which was kind of like wrangling kittens). Thank you, Yuki Sofronas, for taking care of the many inquiries, the posters, and for facility support.
Stephanie Nishida, Roberta Yoshioka and Julie Shioshita make pie dough.
Last but not least, I would like to give a big “Thank You” to our Blaine Family, specifically to our the list of volunteers. Listing all of our helpers would take six pages, so I will feature our “headliners” here and when possible, throw out hugs and pats on the backs for jobs well done in every committee. Your time and dedication are always welcome. You are absolutely necessary for success and your hard work is a heartfelt gesture toward UMCOR’s Maui Relief effort.
Leslie Okura and the gang prepare berries for pie-making!
God answered my prayers. Thank you all for a wonderful community-based event that we have welcomed back at Blaine Memorial UMC!
Lesley Okura and Ron Nobuyama served as Co-Chairs for this year’s Benefit Bazaar at Blaine Memorial UMC.
Bazaar 2023 Supporters
Tsukemono
Jim Okura
Dave Hayasaka
Grill Pit Masters
Joe Adolfo
Jason Lew
Tim Ikegami
Howard Nakase
Steve Sofronas
BBQ Marinade
Steve Sakahara
Rice
John Hodge
Poster Design Team
Allyson and Steve
Farmers Market
Wendy Yates
Produce Donation Support
SK Produce
Plant Donations
Dave Yorozu, T. Yorozu Gardening
Curry Meat & Chicken
Red Apple Market
Curry Prep
Tina Fujii
Rice & Food Storage
Uwajimaya
Bakery Sales
Julie Lock
Pie and Ohagi Sales
Terri Adolfo
Ohagi Makers
Donna Sekijima and friends
Pie Masters
Ruth Watanabe
Tom and Roberta Yoshioka
Set-Up
Lynne Onishi and the youth leaders and helpers
Signage
Kim Furugori
IT Support
Susan Lee
Paper Goods Shoppers
Ron Nobuyama
Barbara Nagaoka
Cashiering
Barbara Nagaoka
George Yates
Take-Out Support
Dale Watanabe
Eugene and Kathy Onishi
Udon Bowl Support
Lisa Mar
Bazaar Committee
Lesley Okura
Ron Nobuyama
Barbara Nagaoka
Sally Sekijima
Anne Arakaki-Lock
Procurement, Etc.
Brian Okura
Dishwashing
Joel Ing and his dishwashing crew
Pastoral & Staff Support
Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Rev. Mia MiKyung Park
Yuki Sofronas
Visit the Poinsettia page!
Orders are now open for Poinsettias on the Altar. Read more.
The Beacon is Now Available!
Read the latest issue of The Beacon newsletter, here!
(L-R): Rev. Cruz Santos, Alma Santos, Rev. Karen, Rev. Mia, Rev. Jeney and Rev. Mark eat together on Pastor Appreciation Sunday and enjoy Chef Joshua’s Tortilla Soup. It went well with the onigiri. Thank you!
Gratitude & Stewardship: Together for Joy!
By the Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Pumpkin spice lattes, turkey and gratitude. The eleventh month is now upon us, drawing us closer to the end of 2023. It is a transition month, a month between autumn and winter, when the leaves get raked, and the crops have been harvested. We “fall back” from Daylight Savings Time and revert to Standard Time. It is Election Month and it’s a month of many community gatherings. Most of us prepare for rain, snow and winter storms. November is also a month that reminds us to be grateful which is so fundamental to our faith and Christian stewardship.
Joe, Lauren and Terri Adolfo decorate their vehicle with a Halloween-theme for the Trunk-or-Treat and are ready to receive children and give them candy.
I’m grateful for so much. I’m grateful for the recent Pastor’s Appreciation Lunch which was kindly dreamt up from Chef Joshua Santos. Thank you and thank you to Edwin Santos and the entire SPRC Team. What a wonderful celebration. I loved the homemade tortilla soup with onigiri! I’m also grateful for the Harvest Festival and the Trunk-or-Treat last month. Thank you to Susan Lee and Kim Furugori who came out to prepare such a wonderful event and did an abundant amount of preparation work. I also loved the costumes! What joy!
Office Assistant Yuki Sofronas, Rev. Karen and Rev. Mia celebrate at the Harvest Festival.
This month, we express our gratitude for our saints, the witnesses to the Gospel who challenged us to find our own path to holiness. We continue to be grateful for the lives of all who have gone before us to meet the Lord, especially those we know and hold dear … our Issei, Nisei and some Sansei. We thank our veterans who have offered their lives on our behalf. And of course, in the United States, there is Thanksgiving Day, a holiday that is all about gratitude.
The month of November is an ideal time of the year to focus our spiritual lives more intently on being grateful for the blessings of our God. I challenge you to:
Pray with gratitude.
Set aside some time for prayer each day. If you are new to the habit of daily prayer, find 10 minutes in your daily schedule. Pray as a family as well. And begin with a prayer of gratitude.
Put gratitude into action.
Do something at Blaine Memorial UMC or in your neighborhood to share your material blessings with those who might otherwise go hungry. Contribute to the Rainier Valley Food Bank or help deliver food to Tent City 3 or to the Kimball Elementary School families.
Make gratitude a habit.
Find ways to thank others for their generosity and kindness toward you every day. The late spiritual writer and theologian, Thomas Merton, once wrote that “to be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything.”
Let us use the month of November as an opportunity to grow in stewardship which, simply put, means living a life of gratitude. And as the psalmist encourages us to do: “O give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his love endures forever” (Psalm 107:1).
It’s for this reason that our journey begins with stewardship. Keeping this moment in mind, the theme for the 2024 Stewardship Campaign is Together for Joy.
Psalm 98 tells us to “Sing to God a new song, for God has done marvelous things. Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy.” Staying together through the delights and struggles of life — being “together for joy” — has never been more important. And while change brings financial challenges in its wake, it also brings fresh opportunities to sing to God a new song, for God has done — and will do — marvelous things.
Stewardship is the generational cornerstone of the Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church community. Without fail, those who grasp and practice the depth and joy of faithful stewardship have almost always learned it, not from a book or seminar, but from our faithful mentors — our beloved Issei and Nisei — who’ve paved the way for us. Those who’ve followed them: the Sansei, Yonsei, Gosei, Asian American and a variety of multiracial families that are a part of the Blaine family must continue to uphold their legacy and pave the way for generations to come.
November 5: All Saints Day
We will kick off our stewardship campaign while we celebrate All Saints Day. We will light candles for those who have departed and honor those in our community who have passed during this last year.
November 12: New Music!
We will look at all the ways we have found “new songs” to sing over the last couple of years: hybrid worship, the creative ways in which our Choir adapts with change, ways of continuing to serve the community, serving the vulnerable and isolated, speaking out for justice through education and action and so much more! This is who we are, and who we’ll continue to be and become. The church was made for times such as these — not times of ease and tranquility, but times of difficulty and struggle.
November 19: Dedication and Thanksgiving Sunday
We will conclude our Stewardship series, Together for Joy, by looking ahead to what the church will do in the year ahead. I invite you to bring your commitment cards to church and we will bless and consecrate them on Sunday, November 19. This is why all of us, as a community, ask each other to share our treasure and invest in our mission as a church. Now more than ever, your generosity can and will make an enormous difference. In a time of injustice and struggle, we are a community of love and justice. We are and can continue to be a community of gathering, a community of song, of new songs and new ways of singing, new ways of being God’s church for God’s world, together for joy! What kind of new song are you visioning?
We are all a piece of that final tapestry for generations to come. When we give to others, we get back far more than what we originally gave. As you discern, please know our gratitude for your generosity, your faithfulness and your love. It’s your response to God’s gracious invitation that will make this next chapter our best one yet. Be the hope for generations to come!
Rev. Karen Yokota Love serves as the Senior Pastor of Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church.
Visit the Poinsettia page!
Orders are now open for Poinsettias on the Altar. Read more.
The Beacon is Now Available!
Read the latest issue of The Beacon newsletter, here!
Prelude Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether (Music: Harold Friedell, Words: Percy Dearmer) Kathy Onishi
Welcome of Grace and Greeting Rev. Mia MiKyung Park
*Opening Hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (UMH #110, verses 1,2) Eugene and Kathy Onishi
*Call to Worship Rev. Karen Yokota Love
*Hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (UMH #110, v.3-4) Eugene and Kathy Onishi
First Scripture Reading Matthew 23:1-12 (CEB, JLB) Kaylee Yokoyama and Tsutomu Nagoya
Children’s Message Rev. Mia MiKyung Park The children are dismissed to the Ed. Wing.
Special Music They Shall Soar Like Eagles Words and Music by Laura Manzo Eugene and Kathy Onishi, Leann Onishi, Lisa Hirayama, and Miriam Tong
Prayers of the People Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Second Scripture Reading Matthew 6:20-31 (CEB, JLB) Kaylee Yokoyama and Tsutomu Nagoya
Third Scripture Reading Hebrews 11:1-2 (NRSVUE) Kaylee Yokoyama and Tsutomu Nagoya
Sermon Gratitude for Our Saints Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Sermon Gratitude for Our Saints Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Hymn of Response For All the Saints (UMH #711, verses 1, 2, 4, 6) Eugene and Kathy Onishi
Holy Communionwith The Reading of Our Saints Rev. Karen Yokota Love, Rev. Mia MiKyung Park, Shig Nishida and Gail Nomura
Introduction to the Offering Rev. Mia MiKyung Park
Doxology Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow Kathy Onishi
Prayer of Dedication Rev. Mia MiKyung Park
Announcements Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Closing Song Hymn of Promise (UMH #707) Eugene and Kathy Onishi
Benediction Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Postlude One God and Father of Us All By P. Carlson, K. Matthews, J. Carraway Kathy Onishi
Zoom Breakout Room Rev. Dr. Jeney Park-Hearn
Reading of Our Saints on All Saints Day
From November 1, 2022 – October 31, 2023
Arthur Yorozu, September 26, 2022
Minoru Uchimura, October 19, 2022
Atsu Sato, November 7, 2022
Tak Chikamura, November 17, 2022
Kiyo Toda, November 26, 2022
Kevin Graham, February 10, 2023
George Kaminishi, February 14, 2023
Masa Hirano, February 25, 2023
Christine Yada, March 10, 2023
Bob Watanabe, March 14, 2023
Mary Maniwa, April 2023
Miyeko Mochizuki, April 9, 2023
June Sato, June 15, 2023
Connie Kobata, July 11, 2023
Shizue Watanabe, July 13, 2023
Tami Mitsui, July 13, 2023
Satoshi Yamamoto, July 17, 2023
Akemi Sanaye Kurushima, August 1, 2023
Sermon Questions
1. What saint in your life has had the greatest influence on your faith?
2. It is common to think about “saints” as holier-than-thou and as the rare few. By virtue of our baptism, we are all called toward being saints. Do you think of yourself as called to be a saint? Why or why not? What difference would it make if you thought of yourself as a saint?
3. What does it mean to be surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses?
Saturday, November 11, 2023: Semi-continuous: Psalm 78:1-7; Joshua 20:1-9; Matthew 24:1-14 Complementary: Psalm 70; Amos 4:6-13; Matthew 24:1-14
Announcements
All Saints Sunday • Today
On All Saints Day, United Methodists publicly remember and honor our loved ones who have passed away. We will say the names of Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church members who passed away from November 1, 2022 – October 31, 2023 and a bell will be rung to remember them.
Please bring pictures of your loved ones (relatives, friends, animal companions) to honor and celebrate their memory and your time with them. You are welcome to bring photos, artwork, trinkets, tokens, prose, and poetry to place on the altar in remembrance of your dearly departed. Please bring items that you feel comfortable leaving on the altar as we will remember our departed ones at our All Saints Worship Service.
Poinsettias on the Altar • Order now through December 17, 2023
Advent season is here and it is time to sign up for poinsettias for the altar. You may dedicate a poinsettia in celebration of a person or an event, in memory of a loved one or to honor God’s glory. Poinsettias may be taken home after our Christmas Eve services. Each plant is $12.00. The deadline for Poinsettia Orders will be Sunday, December 17, 2023.
College Application Zoom Meeting • Saturday, Nov. 11, 7pm
College application season is upon us so if you are a parent of a current college applicant, a parent of a prospective applicant or someone with questions about the process, please join us for a panel discussion! All are welcome to join our Zoom meeting on Saturday, November 11th at 7pm PST.
Our panel of parents and college students will be available to answer all your questions. We will begin with a brief presentation on a few key topics and then open the floor to questions. There are no trivial concerns so please bring all your questions, big or small.
If you plan on attending the event or just want to send in a question, scan the QR code and fill out the form! E-mail any concerns about the event itself, here. Absolutely everyone is welcome so if you know anyone who would benefit from this discussion, feel free to invite them to our event. We hope to see you all there!
Choir openings are available! Contact Eugene Onishi for more info!
Choir members needed! • Tues. at 7pm, Sun. at 9am, 11:45am
Join us as we bring musical messages to the Blaine family each week. If you sing, or if you would like to learn to sing, please come join! Whether you sing in public or just in the shower or are available “full-time” or “part-time,” all are welcome! Contact Eugene Onishi.
Wednesday Meditation & Prayer • Nov. 8 at 9am
The Wednesday Prayer group continues to meet each week. Our time together consists of a check-in question centering around United Methodist Founder John Wesley’s famous question, “How is it with your soul?” Our time together continues with a few readings from The Upper Room Magazine September/October edition. Finally, we end our time together with a pastoral prayer. We hope you can join us!
For more information, contact the church office for details!
This year’s All-Church Conference will be on Tuesday, November 14 at 7pm. This gathering holds great significance for our faith community as we come together to celebrate our ministries in 2023. Our District Superintendent, Rev. Derek Nakano will preside over the meeting. All are invited to hear about the state of our church and other important updates. More details to come!
Thanksgiving Meal Work Party • Sunday, Nov. 19 & Monday, Nov. 20
BYG is once again partnering with Kimball Elementary School to provide Thanksgiving meals for food-insecure families. We’ll gather on Sunday, November 19, after worship to prepare apple crisps together in the LAC kitchen. Additionally, on Monday evening at 6pm in the LAC kitchen, we’ll make mashed potatoes and bake apple crisps (a light dinner will be provided). We plan to deliver the meals to Kimball Elementary School on Tuesday, the 21st, in the morning. Please contact BYG Directors or Terri Adolfo for more details.
Thank you to Miriam Tong for today’s beautiful flower arrangement!
Order of Worship
Prelude Make Me a Channel of Your Peace Kathy Onishi
Welcome of Grace and Greeting Rev. Karen Yokota Love
*Call to Worship Rev. Karen Yokota Love
*Opening Song Open the Eyes of My Heart (Paul Baloche) Blaine Memorial Praise Band
Opening Prayer Rev. Karen Yokota Love
First Scripture Reading Matthew 22:34-46 (NRSVUE, JLB) Kai Yamamoto and Tsutomu Nagoya
Children’s Message Rev. Mia MiKyung Park
Special Music One Song (By Pepper Choplin) Blaine Memorial Choir
Prayers of the People Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Second Scripture Reading Luke 10:25-37 (CEB, JLB) Donna Sekijima and Tsutomu Nagoya
Message This is Me M.I.L.E – E: Elimination of Racism Dale Watanabe
Hymn of Reflection We Are Called (TFWS #2172) Eugene and Kathy Onishi
Introduction to the Offering Rev. Mia MiKyung Park
*Doxology Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow Eugene and Kathy Onishi
Prayer of Dedication Rev. Mia MiKyung Park
Announcements Rev. Karen Yokota Love
*Closing Hymn You Are Holy (By Marc Imboden and Tammi Rhoton) Blaine Memorial Praise Band
*Benediction Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Postlude We Are Called (By David Haas) Kathy Onishi
Sermon Questions
1. How have you supported someone in your family or community that was on the margins?
2. How many different identities do you hold?
3. What more can our church do to support those at the margins?
Daily Lectionary Readings
Monday, October 30, 2023: Semi-continuous: Psalm 119:41-48; Numbers 33:38-39; James 2:8-13 Complementary: Psalm 119:41-48; Deuteronomy 6:1-9, 20-25; James 2:8-13
Tuesday, October 31, 2023: Semi-continuous: Psalm 119:41-48; Exodus 34:29-35; James 2:14-26 Complementary: Psalm 119:41-48; Deuteronomy 10:10-22; James 2:14-26
Wednesday, November 1, 2023: All Saints Day
Thursday, November 2, 2023: Semi-continuous: Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37; Joshua 1:1-11; Romans 2:17-29 Complementary: Psalm 43; 1 Samuel 2:27-36; Romans 2:17-29
Friday, November 3, 2023: Semi-continuous: Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37; Joshua 2:1-14; 2 Peter 2:1-3 Complementary: Psalm 43; Ezekiel 13:1-16; 2 Peter 2:1-3
Saturday, November 4, 2023: Semi-continuous: Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37; Joshua 2:15-24; Matthew 23:13-28 Complementary: Psalm 43; Malachi 1:6-2:9; Matthew 23:13-28
Announcements
Choir openings are available! Contact Eugene Onishi for more info!
Choir members needed! • Tues. at 7pm, Sun. at 9am, 11:45am
Join us as we bring musical messages to the Blaine family each week. If you sing, or if you would like to learn to sing, please come join! Whether you sing in public or just in the shower or are available “full-time” or “part-time,” all are welcome! Contact Eugene Onishi.
Wednesday Meditation & Prayer • Nov. 1 at 9am
The Wednesday Prayer group continues to meet each week. Our time together consists of a check-in question centering around United Methodist Founder John Wesley’s famous question, “How is it with your soul?” Our time together continues with a few readings from The Upper Room Magazine September/October edition. Finally, we end our time together with a pastoral prayer. We hope you can join us!
For more information, contact the church office for details!
All Saints Sunday • Sunday, Nov. 5
On All Saints Day, United Methodists publicly remember and honor our loved ones who have passed away. We will say the names of Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church members who passed away from November 1, 2022 – October 31, 2023 and a bell will be rung to remember them.
Please bring pictures of your loved ones (relatives, friends, animal companions) to honor and celebrate their memory and your time with them. You are welcome to bring photos, artwork, trinkets, tokens, prose, and poetry to place on the altar in remembrance of your dearly departed. Please bring items that you feel comfortable leaving on the altar as we will remember our departed ones at our All Saints Worship Service.
Reconciling Ministries Vote
Important Dates
Oct. 29-Nov. 4 • Return Mail-In Ballots
Nov. 5 • In-Person Voting
“We celebrate God’s gift of diversity and value the wholeness made possible in community equally shared and shepherded by all. We welcome and affirm people of every gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, who are also of every age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education, and family structure, and of every economic, immigration, marital, and social status, and so much more. We acknowledge that we live in a world of profound social, economic, and political inequities. As followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice and pledge to stand in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed.”
Register and vote in person at church, Nov. 5.
Mail ballots to the church office or return them in-person between Oct. 29 and Nov. 5 (mail needs to be received by Nov. 4). Ballots will be counted after worship on Sunday, Nov. 5.
Scan the QR code for the online registration form or sign up in-person on Sundays. Find our form in the office or social hall!
This year’s All-Church Conference will be on Tuesday, November 14 at 7pm. This gathering holds great significance for our faith community as we come together to celebrate our ministries in 2023. Our District Superintendent, Rev. Derek Nakano will preside over the meeting. All are invited to hear about the state of our church and other important updates. More details to come!
Thanksgiving Meal Work Party • Sunday, Nov. 19 & Monday, Nov. 20
BYG is once again partnering with Kimball Elementary School to provide Thanksgiving meals for food-insecure families. We’ll gather on Sunday, November 19, after worship to prepare apple crisps together in the LAC kitchen. Additionally, on Monday evening at 6pm in the LAC kitchen, we’ll make mashed potatoes and bake apple crisps (a light dinner will be provided). We plan to deliver the meals to Kimball Elementary School on Tuesday, the 21st, in the morning. Please contact BYG Directors or Terri Adolfo for more details.
The Beacon is Now Available!
Read the latest issue of The Beacon newsletter, here!
Lahaina, Hawaii (Aug. 16, 2023) – Wildfire damage in Lahaina. Remains of the U.S. Seamen’s Hospital (U.S. Marine Hospital), 1024 Front Street, Lahaina, Hawaii, first built 1833, in Lahaina Historic District, National Register of Historic Places. Photo courtesy of the United States Department of Homeland Security, Dominick Del Vecchio
Our Bazaar: “Sowing Generously” for Maui
By Anne Arakaki-Lock
As I write, my heart aches for my fellow Hawaiians who have lost family, homes, jobs, and maybe even hope due to recent wildfires. I cry for their pain. Then I think about all the willing people, members as well as friends of Blaine – who with no second thoughts – want to help at our upcoming Bazaar coming up on October 7.
God will provide the resources we are to use for His work – the “seeds” that we will cultivate to produce the “crops” to send to Maui through UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief). Bringing Lahaina back is daunting, but we know that our Almighty God is big and does miracles.
On August 8, the island of Maui experienced a major wildfire disaster fueled by windy and dry conditions. As of the time of writing, much of the community of Lahaina was considered destroyed and 97 fatalities had been discovered. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard Hawai’i Pacific District 14.
We are to just give of ourselves generously and give thanks to Him. God will bless and do the rest. The generosity of our community, the use of resources that God has given us to do his work are plentiful. We know that it must be put to good use. Lord, I pray that the generous spirit of our people will reap a harvest so bountiful for our brothers and sisters in Maui, so they can find new life. May we always serve you with a generous heart so others will see your light.
“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God,” -2 Corinthians 10-11.
Burned out cars and the remains of buildings are seen in Lahaina town in this image captured Wednesday by U.S. Civil Air Patrol. View is on 900 block of Front Street, looking Northwest. Photo courtesy of US Civil Air Patrol.
Anne Arakaki-Lock is a member of Blaine UMC’s Congregational Care team.
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Rev. Mia and her family celebrated ChuSeok (Korean Thanksgiving) while watching a traditional Korean dance performance at McCaw Hall.
A Reflection on Rainy Days
By the Rev. Mia MiKyung Park
Coolness brings the refreshing essence of the season, with the changing colors of the leaves serving as a vivid reminder that we are truly in the midst of fall. The arrival of the rain deepens the season and stirs my emotions.
I have always had a deep affection for rain. During my childhood, rainy days held a special place in my heart. These were the days when my parents would finish their work in the fields earlier than usual and return home. I eagerly anticipated the delightful homemade snacks that my mother would prepare. She would be at home before my siblings and I returned from school. My excitement would escalate as the last school bell rang.
One memory that stands out is when my father surprised me by visiting my elementary school. That morning, I had forgotten to carry an umbrella in my backpack, even though rain was expected. My dad reminded me to take the umbrella, but I forgot. I distinctly remember sitting in class, gazing out of the window, and spotting my dad making his way towards my classroom, passing by the playground. (Back then, parents could visit their children’s classrooms without going through the administration office.) He returned home early, saw my umbrella sitting by the shoe rack, and didn’t bother to bring it to me.
Sometimes, I wondered if my parents truly loved us. They didn’t always express their love in words, but moments like my mother making homemade snacks even when she was tired and my father’s unspoken gesture with the umbrella were testaments to their deep and unspoken love. These are the moments that anchored my heart with the love and care of my parents.
However, after experiencing two dreadful floods that affected my parents and learning about the challenges faced by the homeless during bad weather, I began to struggle with my emotions on rainy days. It is heartbreaking to know that many people are not sheltered during challenging weather days.
I find myself caught between loving memories of my childhood and the heartache of reality. I become vulnerable once again. Such struggles never truly cease, I know. I will continue to grapple with them as I practice loving God and loving my neighbors as I love myself. Right before our children started school, all four of us fell ill one by one. I was the last to get sick, so I took care of the rest of the family. However, when I wasn’t feeling well, it was a significant struggle to look after everyone else.
What does God want me to do? What is the best way to love God and my neighbors as I love myself? I understand that it’s not just my challenges but everyone’s.
For the October Bible memorization in the Church School, we’ll be memorizing Matthew 22:37-39: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
These words guide us on our journey to love and care for one another. Love is mysterious, and it only grows when we share it, but it will decrease if we don’t share. As we navigate the changing seasons and the seasons of life, let us remember God’s love and compassion for each and every one and God’s blessing upon us as a gateway of heavenly blessings through us.
Our children, youth, and their parents at Blaine Memorial seem to be settling into their new schedules, and it’s a joy to hear about their weekly activities, which will strengthen them physically and intellectually. Our Church School and BYG are in full swing with lessons and activities that will help our children and youth grow spiritually. I am grateful to our Church School teachers and BYG Directors and Leaders for their dedicated work. A huge thanks to them and to you all for sharing your love whenever you can! Have a great October!
The Rev. Mia MiKyung Park serves as the Associate Pastor of Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church.
The Beacon is Now Available!
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