Sumgmu’s Monthly Message, October 2024

Our group study started last month and will continue this month. Here is the remaining schedule. Session 3: Wed. 10/2 7 pm & Thu 10/3 10:30 am, Session 4: Wed. 10/9 7 pm & Thu. 10/10 10:30 am, Session 5: Wed. 10/16 7 pm & Thu. 10/17 10:30 am, and Session 6 (Last Session): Wed. 10/23 7 pm & Thu. 10/24 10:30 am.

I strongly recommend that you (especially committee chairpersons, committee members, and those who are relatively new to Wesleyan tradition) attend the group study in person or on Zoom, based on the book “Transforming Evangelism–the Wesleyan Way of Sharing Faith.” The book includes a new approach to evangelism. Traditionally, Christian evangelism tries to change others. But according to the book, the pastor and the church leaders should change first. Then, the whole church will change naturally, and more people will come to your church, which is “transforming evangelism.”

Many of us want to see our church thriving and growing in spirit and number. In order to make it happen, you and I should change, and I would like to suggest a couple of things. First, let us be more positive in doing ministry. When we encounter difficulties in life and in ministry, we have several choices. One of the easy choices is to show negativity, which does not help at all to solve the problem.

During my ministry at our church as well as at my previous churches, I have found negativity expressed by some members. And I have told the congregation that “if you witness or experience negativity, please ask those persons to have more positive attitudes.” Why am I so sensitive to negativity? It is because negativity is a bad influence on our ministry, and it is contagious.

Second, let us be united as the body of Christ. Some of us are very active to serve certain committees/groups, but not so much to support other church activities. I remind you that Memorial United Methodist Church is the body of Christ to serve one another. Without MUMC, other committees/groups will not exist. I want us to see the bigger picture. Some of you may say, “What is the pastor talking about?” And others of you may know what I mean. If you know what I mean, please encourage one another to remove individualistic behaviors from our church.

The first thing we need to do for this is to be faithful to the basics of the Christian church, which is the Sunday observance. As we worship together, we will be united in Christ and one another. It is the basic function of the church to worship God together, receive God’s grace, and share the grace with others. If you find yourself not coming to church (in person or online) as often as before, it means you have something wrong in your spirituality. The first step to regain your spirituality is to go back to Sunday worship. As I read the book “Transforming Evangelism,” I experienced that my heart was warmed again and found myself more excited and more enthusiastic than ever to do ministry. I have been changing. Let us change together through the group study and make our church thrive again.

Sungmu Lee