As we begin the second half of this year, we continue to look forward to celebrating God’s mission in and through Centenary. Our anniversary team is working diligently to plan for a wonderful celebration scheduled throughout this year. As all of this is going on, I cannot help but to ask, “What does it mean to you to honor our past, engage the present, and impact the future?” I pray we all take time this year to reflect on this question and decide how you might be called to respond.
We also celebrate the many years of leadership as this year is the retirement year of our resident bishop, Pastor, and mentor to many, Bishop Dr. Reverend Grant Hagiya. The theme for 2022 Annual Conference is “Ending Spiritual and Physical Hunger.” As Bishop Grant Hagiya journeyed toward his final Annual Conference as our resident bishop, his diligence to bring about a healthy conference before his final year concludes is what we will miss most. One of my most important training reminders came from Bishop Hagiya when he said, “Leave the church better than when you found it.” He modeled that lesson with our Cal-Pac conference. As Centenary UMC, we will have the opportunity to say thank you to Bishop Hagiya during our anniversary celebration in October. Please save the date for October 15th for the 125th Anniversary luncheon and for October 16th for the worship service as Bishop Grant Hagiya will be our guest preacher, returning to the pulpit, which God used to speak prophetically through him every Sunday for many years.
Last but not least, planting seeds of the Spirit is our church’s focus and theme for 2022. We do so with faith that when God is ready to bless the seeds, we’d be able to witness the fruits of our labors. Plant seeds of laughter by sharing a clean yet laugh provoking joke with someone. Plant seeds of understanding because unlike God, we may not know everything that is going on with a person who may not see eye to eye with you. Plant seeds of generosity so that we can witness God’s fruits of abundance in our communities, our neighborhoods, and in our personal lives.
Rev. Ki Choi
Centenary United Methodist Church
West District Conference
California-Pacific Conference