St. John’s Presbyterian Church
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Interactive Prayer Stations on Love
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3.1) I borrowed a sermon. Yep, I said it! I borrowed a sermon . . . actually, I adapted a sermon from Rabbi Judy Shanks at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, CA. She wove in her sermon with the musical…
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A Sunday (37) in Life of a Pastor/Mother: Blessings
For the past nine years I served at my church, I have counted my blessings, especially as they have changed and made space for me to pastor while being a mother. When my son was born, he was one of few babies born. It’s hard to believe eight years later, we have had 10 babies…
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A Journey in the Intergenerational Worship Experiment
This is a picture of this past Sunday, our first Sunday switching to an intergenerational worship format. On the floor, you see tubs of play dough, tools, cookie cutters, and mirrors. Since I was preaching on James 1.22-25, I had the kids look at their reflection in the mirror and use play dough to recreate…
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Children in Worship: It’s More than Having Coloring Sheets
In the first issue of PLGRM, Rev. LeAnn Watkins, rector at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul, MN, shares how after numerous attempts of increasing attendance of bible studies and other church-related programs, her staff decided to cancel it all – everything during the weekdays except seasonal services. You can hear her tell her…
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A Sunday (35) in Life of a Pastor/Mother: RIP
Today was the last day that children’s sermons take up space in worship. Beginning next Sunday, worship will move to being more intergenerational. These next two months, we will experiment with music, seating layout, preaching styles, and liturgy. We will explore ways that are inviting to all ages, extroverted and introverted, cerebral and tactile, and…
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A Sunday (34) in Life of a Pastor/Mother: Roller Coasters
I love roller coasters, especially the old ones where the tracks are still made out of wood. As you ride you can hear the wood warping and creaking at every turn. Don’t get me wrong, I like the new ones too that whip you in circles and up and down. The problem is I’m the…
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A Sunday (33) in Life of a Pastor/Mother: Not Drinking the Water
Every summer at my church, it seems a handful of babies are born or about to be born. With 160 members and 90 children, you would think that there is something in the water or maybe the coffee we serve during fellowship hour. It is not unusual to hear the noises of babies and wandering…
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A Sunday (31) in Life of a Pastor/Mother: 39 Eve
It is exactly a week away before I turn 39 years old – the last year of my 30’s. And though I thought I would approach 40 with trepidation, I feel myself running towards it. This has been an incredible decade. I was installed as pastor at 30 and soon morphed into a pastor/mother at…
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Interactive Prayer Stations on Pentecost III
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were…
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A Sunday (22) in the Life of a Pastor/Mother: Daughters
Last week, I spent a week with my fellow Korean-American clergywomen. Once a year, we gather together to worship, fellowship, and reflect on a theme. This year, the theme was Generations: Wisdom of the Ages. In the midst of our group, we have first generation, 1.5 generation (those that came over when they were 9-early…
