An Invitation to the Word; Let Us Read Together
It is hard to believe that my 11th year of ministry at Simpson begins July 1st. As I reflect on my time at Simpson, I realize that God has blessed me abundantly through all of you. Ten years ago, we began by getting to know each other and together, as pastor and congregation we have run a good race as faithful disciples of Christ.

Now we are looking ahead to the next ten years of ministry which will be even more fruitful than the past decade. John Wesley said that both laypeople and clergy are needed in “our theological task.” The laypeople bring an understanding from their ongoing efforts to live as Christians in the complexities of a secular world; clergy bring special tools and experiences acquired through intensive biblical and theological study. We need one another.

But how shall we go about our theological task so that our beliefs are true to the gospel and helpful in our lives? In John Wesley’s balanced and rigorous ways for thinking through Christian doctrine, we find four major sources or criteria, each interrelated. These we often call our “theological guidelines”: scripture, tradition, experience, and reason.

The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church,2008, pp. 76-83.)

In thinking about our faith, we put primary reliance on the Bible. It’s our sacred canon and, thus, the decisive source of our Christian witness and the authoritative measure of the truth in our beliefs. In our theological journey we study the Bible within the believing community. Even when we study it alone, we’re guided and corrected through dialogue with other Christians.

I would like for Simpson to begin a new decade’s life based on the Word of God. I invite all of you to read the Word thoroughly. During the last two weeks of August I will lay out a daily reading schedule for September. Then I will be preaching based on the previous week’s reading. This will consist of about 10 minutes of daily reading for the next 18 months. Yes! We will read whole Bible from the first chapter of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation. I am so excited to read the Bible daily with my church family members. I hope this practice becomes a part of every member’s spiritual discipline.

Looking forward to this journey,
Heasun Kim, Pastor