December 27th, 2018

Dear SUMC members and friends, Greetings in the name of our Lord!

The new year, 2019, has dawned on us. God has given us a new chapter to write with hope, faith, and love. Let us be thankful for our past, and let us be hopeful for our future.

We are excited to have our new sanctuary built. It is estimated that the new sanctuary will be completed by the end of March, give or take a few weeks. Your continued moral support and financial support will be important in the days ahead. As much as our church building is important, building a loving relationship among Suamico congregation is much, much more important.

I hear that we are going to have a new cross, made from stained glass in our current sanctuary. As the stained glass on the cross will reflect the light from above, each of us will reflect God’s truth, goodness, and beauty in our church and in the world.

We all know that the cross is the symbol of Christianity. But the cross means many different things to many different people. For some the cross means Jesus’ sacrificial love for humanity and for some the cross is meaningless ornament or superstitious object.

For me the cross means self-denial, self-negation, and the death of ego. After Jesus died on the cross, God raised him up. That’s what the cross means to me. Unless our ego dies, God cannot raise us as a new person in Christ. Our self-centeredness must die. Our anger must die. Our hatred must die. Only then can we become true Christians. Only then can God use us as peacemakers in our church and in the world. More than money, we need love and peace in our church.

St. Paul said in Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” Christian brothers and sisters in Suamico church, let’s not get excited about building a new sanctuary. Rather, let’s get excited about building a loving and caring relationship among our congregation!

Blessings to you all in 2019, Pastor Jerry