Message from the Pastor

Dear Suamico UMC members and friends,
I hope and pray that you and your loved ones are in good health and in good spirit. Thanks to the vaccines and the efforts of self-care and care for others, the fear of the Covid-19 is lessened. But we should not let our guards down.

When the pandemic started last year, I mistakenly said to you, “This pandemic rumor is exaggerated. We should not be overly concerned because our immune system is stronger than the virus.” I was somewhat right and vastly wrong.

Sure, most of us have survived the pandemic but many people have lost their lives due to the pandemic. In fact, it’s been reported that more people died of the Covid-19 than the combined number of the casualties of World I, World II, Vietnam War and the War against terrorists.

Now another kind of virus is rampant. The viruses of lies and false information have spread to the public minds and it’s not always easy to differentiate truth from lies.

We often think that what we believe is true and what others believe is false. But we need to be open to the possibility that what we believe may be wrong and what others believe may be right. It’s wise to question the authorities of the secular world. It’s also wise to question our own convictions. We often make mistakes by rejecting the truth and accepting lies. We, human beings, are fallible. Only God is infallible.

We often think that doubt is bad and belief is good. But the truth is that doubt can be good and belief can be bad. A good doubt saves us from false beliefs and a bad belief leads us to fanaticism and insanity.

Theologian Paul Tillich said, “My mission, as a theologian, is to bring doubt to the faithful and faith to the doubtful.” Let us maintain a healthy balance between a good faith and a good doubt.

“Modest doubt is called the beacon of the wise.” - William Shakespeare
​May God’s wisdom be with us all!
Pastor Jerry Cho