Pastor Brian's Blog

If you introduce yourself, you will probably use your name ( My name is Brian ).  You may describe how you are related to another person ( I am Cliff and Sally’s son ).  Your job title or position may also say something about you ( I am the pastor of Trinity Church ).  The things you like to do can color the picture even more ( I am a kayaker ).  These simple statements express who we are and what is important to us.  This fall Jesus will introduce himself to us, in a new series based on the “I AM” sayings of Jesus.  This 12-week series is also inspired by the 12 “I AM” windows in the narthex (foyer) of the Sanctuary.  It will be a window into the identity of Jesus, telling us who he is and what is important to him.  The germ for this series was accidental.  This spring, for Doris Paterson’s funeral, I gave a homily based on the “I AM” sayings in John 10.  After the service, I was in the narthex and happened to see the...

This fall Trinity Church will serve as a  Teaching Site  for a 3rd year student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.  His name is Sin-Gyo Jung (pronounced Shin Gee-oh, and Jung with a hard "J").   His field education experience with Trinity Church will begin the first week of September, although you may see him attending worship sometime during August.  The internship will conclude in May 2015. His father is a pastor in the Korean Methodist Church, which makes Sin-Gyo a "pastor's kid" or PK.  Soon he will begin the formal steps for becoming a  candidate for ordained ministry  in The United Methodist Church.   Although he is not a regular church employee, I will supervise Sin-Gyo and Trinity will pay him a stipend during his internship.  To grow in his calling as a pastor, he will need to be exposed to various roles in pastoral ministry, including regular assignments for preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. ...