A Message From Pastor Dan
Dear First Prez Family,
Recently The U. S. Supreme Court made a decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. This has caused many responses in our social circles. For some it was a victory and celebration in protecting the rights of the unborn. For others it was a tragedy for not protecting the rights of women. Feelings were all along the spectrum – joy, relief, gratitude, anger, sadness, pain…
And all of these feelings are being expressed right now in our church family.
At First Prez, we believe the church of Jesus should be welcoming to all kinds of people and composed of all kinds of people. We are a diverse church and, for decades now, our policy is to not to take a political stand nor encourage people to vote for a certain politician or for a certain issue.
However, this past weekend, we saw that sometimes complex nuances do rise up from our diversity. I’m reminded how important it is for us all to protect the way we dialogue, or consider, or navigate the important issues of our time with one another, knowing that no one is purely good or purely evil. On behalf of the church staff, I apologize to those who were offended by last Sunday's message. There was no intent to cause hurt.
We are all on the same journey of being transformed by God’s love to look more and more like Jesus. So, as a family of believers, let us continue to humbly ask the Holy Spirit to fill us and train us to love one another through our trials.
My prayer for us all is what the apostle Peter once wrote:
Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another,
a tender heart, and a humble mind. (1 Peter 3:8)
The Evil One would love to divide our church. In the midst of diversity of opinion, we should realize we will never have unanimity, but we need to strive for unity in Christ. Please join me in this pursuit.
In reaction to the Dobbs decision, may we be respectful to all. May we keep ourselves ready to extend God’s love and grace and mercy to one another and recognize that, ultimately, our real and only hope is in Jesus Christ.
I’ll be talking more about this in this weekend’s Sunday service, and I’m very much looking forward to gathering with you all to worship in person or online.
May His love shine through us all.
Aloha,
Dan
We’re here for you! Please connect with one of our team or request pastoral care by emailing aloha@fpchawaii.org