URC Weekly 12/26/10: Always the Family



Hi Family,

This is my last URC Weekly, so there will probably be fewer super-long and wordy posts from here on out…  OK, gonna write announcements first, then final words:

1) CHRISTMAS EVE CELEBRATION: THANK YOU to everyone who practiced and/or participated in our Christmas Eve event!  It took some work, but it was a blessing to see the URC up there throughout the night, whether in “O Holy Night!” and other performances, emceeing, helping with our younger students, or just being part of the congregation in worship.

2) YUN-SOO’S 1ST BIRTHDAY: THIS THURSDAY @ 6 PM @ THE DRAGON (966 South Vermont Avenue,Los Angeles, 90006).  It’s just north of Olympic, and valet parking is pretty crazy/packed, so beware.  Please RSVP to your Evite, so we know how many to expect.  More than just celebrating our daughter’s life, we wanted to celebrate our church family and thank you for the constant love you’ve poured into our lives.

3) NEW YEAR’S EVE FESTIVITIES: THIS FRIDAY @ 7:30 PM @ CHURCH.  7:30 PM (Ttuk gook dinner!), 8:00 PM (Yoot Nohli.  OK, Grace mocked me, and I realized that Yoon Roh Lee is closer to being Hyonroh Lee’s lost brother than the word for New Year’s Eve games), 11:30 PM (New Year’s worship).  Grace and I are grateful to have a last time to say farewell.

4) TAX STATEMENTS: If you want tax statements for your offering to our church in 2010, please let Won know this Sunday.

5) ALL LEADERSHIP MEETING: THIS SUNDAY @ 1 PM.  The first of the year, setting the plans for 2011 under your new Pastor Hyonroh!  I’m really excited to see everything the Lord will do through our ministry this year…

6) NEW YEAR’S PRAYER MEETINGS: Next Monday-Friday @ 5:30 AM, Saturday @ 6:30 AM.  Yes, that’s AM, not PM.  The entire congregation will gather pray in committing our church to the Lord in 2011.

7) SCRIPTURE READING/OFFERING: TBA

8 ) DEVOTIONS: Micah 6-Habakkuk 1.  Micah 6:8 is one of my favorite verses of the Bible:

“He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

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Maybe it’s best that I get to write last, so instead of being wrecked by emotions, I can be thoughtful in saying goodbye.  Yesterday was the most touching and loving send-off we could’ve ever asked for, and we thank you so much because it’s a symbol of your constant love for us throughout our time together.  What are the things in life that matter most?  Is it not relationships?  Then, within relationships, even more than injuries or disappointments, love has the greatest, most-permanent impact on the soul.  When Grace and I were in our most difficult times just trying to survive, it was you who carried us.  When we’ve had our most joyful, victorious moments, your hands were there, raised with ours in triumph.  Even in the course of a perfectly ordinary day, being with you made it extraordinary.

We leave with so many memories of how your love has touched us, and I’ll just share a stream of consciousness: I remember Sunday mornings, hearing the Praise Team practicing as I walked through the doors, and I can honestly say that every single time, I was an excited little kid, anticipating all that would happen in worship and fellowship that day.  I always loved long Sundays, when we just hung out in the EM Room or spent the day at a park, because it’s very rare that you can be with a group of people for such a stretch of time and just feel like you belong the whole time.  Whenever we went camping, there was nothing better than coming back from a full day of hiking and eating a plate of extra-meaty URC spaghetti by the warm fire. Discipleship wasn’t just forced sharing, but something filled with so much laughter, some tears, and a deep sense of brother/sisterhood.  Speaking of laughing, I was walking down the hall to the EM Room in the afternoon, and there was just a loud, uproarious mix of noise and laughter, which I realized is the most common sound coming from that room.  I can’t believe we went from no kids to every one of the precious little lives God has given us, and whether crying or playing, they made me smile every time.  Maybe more than anything, I felt closest when we were able to pray for one another at retreats, church, or wherever we happened to be.  If God’s never-failing love is shown through people, Grace and I have experienced the divine through you thousands of times, and that is the greatest gift you could’ve ever given us.

The beauty of the church is that it isn’t a location, but a congregation.  Even as we leave, we know that Union will be our church family forever.  You cannot take away bonds forged in faith and friendship, so we know we’ll always be part of “The Family.”  We love each of you with all our hearts, and we will constantly lift you up in our prayers.

Cheers,

Sang and Grace