Pastor's Note

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A Word From the Pastor, Reverend, Daeil Min

Dear Beloved Church Family,

As we step into March, the days slowly grow longer. There is still a chill in the air, yet we can sense that something is shifting. The light lingers a little more each evening, reminding us that seasons do change. Lent invites a similar shift in our spiritual lives.

The word that guides us during Lent is simple and tender: return. Not return out of fear. Not return out of guilt. But return out of love. Through the prophet Joel, God says, "Return to me with all your heart" (Joel 2:12). That invitation assumes something honest about us. We drift. We grow busy. Our hearts become scattered by responsibilities and distractions. And still, God is always ready to receive us again with grace.

Lent is a forty day journey of returning. Returning to prayer. Returning to worship. Returning to Scripture. Returning to the practices that shape us as disciples of Jesus Christ. In the United Methodist tradition, we promise to support the church with our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. This season gives us space to reflect on those promises and consider where God may be inviting us to renew our commitment.

At the heart of Lent is Holy Week, and I invite you not just to celebrate Easter morning, but to walk the whole story together.

• 3/29 – Palm and Passion Sunday
• 4/2 – Maundy Thursday Service at 7:00 p.m.
• 4/3 – Good Friday Service at 7:30 p.m. at Aldersgate UMC, 568 Ryders Lane, East Brunswick
• 4/5 – Easter Sunrise Service at 6:30 a.m. at Rutgers Garden, 130 Log Cabin Road, New Brunswick
• 4/5 – Easter Service at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary

Each service invites us deeper into the story of Christ's love, from celebration to sacrifice to resurrection hope.

Lent is not a season for perfect people. It is a season for honest people who long to return to  the heart of God. I look forward to walking this journey with you.

Grace and peace,
Rev. Dale Min, senior pastor