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Dear Nokesville church family and friends,

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain” (Psalm 127:1, NRSV).

My heart was heavy last week because one of our dear sisters in Christ recently passed away, and some of our church members were in fragile condition. Then, last Saturday night, I attended a Mission Outpost family gathering. A small group of our church members got together at a local restaurant, enjoying each other’s company. I was reminded how blessed I was to have my dear brothers and sisters in Christ in my journey on earth; otherwise, I would be so lonely and dismayed. I counted my blessings. After saying good night to others, my wife and I were headed to the sanctuary to pray. As I poured out my saddened heart before the Lord, I felt refreshed. I was gently reminded that God wanted me to come back to Him and to cast all burdens on Him, knowing that He cares for me and is more than able to handle it. I felt recharged and ready to celebrate the Lord’s day.

Re the elevator and building expansion project, our Building Committee received the bids from the general contractors and made their recommendation for the Church Council (the leadership body of our church) to consider and decide. Our church leaders will soon get together to prayerfully discern and decide the best way forward as we desire to honor the will of God and advance His kingdom. In retrospect, I sense that this whole vision was born and inspired by the Holy Spirit in our midst, as it was almost organically developed through our prayerful conversations with each other. Along the way, God surprised and blessed us with the extravagant generosity of our Christian brother who used to be our church member, which has greatly encouraged and inspired us. I pray for God’s wisdom and empowerment over us so that we may bring glory and honor to the Lord through this special building project. Nokesville, go bold!

Our church was recently contacted by an outside group, Coram Deo Christian School, that inquired about the possibility of using our church facilities for their school functions (beginning in the fall semester of 2027). I checked their website (Coram Deo Christian School – Live Fully. Live Faithfully. Live Before the Face of God.). Their beliefs are solid and align with our beliefs. A week ago, eight of our church leaders had an initial meeting with three representatives of the school to hear and learn more about them. They sounded passionate about educating children and youth with Christian beliefs and values. After they left, our leaders shared our initial impression, and there was a clear consensus among us that they could be one of our mission projects to support, being more than a mere renter-rentee relationship. What is interesting to notice is that they’ve reached out to us with this request while we are working on our building expansion project. It makes me wonder whether this may be part of why we are driven to add more physical space according to God’s plan. Simply imagining that our church building would be filled with children and youth during the week brings joy to my heart. Let’s pray for God’s guidance and wisdom upon us and the Christian school representatives so that we may honor the will of God.

This fall, we journey into the parables of Jesus. Last Sunday, we explored the question: What’s wrong with religious people? You can watch it at Sermons | Nokesville Methodist Church – Bible Teaching in Nokesville VA. This Sunday, October 11, our brother Jeff Harding will share a special message with us, titled “Today’s Faith” (Romans 12:19, Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 5:44, Proverbs 24:29). I hope to see you all soon on the Lord’s day.

Your brother in Christ,

Sung Yoo
Pastor
Nokesville Methodist Church

"The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps" (Proverbs 16:9, NRSV).