There is a story I heard a long time ago that comes back to me often when I think about the blessings we can share from generation to generation beyond time. There was a man who ran a family winery handed down through many generations. One day he was asked by a reporter when he would sell the wine he was putting in storage at that moment. He said, “ about 30 years from now.” The astonished reporter asked, “When did you store the wine you will sell this year then?” The winery owner said, “They were made by my grandfather and father when I was a little baby.”

As many of you witnessed, our Spring Concert on May 8 was a big success. It was made possible by many people’s enthusiastic participation in rehearsals and performance, as well as assistance in many areas: ushers, reception volunteers, and photo and videographers, and so on. But, one thing I should mention again, is the great acoustics in our sanctuary, which was improved dramatically many years ago! Many people who have visited our church have praised our sanctuary’s beautiful shape and acoustics. In our church office, I found a picture of our sanctuary taken before the sanctuary renovation in the 1990’s. The floor and even the stairs between each level between choir loft and pulpit area were all carpeted.

It must have been a big job to put all the stone tiles in the floor and to rework the ceiling and windows. Since then, people have enjoyed the benefits of that hard work through almost three decades and will do so for many more years to come. Now, we will start the work for the new elevator in our church building this year. We have already experienced how our newly remodeled hallway and bathrooms have welcomed many visitors and have given pride and cheerful feelings to our church members. I also mentioned this new elevator project proudly at the end of the Spring Concert performance to encourage visitors to come to our Spring Concert next year.

From now on, we will pray and work together to make our church building a more welcoming and friendly place for our church members, neighbors, and whoever visits us for any reason regardless of their physical conditions. Thank you, God, for giving us this opportunity to grow and step forward once more to enrich our mission towards the future.