Rev. John’s Reflection on the 2025 California-Nevada Annual Conference
Attending the 2025 California-Nevada Annual Conference from June 27–29 in Sacramento, was both meaningful and energizing. I was grateful to attend alongside our lay representatives: Warren Hayashi and Michiko Collins; as well as our El Camino Real District Lay Leader, Aton Abril. Being surrounded by clergy and lay leaders from across the conference reminded me of the breadth and diversity of our shared ministry.
On Saturday morning, June 28, I hosted the City Circuit breakfast—a time for clergy and lay leaders serving in San Jose churches to gather for conversation, connection, and mutual support.
One of the most meaningful moments of the conference for me happened at a lunch on June 28. I was asked to speak at the Conference Committee on Reconciliation lunch. I shared about the urgent need for all of us in the church to stand in solidarity with the transgender community, especially as they face growing hostility and targeted attacks from the current administration. As people of faith, we are called to affirm the sacred worth of every person, and right now, our transgender siblings need our public support, our advocacy, and our love more than ever. My own desire to stand with the trans community is deeply rooted in the history of Japanese American internment during World War II. I know what happens when a group is scapegoated, dehumanized, and told they don’t belong and I never want to see that happen to any community again.
Annual Conferences always reminds me that, while our local ministries are vital, we are part of something much bigger. Our stories, struggles, and hopes are woven together as we all seek to be the Church in a complex world. I came home feeling grateful, challenged, and hopeful for what God is doing in and through the California-Nevada Annual Conference.
On Saturday morning, June 28, I hosted the City Circuit breakfast—a time for clergy and lay leaders serving in San Jose churches to gather for conversation, connection, and mutual support.
One of the most meaningful moments of the conference for me happened at a lunch on June 28. I was asked to speak at the Conference Committee on Reconciliation lunch. I shared about the urgent need for all of us in the church to stand in solidarity with the transgender community, especially as they face growing hostility and targeted attacks from the current administration. As people of faith, we are called to affirm the sacred worth of every person, and right now, our transgender siblings need our public support, our advocacy, and our love more than ever. My own desire to stand with the trans community is deeply rooted in the history of Japanese American internment during World War II. I know what happens when a group is scapegoated, dehumanized, and told they don’t belong and I never want to see that happen to any community again.
Annual Conferences always reminds me that, while our local ministries are vital, we are part of something much bigger. Our stories, struggles, and hopes are woven together as we all seek to be the Church in a complex world. I came home feeling grateful, challenged, and hopeful for what God is doing in and through the California-Nevada Annual Conference.
Annual Conference City Circuit Breakfast hosted by Rev. John Oda.
Rev. John Oda with Bishop Sandy Olewine and Rev. Izzy Alvaran at the Conference Committee on Reconciliation lunch.
Posted in Newsletter 2025-07-24