Senior Pastor Report 2025

Greetings in the name of Christ! As we look back on 2025, I’m reminded again how faithful God has been to Wesley United Methodist Church. This year has been full of growth, creativity, excitement and renewed purpose. We’ve expanded long-standing ones, deepened our commitment to digital outreach, and continued strengthening and improving our worship life together. I’m incredibly grateful for the spirit and hard work that so many of people consistently bring to this church. Wesley is vibrant because caring people show up with their gifts, their generosity, their enthusiasm and their love. What follows is a snapshot of our shared ministry from January 1 to November 2025.
 
Worship
Worship continues to be at the center of our life together. In 2025, our in-person attendance remains strong at around 160 each week, and our online congregation continues to grow steadily with an average of about 150 weekly viewers, for an average of 210 people each week.
This year we focused even more on improving the quality of our worship services. We hope to soon add a second singer, a female vocalist, to complement our music team. This will deeply enrich the way our congregation experiences God through music. Music has always been one of the most powerful ways people feel the Spirit move, sometimes even more deeply than through spoken words. When voices blend in harmony, something sacred happens; hearts open, emotions are stirred, and people feel connected to God and to one another. A second lead voice will bring warmth, balance, and beauty to our worship, allowing for a greater range of songs and styles that speak to different generations.
Thanks to a generous gift from an anonymous Wesley benefactor, we will add a new large screen monitor, or maybe two, which will make a huge difference in our worship experience. A brighter, clearer screen will allow everyone in the sanctuary to see lyrics, prayers, and visuals without straining. As our worship continues to grow more vibrant and multimedia-rich, updated screens will help us communicate God’s story with clarity and beauty. This is a simple upgrade that will make worship more engaging, accessible, and, I believe, more spiritually inviting for everyone. 
This year we were also blessed to receive a $5,000 Beulah Grant to significantly improve the hearing accessibility in our sanctuary. The grant will fully fund the installation of a hearing-assist system that connects directly to personal hearing aids, allowing anyone with compatible devices to hear the service with far greater clarity. This technology will make worship more inclusive for our older adults and for anyone who struggles with hearing in large spaces. Thanks to the Beulah Grant, we can offer a worship experience where everyone, regardless of hearing ability, can fully participate, engage, and feel connected to the prayers, music, and message.
 
Mineta House Renovation
One of the biggest achievements of 2025 has been the full renovation of the Mineta House, our newly purchased parsonage and a historic property tied to the Mineta family legacy. The renovation modernized the home for pastoral use while honoring its heritage. The community leaders were able to tour the house during our Open House and Dedication Sunday on November 23rd. This project reflects both good stewardship and a commitment to preserving our Japantown roots.
 
Improving Wesley’s Online Presence
We continued our push to strengthen our digital identity. The Wesley app had 696 downloads, becoming one of the easiest ways for people to access worship, announcements, and giving. Hikaru kept fine-tuning our online content with new videos, fresh newsletters, collaborative posts, and consistent updates to our website.
 
New Ministries & 2025 Highlights
This year we launched several new or expanded ministries:

• Worship Quality Initiative – Along with hiring the female vocalist, we improved audio quality, explored options for a new large screen, and continued developing creative worship elements like improved video Scripture readings.
• 130th Anniversary – Wesley celebrated 130 years of ministry with a special worship service featuring Bishop Sandy Olewine as our guest preacher. The day was a joyful homecoming that honored our Japanese American roots, gave thanks for the saints who built this church, and renewed our commitment to serve the Japantown community and beyond. 
• Strategic Planning Process – For the first time in Wesley’s 130-year history, we began a four-session Strategic Planning journey with consultant Rev. Sam Yun. This will help us shape our vision for the next 3–5 years.
• Neighborhood Groups Expansion – Mark Teagle continued to grow these groups, adding new leaders and supporting deeper connection across generations.
• Children & Youth Visioning – Our Director of Children and Youth, we spent part of this year evaluating needs, identifying gaps, and laying groundwork for revitalizing ministry to young families.  In 2025, we hired a new MYF Director for the High School youth.  She has brought new energy and new vibrancy and collaboration to that ministry.
• Simply Lent & Living Lightly – New Lenten seasonal spiritual practices encouraged the congregation to let go of clutter—spiritually and physically—and live with more freedom and joy.
• Membership – this is the first year in the past three years that Wesley has grown in size.  And there have also been a number of new families that have begun to worship at Wesley in the past year, so we expect the membership to continue to grow.

 
Compassion Ministries
Our Compassion Ministries continued to grow through 2025. The Tuesday Food Distribution expanded its partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank, allowing us to offer more fresh produce and high-quality groceries to a growing number of  community members. The number of families served each week reached new highs.
Our Grant Elementary School partnership also strengthened as volunteers continued tutoring, reading with kids, and providing ongoing support for teachers.
 
Fellowship & Community Building
We kept building community this year through:

• Wesley Fellowship Lunches continued to draw families and newcomers.
• The beautiful and fully completed Wesley Garden hosted some gatherings throughout the year, including the Wesley Sunrise Service on Easter morning.
• Open Mic Night – Mark Teagle initiated, and spear heads a monthly Open Mic night which has attracted a broad cross-section of people every month.

 
Financial Strength
Wesley continues to be financially strong in 2025. Our reserves remain healthy at around $3 million, with designated funds set aside for upcoming Trustee projects, including a major kitchen renovation planned for 2027.  We received a large seed donation this year to kick off the early stages of the 2026 capital campaign, an encouraging sign of confidence in Wesley’s future.
 
Looking Ahead
As we step into 2026, I believe we are entering a season of renewed faith and amazing possibilities. With our Strategic Planning process underway, a strong financial foundation, and new momentum in worship and ministries, we have every reason to be hopeful about what God is shaping in us.
I continue to be grateful for the privilege of serving as Wesley’s Senior Pastor.  I thank the congregation for their generosity, their wonderful energy and openness to God’s leading. We will keep moving forward in faith, hope, and love.