Pastor's Reflection 2026-07-23
A Reflection on My Reappointment to Wesley
Rev. John Oda
Rev. John Oda
At the start of every year, the Cal-Nevada Annual Conference Bishop and her Cabinet meet to decide where each pastor in the conference will be appointed. This year, their decision means I get to continue serving at Wesley. July 1, 2026 marked the official start of my fifth year with you; though, as I'll explain, my actual anniversary here goes back a bit further, to April 1.
My appointment was officially set to begin July 1, 2022. But thanks to a generous severance package from my previous appointment at the General Board of Global Ministries, I was able to start, unofficially, on April 1, 2022 instead. That overlap gave me precious time with Rev. Keith and Viki, who generously shared their knowledge, their experience, and their dreams for Wesley. I remain forever grateful for those conversations.
I remember arriving at Wesley and not knowing where the light switches were in the fellowship hall, let alone who was related to whom, who had been quietly carrying a family through a difficult season, or who made the best desserts at the potlucks. Four years later, I still don't always know where everything is, but I've come to know so many of you well. That's the real gift of being appointed to Wesley Church, not the role I was appointed to, but the people at Wesley who I have come to love.
There's a passage in the book of Hebrews that keeps returning to me as I think about this milestone. The writer has just spent several verses warning the community about the danger of growing spiritually stagnant, of drifting, of settling. It's a tough passage, almost scolding. And then, right in the middle of that warning, his tone shifts: "Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case, things that have to do with salvation" (Hebrews 6:9). The writer doesn't take back the warning. Growth can still be hard; drifting can still be a real danger. But there's a deliberate turn toward hope. He speaks with a confidence that isn't naive but gained by having watched this same community before. In other words, the author of Hebrews is saying: I know the past struggles, and I firmly believe better things are coming.
That's how I feel about Wesley heading into year five. Not because we've arrived at some sort of finish line, but because I've watched the church and the people here continue to choose to grow, to change, to work hard and to deepen our welcome to all new people.
I think often about the Issei and Nisei who built this church, who worked so hard to make a living for the sake of their families, and who were later stripped of their homes, their businesses, and their dignity. They were incarcerated by their own country, and still, they came back to Japantown and reopened this church. They didn't do that because the future was certain, far from it. They did it because they trusted, the way the writer of Hebrews describes, that better things were possible, even after everything. That kind of trust, I believe, is stitched into these walls.
So, as I begin my fifth year here, my prayer isn't that I get everything right. It's that we keep being a people who expect better things, not despite our history, but because of it; carrying forward what was entrusted to us, trusting that change itself is a good thing and trusting that great things are yet to come.
That kind of trust is what I want to carry with me into this fifth year. I'm grateful to keep walking with you toward the great things that will unfold this year!
With overwhelming gratitude,
Rev. John
My appointment was officially set to begin July 1, 2022. But thanks to a generous severance package from my previous appointment at the General Board of Global Ministries, I was able to start, unofficially, on April 1, 2022 instead. That overlap gave me precious time with Rev. Keith and Viki, who generously shared their knowledge, their experience, and their dreams for Wesley. I remain forever grateful for those conversations.
I remember arriving at Wesley and not knowing where the light switches were in the fellowship hall, let alone who was related to whom, who had been quietly carrying a family through a difficult season, or who made the best desserts at the potlucks. Four years later, I still don't always know where everything is, but I've come to know so many of you well. That's the real gift of being appointed to Wesley Church, not the role I was appointed to, but the people at Wesley who I have come to love.
There's a passage in the book of Hebrews that keeps returning to me as I think about this milestone. The writer has just spent several verses warning the community about the danger of growing spiritually stagnant, of drifting, of settling. It's a tough passage, almost scolding. And then, right in the middle of that warning, his tone shifts: "Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case, things that have to do with salvation" (Hebrews 6:9). The writer doesn't take back the warning. Growth can still be hard; drifting can still be a real danger. But there's a deliberate turn toward hope. He speaks with a confidence that isn't naive but gained by having watched this same community before. In other words, the author of Hebrews is saying: I know the past struggles, and I firmly believe better things are coming.
That's how I feel about Wesley heading into year five. Not because we've arrived at some sort of finish line, but because I've watched the church and the people here continue to choose to grow, to change, to work hard and to deepen our welcome to all new people.
I think often about the Issei and Nisei who built this church, who worked so hard to make a living for the sake of their families, and who were later stripped of their homes, their businesses, and their dignity. They were incarcerated by their own country, and still, they came back to Japantown and reopened this church. They didn't do that because the future was certain, far from it. They did it because they trusted, the way the writer of Hebrews describes, that better things were possible, even after everything. That kind of trust, I believe, is stitched into these walls.
So, as I begin my fifth year here, my prayer isn't that I get everything right. It's that we keep being a people who expect better things, not despite our history, but because of it; carrying forward what was entrusted to us, trusting that change itself is a good thing and trusting that great things are yet to come.
That kind of trust is what I want to carry with me into this fifth year. I'm grateful to keep walking with you toward the great things that will unfold this year!
With overwhelming gratitude,
Rev. John
Posted in Newsletter 2026-07-23