A few years ago, I participated in a 10 day, silent meditation retreat. Life in ministry had become oversaturated and I felt like a cloth that had been washed so much it had lost its color. And, while the thought of sitting in silence in a darkened room with 39 other people to focus on my breathing sounded appealing in one sense, it was actually very uncomfortable. It took me about three days to finally settle into the practice of sitting and focusing. Over the course of the week that followed, paying close attention to my body and presence, one constant emerged: everything is changing always. Change is constant – it’s a law of physics, a worldview in Buddhism, and, in spite of our best efforts, a truth in the faith journey. Spiritual growth is rarely linear but, as any doctor’s visit will tell you, assessing health can be helped by tracking milestones and markers for growth. From cleaning up and growing up to waking up and showing up, you are invited to join us beginning this Sunday (in person at the Russian Center or online, at 10am) in exploring the transforming shapes of faith to help us not only deepen our understanding of how we are growing, and where we are going, but strengthen us in our journey toward wholeness of life in Christ.
Faithfully,
Pastor Emily
WELCOME TO OUR PASTORAL RESIDENT, JESSE HAM!
We are thrilled to introduce to you our Pastoral Resident, Jesse Ham! At City Church, we have a long history of investing in leadership development and, in partnership with our friends at City Hope, we have an opportunity to revive it! Jesse will step into a ministry role that is focused on service and justice; helping our community learn and live more fully into our aspiration of following Jesus with our hands. You can learn more about Jesse below. Please pray for Jesse as we prepare to welcome him here in San Francisco mid-September.
About Jesse Ham
Born and raised in a few different places throughout Kenya but with parents from California and Oregon, Jesse enjoys making a ‘home’ out of wherever he is with the people around him, and getting to know new people in authentic ways. In his university years at USC, where he studied Linguistics and Psychology, Jesse quickly fell in love with the Bible and the story of God at work amongst God’s people in its pages. He is passionate about issues of justice around housing, incarceration, and migration, and the possibility of the church’s unique role in addressing these issues to articulate what is truly good about the news of a loving God amidst the very real issues at hand, and the particular vision of hope scripture invites us to. An avid birdwatcher, movie-musical lover, and bit of a US Congress nerd, Jesse is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity from Western Theological Seminary (graduating 2023) in Holland, MI.