The Blessed Trinity Parish Post
BLESSED TRINITY PARISH POST Good Shepherd~Pleasant Hills~Ridgewood UMCs
May 2026
Vol. 1 No. 4
A Note from Pastor Stephanie Parish Friends and Family, We’ve begun a new worship series called “It’s About Who.” At the heart of this series is a simple but important truth: the church is not first a building or a location, but a people — people in relationship with God and with one another.
That truth has always been there, but this season gives us a special opportunity to listen for it more deeply. As a cooperative parish, we are continuing to ask important questions together: Who are we? Who is God calling us to be? How is God inviting us to live more fully as one church in three places? These are not just organizational questions. They are spiritual ones. They are questions about identity, calling, and faithfulness. What has kept our congregations alive through the years is not only the spaces we cherish, but the relationships that have been formed within them — shared worship, shared service, shared care, shared faith. When we look at the ministries and missions we are most grateful for, at their core we often find the same thing: people coming together, sharing gifts, bearing burdens, loving neighbors, and reflecting Christ to one another and to the world. That is church. As we move through this series, we will also continue the work of discernment around the future of our parish: how we use all that God has given us — our gifts, our people, our resources, and yes, even our buildings — in ways that serve God’s vision for new life among us. This is holy work. It asks for honesty, courage, imagination, and trust. It asks us to honor what has been while remaining open to what God is still doing. My prayer is that this series will help us listen more closely to God and to one another. My hope is that it will invite us to imagine something bigger than preservation alone: a people gathered as the church, shaped by relationships, rooted in Christ, and alive to the Spirit’s leading. I hope you will join us in worship, prayer, and conversation in the weeks ahead. As we seek the way forward together, may God continue to show us not only where we are, but who we are — and who, by grace, we are still becoming. Grace and peace, Rev. Stephanie May 2026