February 23, 2023 | by JB Brayfindley
Editor's note: Go, Sow, Grow is a prayer initiative that launched early in 2022 in which local churches were invited to pray for one another in order to align our prayers for God's vision of growth and abundance to manifest among us. As a companion to that prayer ministry, we will be reaching out to circuits across our 5 districts to develop short profiles on the ministry of our local churches and include links for more information and how to get involved. Together, we are the church. #BeUMC
The 4 Rivers Circuit includes eight churches and extends 28 miles along Highway 99 from Galt to Stockton with one church 17 miles east of Highway 99. The circuit is in the Central Valley in a geographical area strewn with creeks and sloughs including four rivers: Calaveras, San Joaquin, Sacramento and Mokelumne after which the circuit is named.
“The 4 Rivers Circuit is working out how to collaborate together for the mission of the church,” states Circuit Leader Rev. Dr. George Edd-Bennett. “We also, as clergy, are doing regular monthly meetings with prayer support and making sure that we have the communication from the District Superintendent and conference flowing…” Meetings are held on zoom or in person. The last meeting featured a tour of the Sunshine Food Pantry ministry at Galt UMC. “The meetings have been less in person since the pandemic and we’ve noticed that sometimes it’s just easier to meet by zoom,” adds Edd-Bennett.
“But the ways that we are working on mission together has to do with several initiatives,” explains Edd-Bennett listing several events occurring this month among the circuit.
On Transfiguration Sunday the circuit is conducting a pulpit exchange along with a special offering for the building project which will expand the food pantry ministry at Galt UMC. “Essentially, all of us are going to a different pulpit but we’re doing it with the express intent of promoting the Galt Sunshine Food pantry building project,” states Edd-Bennett.
“In our circuit we speak multiple Filipino languages, Tongan, English, Khmer (or Cambodian), Spanish and some native Hispanic languages as well… it’s been an exciting inclusion experience,” states Edd-Bennett. For example, to create an inclusive pulpit exchange, one sermon will be translated into Khmer ahead of time for the Khmer speaking congregation.
Recently, the circuit sponsored a joint 3-day youth confirmation retreat at Lodestar. The event included 15 students from three churches and clergy from three churches. According to Edd-Bennett, the circuit developed the 20 classroom hour session “for students to learn about faith, to explore what has gone right with the church and gone wrong with the church and decide to make choices to have a life of faith that is grounded not in the church but in God and recognize that God can even use flawed churches and flawed humans for God’s purpose in this world.” Among other activities, youth created video ‘ads’ to attract people to church and taught one another ethnic dances to share during their upcoming confirmation ceremony. The circuit has plans for a follow up ‘continuation day’, a graduation feast in March and confirmation on Easter Sunday. Mentors are assigned to each young person “to talk to them and make sure they know they are part of the church,” states Edd-Bennett. “They will have a long relationship prior to and after confirmation.”
On February 18 at 1p.m., the circuit will be hosting a Bucket Brigade event to restock Flood Bucket supplies used during recent floods. The circuit aims to make more than 100 buckets.
“Another thing that our churches are doing to support the community and be present in the community with a message of hope is Family Promise,” states Edd-Bennett. Three churches in the circuit, Holy Cross, and Central in Stockton plus First UMC in Lodi, will host and feed families onsite for a week at a time four times a year with support from area churches.
‘In the heart of the city with a heart for the city’ is the theme of Galt UMC pastored by Rev. Dr. Mary Gaaga. The congregation’s focus of ministry is on serving the community through the Sunshine Food Pantry that serves not only Sacramento County but the San Joaquin County. “It has the ability of being a center for collecting food and distributing it to hundreds of families every single week,” explains Edd-Bennett. (See article: “Kick-off for Galt UMC Sunshine Food Pantry Expansion”) The church recently sold property for low income housing to raise funds for the pantry building project, a stand-alone 501c3 business. The church aims to raise a million dollars for the project. “They are about halfway there,” states Edd-Bennett. “The community is very integrated with the church in trying to make this happen.” (For more information see www.sunshinefoodpantrygalt.org)
Linden UMC is a small community church, “a place to deepen your walk through Christian hospitality,” according to Facebook where Sunday messages are simulcast with live in-person gathering. The church is served by Rev. Tevita Vaikona and celebrated 100 years of service to the community last spring.
Rev. Samuel Fabila is a retired elder serving Salem UMC in Lodi focusing ministry on the non-English speaking community in the Lodi area to strengthen young families. Holiday celebrations are honored including Mother’s Day and Father’s Day to strengthen family ties. The church has a food pantry ministry in partnership with Lodi First UMC. The church has a Bible Study, Prayer service and a “Mana De Vida” (feeding people) in the park.
Lodi First UMC, pastored by Edd-Bennett, focuses on hope for adults and youth. “Our mantra is ‘Hope is Found Here,’” explains Edd-Bennett. “Hope needs to be visible in our community…what we need church for is to re-energize, remind us of the hope we have in Christ so we can be that hope for everyone in our community.” The church partnered with Holy Cross to fill and send a 40 foot container of supplies to Tonga after the 2022 volcano eruption and partnered with the circuit to get a confirmation class “because our youth need hope.” To address food insecurity, the congregation donates to the Salem UMC and Galt food pantry and to address housing insecurity, support the Family Promise program. Lodi First also has a preschool onsite.
Close to Pacific University, Stockton Central UMC is “one of two reconciling churches in the circuit, not that these are the only places LGBT+ people feel welcomed but it’s that they are the churches that have undergone the process of discerning their reconciling ministries. Central UMC has always been a strong social justice ministry platform,” states Edd-Bennett. “They are very focused on justice and inclusion.” The church is served by senior pastor Rev. Sungho Lee recuperating from a recent car accident.
Associate Pastor Rev. Viseth Hou has a Khmer language ministry. According to Edd-Bennett, the Khmer ministry in Stockton seeks to reach the Cambodian immigrants in the Stockton area with an expression of Christ that is steeped with the traditions of the Cambodian people, creating a new generation for Christ. This ministry reaches Khmer speaking people throughout the world with its digital campus ministry.
Holy Cross UMC in Stockton is served by Rev. Gary Pope Sears and Associate pastor Rev. Tevita Vaikona focusing on a Tongan language ministry and youth program. “The church has a very vibrant Tongan community,” states Edd-Bennett. Worship services are in English in the morning and in Tongan in the afternoon with youth activities throughout the week.
St. Mark’s UMC in south Stockton is “proud to be the second oldest reconciling church in the California Nevada Annual Conference” states retired pastor Rev. Jola Bortner serving the congregation. The church is hoping to revitalize the ministries focusing on families of multi-ethnicities. “They frequently use multiple languages in the [worship] service,” states Edd-Bennett. “because they recognize that there’s so many languages represented in the worshipping community.” The church serves families with children from Ghana, Bolivia, Mexico, the Philippines, China, Taiwan, and the Anglo community. An Asian style crab feed for the community is scheduled for October 2023.
St. Paul’s UMC in Stockton is served by Pastor Romeo Gunzon focusing on ministry with multi-ethnic people and Filipino families. The congregation is intentionally growing and has started a local food pantry to invite the community into the church. St. Paul’s hopes to open a childcare center for families. The church offers a family oriented bible study. After relocating to the Grace UMC campus, St. Paul’s UMC is celebrating 7 years of ministry.