It is with a full and grateful heart that I write to you for the first time as your new pastor. My name is Myung Eun Park (please call me Myung, pronounced MEE-yung), and I am honored and humbled to be walking alongside Haven UMC as your pastor. Thank you for the warmth with which you have already begun to welcome me. I am grateful for the new season God is inviting us into together, and I am excited for what God will do through this new beginning we are stepping into as a church family.

So that you can get to know me a little, let me share some of my story. I was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, in a Methodist pastor's family, so ministry has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up watching my parents serve the church with faithfulness and love, and it was there that my own call began to take root.

That call eventually led me to Boston, where I moved in 2007 to continue my theological formation after having studied theology and religious education in Korea. There, I earned both a Master of Divinity and a Master of Sacred Theology at Boston University School of Theology. Since then, I have had the privilege of serving congregations in West Bridgewater, MA, Readfield, ME, and Lynn, MA, and each of these communities has shaped and deepened my love for pastoral ministry. I am currently seeking a Doctor of Ministry at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, with a focus on Spiritual Direction.

I am passionate about helping the Church become a place where everyone feels welcomed, loved, and inspired to follow Christ. I believe this happens through worship that draws us close to God, deep listening that honors one another's stories, compassionate relationships that reflect Christ's love, and meaningful service that carries that love out into the world.

With all of this as my story so far, I come to Haven with an open heart and a deep desire to listen, learn, and grow with you. I want to hear your stories, your hopes for this congregation, and the ways you have already seen God at work in this place. Together, I trust that we will discover what God is calling Haven UMC to become in this next chapter.

This is, after all, a season of new beginnings, and new beginnings are always sacred ground. They ask something of us: patience with one another, trust in the Spirit's leading, and courage to follow where God calls. I believe Haven is ready for this moment, and I am so grateful to be walking into it with you.

So in the days ahead, I look forward to meeting each of you, worshiping alongside you, and getting to know the Haven family. Please don't hesitate to introduce yourself, share your story, or simply say hello.

Whatever this next chapter holds, I know we do not step into it alone. We have one another, and the same God who has carried Haven UMC faithfully through every season is already at work in the one ahead of us. Let us begin this journey together, trusting the One who has called us here.