This Sunday
May 17, 2026
Greetings Friends,
Grace and peace to you in the name of Lord, Jesus the Christ.
I invite you to join us this Sunday for a special treat as we welcome the Rev. Michael Yoshii who will be our guest preacher. Rev. Yoshii is a retired clergy in the California-Nevada Annual Conference and Pastor Emeritus at the Buena Vista United Methodist Church in Alameda. He currently serves as the Co-Chair for the Friends of Wadi Foquin, a partnership between United Methodists and the Palestinian Muslim village of Wadi Foquin located in the Bethlehem District of the West Bank. The Friends of Wadi Foquin supports community development projects in the village, organizes Holy Land pilgrimages with visits to Wadi Foquin, and provides advocacy on behalf of the village and the larger Palestinian reality. Rev. Yoshii and his wife, Suzanne, have two daughters and four grandchildren - who keep hope alive!
I also invite you to join me on Saturday, May 23 from 2:00–4:30 pm at the Asbury United Methodist Church, 4743 Easter Ave., Livermore for an afternoon of celebrating steadfast friendship and spiritual solidarity with our Friends of Wadi Foquin. We will hear from special friends, Fahmi Manasra and Janet Lahr Lewis, as well as from our California Nevada Annual Conference Bishop Sandra Olewine. Updates will be shared along with information on upcoming ways to get involved. We still have room at our table, so please reach out to me if you can join me.
Peace,
Pastor Akesa