At 19624 Homestead Road in Cupertino, California, Good Samaritan United Methodist Church is a multicultural congregation with a simple public motto: “Sharing God’s Radical Love for All.” It is known for Sunday worship in three languages, small groups, free English classes, a church-based preschool and practical service to neighbors experiencing homelessness. The Good Samaritan story gives these activities a shared center: Jesus’ call to love God and neighbor becomes the church’s pattern for discipleship, welcome and service.
Three Sunday Gatherings on Homestead Road
At 9:00 a.m. each Sunday, English worship begins in the sanctuary. Music, prayer and communion shape the service. The music blends contemporary worship songs, choir anthems and hymns, while sermons are biblically grounded, socially relevant and intended to bring personal and spiritual challenge. The same service can be joined at 9:00 a.m. through Zoom or watched on the church’s YouTube channel.
The 10:30 a.m. Mandarin service draws members who are immigrants from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. Its music reflects the faith and diversity of those regions, while worship centers on the Bible, the teachings of Jesus Christ and the growth of the early Christian church. The Mandarin congregation is warm, fun, loving and generous. Mandarin- and English-speaking members build social connection together, and Mandarin small groups support further understanding of the Word and ways to bring the Kingdom of God into present life.
A Korean-language worship gathering follows at 11:45 a.m., completing the church’s recurring Sunday schedule. Together, the three services reflect a congregation in which language and cultural background are part of shared church life rather than separate identities.
From Evangelical United Brethren to United Methodists
Founded in 1958, Good Samaritan began as an Evangelical United Brethren church. Its first meetings were held at the De Oro Club in Cupertino, and it established itself at its present location soon afterward. In 1968, it became a United Methodist church. The congregation is part of the El Camino Real District and participates actively in the California Nevada Conference of the United Methodist Church. Its history connects the Wesleyan and Anglican roots of Methodism with a present congregation shaped by Mandarin and Korean ministry, children’s education, English-language learning and neighborhood service.
The Good Samaritan Story Gives Its Ministry Its Shape
Good Samaritan draws its understanding of God and its role as God’s people from the Good Samaritan story in Luke 10:23-37. Jesus’ Great Commandment calls people to love God and to love their neighbor as themselves. When Jesus asks who proved to be a neighbor, the answer is the person who was moved with pity, showed mercy and cared for someone in need. The church understands love as central to God’s action in the world and sees its own faith response as a response to that love.
This reading calls the church beyond its own comfort toward care, advocacy and service. Good Samaritan seeks to support people who are hurting, call for justice and broaden the circle of God’s inclusive love. The congregation describes its small groups and ministries as practical ways of being “the hands of God.” In practical terms, that conviction is expressed through English classes, support for women in recovery, children’s formation, worship, preschool education and meals prepared for delivery.
United Methodist Faith in Practice
United Methodists are followers of the risen Christ, whom they identify as the Son of God, “the way, the truth, and the light.” At Good Samaritan, Christian faith is described as evangelical in practice, with biblical scripture understood as God’s instruction. Being “born again” is not treated as one decisive event; it is a lifelong process of transformation. Disciples remain attentive to God’s calling and open to change through the Holy Spirit. The church’s emphasis is on following Jesus, loving the neighbor and inviting people into a community of seekers and believers.
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral
- Biblical scripture: the primary source of Christian doctrine.
- Tradition: understanding Christian faith throughout history.
- Reason: using scientific and cogent thought to understand faith.
- Experience: understanding faith through personal stories and experiences.
These four guides support the church’s emphasis on preaching that is well informed, relevant and engaging. They also connect worship with discipleship, where faith is expressed through fellowship, mentorship, service, generosity and participation in the life of the congregation. English worship seeks to encourage both spiritual conviction to live and connection with other people throughout the week.
A Welcome That Crosses Cultural and Social Boundaries
All persons are created in God’s image and are of sacred worth. Good Samaritan welcomes people into the full life of the church regardless of age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental capacity, education, religious background, family configuration, marital status or economic status. Its welcome statement intentionally embraces diversity and seeks to overcome language and cultural barriers so that people can discover what makes each person sacred in God’s eyes.
The church explicitly welcomes people who identify as LGBTQ and is a member of the Reconciling Ministries Network. That network mobilizes United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities toward the full participation of all people in the church and the full expression of Christ’s inclusive love. Good Samaritan’s wider welcome also extends to people who are new to the United States, many of whom have found connection through its English classes and church community.
Children Begin Sunday at Nine
Children’s Sunday School meets on the first and third Sundays of each month. Children ages four through twelve gather with the congregation at the 9:00 English worship. After the opening worship songs and scripture, they leave the sanctuary for classrooms where two teachers guide the lesson. The schedule lets children participate in church worship before class begins and gives them a specific time for learning and friendship.
The class uses several forms of learning. A story-time video provides a visual introduction to a Bible story or event. Children also make crafts, play games, have a snack and take part in active activities such as relay races and freeze dance. Puzzle pages include word searches, printable mazes and dot-to-dot activities. Children are encouraged to share ideas about God and ask questions. The goal is understanding the meaning and significance of the story rather than producing a single “right” answer. After class, the children rejoin their families in the Fellowship Hall during coffee and fellowship time.
Groups for Scripture, Prayer and Cultural Connection
Small groups extend the church’s discipleship life beyond Sunday worship. Good Samaritan names the following groups:
- Cross/Roads Adult Sunday School provides a setting for adults to engage with Scripture.
- Women of Faith gathers women in the life of the church.
- Cultural Bridge Group combines fellowship and prayer while exploring Scripture through different cultures.
- Mandarin MV/PA Fellowship and Mandarin Adult Bible Study support Mandarin-speaking adults.
- Morning Prayer Group meets for prayer together.
- Inclusion Group provides connection and resources for LGBTQIA+ Christians and seekers.
The variety of groups reflects the church’s conviction that discipleship involves mentorship, fellowship, support, growth and deep connection. Mandarin groups serve one linguistic community, the Inclusion Group addresses the needs of LGBTQIA+ Christians and seekers, and the Cultural Bridge Group brings cultural exploration into shared Scripture study.
Music, Sound and Sanctuary Care
Good Samaritan’s music program combines contemporary and traditional styles. Singers and musicians in the Choir and Praise Band lead music for Sunday worship and special services. The Choir rehearses on Thursdays from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m., while the Praise Band rehearses on Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. Music professionals and arts-loving amateurs are welcome to contribute. Rehearsals, worship and special events all serve as ways for people to learn music together and build fellowship.
The Sound and Light Ministry supports Sunday worship and special events. Its Tech Crew works the sound board, sets up microphones, manages slides, controls audio and video, and operates titles and character graphics. Members are trained in the equipment, and the ministry welcomes participants from teen years through adulthood.
The Sanctuary Angels meet on Saturday mornings to prepare the sanctuary for worship. Their work includes the altar, prayer candles and seasonal banners, along with other details that help create a meaningful worship setting. New volunteers are trained for this ministry.
Free English Classes and a Long Record of New Neighbors
Since the mid-1990s, Good Samaritan has provided English classes for non-native speakers. The church reports serving thousands of learners and helping more than 1,500 permanent residents prepare for American citizenship. Some participants have joined the church community and continued sharing their gifts and talents. Good Samaritan describes those relationships as a source of gratitude, friendship and love.
Three Free Zoom Levels
- Zero Basics English: Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Beginning speakers learn letters, numbers and simple greetings.
- Lower-Level English: Sundays from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. The class uses Pearson’s Future 1 textbook, with discounted copies available to students who want to continue.
- Higher-Level Conversation: Every other Wednesday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Lessons use material from Breaking News English and Reading Skills 4 Today.
For the conversation class, a lesson is emailed a few days before the meeting. Students read the article several times, complete related exercises and then divide into smaller groups for discussion. The advanced class is provided by trained teachers. All three levels are free and meet on Zoom. Priscilla Lee, Director of Chinese Ministry, serves as the contact for the ESL ministry.
Hot Meals Packed in the Kitchen and Fellowship Hall
Good Samaritan works with Marvin Hill, director of Feed the Hungry, to provide hot food to people experiencing homelessness in the San Jose area. Feed the Hungry, formerly called Feed My Lambs, is a charity with a long history of service to people experiencing homelessness in the South Bay.
On two Saturdays each month, volunteers package meals for delivery in the church’s kitchen and Fellowship Hall from 9:00 a.m. to noon. People from across the community take part in the work, turning the church’s shared spaces into a place where food is prepared and neighbor care becomes tangible.
Adopt-a-Miracle and Clean, Sober Evenings
For more than 25 years, Good Samaritan has supported women in recovery from addiction through Adopt-a-Miracle. The ministry hosts monthly evenings of clean and sober fun built around laughter, food, games, connection and what the church calls God’s unconditional love. Its setting allows women in recovery to participate in community life without separating faith, joy and fellowship from the challenges they are facing.
A Preschool With Long-Serving Educators
Good Samaritan Preschool is a distinct part of the church’s ministry. Director Guadalupe, or Lupe, Coria has been a Good Samaritan educator since 2016 and works with the church’s commitment to young children and families. Assistant Director Stacey O’Toole has worked in the preschool since 1997 and has served as assistant director since 2006. She specializes in curriculum development and staff development, helping connect classroom practice with the educational life of the congregation.
Leadership for a Multilingual Congregation
Senior Pastor Mi-Sook Yoo has served in United Methodist settings for more than 20 years, including rural, suburban and regional churches. She grew up in South Korea and earned a Bachelor of Theology from Methodist Theological University, a Master of Christian Education and a Master of Divinity from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. She also completed a Two-Year Academy for Spiritual Formation from Upper Room Ministry and has served on the leadership teams of multiple Five-Day Academies.
Priscilla Lee, Director of Chinese Ministry, brings two decades of experience in Korean United Methodist churches, where her work included children’s ministry, senior ministry, Bible study and churchwide events. She is trilingual in Mandarin, Korean and English and helps connect the church’s Chinese ministry with its wider congregational life.
Trente Morant serves as Music Director, leading the Choir and Praise Band within a music program that deliberately combines contemporary worship, traditional hymns and choral music.
A Congregation Defined by Love and Discipleship
At Good Samaritan, worship, children’s formation, adult Scripture study, language learning, music, recovery support and meal preparation are different expressions of the same conviction. English, Mandarin and Korean worship gather people around a shared Christian faith, while small groups and service ministries carry that faith across cultural, social and linguistic boundaries. The church’s welcome extends beyond attendance alone into education, fellowship and practical care. At Good Samaritan, the question “Who is my neighbor?” remains at the center.