In Community: April 2017 Newsletter - Faith Bible Church

Table of Contents

In Community:

April 2017 Newsletter

Easy Does It

By Pastor Craig

As we’ve been looking at the fruit of the Spirit over the past several editions, you might have noticed how some of the fruit mentioned are internal – things we experience ourselves – such as joy, patience, peace and self-control. The rest are others-focused – love, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness. Out fruit-of-the-month for April is the final others-focused fruit, gentleness.

We often associate gentleness with weakness which couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s the word Jesus used in Matthew 11, when He invited all who are weary and burdened to come to Him. It’s the group of people who are promised the kingdom of Heaven in the Sermon on the Mount.

The best definition of gentleness I’ve heard is “strength under control”. Usually, when we have strength, influence or leverage, we want to use it to achieve our goals. Gentleness puts those advantages on the shelf and enables God to work in the hearts of others instead of us trying to do that work. I think that’s why Paul picks up the idea of gentleness just a few verses later when he addresses the idea of restoring a person caught up in sin. If we use our own strength, influence or leverage we might be able to force a person to change from the outside but if we come alongside with gentleness, then we allow God the opportunity to make those changes from the inside out.

Peter tells us that when witnessing, gentleness is an essential quality together with respect. Arguing is never effective but giving God space to work is. Gentleness provides God that space to do things beyond our reach. And the Spirit of God provides us with the ability to set our strength aside and allow His strength to go to work, ever so gently.

School of Promise Visit

By Dave Bauson

Kelly and Reiko Aramaki and I were talking about the visit of some of the staff from the School of Promise last Sunday. We were marveling at the remarkable series of events that brought FBC and the School together. The tie between that ministry and FBC is a story of connections that goes back a few years.

Joel and Marvel Vander Kooi were called to serve the Lord in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He had led them to found a school whose ministry would be to break the cycle of poverty and oppression. By placing a solid Christian based education within reach of the poor, the Gospel would bring not only the light of salvation but the opportunity for these families and others to see God at work in their lives. The school started in 2010 and soon afterward began to see fruit.

As Bob and Noby Kennell finished up their ministry in Papua New Guinea three or so years ago, the Lord moved them to Chiang Mai, Thailand. In order to maintain their visas in Thailand they needed to find a means to contribute to the betterment of Thai society. They found the School of Promise, where they began helping by teaching English one day a week.

While on a trip to meet up with their son Mako in Chiang Mai about a year ago, Gary and Rieko Kato spent some time with the Kennells and visited the School of Promise. There, they saw an effective Christian outreach that was struggling to make ends meet. Children had to pass cardboard sheets around the class to put on top of their desks so they could write – because there were holes in the desktops. In their rented school building the bathrooms were in terrible shape and the classrooms lacked air conditioning, where “Hot” is the keyword found in every season.

Word of the school spread rapidly from the Kennells, to the Katos, to FBC’s elders, and now to the church body. As many of us saw in Joel’s presentation, FBC has helped by replacing desks, adding air conditioning, and remodeling their bathrooms. More recently we participated in a drive for child sponsorship, where the Lord surprised all when our congregation took up the support of all twenty-five children in need. And our church purchased their new fifteen-passenger school van, to replace one which had reached the end of its safe and usable lifespan.

Keep in touch as the relationship between the School of Promise and FBC continues to deepen. The Lord has clearly set His hand on the School, and has begun to move things rapidly. We’ve played a significant part in it, and will surely see His blessings multiply! Last Thursday the school received approval to start the seventh grade, a major milestone for its growth. That has brought the need for further expansion forward also – be in prayer that they might be able to build and staff a facility combining elementary through high school. Also be in prayer for how the Lord might want you to follow His lead; more and varied opportunities are sure to be coming!

ROCK (High School) Winter Retreat

By Hanna Nakamura

The retreat at Lazy F Camp was a wonderful and relational experience! Not only did we enjoy tubing and playing in the snow, but we had deep and relational sessions and discussions. We laughed, cried, ate, and encouraged one other. The first morning Alisa shared with us her testimony and it was absolutely so amazing to hear something I never really quite knew about her. Alisa has always been so fun and relational to especially the girls.

The second day’s session were led by the Kurtz’s. It was great to hear their personal testimonies and engage in the stories of the School of Promise. It incredible to see God working in lives of children from other countries.

Vernon and Melissa have also been one of my favorite couples of all time. They are so funny and characterized by being kind and generous. Although Melissa wasn’t there at this retreat, we are so thankful for how she cares for all of us.

Reeghan and I both had a major setback throughout the weekend losing our phones (me losing my phone twice two different days, and Reeghan losing her phone in inches of snow overnight). Thanks to Vernon finding my phone and Pastor Mike helping to ring Reeghan’s, we finally overcame our tribulations. 🙂

Daniel Wang says that “it was a fun experience to connect with others and hear people’s stories. Its a good place to open up and talk and share with people about your problems.”

Jonathan Kumai also shares that “I didn’t hear Alisa’s story but I heard from the other high schoolers that it was really good. I hope we have another retreat like this in the future.”

This youth group by far has been my favorite group I’ve ever been a part of. Being a junior and because the high school is mostly made up of juniors, we all hope to make the best last year together at another retreat just like Lazy F. 🙂

The time, money, and thought that is put into us is an unbelievably incredible blessing. I just wanted to thank Uncle Kenji, Auntie Jeanie, Alisa Williamson, and Vernon and Melissa Yutuc. I know the rest of the high school class is even more grateful than I am.

College/Young Career
Brother and Sister Appreciation Dinner

By Justin Kumai

Hello Faith Bible Church!

It’s a pleasure to be given the opportunity to share about the blessing God gave to us at the FBC College/Young Career BAD/SAD (Brother and Sister Appreciation Dinner). God has blessed me with such a loving and welcoming community since I came to FBC last year. But seeing this love and intentionality through action was something else. The vision behind BAD/SAD was to live out God’s message of encouraging and uplifting your brothers and sisters in Christ through action.

The guys and girls arrived at the church around 4:30 to start preparing for the night. The guys were in charge of putting together a dinner (appetizers, drinks, entree, sides) and also putting together a photo booth and an “aesthetic” dinner setting. We had Danny Cohen heading the photo booth/dinner setting, while we had Kyle Walker putting together a wonderful dinner with the help of a great kitchen staff. The gals met upstairs to prepare gifts and their portion of the night.

The dinner was something else. EVERYTHING WAS SO GOOD (shout out to Kyle). Every little detail in the dinner set up (flowers, dishes, how things looked, menu designs, etc) was covered and really pulled the whole dinner together. During dinner as a community we were able to share a meal together and were able get to know one another more. For me, I was able to meet and get to know some people that I haven’t really talked to before. Joey Chin also blessed us with some live piano music featuring anything from Disney to hits from the movie “La La Land”.

After dinner, we all went up to the sanctuary to continue with the second half of the night. During this part of the night, as a community we were able to do “acts” of appreciation to affirm and encourage one another. The girls were so thoughtful. They first performed a hula (led by Kelly Soares), which was so beautiful (I caught the feels). The girls then handed out an award for each one of the guys along with a goodie bag. They went up one at a time or in pairs, then gave us an award that seemed fitting. For example, “best dressed”, “most likely to win an Olympic medal”, or “best smile”. This gift was so meaningful because it showed how they came together to brainstorm the perfect “award” for each guy; unique to their personalities. They ended with the song, “You’ve got a friend in me”, with a few personal choruses included. Through their acts of appreciation, the guys were not only affirmed, but also reminded that we are loved and that we belong here at FBC. The guys started with a dance as well (led by Michael Lo). We then ended with an act of verbal affirmation. One at a time, we stood at the podium, drew two “encouragement cards”, and addressed each girl with “______, you are ____ and _____”. Although this was a simple gesture, each word was different, true, and all qualities that God sees in each girl. The vision behind this act was to remind girls that they are indeed special and so uniquely/beautifully made. In a world that holds such high standards of beauty (body image, how you act, etc.), it is hard to conform and easy to feel discouraged at times. We hoped that through this time of verbal affirmation and encouragement the girls will truly feel beautiful and loved.

The spirit was present that night. This community is one that is so full of God’s love and one that lives out His message; constantly searching for ways to reach out and pour into others.

The next day in Sunday School class, we had the privilege of hearing the powerful testimony, message & challenge from Yon & Miyuki Pier. We were all inspired by their sincere love for the Lord and their commitment to daily time in the Word. We appreciated the chance to get to know them better (ask them about “Cool Dude”) and to learn from their experiences and what God has taught them.

Bill’s Book Blurbs

By Bill Hamasaki

MVP Book for April –The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

This month I would like to begin a new series of blurbs highlighting books that have stood the test of time – that are considered classics, must read books, and ones that come highly recommended by Christian leaders and authors. After having read many reviews as well as several lists of favorite and life changing books, the ones I have chosen to highlight have come from these and other sources. I would like to recommend some of these books in the months to follow. The “MVP” stands for “Most Valuable Publication.”

The first book I would like to highlight is The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. It has been said of this book that it is the most read Christian book outside of the Bible and one of the most significant works in English literature. First published in 1678, it was written by John Bunyan in a prison cell, imprisoned for preaching without the approval of the Church of England and being a “nonconformist preacher.” It is an allegorical tale of a character named Christian on his way to the Celestial City. “Along the way he encounters both worthy and dreadful adversaries.” He travels from the “City of Destruction via the Slough of Despond, the Hill of Difficulty, the Valley of the Shadow of Death and Vanity Fair, over the River of Life and into the Celestial City whose builder and maker is God.”

As an allegory of the Christian life, it will challenge and encourage readers on their own spiritual journey. It also comes in children’s editions as well as editions written in today’s language. We have both editions in our FBC library. Hope to see you in the library!