In Community:

March 2017 Newsletter


Well done, good and faithful servant

By Pastor Craig

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Once in a great while I find myself missing our dog.  Not so much the smell when he got wet, or the responsibilities of pet guardianship but that unconditional devotion.  There was nothing I could do to make our dog think I wasn’t the greatest person who had ever walked the face of the earth.  We tend to think of that trait as faithfulness and unfortunately that can distort our understanding of the seventh characteristic listed in the “Fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5.

Biblical “faithfulness” is different than loyalty or commitment.  The meaning conveyed by the word in the New Testament has to do with fulfilling responsibilities or expectations.  The servants described in Matthew 25 who use their “talents” wisely while the master is away are referred to as good and “faithful”.  These were people who used their gifts to advance the purposes of the One who gave the gifts in the first place.  They were reliable, dependable, faithful.

Individuals in the New Testament are commended for being faithful.  Timothy, in 1 Cor 4:17, is called “faithful in the Lord”.  In Eph. 6:21, Paul refers to Tychicus as a “faithful servant in the Lord” as well as a “faithful minister” in Col. 4:7.   In Col. 1:7 we read that Epaphras was a “faithful minister on Christ’s behalf”.

Our annual meeting in January reminded me of how many faithful people we have at FBC.  As I read the various ministry reports I saw example after example of people who are using their gifts to advance the Kingdom of God.  Some people respond because of a ministry need.  Others are looking for opportunities to put their experiences and talents to use for the Lord.  Others serve as a way of getting to know the people involved in the ministry.  What blesses and encourages me is to see so many people demonstrating the fruit of faithfulness.  I’m already looking forward to reading the ministry reports for next year.


Mingling of Souls (Marriage Conference)

By Pastor Mike Kurtz

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Marriage is a game-changer. When it’s going well, it helps make the struggles of life a little easier to get through. However, if it’s going bad, it can make everything else so much harder. If you’ve been married for even a short time, you know that to be true. So it makes sense that couples should work on their marriages both in hard times and good times because a well-maintained marriage can make the difference between a better life and a more miserable one.

marriage conferenceOn February 10th and 11th, two households hosted a simulcast party of the Mingling of Souls Conference held in Houston, TX. Vernon & Melissa Yutuc hosted one party in Lynnwood while Mike & Ly Kurtz hosted one in Bellevue. Led by Matt Chandler of the Village Church, the marriage conference brought out some very applicable, biblical truths, all of which cannot possibly be written here.  But here are a few highlights:

  • Many people today often view marriage through a consumerism mentality where self is supreme; individual happiness is supreme; feelings and passion are supreme. Everything is about me. On the other hand, the Bible places an emphasis on commitment, promise, duty.
  • Marriage is a covenant, not a contract. Marriage vows do not use contractual language (e.g. “if you don’t meet these conditions, I’m out of here!”). Vows use covenantal language (e.g. “We will adjust to God together – for better or worse.”)
  • We are not yet what we will be (Col. 1:9-14). God uses joys and sorrow to make us. Marriage is principally intended to make us better people if we will respond rightly before God.
  • Our tendency in marital conflict is to know the other’s faults. We need to become experts in our spouse’s strengths to reduce conflict.
  • We often pit our spouse’s weaknesses against our strengths. This creates a conflict-filled chasm.
  • Extending grace to our spouse is essential. But we must experience grace from God in order to extend it. Grace is experienced when we own our sin, confess and repent to God, and receive His forgiveness (Him moving toward us). Consequently, conflict can be seen as something good when it leads to experiencing God’s grace. Just as God is sanctifying each of us little by little, we need to stop demanding perfection from our spouse and realize that none of us is perfect, but growing day-by-day.
  • Along the lines of sanctification, it is good to remember that kids sanctify us just like marriage sanctifies us.
  • And lastly, we should invest in one another; find time with one another; fight for it; make it happen!

marriage conference2These were some of the highlights of the conference. We also spent time sharing our lives with one another with snacks and lunch on Saturday. Many thanks to Lauren Oda and Joey Chin
for their help with childcare and snack prep. (Maili loves you guys!) At the end of the day, I think we all agreed that this was something we needed to do more of in the future. Let’s try it again in the fall – what do you think? – Pastor Mike


Valentine’s Fellowship Hour

By Raj Velji

The men of FBC continued the annual tradition of baking, cooking, and in some cases buying sweet and savory treats for the Valentine’s Day Fellowship Hour on February 12. There were tons of great dishes this year, but the biggest surprise was in the crock pot category. We had so many crock pots that we couldn’t fit them all in the serving window. Best of all, they created a nice mix of savory and plenty of rice to balance the sweet!

In addition, the turn out from the FBC family was strong. The line started off a bit slow, but soon people were crowded on the staircase waiting to get in. Several women (and a few men) came back for seconds and the atmosphere was fun. We ended up carrying on the fellowship “hour” for well over an hour. And as happens most years, a group of men spontaneously volunteered to help clean up and tear down the basement. A special thanks to those who helped tear down and the men who helped get the fellowship hour going in the first place. Lots of you answered a fairly late call -THANK YOU.

The goal of the time was to make the women feel a bit more special than usual and to give all of us a chance to hang around together for a bit longer than normal. It appears that it was a success on both fronts!


2017 Keiro Nursing Home Ministry Report

By Richard Nakamura

“I haven’t seen Mr. M  for a while.  Is he okay?” I asked the staff.  I could see the tears well up in her eyes. He had passed away.  How many times had he heard the Gospel?  He was often sitting there at our services, but would fall asleep.  “Jesus Loves Me” was often sung, the Gospel proclaimed, and the truth was even whispered in his ear.  There were times when he looked at me straight in the eyes, but never said a word.  Did he know Jesus?

This scenario happens many times during the year.  Little by little, we get to know the residents.  And one by one, their time with us ends.  It pulls at our hearts, but we move forward, reaching out to the new residents that come in to fill the empty beds.  As we minister to the people, we know that the most important question in life is whether they have a relationship with Christ. Eternity in heaven or eternal judgement is at stake.  God is sharing His love at the sunset of their lives.  He is using us to be His mouthpiece, hands and feet as we lovingly stroke their arms and shoulders.

Nancy Mayeno, Phyllis Solem, Ichiro and Lynne Otsu, Garret Wong, Ashley Hwang, Tom and Hiromi Gerety, Naoki and Sakurako Hayasaka, Holly Wakefield, Kerry Watanabe, Betty Inouye, Shigeko Williamson, Richard and Keri, Hanna, Kayla and Nathan Nakamura have been led to serve the people at Keiro.  Each one brings their own unique testimony, smile, and giftedness.  What a team!  On special occasions, we’ve had other guests join us, such as Megan Hamasaki, Bausons, Yumi Griffin, FBC children and college groups.

We meet every 1st and 3rd Sunday after church at 2pm. A small group also ministers on the 3rd Tuesday at 10:30am.   Shigeko serves us wonderful lunches that energize us.  When we arrive, we often start by greeting each resident followed by opening prayer.  We sing and share God’s Word for the day.  “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom.10:17). We know that the Holy Spirit will work through His Word.  But we also know that love is felt.  So we laugh, we cry, we talk, we touch, and we pray with the residents.

What we have also begun to see is that our expressions of love towards the residents are also touching the staff and relatives who visit their loved ones.  There have been several times that the staff have asked for personal prayer.  Our words of encouragement have lifted their spirits.  As was mentioned above, they often experience the passing of residents. It is difficult work.  They are tired and sad at times.  They are people in need of support and love as well.  They listen to the messages and we pray that they too will be touched by the Gospel.  There are also times when friendships develop with the family members that go beyond the nursing home.

Please continue to pray for the Keiro ministry.  In the past, the residents were mainly Japanese.  Today there are Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Caucasians, Filipinos, African Americans and others.  In heaven, all these people groups will be represented.  Is God calling you to be a part of this team in expanding His Kingdom?  Come join us and see if this is where you might be used of God.

Thank you for all your prayers.

Keiro Team

 

* KEIRO Northwest (http://www.keironorthwest.org/) is located a few blocks south of FBC on E Yesler Way. 


ROCK Sleepover at Chaya’s

By Alisa Williamson

What is the recipe for a successful sleepover? Good company, too much junk food, and fun games all while trying to get as little sleep as possible! What makes for a great sleepover? Awesome friends, lots of laughter and managing to get some sleep while not missing out on the excitement! Oh, and an adorable puppy certainly doesn’t hurt!
After a bit of chatting and snacking as our group arrived, we started the night with “Honey if you love me won’t you please, please smile” (the laughing game equivalent of a staring contest). Even the most determined could not maintain their composure for long!

Then it was on to the main event with a time of sharing and getting to know Ken and Jana Kumasaka. Each shared their testimony from youth going to church or church groups to when they first met and going to college to getting married and starting a family to their lives now. They spoke of the perfection of God’s plan and timing when they were in college. It was because of God’s plan and timing they stayed together and were able to go to New York together. They also shared briefly about their recent visit to Thailand, a trip for which God’s timing was instrumental.

Following the sharing time were games of mafia and hide & seek into the late hours. Surprisingly an all-nighter was not to be as eyes swiftly starting drooping shortly after a movie was selected.

The next morning revealed a stunning view and the aroma of bacon was better than any alarm clock! Both breakfast and cleanup were a team effort with many hands making the work lighter and more enjoyable. The morning hours sped by and our time together came to a close.

What makes for an unforgettable sleepover? Fellowship, meaningful connections and location, Location, LOCATION!
Thank you to Ken and Jana Kumasaka for sharing!
Thank you to the Chayas for allowing us into your beautiful home and thank you BJ for being such a gracious host!


College Young Career Lock-In

By Jennifer Tsuji

2017 for the Faith Bible College/Young Career group started off with a great reunion after the holiday break. Many of the members of our group are from out of state or were vacationing so it was wonderful to all reunite at Sunday School after a few weeks of being apart. It’s always nice to catch up and hear how people’s breaks were, and to find out what everyone’s favorite “Christmas” food is, only to realize that there really is no such thing as a typical “Christmas food” and it varies based on family traditions and culture.

At the end of January, we were able to have our 2nd annual lock-in sleepover at church and carry on many of the fun traditions that were started last year. On Friday night, everyone “moved in” to church and the luggage overtook the fellowship serving room. We then went upstairs and were extremely blessed to do a “Get To Know You” session with Kelly and Reiko Aramaki. They each shared the ways that God has really spoken to them throughout their lives and how faithful He has remained through it all. Both of their stories were so moving and inspiring and they truly are making such a difference at FBC with their heart for justice and the marginalized. Another way that they were able to bless us was with their musical talents and in-between each part of their sharing, we were able to engage in some powerful musical worship together (s/o to Pastor Mike for helping with worship, too!).

A skill that we all learned in college was how to stay up late and as one of our members would say, “the night is still young” and we still had more festivities ahead! We split up into groups for our organized game led by John Tsuji and were told to each name our teams after a certain type of dog. One of the teams must not have gotten the memo because they called themselves the “elephants” and not-so-coincidentally gained points at a slower pace than everyone else 🙂  The group game consisted of categories where we found out things like who in our group has been to London, as well as who in our group is able to do the splits (surprisingly way more people than I had expected!).  There was also some skill involved in some of the activities that we did, like an egg toss (with ping pong balls) and throwing darts (magnetic ones.)  Wyietah earned some major redemption in the paper airplane throwing contest, as he went from his plane literally going backwards last year, to it going the farthest forward out of anyone this year and helping his team earn some points! Sadly, a tradition that continued from last year is that there was yet another team during the jump rope competition that got a total of 0 jumps, but it never fails to result in some fun and laughter.

Lisa Tsuji made a delicious midnight meal of oyakodon that helped sustain us into the wee hours of the night/morning as we continued to fellowship and play other games.  In the morning, the faithful breakfast crew woke up early to help prepare a delicious breakfast for everyone and we continued the tradition of sharing fun, little-known facts about the people at our breakfast table.

Overall, the lock-in is always a special time of extended bonding & fellowship that we are extremely grateful for. God is so good in providing the generosity of others to help make this event possible and we can’t wait to continue and grow together as a group as the year progresses!


Bill’s Book Blurbs

By Bill Hamasaki

New Book for March

The Fifth Gospel by Bobby Conway

In our culture today, Christians are often ridiculed, mocked, marginalized, and seen as intolerant.  As followers of Christ, it has become much more difficult to share the gospel with those around us.  In previous generations in our country, there was at least some knowledge and respect for the beliefs Christians held to be true.  Most would say that it is no longer the case.  How can we effectively reach those without Christ in our culture today?

In this book, the author has provided us with perspective and an effective strategy to share the gospel with those God brings into our lives.  He believes that we need to flesh out the gospel in our daily lives and to build genuine relationships with those without Christ   As they see our lives up close and personal (shortcomings and all) it can create an opening to share the gospel message.

He credits “a quote attributed to Rodney (Gypsy) Smith, a nineteenth-century British evangelist who passionately led evangelistic campaigns to countries such as Australia, South Africa, and the United States” that challenged him to be a “living gospel.”  The quote:  “There are five Gospels:  Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian, but most people never read the first four.”  D.L. Moody once said, “Where one man reads the Bible, a hundred read you and me.”

He gives insightful and practical ways to live our lives in a way that reflects the character and attitudes of one who is fully committed to the person of Christ as well as ways to present the gospel effectively.   It may become difficult at times, take us out of our comfort zone, and make us seem foolish to the world but “we have to believe that the most loving thing we can do for the world is to share Jesus with them.”

Sometimes our perspective and view of unbelievers, especially those who are outspoken, can become anything but Christ-like. Many times in my own life, I get easily irritated and frustrated by those who promote their secular agenda.   Many years ago, I heard a message by Joe Aldrich, former president of Multnomah School of the Bible, in which he said that unbelievers “are not the enemy, they’re victims of the Enemy.”  We need to see them as God sees them and treat them in a way that pleases God.


Sacred Road – Yakama Nation Summer Mission Trip
7/1/2017-7/8/2017

Vacation Bible School
7/10/2017-7/14/2017