In Community:
October 2016 Newsletter
The Peace Core
(yes, that’s intentional)
By Pastor Craig
It seems that everywhere we look there is chaos and conflict, whether overseas or here at home. We long for resolutions. We long for justice. We long for peace. We tend to think that if situations can change and problems are solved, then peace will replace conflict. But the peace that God gives is not based upon the absence of conflict; God’s peace is available even in the midst of chaos. The picture that comes to my mind is of Jesus and the disciples out in the boat when the storm came up in Mark 4:35-41. The disciples, several of whom were fishermen and used to life on the sea, were panicking. Jesus, on the other hand, was sound asleep in the stern of the boat. That kind of peace is ours as a part of the fruit of the Spirit.
Philippians 4:4-7 tells us about the “peace of God that surpasses understanding” and gives us some clues to experience that peace in our lives. The first step is to rejoice in the Lord. I don’t think it is a coincidence that joy and peace are listed together among the fruit of the Spirit. The two are linked together in Philippians 4 as well. When we focus on all that the Lord has done for us already, all that He has promised us in the future and His almighty power to keep His word, there is much we can find to rejoice in.
Step two is to develop a “forbearing” or gentle spirit; a spirit of patience (that’s actually the next fruit listed in Galatians 5) and an ability to put up with things that aren’t exactly what we’d like. When we can accept the fact that things, this side of heaven, will never be perfect and have the strength to persevere through the chaos rather than trying to escape from it, we’re well on our way to experiencing God’s peace.
The third step is to “be anxious for nothing”. In other words, don’t worry about anything. Worry is the uninvited guest that accompanies uncertainty. We have the right, though, to refuse “worry” access to our hearts and minds. When worry knocks on our doors we respond by saying, “you’re not welcome here”.
But it’s not enough to simply say “no” to worry. We have to replace worry with step number four – pray about everything. As we replace our worries with prayers, the peace of God guards our hearts and our minds. Praying people are peaceful people. And the peace that comes through prayer is even better than figuring everything out; it surpasses understanding. And once we experience God’s peace, we’re equipped to help others experience it as well and then we become the “peacemakers” that Jesus declares blessed in Matthew 5:9 and promises the designation “a child of God”.
In these chaotic times, may God’s peace reign in us, and through us may His peace bring calm to a stormy world.
FBC Joined by 19 Other Churches
in a City-Wide Serve Day
By Kelly and Reiko Aramaki
As many of us know, Faith Bible Church has been partnering with Beacon Hill International School, a nearby Title 1 school, for the past 4 years. This partnership has included an annual beginning-of-the-school-year service day where FBC members help teachers set up their classrooms, put up bulletin boards, paint the playground and more. This partnership has been such a blessing not just for the school and its students and staff, but for all of us who have had the opportunity to serve! FBC has also been one of a number of southeast Seattle churches involved in quarterly prayer gatherings for the schools, students, staffs and families in the southeast region. One of our ongoing prayer requests is that more and more churches would reach out and bless the schools across the city.
Well, this year, coordinated by the Union Gospel Mission, FBC was joined by 19 other churches on August 20 and 21 serving 15 Seattle schools for the first, city-wide Seattle Community Serve Day. Approximately 850 church volunteers, including Superintendent Larry Nyland, helped at schools across the city.
FBC had about 30 volunteers come and move furniture, help new teachers set up their classrooms, clean and organize the art room, and make back-to-school signs. For the first time, a few members from Hallows Church, a church in West Seattle, joined us to serve at Beacon Hill. It was such a blessing to serve alongside FBC and Hallows members at the school as well as get to know Katie Virga, the new principal, and other staff at the school.
Something we appreciate about the Service Days is that we not only have a strong core group of FBC volunteers that regularly come out to serve at the school, but we also always have a number of new people (even ones who have only started coming to FBC the week before!) who come out to serve at the school.
The principal and the staff at Beacon Hill were so appreciative of the hearts of service of our church family. Let’s continue to pray for Beacon Hill, for their new principal, and for the students, families and staff. Let’s also continue to lift up prayers for the Holy Spirit’s work across our city. Thank you to those who came out to serve! We look forward to our next service day and hope even more will come out and join us!
Beacon Hill International Elementary School: Back-to-School BBQ
By Pastor Mike
Meet Heather Hart. She’s a mother of three girls (who attend BHIS), a wonderful wife, who is enthusiastic, humble, funny, willing, patient, courageous, and a true servant. She just happens to also be this year’s PTA President at Beacon Hill International Elementary School.
I first met Heather via email as we planned this year’s Welcome Back BBQ. Her decision to get the PTA involved in the BBQ this year is one of the reasons this year’s BBQ was such a success. We had a greater turn out, more enthusiasm, and more school staff involvement than any other year previously. In talking to Heather, one of the main goals they have this year is to improve in the area of community building. They passionately want a school community that goes beyond the classroom and into the neighborhood. They want families to support one another, draw closer to one another, to really know one another; in short, to be one large family with the school as a hub. As a pastor of FBC, I believe her desire sounds strangely familiar to our own desires here at FBC. So if there is anything we can do to help them achieve that goal (with Christ’s hand in there anywhere), I’m all for it.
Along with our hot dogs, veggie-burgers, and drinks, the school families provided the side dishes and desserts. The evening included signups for the PTA, a uniform bank/exchange, an introduction of the new principal, and even a verbal thanks to FBC. It was a beautiful day for meeting new people, for kids to play in the park with music filling the air. I trust that God’s presence had something to do with that… Looking forward to next year, and thank you to all of you who fought traffic and stayed late to help put on this important event for the families of BHIS.
Japan King’s Garden
By Lois Swanson
A few months back, I wrote about the Memorial Service that Japan Kings Garden held in remembrance of Howard Inouye and his many years of heading up the Seattle tour groups for JKG staff. As we look forward to the next group of six JKG staff arriving October 2nd, I would like to give a brief update on the current JKG ministries and share about the amazing steps of faith God has called them to take.
We were blessed to visit the JKG in Kessennuma last April, the area hardest hit by the earthquake, tsunami, and fire that burned for four days when the fishing fleet’s fuel caught fire. The JKG nursing home director and her daughters shared the incredible ways God provided for them following the disaster. The 7-11 convenience store on the ground floor of the nursing home donated all of their food, since they had no electricity to stay open. The fish markets donated their fish as they had no refrigeration. The JKG facility was able to feed not only their own residents, but 200 others from the community who slept and ate in the facility that was spared because it was located on a hill.
Not only was this facility saved, God has been working in many other ways. There are now over 75 care facilities associated with Japan Kings Garden. They have done such a good job of caring for their senior residents, that the government asked the first JKG in Tsukuba to consider opening a facility for the physically and mentally handicapped. A beau
tiful lodge-style facility was built with an open concept. The residents live in one building and walk to an adjoining building to work during the day. They are given tasks such as crushing empty water bottles for recycling, providing a sense of purpose. There are also garden spaces where the residents grow vegetables and cultivate mushrooms.
A commercial kitchen was 
installed for the handicapped residents to prepare baked goods to sell in the community. The cookies and baked goods are so delicious
us that they always sell out quickly. Again, this gives the residents a sense of responsibility and fulfillment. The campus is open and they endured much criticism at first from those who thought the residents would escape. But the residents love their “home” and those who return to live with their families on the weekends, are anxious to return to “Fureai no Mori” (forest overflowing with love).
And the vision continues… Besides the original senior community, the Tsukuba campus now has an assisted living facility, skilled nursing, a home for the handicapped, and a home for abused children which is currently under construction. Mrs. Utsunomiya, the Director at the Tsukuba campus was tired and was ready to retire when she came as part of a JKG tour group to Seattle. The Lord gave her vision and a calling to continue and the dreams keep coming as she promised the Lord she would pursue whatever God asked her to do. A nearby home for the handicapped was deeply in the red when the government asked her to take it over. There is now a waiting list and finances are more than adequate for the once floundering facility. The love of God is felt in every one of the Japan Kings Garden facilities as the residents are loved with God’s amazing and unconditional love. Residents and staff alike are coming to know the Lord through the love shown to the residents treated as special individuals created in the image of God.
When we were in Japan for Howard Inouye’s memorial service, discussions began about re-starting the Seattle tours for the JKG staff. When the tours began, the staff were interested in learning about senior care and visited a variety of senior care facilities and learned about rehabilitation techniques. However, Japan has now surpassed us in many of these areas. What the staff are most interested in is the vision behind the beginning of CRISTA (formerly King’s Garden), and what has led to the start of their other ministries. The group will spend two days at CRISTA, touring the school with time in a classroom listening and sharing; hearing about the veterinary ministry through our own Hannah Esposito, as well as tours of the senior care and radio ministry. They will be staying in a hotel rather than in homes to allow the staff coming from various facilities time in the evenings to share ideas that are working well in their individual facilities. They will also be looking forward to getting to know FBC Ohana and building relationships at church as well as at Fall Conference, that they might be strengthened spiritually, emotionally and physically for the very special work God has called them to.
Sacred Road Summer Ministry
– Restoring Past Wounds
By Roney Rustia
White Swan, WA, working at the home of Eagle’s and Vaughn’s: As I surveyed the house we were given to repair in White Swan, I created a mental list of tasks and determined what needed to be disposed of in the yard. I felt like Nehemiah assessing the wall, creating a to do list of fixes, prioritizing action items, and finding equipment. What caused me to stop was a large pile of broken bicycles amongst a pile of other household appliances. There were numerous broken bicycles stacked and abandoned with flat tires, broken chains, and bent peddles and handle bars. Things that at one time meant so much to the boys. Two active youth in Sacred Roads ministry, Vaughn and Eagle, who were residing at our project home – I could imagine them enjoying their bike rides in the fields with natural jumps and trails. Now, they lay there broken and abandoned. How disappointed they must have been when their bicycles broke with no hope for repair. This image was a reminder to me of why we were there in White Swan. We came to serve and repair homes, but in doing so, we restored broken and abandoned lives by bringing hope, peace, and joy.
In the brief week at White Swan, the days flew by and then we were home. Our regular summer short-term visits each year earned Faith Bible Church a part in the tribal community. It’s shown by the warm welcome by the native youth and families, along with the staff upon our arrival. Equally, we looked forward to seeing their familiar faces. Each of us hold treasured images of the children we grew to love and play with at Todus Park (Kid’s Club meeting location within White Swan), spending needed time in play and games with them. Smiles and laughter seem so normal for these kids, yet we know that these fun times may be a rare occasion at home. Neglect, abuse, and poverty are their expectation. We who have witnessed this or those who have experienced poverty only know despair and sometimes hopelessness.
For me each year, the first day at Kid’s Club is an awkward moment at first with so many children, not knowing who will want to play with me. There is the normal feeling of doubt that you will connect with a child. Yet through your participation in planned activities or crafts, you get to know and interact with the children, getting to know their names and beginning to feel at ease with them. By day two or three, you’ve become a friend to a child and even enjoy your activity feeling like a kid again. Each day your favorite child returns to your activity and each day you grow fonder as they come back to you to play. The Sacred Road ministry calls this play-time a “building good memories” experience for the children and associate Christians as fun and caring. This fun and caring experience addresses one aspect of relational restoration with the Native Americans.
It is wonderful to witness our Faith Bible team be a part of God’s ministry that is breaking boundaries and restoring the relational barrier between Native Americans and Christians, offsetting an unfortunate past. There was a time in the distant past that Christians did not treat the Native Americans well, which built suspicion towards Christians or “Church people” as they call us.
What caused this negative perception of Christians that still exists amongst some Native Americans? A community elder shared his personal feelings of the early missionaries. He recalls the early settlers and missionaries whose method of evangelism believed that changing the spiritual being also required changing the external influences along with cultural and spiritual transformation. The early missionaries held the belief in removing children from their families and placing them in boarding schools for spiritual and cultural education. It’s unclear why they used this specific evangelism method and what the motivation for this was, but what is clear is it led to a distrust and suspicion of Christians and their outreach. I am sure intentions were good. From this elder’s statements, I sometimes wonder if this past history with Christians inhibits him from making a decision for Christ. Sacred Road humbly acknowledges this past and seeks to change this perception and open a new page in the Native American history.
The current tribal council and elders of White Swan sees the good that Sacred Road brings to the community and embraces the ministry and staff. Sacred Road’s direction in building a community of believers, investing in spiritual growth, stressing the importance of education to the youth, and teaching youth to participate in helping the needy within their community is making positive contributions to the community. Chris Granberry has visions for restoration and community development, so it sustains itself and brings hope and economic independence to the community. God is at work in this community development and restoring the brokenness between the Native Americans and Christians through Sacred Road Ministry.
Earlier, I mentioned the pile of broken bicycles in the yard. As I walked past the stack of bicycles after the third day, I related this to my life and how my own child would feel without a bike and imagined the disappointment. With my tool box in hand, I rummaged around the broken bike parts, looking to salvage whatever was good. Vaughn, a young boy at the house, seeing me at work on the bikes, said “Could you fix my bike for me?” “Maybe? Do you want to help?” From the heap of broken bicycles, three functional bicycles were salvaged from disposal. Out of this good experience with a Church Person was formed a practical skill and a restorative association. In a similar way in the midst of all the brokenness in White Swan, God has found Chris Granberry to take the brokenness and restore them into something precious in His sight.
To those who participated this summer, thank you for sharing your time, love and energy with the people of White Swan. To those who have not experienced this ministry, please consider joining us next year and be a part of God’s restoration in White Swan…Come and See for yourselves.
China Global Program
By Josh Okamura
This summer I went to China through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for a global program (GP). This was such an amazing experience for me because of so many different things God convicted me of. The first thing I was convicted of was brotherhood. Through my relationship with my Chinese partner (Kyle) I was able to see that I was having trouble developing my relationship with other guys. Something that we were supposed to do as part of the GP was to spend as much time as humanly possible with our roommates. We basically got to live our lives together since we were also roommates.
I loved my roommate and we were able to get along really well because we had similar interests. One thing that struck me while we were in the process of debriefing after our trip was that I didn’t think Kyle and I were as close as many people thought. I was reflecting on why I felt this way and realized that because of my opinion on certain things that I didn’t like about Kyle allowed me to choose out of conversations that I thought would make me upset. I also saw that I was very impatient with our relationship because I am used to getting close to people fast. This also made me reflect on why I wasn’t close with many guys back at home and I realized that these things that made me choose out of my relationship with Kyle were part of a pattern that I do with guys back home. God was able to convict my heart in the ways that I am judgmental, impatient, and close-minded in my relationships with brothers. So coming home I wanted to take these things that I’ve had the chance to learn and apply them to my life.
I’ve been meeting up with fellow brothers consistently and practicing another thing that God convicted my heart of which is vulnerability. I have been straightforward and honest about a lot of my shortcomings and things that I’m currently wrestling with. This has been hard because I’m not used to it but God has been so faithful with this and has already produced so much fruit as I’ve felt so much more life given to me. Another thing that I was convicted of was intentionality. The way we were supposed to love our partners was through intentionality and even though I felt like Kyle and I didn’t get close, there was so much love fostered between us. Seeing that this is what intentionality can produce made me want this aspect to be practiced in my own community. Instead of having only 4 weeks with our partners in China, we have 1-4 years with each other in college and if we use that time intentionally investing in each other then so much more love and community can be built.
God used my time in China to humble me and to also create vision for my fellowship. I’m so excited for this upcoming year. I know God has so many big plans for Asian American InterVarsity (AAIV) this year. Like all communities, we are flawed, but I got to see that God doesn’t want us to sit in our complacency and comfortability. He wants to grow and stretch us by taking us outside our comfort zones and having us take risks for His kingdom. I feel so blessed that He would use me, someone who was and is so broken and a sinner, to mutually grow AAIV and the people around me. Thank you FBC for sending me to China and if you want to hear more about my trip please ask me!
China Global Program
By Matthew Kiyoi
Hi FBC family, my name is Matthew Kiyoi. For those of you that don’t know me, I have been coming to FBC for 2 years now and am a part of the college group. I am going to be a 3rd year student at the University of Washington.
Over the summer I was given the opportunity of traveling oversees to China with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship on the China Global Program (GP). At face value the China GP is a six-week cultural exchange program where we are living life with Chinese students and helping them develop their oral English as an English speaking partner. As you may know, China is not an open country in terms of religious freedoms. In fact, it is illegal for any Christian organizations or churches to be active in China apart from the government ordained ones. It is also illegal for the Chinese to become Christians and evangelize or go to the underground churches. So what were we actually doing there if we could not openly talk about Jesus or the Gospel? As Christians we are not only called to love God but also to love people as an extension of our faith. Our main purpose during the trip was to show these students the love of Christ through the way we live our lives and, if given the opportunity, share the Gospel.
How did we do this? While in the city of Yinchuan, the provincial capitol of the Ningxia province, we stayed in the dorms with our Chinese counterparts. The close proximity of living next door to the Chinese students gave us opportunities to play games, have many conversations about life and culture, and especially eating meals together. The mornings during the weekdays we had classes on relationships, giving presentations, American culture, and Chinese culture. These were presented by staff and students on both the Chinese and American teams.
My partner’s name was Amber and she was an interesting character. Amber was definitely a person who loved to hang out with her friends and be social. When she was not hanging out with friends, she would send messages on WeChat constantly to people. One of our favorite things to do was to go out and eat foods that I had never eaten before. Our favorite question was “rice or noodles?”. She would help decide where to go based on whether we wanted rice or noodles that meal. I always appreciated her willingness to choose where we would eat.
One of the things that I was challenged with was my partner leaving periodically to go home or to hang out with her friends. One of the things we were told to do was to be with our partners as much as possible. I failed at this. Miserably. At the time I wasn’t thinking about going with her to see her friends. I was thinking, “why is she leaving?” I then realized that I had to take the initiative to get to know her and show her that I was interested in who she was as a person, not just as a spoken English partner. And it was good for a time. But then she left to take her international English exam, a test necessary for her to be able to study abroad. Suddenly the person who I was supposed to get to know during the whole trip was gone for a week. Luckily God showed his favor upon me by presenting me with opportunities to form better relationships with other Chinese students and to fully rely on Him. I learned that God does not want us to rely on Him sometimes or for some things. God wants us to rely on Him without reservation even when we are not running on empty.
Thank You from Boys and Girls Club
During the summer, the Boys and Girls Club in our neighborhood asked FBC if they could use FBC’s parking lot during their construction to rebuild their playground. Here is the thank you letter that we received from them.
Thank you, Faith Bible Church, for allowing us to use your parking for our playground build. Our VIPs and volunteers were so grateful to have secure parking nearby (and not need to struggle with street parking!)
I hope you can stop by to see the new play space.
Thanks again,
Rotary Boys and Girls Club
FBC Fall Conference
“Being a Missional Church”
Dates: October 8-9, 2016
Location: Black Diamond (formerly Camp Berachah) 19830 SE 328th Pl, Auburn, WA 98092
Speakers:
- English: Pastor Lane Sanford
- Japanese: Pastor Roger Olson
- Youth: Craig Inouye
Registration: https://www.fbcseattle.org/fallconference/
Schedule:
October 8
9:00am Check-in
10:00am Session #1
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Free Time
3:30pm Session #2
5:00pm Dinner
6:00pm Large Group Activity
7:15pm Worship Café
October 9
8:00am Breakfast
9:00am Quiet Time/Moving Out
10:30am Worship Service
12:00pm Lunch
