The last several years have been quite challenging, and 2023 was no exception. We started the year still looking to replace Pastor Craig, we were trying to resume some of the ministries that had not fully been able to return since the pandemic, we are trying to grow in areas like discipleship and training, and it was also a year when Pastor Mike took his needed 3-month sabbatical, which the pastors are supposed to take every 5 years. But as we faced all these challenges with a currently smaller staff than previous years, I was reminded of two key characteristics of Faith Bible Church that have been passed on from previous leaders and generations: One is the trust in God’s sovereignty. We make plans, but God directs our steps. Past leaders were very strong in their belief that if a ministry was from God, He would provide whatever was needed to continue it. We were searching and open to how and from where God would provide the next senior pastor, and ultimately, He led us to Mike. So, thanks to all of you for your patience and support as we went through this search and discernment process, and please continue to pray as we will still keep searching to add another pastor to the staff, as well as additional elders and deacons/deaconess.

Another trait of Faith Bible has been the role of lay leaders and helpers, who serve faithfully and often quietly behind the scenes. We are certainly grateful for Kohei, Mike, Marty, and Mina, who have stepped up and taken on additional responsibilities to keep things running and moving forward. But we are also thankful for all of you who have been leading and serving in so many ways, whether it be with CYC, which never missed a beat, even from the start of the pandemic, to the Children’s ministry, which has been working hard to build back up, to Soul Food, which is helping to build community, especially with so many new people, to Youth Ministries, to JLM House Churches, to Missions, and to so many other ministries within the church. Seeing people step up in obedience to sacrifice and serve, and show love to God and others in these ways has been a hallmark at Faith Bible over its 70+ years, and we see it continuing today. Please take the time to read this annual report to get a partial glimpse of all that are taking part in God’s work here at FBC.

So while we continue to look for ways to grow in areas like discipleship, communication, community, and plan ahead for transitions in leadership, we will continue to trust in God’s leading and sovereignty, and in the ways that He uses those who are willing to trust, serve, and obey Him, like so many of you. There will definitely be plenty of opportunities to serve, especially as we try to resurrect past ministries like the Facilities and Finance Committees. And of course, central, not just in our name (Faith Bible Church), is our view of God’s Word and in its inerrancy and final authority for what we believe and do. We must always stay true to studying and teaching it accurately, and that will continue to be a strong focus.

Thank you for your prayers, support, and work in God’s work here at FBC.  We are truly a church body, and we are excited to see how God directs and leads us in 2024!

– John, for the rest of the elders

As we began 2023, thoughts turned toward transitioning from the Covid season into a new beginning. With that in mind, the year opened with a sermon series through the book of Exodus. The fit was natural. The Jewish people were held in bondage to the Egyptians for centuries, and it was time for them to be released from that bondage and move to their own promised land through Abraham. But that transition would not be easy. A walk through the desert, the testing of God, the challenges to the people’s faith – these would ultimately be reflected in all similar struggles of people after them.

Breaking into that series was a follow up to Easter in a sermon series through the events following the Resurrection entitled “Living the Resurrection.” How did the disciples respond to the resurrection? How were their lives changed?

Through the summer, a short series through selected Psalms by Marty Dong and a missions series that included contributions from Bob Kennell and George Walker challenged and encouraged us. A new series began in the fall through Paul’s first letter to Timothy, which included instructions on how the household of God should conduct itself as it proceeds in our call to discipleship. The year closed out with an Advent series entitled “A Savior is Born,” looking at how Jesus brought and lived out love, joy, peace, and hope as he ministered among the people.

As we embark on a new year, a new series through the gospel of John will be the focus. The gospel of John is foundational to the faith, and it is good to revisit those foundations often. For those who are new to the faith, this will be a great start to a lasting journey of faith.

– Pastor Mike Kurtz

We praise God for his glory and faithfulness for the worship services! As we worship God from our heart, we witnessed that our heart was touched by God’s Word, led to growth in faith, and our lives were transformed by the promise of the Gospel. More specifically, as we worship, many of us were challenged and began to pray more for his friends and neighbors, especially for the active seekers in the house churches. We prayerfully and actively invited our friends to Sunday worships, and God blessed our faith in action. The worshippers’ joy and hope were evident that whether or not the prayer was answered in a way they desired, they enjoyed inviting their friends and just could not stop loving our neighbors.

In the fall 2023, God led us to take a step of faith to create a space to invite more unbelievers to the worship service. Namely, we started to provide and gather for a special Saturday worship service at church once a month, followed by lunch fellowship. Whether in worship music, sharing testimony, preparing food or childcare, the worship volunteers wholeheartedly served. We prayerfully and joyfully invited our friends from house churches, and we saw many seekers coming to know more about God during the worship service. As we continue to worship God and love our neighbors at the same time, we just give thanks and glory to God that it is all because of his blessings and grace.                                                     

– Pastor Kohei Takeda

Music Ministry

Singing in church (i.e. worshiping through singing) goes all the way back to the beginning of the church in the first century. There are references to this in Ephesians 5, reflecting its value in congregational settings. One need only look to live streaming analytics to reveal that when people sit at home to join worship services, nearly 70% do not join the singing segments of the service. Far and away, the sermon is the piece that online viewers watch most. There is certainly more than one reason for this, but the one that undoubtedly ranks high among them is the fact that singing together with other people does something that singing alone can’t. As one source put it:

“Singing in church serves as a profound and integral aspect of communal worship, fostering a sense of unity, spiritual connection, and shared devotion among the church family. The act of singing hymns, psalms, and worship songs (Eph. 5:19) not only allows individuals to express their faith and devotion collectively but also creates a harmonious atmosphere that transcends individual voices to form a collective choir with God as its audience. Through singing, we participate actively in the worship experience, engaging our hearts, minds, and spirits. The power of music to convey emotions and convey spiritual messages is harnessed in the context of worship, enhancing the overall worship experience and providing a means for people to connect with God on a personal level. In essence, then, our singing on Sunday morning becomes a communal expression of faith, joy, and reverence, fostering a deeper connection with one another and with God.”

The Music Ministry is more than playing music. It is worship, and as we do that together, it unifies us.

This year, as the ministry sought to continue this mission, a few more musicians were added. Josh Kwok moved into a worship leader role last fall. Janice Ngai joined on bass, and Andrew Wills on every instrument he can play! For the 9:30am Japanese service, the departure of the Fisher family left large shoes to fill, but God continued to provide through the open hands of people like Mina Chen, Mihoko Cheung, Hiroo & Hiromi Kuge, and Ayako Matsumoto. The ministry continues to seek out and develop new musicians, but is thankful for the many that have served for so long. FBC is blessed to have so many talented and spiritually mature members in this ministry.

On the technical side, there were a number of improvements that were made in 2023: an upgraded keyboard, upgraded presentation software, and a new in-ear monitor system were installed in the fall. In 2024, upgraded stage lighting will be explored.

Media Team

This year, the media ministry, which includes audio, video, and live stream, was handled primarily by Daniel and Paul Mayeda, as well as Mina Chen. Additional team members began training last fall and have served on a shorter rotation to be expanded in 2024. These new team members include Diane Agemura, Nathan Crawford, Norin Crawford, Hiroo Kuge, Jim Lee, and Jonathan Vlach. FBC is blessed to have these people working behind the scenes to do this important work!

– Pastor Mike Kurtz

In last year’s annual report, we wrote, “we are seeking the direction of the prayer ministry and are willing to implement changes as God directs,” and we continued to have our regular all-church prayer meetings on zoom every other month. That became our routine until Pastor Mike shared about prayer in the 1 Timothy message series and encouraged our church family to pray together and for one another more often. We started to have a prayer meeting every month instead of every other month. We now call it “Ohana Prayer Time” and meet over zoom on the first Thursday of the month. Our purpose is to come together as a church family to pray for one another, encourage one another, and build up our family in love. It is a place where anyone who would like to be prayed for can come as they are and be prayed for as well as anyone who would like to pray for others can come and pray as well. Everyone is welcome!

We also resumed having prayer partners after 11 o’clock worship services. Anyone who has a prayer need is welcome to come up (front right corner of the sanctuary) after worship service, and the leaders will be there to pray for you.

We would like to thank the elders who faithfully pray for everyone in our congregation using our church directory (i.e., they pray for people on page 1 on every 1st of the month, etc.). Whenever you have prayer requests, please email to mina@fbcseattle.org or use the form: http://fbcseattle.org/prayer-requests/.  The elders and we would love to pray for you.

It is our prayer to pursue a deeper prayer life together, individually and corporately, and to grow closer to God and to each other through prayer.

– Sherwin & Mina Chen

The FBC KIDS Ministry began using an online “DIG IN” curriculum during the 11:00 worship service in September 2022 and completed “The Bible in One Year” in September 2023. The kids learned stories about amazing people from Genesis to Revelation. We are currently going through “Foundations of Faith” which also teaches familiar stories of God’s faithfulness and His promises. The Preschool/Kindergarten class (ages 3-5) typically had 1-3 children each week. The Elementary class (1^st to 5^th grades) had a more irregular attendance with anywhere from 2-12 students, but with an average of 6-7. The nursery had some weeks with no children and other weeks with as many as six! We are thankful for everyone who volunteered to bless the kids of FBC as teachers or helpers. There were some first time teachers along with those who have been teaching for 35 years or more! Many many thanks to the support of the families and prayers for the Lord to work in the hearts of the children to have a growing knowledge of Jesus!

– Patty Mayeda

We started the bilingual 9:30 FBC Kids Ministry in September 2022 and continued until June 2023. The greatest blessing was being able to connect friends to the vacation Bible school, enjoy God’s Word, and fellowship together in both English and Japanese. Since the adult and youth Sunday school and VBS resumed, more English-speaking children started attending the 9:30am classes. From November 2023, we will be able to hold FBC Kids as a joint ministry. We hope and pray that we can become a church where children can be united in Christ beyond the language or cultural barrier.

– Akiko Takeda

Following the pandemic shutdown, the 9:30 Japanese service launched a program primarily geared toward the Japanese families. With limited resources, we were unable to fully restore the 9:30 program to full strength. The creativity of the JLM made it possible to reach and teach kids while parents attended the 9:30 worship services. As the church began to grow, beginning in the fall, the 9:30 Sunday School program restarted as a full program. Many new people to FBC Kids volunteered for the first time including Daniel & Michelle Spray, Bethany Chum, Andrew Wills, and Faith Kim & Zida Wang. We are thankful for our long time servants Kenji & Jeanne Kumai, Kaleo Chan, Meghan Tsuji, and Lyanne Kurtz as well.

The 9:30 classes are going through the Gospel Project curriculum from Lifeway. Here they are learning how to “connect the dots” of the OT to Jesus as they move through the Bible beginning with Genesis. It has been a great time to get to know the kids and their parents as they move forward on this journey of knowing Jesus.

– Pastor Mike Kurtz

Online classes. Online playdate. Online church. If you are a parent of a young child(ren), you would easily recall what a household with children during COVID looked like. Whether believers or not, BOTH the parents and kids were just exhausted, physically, emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually. Yes, it was true to myself as a father of young children, but also as a pastor as we as a church community are called to raise children of faith and also help the parents raise their children at home.

After 4 years of absence, it was such a blessing for FBC to see the kids come back to church at VBS 2023. It was a special blessing according to God’s faithfulness. One of the highlights was that God answered the prayers and brought many children from unbeliever families that we could build friendship with, by sharing His Word at VBS. Here are some other highlights from the event.

• The children enjoyed the fellowship and teaching from the Bible. On the first day, one child from a nonbeliever family shared with the volunteer how much he enjoyed the class at VBS. The child was one of the FBC children prayed for and invited from their class at school. On the last day, another child asked abruptly, saying “Mr. Takeda, can I come to this church even after VBS?” These were answers to the prayers.
• During the VBS session, around 20 parents stayed at church and built friendship at a space called FBC Café.
• Immediate after VBS, we received so many thank you notes from the parents and they share how much the kids and parents enjoyed the VBS program and fellowship at the FBC Café.
• From high school students to seniors, 30+ diverse volunteers stepped up to serve and show sacrificial love to the children. We are grateful thankful for the servant leadership of Patty Mayeda, Dawn Hamasaki, and Akiko Takeda.

Please continue to pray and put love into action for the children and parents as they love God and their neighbors.

– Pastor Kohei Takeda

Applying Acts 2:42-47 into our lives, the House Church is a ministry where anyone can share and live the Gospel in a practical way – a ministry of integration and holistic mission. Practically saying, it is quite simple – it is a small group of people that invites neighbors and meet at home once a week to share stories, prayer, and meal. But, it is a purposeful and joyful space where you can share the Good News in both words and deeds, by sharing life with one another. It is where you intentionally pray for and engage with both believers and unbelievers at the same time. Namely, it is an integration of evangelism and discipleship to follow the Great Commission.

God challenged us to start this ministry at FBC right before the pandemic in March 2020. Praise God, over the years he has been blessing our house churches both in good season and bad season. God has been constantly adding people to our house churches, we saw new people joining to the house churches literally each week throughout the year 2023, with 10-20 people gathering in each house church.

But, the real blessing is more about the growth in faith and transformation in the people and who gather than the number. Here are just a few examples of how God has been working among people’s lives through house churches. For unbelievers – one active member of a house church, who is also still not a believer yet, shared with the group vulnerably about her current hardship she’s facing and asked the Christians of the group pray for her in tears. The following week, with joy and excitement, she shared with the group that the issue was unexpectedly resolved. She said God has responded to the prayers. She comes to house church every week and says she feels God much closer and real to her life. Another example is that one unbeliever shared how much she was touched by the love of her Christian friends love that was shown in the house church community. Now she is more connected with the worship service on Sundays.

Not only unbelievers, but also believers are blessed. At the monthly Shepherds Gathering (house church leaders’ gathering), we see them witnessing with excitement how God is working in each group. They wholeheartedly request other leaders to pray for their unbeliever friends. Despite the sacrifice they are making to host a house church meeting each week, they seem to be truly blessed and enjoying serving people’s soul, without feeling obligated. Indeed, this is a blessing.

We continue to hope and pray that we faithfully love God and our neighbors in our house church communities. We want to seek God’s glory in whatever we do.

– Pastor Kohei Takeda

Since the launch of the ministry in 2022, God continues to bless the church body to build up and strengthen the community through fellowship and meal. Being led by leaders, such as Akiko Takeda, Sheila Chen, Tomoko Dull, Mina Chen, and Kenji Kumai (ROCK Ministry), throughout the year we saw hundreds of newcomers, whether life-long Christians or unbeliever first-timers to a Christian church, enjoy the fellowship, Most importantly, they were led to connect with various church communities through this opportunity.

We don’t say it is because of social effects. Indeed, it is God’s work and his blessing that people connected and cultivate community. This is not mere physical but also spiritual blessings that God made used food and our service. Not to mention, we are so thankful to all who sacrificially volunteered in this ministry. We know that some of you kindly jumped in and served to fill the needs, without showing any hesitation. We are grateful to each of you. You made such a difference in building up community and unity of God’s body.

– Pastor Kohei Takeda

About 25 years ago, a friend and I took some Bible School classes at a local Bible College; she took courses on Apologetics and I took classes on how to come alongside others in ministry. I learned the word “paraclete” during this time. As I look back over these past 25 years, I can see how the Lord used this class to point me towards how being a paraclete is what His call is for His people, for us as FBC Ohana, and for me personally. Being in a family – by definition – means we are there for each other in all seasons of life!

This season in the life of our FBC Ohana, has seen perhaps a distinctly pronounced mix of joys and possibly more sadness than we’ve experienced in any one year. We have come alongside our ohana to say earthly goodbyes as we ushered loved ones into their eternal homes.

Last year, my report affirmed that the core foundation of Ohana Care is prayer. This year, it seems as if we have exercised our prayer muscles exponentially through the deeply difficult transitions both in this life as well as coming alongside each other as we prayerfully struggle and rejoice in home-goings of our ohana.

And, yet, we also had the joy of celebrating our centenaries, Sat Dogen – 103 years young, and Koharu Sera – 102 years young!

We celebrated – personally and in family groups – the monumental birthday celebrations of Sat Dogen’s 102^nd and Koharu Sera’s 101^st birthdays.  In fact, as I write this report, we’re less than a week away from Koharu’s 102^nd birthday! Guess what she wants for her birthday: Wendy’s hamburger and Frosty, from our Lunch Bunch days at Wendy’s on Rainier!

God’s timing is so perfect and so evident in all that we do; even as I write this article, yet ANOTHER one of God’s perfect timing revealed itself in the glorious home-going of our dear friend, Sat Dogen. I asked close friends to share a few words that describe his character as they remember him: “humble, sweet, caring, kind, cute, independent, witty, uncle, straight-forward, wise, generous, beautiful smile, real, and so much more.” We can hear the Lord welcoming him home with this loving greeting: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

(left bottom) September 2022 – Alan & Judy Fukuda, Arlene Iwai, John & Gloria Nakamura, Amy Shimizu, Theone & Sam Tollefson, Sat Dogen

Pictures speak louder than words, don’t they? As this year begins, we look forward to sharing in yet-to-be-experienced ways that the Lord brings us alongside each other in joyful celebrations of His faithfulness to us.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

– Theone Tollefson, for our Ohana Care Ministry

Have you ever read Faith Bible Church’s doctrinal statement and What We Believe? One of our core beliefs is “that the Bible is the final authority for what we believe and do.” It is God’s inspired Word to us, so it would go without saying that it is very important that we study it to fully understand what God has revealed about Himself, about ourselves, about sin, about the Good News of salvation, and how it will transform who we are and how we live! Basically, the purpose of the Gospel Journey Sunday School class is to learn more about all of this through the study of God’s Word. We are in our 5th year, and this year we are studying the Old Testament and how it ties in to the Good News. The class is a great way to keep each other accountable to spend time in the Word and to learn what God is teaching each one of us. This is so critical to our spiritual growth and discipline. We are so blessed by each one in our group who are faithfully spending time in God’s Word and who continue to meet together and to spur one another on in love and good deeds. We are also thankful for those in the class who help lead when we are not able to do so.

We have also talked in the past about how this is more than just a class but also a community group bonded by a common love for God and dependence on Him. We are able to share prayer requests and praises and try to support and encourage each other, as we live life together. We have seen God answer many of our prayers, while we still wait on His answer for others, some of which we have been praying about for years. But we persevere and wait on His perfect timing and answer.

If you are desiring to spend more time in God’s Word but are perhaps struggling to do so consistently, joining a group with that common goal may be helpful.  We meet at 9:30 each Sunday morning in the English library, and if you are unable to attend in person, we have some call-ins via Zoom as well. We would love to have you join!

– John & Lisa Tsuji

The 2023-2024 9:45 AM Adult Sunday School, whimsically named SSBTK (Sunday School By the Kitchen) as a homage to the KPOP craze, has enjoyed a great year studying the Old Testament based on the Redemption Story. This year, our curriculum is synchronized with the CYC Sunday School which has enabled us to encourage each other and to occasionally merge classes for more intergenerational fellowship. My thanks to the CYC Christian Education Leaders for their encouragement and cooperation in this endeavor. It’s been fun. We will continue our studies on the great figures of the OT and into the NT with Christ. All adults are encouraged to join us for learning and fellowship.

– Marty Dong

Thank you, Faith Bible Ohana, for your love and support for the Yakama people and for Sacred Road Ministries.

Christmas comes to the Rez (or why it’s my favorite season)

Many Yakama shoebox gift items crowded the church foyer. Every time I saw the foyer with toys or socks peeking from the bags, my heart was filled with joy. The shoebox items were lovingly packed and wrapped by staff members who were once recipients of the gifts. Fishii, Tionna, Larry, and others delivered the gifts to their fellow tribal members and reached out to neighboring reservations, beyond tribal boundaries. God’s love broke down boundaries between ethnicity, culture, and different tribes for His Kingdom’s sake. The older youth were blessed with a party and hoodies for all, financed by donors from FBC. Sacred Road Ministries began early on, nurturing and teaching children who would later assume the roles of staff and leaders. One of them was Fishii, who, after graduating from Indian Bible College, became the assistant director of youth ministry at Sacred Road. She was able to visit our CYC group for worship night in January. We were able to hear her heartbreaking testimony of how God brought her through an abusive childhood. Chris and Mary Granberry (the founding missionaries of Sacred Road Ministries) were there for Fishii. They became her spiritual parents, and Hope Fellowship became her refuge.

“The truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’” (Matthew 25:40 NET)

Summer mission trip:

Thank you to Amy, Brian, Cindy, Dan, Doreen, Kelsey, and Matthew for serving in the Yakama heat. Thank you, our FBC Ohana for supporting the team through monetary donations and prayers. Thank you for blessing the Yakama children by donating school supplies and backpacks. Please consider joining this year’s team. We have 12 spots reserved for you, from June 29th to July 6th. As the ministry says, “Come and see.”

– Rieko Kato

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15)

In 2023, FBC continued a strong partnership with the staff and students at the School of Promise in Chiang Mai Thailand. Sponsors faithfully supported their students financially and through their prayers, words of encouragement, and Christmas gifts.

In February, the Katos stayed in Thailand after a family vacation to build up their relationship with the school by volunteering as English and art teachers, giving the message one Sunday at Promise Church and spending time with many teachers, staff and missionaries in the area.

In March, we rejoiced with the teachers over their long-awaited beach retreat that they started planning prior to the pandemic. Supporters who have been to the school gave generously and helped to make this trip possible. March also marked SoP’s first high school graduation. How encouraging to hear that all graduates are continuing on to higher education!

In the fall, FBC bolstered the school’s Medical Fund to support some unexpected and dire needs for SoP teachers and their families. One example is Teacher Pim’s son, Joseph, who became seriously ill with RSV and had to be hospitalized. Without FBC support to send him to an excellent medical facility, Joseph would not likely have survived.

The School was asked to run the Hosea Community Center in Ban Pong, a village where several SoP students live. More than 20 students regularly attend after-school classes, and several student families have come to faith! Sunday morning worship services will be launched in the near future.

A small group started working on a Fundraiser scheduled for March 16, 2024, to expand the school’s support base. We are also hoping to send another team to hold a VBS at the school in July 2024. May God continue to be glorified in our relationship with The School of Promise!

– Dawn Hogan

2023 was another big year for the homeless ministry, and as I look back, it is evident that God knows what He is doing and what He has planned for us.
The year started off a little slow; we were serving at the tiny home village across the street from December 2022 to February 2023, but I just felt in my heart that this wasn’t what we were supposed to be doing. Because of the rules in place, we were not allowed to walk around the village and were confined to the “serving area,” which really limited our ability to have conversations. After a time of prayer, discernment, and communication with not only the Board, but also the ministry team, we decided as a ministry to move on from the tiny village and go back to the roots of the ministry: Street Evangelism.

Starting in March, the ministry went back on the streets to pass out sandwiches and bibles, hoping to start meaningful conversations with those we met on the street. During our “debrief and prayer” times, there is always, at least, one instance where the gospel was shared, and a genuine conversation about Jesus was had. God is moving in Seattle, and He is moving within us… Our volunteers are growing more bold and becoming more equipped to share the Gospel!!! Praise God!

We are coming up on 4 YEARS of this ministry (April 2024!!!), and I’m so blessed to see the growth not only in the ministry as a whole, but seeing the volunteers grow in compassion, courage, and faith. God has been raising up faithful and consistent individuals in this ministry who are growing every time they step out on the street! And some of these individuals are coming from outside of FBC! There are so many stories of heart-transformation in our volunteers that I’ve witnessed that I truly believe that God’s main purpose of the FBC Homeless ministry is to disciple, stretch, and equip our Ohana to live out the Great Commission.

– Justin Kumai

The picture shows Hiromi Gerety. Her husband, Tom (unfortunately, I couldn’t get a picture of Tom), is currently the Nikkei Manor outreach coordinator. So far, we’ve been having Sunday services every 3rd Sunday of each month. I’ve been helping as a song leader.

The outreach ministry to the residents and staff at Keiro and now Nikkei Manor (ever since Keiro closed) is an important outreach ministry that brings the Gospel of Christ to the residents and the staff as well.

At this time, Tom is praying that God will provide someone who will take over as the coordinator for the Nikkei Manor ministry visits.

“Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

– Phyllis Solem

Reaching the hikikomori and foster children in Japan, the at-risk children in Thailand, earthquake victims in Nepal, tribal believers in Papua New Guinea, sharing hope in Christ in closed countries, helping the displaced in Lebanon, equipping pastors in remote third world cities, and supporting missionary kids in Germany. FBC Missions is all about this and more; it’s about sharing the Gospel, and bringing hope and healing to a broken world.

Listed alphabetically below are our member and associate missionaries. Member missionaries are those we sent out from our Ohana. Associates are close friends with deep ties to FBC.

Dave and Akiko Bauson minister in Chiang Mai, Thailand, at the School of Promise. The school’s goal is to rescue, train and provide a Christian education for children that are at risk of being forced into the trafficking industry. Akiko is teaching secondary English and communicates with sponsors Dave is involved in school administration and has begun teaching photography He serves as a preaching Elder in Promise Church, a church plant meeting at the school. They also manage two funds set up by FBC: one to serve the health care needs of the teachers and dependents, and the second launched this year, a fund to help students who are in desperate financial situations. Donations from FBC were instrumental in providing life saving medical care for the children of the teachers at SoP. They are looking to expand the support base for the school and were part of a campaign to raise $70,000 by the end of 2023

John and Joy were sent out by FBC to minister in Central Asia with Compassion and Mercy Associates. They spent most of 2023 on home service, visiting supporting churches and encouraging family members. John returned on his own in November and was immediately immersed in earthquake relief and teaching. He was involved in holding 11 medical camps in different locations, distributing relief supplies for 600 families, as well as constructing 128 simple shelters for those who have lost their homes. Funds from the FBC ohana were used to purchase foam mattresses, 400 blankets and 250 jackets for women and children. John was able to share a Christmas message at a local Central Asian church. Joy was able to celebrate in Seattle with her whole family. Camaserves.org/project/Himalayan-horizons/

Steve and Miku Inouye were sent out by FBC to minister in Northern Japan. Their highlights for 2023 include:
Beginning to partner with Hokkaido Inochi Kataritai, which reaches out to teens to help them to choose life.
They were involved with more families joining their Christian Foster Families online fellowship and prayer time.
Miku having the opportunity to teach Joshua and O-kun’s Sunday school class at Hope Fellowship.
The ongoing ministry of Hope Cafeteria.

Mako and Ting Ting were sent out by FBC to minister in an East Asian metropolis. Mako and Ting Ting were able to leave the country for the first time in February for a time with family and a conference in SE Asia. Mako was hospitalized with a significant shoulder infection, and at the same time, Ting Ting gave birth to their second son, Boaz Wang. (i.e., he missed an important moment.) To make matters worse, their son Ezra was hospitalized at a third hospital at the same time.Mako joined the staff of the WSBC and pastors and ministers in an international church.As an answer to prayer, Ting Ting was able to get a visa to travel to the US in 2024. They hope to have a stateside visit in June of 2024 to reconnect and raise support.

Bob and Noby Kennell were sent out by FBC to reach the previously unreached Bisorio and Malaumanda people in Papua New Guinea. They were able to minister to the Bisorio. They provided much-needed teaching and counsel, and Bob continued the translation work of the Old Testament. His goal was to complete the Old Testament translation by the end of 2023. In the fall, they also ministered with Ethnos 360 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. They were able to see the dedication the Bible in a local tribal language in Northern Thailand. They were also able to visit with the Bausons and encourage the work at the School of Promise. Stateside, they also support the Ethnos 360 work in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea remotely from their Pennsylvania location. Rachel Closs will be joining the Bisorio ministry, focusing on ministry to women and children.

Charleen Kiyabu continued her international ministry with Cru. She traveled summer to Ethiopia to train believers in oral Bible story telling. She works with many contacts in Central Asia, many who are in precarious situations. She asks for prayer for her contacts in the Ukraine, Africa and Central Asia. She also asks for prayer for the animated version of the Jesus Film that is set to be released in December of 2025. She also asks for prayer for the curriculum she is developing with a team in Africa that utilizes Bible stories to disciple others.

Weymann and Helen Lee are Associate FBC missionaries who serve with Teaching Leaders International, a ministry dedicated to training National ministry leaders. Weymann was brought to a new standstill with the sobering diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma, an uncurable cancer. A praise is that in 2023 the treatment did place him in remission. Despite this illness and chemotherapy, he was able to teach an online Hermaneutics class for pastors in India. Weymann and Helen were well enough to visit FBC in December to give the FBC Ohana an update on their ministry plans. Pray that Weymann will be well enough to complete 2 trips in 2024. Pray for their upcoming trip to Serbia this March.

Richard and Keri Nakamura serve with SEND, reaching out to the Japanese Diaspora in Fort Worth, Texas. They moved there in 2022 to continue the work with SEND. Richard asks for prayer as he reaches out to Japanese companies. Pray for Keri with the loss of her brother Randy in October of 2023.

Scott and Terri Sasaki were sent out by FBC to serve with Ethnos 360 at the Lapilo Centre in Papua New Guinea. Terri was diagnosed with a rare form of aggressive breast cancer, and they are currently on medical leave and back in the Seattle area. She has been undergoing chemo/immunotherapy in preparation for surgery in the future. They are thankful to have two of their sons and daughters-in-law nearby. Kyle and Mackenzie, and Andrew and Rachel. They ask for continued prayer for Terri’s strength and endurance and for the critical staffing needs at the Lapilo Centre in PNG.

Paul and Carol Suzuki are associate missionaries serving with SEND International in Japan. Paul has served as Asia regional director, and they are currently on home service. They spent much of their time with their home church in Chicago and are now spending time with Paul’s parents in Hawaii. We were blessed to have them share at the Fall Ohana Retreat, and they plan to return to Japan in March of 2024.

Chris and Missy Takano are associate missionaries serving in Germany, at the Black Forest Academy. Currently, they are on home service, primary out of their home church in the Bay Area. We have been blessed to get an update of their ministry. The Black Forest Academy has students of missionary families from 62 countries. They minister as Middle School teachers and disciple high school students. Chris is also the Head JV basketball coach, and Missy teaches Bible and mentors one on one. They will return to Germany in June.

Naomi Y was sent out by FBC to serve in the Middle East. She has been on medical leave and is currently recuperating in France. Prior to her leave, she served with the Livelihood Farm Project, which has been providing crops as well as involving the community in raising sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits, and bees. A school voucher program allowed students to receive an education. A Relief Initiative has served families with food and medical supplies, as well as helping widows in refugee camps. FBC helped with educational efforts and the livelihood project. Pray as she seeks direction for her role in the future.

Harriet and George Walker are associate missionaries based in California. They work with InterAct Ministry, serving as missionary trainers. They are currently involved in ministries in Alaska, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Taiwan. They also continue to partner with Bob and Noby Kennell, working on translating the Bisorio Old Testament. George works with Bob in checking the translations.

FBC Ohana, thank you for being amazing supporters of our missionary family. On average, 40 percent of the funds received at FBC go to supporting His work around the world. Our missionaries need our support and prayers. It can be said, “Missionaries have a bull’s eye on their backs and footprints up their chest”. Since many serve in closed countries, so much of what FBC is supporting cannot be disclosed.

Please pray for our extended Ohana serving as an extension of FBC. Consider making an effort to reach out and get to know them, even from afar. Together, we can support our extended family, who sit and serve on the edge of the world.

Mahalo,

Gary Kato for the mission’s ministry

• Senior Pastor:   Mike Kurtz (October 2023 -)
• Associate Pastor:   Kohei Takeda
• Pastoral Assistant:   Marty Dong
• Office Manager:   Mina Chen
• Giving Records/Reimbursements:   Jeanne Kumai
• Media Technician:   Daniel Mayeda
• Custodians:   Jeff, Maki & Natalie Yeager

• Chairman:   John Tsuji
• Vice Chairman:   Kenji Kumai
• Secretary/Treasurer:   Mike Kurtz
• Members:
  Yoshiyuki Aoyagi
  Alan Fukuda (Emeritus)
  Gary Kato
  Hiroo Kuge
  Ken Kumasaka
  Ichiro Otsu
  Kohei Takeda

• Ohana Care:   Theone Tollefson
• Prayer:   Sherwin & Mina Chen
• Sacred Road Ministries:   Rieko Kato
• Seniors:   Kevin Chan