In Community:

Spring 2026 Newsletter

The Greatness of God

by Pastor Mike Kurtz

As those who attend our Sunday worship services are aware, we have been engaged in a sermon series highlighting the greatness of God. As I have been thinking about His greatness while preparing messages, I have come to realize just how much I take it for granted. His greatness is everywhere, and lately I have begun to notice it every day in some form – from my routine morning cup of coffee to the unexpected surprises that cross my path – God is great in so many ways. God really is incomparable and unfathomable in His greatness.

So with that in mind, I am excited about how God will reveal His greatness this summer. I immediately think of the Sacred Road summer team heading to Yakama at the end of June. How will God’s greatness show up to them? I think of the Senior Spring Social coming up in just a few weeks. How will God’s greatness show up to those attending and those serving? I think of the birth of some babies in the coming weeks and months. The dedication of children in a few weeks. People graduating and transitioning to a new season of life. The Takeda family moving back to Japan possibly this summer. The summer vacation plans with family and friends. How will God’s greatness show up this summer? I can’t wait to hear the stories and see God’s greatness through His goodness.

But here is something that can’t be missed – one of the ways we will see God’s greatness in anything is through prayer. Prayer is one of those things that says “God, I cannot do this. Please help me.” When we do this, when we pray like this, we see God’s greatness through answered prayer. We could never say, “Oh, God is great, but I helped Him a little.” I know that sounds silly, but there is something about desperation that enables God’s greatness to shine even brighter.

Recently, I was reading the story of a family who owns an orchard in Mariposa, California. I grew up in a farming community in central California, so the story resonated with me. It was the story of a cold weather snap in January that lasted five days with temperatures far below freezing – 20 degrees F. For an orchard, those kinds of temperatures for that duration is catastrophic.

The daughter of the owner of the orchard writes:

Any temperatures below freezing were incredibly dangerous for both the orange crop and the trees themselves, and the long-range forecast wasn’t good. When Mom called and told me the temperature had dipped as low as 30 degrees, I drove right over.

“I think it’s time to turn on the sprinklers,” I said, grabbing a flashlight. The running water caused the air temperature to rise, and even just a few degrees could make all the difference.

Outside I got the system up and running. Water droplets burst across the little field. The orchard was small, but mighty in its own way.

A sputtering sound from the sprinklers caught my attention. The flow of water petered out and stopped. Oh, no, I thought. The pipes must have frozen! Now what?
I rushed back to the house to tell Mom. “I don’t know what to do,” I said. “It’s so cold, we won’t just lose the fruit. The trees could die.”

“While you were out, I called my prayer chain at church,” Mom said. “Now the orchard is in God’s hands.” I wished I felt that was enough. I went back outside.
I touched the frosty bark of one of the trees. If we picked the oranges now they wouldn’t be the same. Plus, harvesting the crop wouldn’t save the trees.

Lord, what else can we do? It’s only getting colder. One of my favorite scriptures came to mind: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” I’d relied on that promise so many times in my life. Could it possibly help me now?

I walked down the line of trees. “Please send angels to protect the orchard,” I asked. “Angels with hot breath to lift the frost.” I touched an orange on each tree as I walked past. They were hard as ice.

I felt overcome with sadness as I walked back to the house. I looked over my shoulder and realized I’d skipped two of the trees off to one side. I suppose it doesn’t really matter….
Back at the house the thermometer read 20 degrees. How many nights could the trees weather this freeze? It went without saying that the oranges themselves were ruined, but that hardly mattered to me now in the face of losing the very trees they grew on.

For five consecutive nights the temperature fell below freezing. On the morning of the sixth day, the weather report improved. The cold snap was over! Mom and I bundled up and trudged outside to survey the damage.

All the native, cold-weather plants around the house were withered and black. My heart buckled at the thought of what our orange trees would look like.

We stepped behind the house. Our miracle trees had never appeared more beautiful, all deep green leaves and bright amber oranges. Every tree in the orchard was well. All except–
“These two trees didn’t make it,” I said. Their leaves were shriveled up and their trunks frostbitten. The dead oranges had already started to drop off. They were the two trees I’d neglected to touch with my prayer.

I picked an orange off one of the trees that appeared to have made it. The fruit was so cold it made my hand sting. “Cut it open,” Mom said. I split the orange in half. The inside practically glowed. It was perfectly healthy. And as sweet as the God who holds our orchard in his hands.

I wonder how much of God’s greatness we have missed because we didn’t pray? I’m not pointing fingers at anyone but myself. I think prayer may hold the key to seeing God’s greatness in our lives.

It is interesting that we started the year out with an emphasis on prayer at our annual meeting and now we are talking about God’s greatness. The two are inseparable, aren’t they?

So here is a challenge for you this summer: with all that is going on, will you commit to praying for these things? Will you pray in dependence of Him? Will you pray consistently and watch Him work? If we want to see God’s greatness in our lives, then will see a harvest if we will pray.

Then Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory!” (Exod. 33:18)

-P. Mike

Dear Church,

We are so grateful for what God has been doing at FBC, including the baptisms we witnessed on Easter Sunday. Thank you for your continued love, prayer, and hard work to advance His Kingdom by sharing the Gospel and making Jesus’ disciples.

Today, I want to share something personal that comes straight from my heart.

Many of you know that our son Akashi has been studying in Japan on his own since he was 12. It hasn’t been easy — for him, or for us. But praise God, he has been thriving in his church and school there. He’s grown physically, emotionally, and spiritually in ways that have honestly moved us to tears. That growth is a direct answer to your prayers, and we don’t take that lightly.

Every now and then, God gives us a little reminder of His faithfulness in the most ordinary, delightful ways. We recently came across a photo on a website — and there was Akashi, out on a fishing boat, where friends from our church in Japan kindly took him. Not only did he catch fish — he caught the most and the biggest fish on the boat. Such a simple, beautiful picture of God’s grace on an ordinary day. We are so grateful for the church family there who has wrapped their arms around him.

Over the past couple of years, Akiko and I have been watching him closely, flying back several times a year, never going more than three months apart. Through visits this past winter and spring, something became clear: he wants to stay and continue his education in Japan through high school. As his parents, we began to ask God seriously — what does it look like to truly support him?

After much prayer and discernment, we felt God’s clear call to move to Japan. This didn’t happen overnight. We’ve been praying and waiting for years, genuinely trying to understand what God was asking of us. But there comes a point where you realize that no video call can replace being there in person. Showing up for our son is a responsibility we take seriously before God.

I’ll be honest — I don’t have every detail figured out. It reminds me of Abraham, who was simply told to go “to the land I will show you” — no roadmap, no timeline, just faith. That’s exactly where we are.

But, here’s something we know for now regarding our transition: my family will head to Japan in early July, and I’ll follow a few months later after helping prepare things on the church end. Japanese-language services will continue through fall and winter — and because many of you have asked, we’re planning to hold Japanese services over the summer as well.

When I shared this with our church leadership, some were stunned — speechless for nearly a minute. I understand. But I want to say this gently: we don’t need to be afraid of change. If this is truly God’s will, He will bless this church just as He is blessing our family. At the end of the day, it is not the pastor who holds this church together. It’s God.

I joined Faith Bible Church in December 2019 — just a couple of months before COVID changed everything. For over six years, I am deeply grateful for every moment. I’ve been told that this is the longest tenure among Japanese pastors in FBC’s history, and I want you to know — that is not something I take for granted. It has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Looking back at all we’ve walked through together — the pandemic, house church small groups, Soul Food, church picnic, New Year’s parties — I see His faithfulness written all over it. Nearly 80 unbelievers and families are now gathering regularly for house churches and small groups. New believers are baptized every year. That is the grace of God. Distance doesn’t make us less of a family. We belong to the same God — and that never changes.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
— Joshua 1:9

Thank you — and please continue to pray for God’s guidance for the church, so that we keep glorifying God by sharing the Good News and making His disciples.

In Christ,
Pastor Kohei

Easter Breakfast

by Marty Dong

The Faith Bible Church Community had an active 2026 Holy Season with special services, celebrating Baptisms, and with several ministry groups practicing fasting and participating in a Seder dinner. On Easter Sunday, our community enjoyed sharing its traditional Easter Breakfast with many visiting family and friends. This year, over 175 meals were served with hospitality and joy. Many thanks to the most excellent Easter Breakfast serving team which included Steve, Sue and Matthew Machida, Paul, Patty and Lauren Mayeda, Diane Agemura, Lynn, Tim and Marty Dong, and Kenji Kumai. Also important to thank and appreciate is the specialty coffee team organized and led by Erik Lee. The event was fun and joyful reflecting a wonderful Easter morning.

Baptism Testimonies

Baptism – Rina Guo

My name is Rina Guo. I’m 22 years old and I’m a 4th-year student studying biology at the University of Washington (UW), hoping to become a doctor one day. Before all of this though, I was born in Washington and grew up in a Christian family. My parents immigrated to Canada from Taiwan and China in their 20s and that was when they found Christ and became baptized. Out of my entire family line from both my mom and my dad’s side, my parents were the first and only ones to become Christians.

Growing up, they took me to church—it was part of my weekly routine. Sundays meant church, and we prayed before our meals, but that was about it. I liked going to church and reading bible comics and eating goldfish crackers, but outside of the Sunday school stories and “Jesus loves me” songs, I didn’t really know much more about God or my own spirituality. As I grew older, my family moved around a lot for my dad’s work, and I grew more quiet and struggled to have consistent meaningful relationships with people. Despite growing up with the same kids at church for years, I felt like I didn’t actually know or talk to anyone, so when I stopped showing up to youth fellowship as a 6th grader, no one really noticed my absence.

When I was 13, my family packed our bags, and we moved to China for 3 years. I went to an International School and I was the only Asian American in my tiny class of 20 something students. My older brother is Autistic and he was having a hard time adjusting to life in a foreign country. My whole family was going through the change in their own ways. Every day I went to a school where I had no friends and every night I came back home to tension and conflict. We stopped going to church and my faith was an all-time low. I put all of my self-worth and energy into excelling in my studies to distract myself from how alone and unloved I felt.

When I was 15, we moved back to America again, and only 7 months later, the whole world shut down because of COVID. My faith dwindled to online church livestreams on 2.0X playback speed and some weeks not even that.

When I was going into college, I didn’t have any intentions about joining a Christian fellowship and didn’t really know they even existed. But through the grace of God, I stumbled into a childhood friend, Athena Situ (who goes to FBC now), who told me about Asian American Christian Fellowship or as we call it “AACF”. Even though I hadn’t been very involved in pursuing my faith, I thought maybe it would be nice to give it a chance.

The first time I stepped foot in the room where AACF large group was held, I remember feeling so nervous. I kept wondering if this was really for me, and if I really belonged in a place like this. During the large group session, they split us into smaller groups to answer discussion questions and that was the first time I met David Pak and Bethany Chum for the first time. (Bethany used to come to FBC a few years ago and David comes to FBC now as well). To my surprise, instead of answering the discussion questions, I opened up about the state of my faith. I told them how I had grown up as Christian, but over time never really further developed my faith, and there was a part of me that wanted to be better, that wanted to grow, but I had never really acted upon that thought throughout my life. I was terrified of how these strangers who probably had years of Bible knowledge and church involvement would think of me, but instead of judging or treating me differently, they listened compassionately and offered words of support and grace. At the end, we prayed for each other and I remember feeling so at peace. That day, I left with a warmth and love I never expected to feel. What I thought would be a casual club meeting turned into a deeper exploration of personal questions: Who is this God I thought I knew my whole life, and how can I discover more?

That year, I went to my first Christian fellowship retreat. I remember the 2nd night we were all singing during worship. For the first time standing there in the grace and glory of God, I felt something I had never felt before. I felt so spiritually restored and content. I could feel and understand the depth of my God’s love so clearly and wonderfully before me. His love was not just great, but it was abundant and overflowing.

He didn’t just put me here randomly. But he had planned out my life so intentionally from beginning to end before I even breathed a single breath or said a single word. He had made the conscious and painful decision to lay everything out on the line, just to gain me, just to save me, one little insignificant soul out of the 7 billion others. He knew my name, he knew every hair upon my head, he saw every tear I ever cried, and heard every word I ever spoke in anger, and yet still, he loved me. I remember standing there crying, finally feeling just how deep and gracious my God’s love really was all this time. If this was what a glimpse of life could be like with God forever, there’s nothing else I needed more.

After that, I wanted to actively pursue Christ. Time and time again, God has provided for me in ways I least expect it. Through AACF, he brought me a community of brothers and sisters in Christ who have become some of my closest friends—people I can cry with and be vulnerable with, as well as celebrate and praise God with. God has shown me that in my weaknesses, His power can be glorified and He can use me for a greater purpose in serving others and helping other people in their faith. Through serving on the newcomer ministry at AACF to Small Group leading now, and in the small moments in between, I’ve been able to witness how God can change lives and continue to move in ways I can’t see. Through the girls I do bible study with, I’ve been able to grow closer to God through His Word and to find comfort and confidence through prayer and encouraging each other in our faith journeys. David, who’s now my boyfriend, also pushes me to pursue God more intentionally, and through him, I’ve been able to pray to God honestly about my struggles and dreams and to trust in God above all else. About two years ago, I started attending Faith Bible Church, with Athena. I wasn’t very consistent at first, but after changing my work schedule, trying to wake up earlier for CYC sunday school, and with David’s encouragement to meet more people, God has blessed me with a loving group of mentors and friends that genuinely want to get to know me, pray for me, and pour into me. Through Sunday school and church service, I feel like I’ve been able to learn and grow in deeper understanding of God through more spiritually mature people I can look up to, and I feel so blessed to experience a loving community where I feel like I belong. In several months, I’m going on my first short terms mission trip to share God’s love to the Yakima nation through Sacred Road, and looking back at it all, I couldn’t be more amazed at how God has transformed my life.

God isn’t just providing for my life now on earth, but for the rest of my life after that. For a long time, I always felt like I wasn’t enough and wasn’t worthy of baptism. But I’ve learned that it takes humility to realize it’s not about what I can do, but all about what God can do. God is the one who instills joy in me even when it’s hard. He’s the one who calms my heart and gives me peace and breathes new life in my lungs every morning I wake up. He is the reason that I live and the reason that I am. Christ died for me out of an unfathomable love when I least deserved it. When I’ve tasted a love like His that is that good, I can be fully satisfied in his perfect and unending grace and I can trust that no matter what happens, God’s faithfulness and goodness will outlive everything fleeting on this earth. Jesus Christ died for me, so today I choose to live for Him.

Baptism – Tiphanie Leung

I was born into a non-Christian family, but grew up in Hong Kong attending Christian schools because of their reputation. That’s where I first learned about God, Jesus, and the Bible.

I became a Christian in 5th grade after a guest speaker shared his testimony at school and invited us to follow Jesus. I didn’t fully understand what that meant at the time, but looking back, I can see how God was already working in my life and leading me to Him.

In 7th grade, I moved to a secular secondary school, where God reconnected me with a childhood friend. We were placed in the same class and even were assigned to sit next to each other on the first day. She was strong in her faith and encouraged me to pray and stay close to a Christian community. At the time it felt small, but now I see how God used her to prepare me for what was ahead.

A year later, my family immigrated to the U.S., which was a difficult transition. We stayed with my uncle, and my aunt faithfully brought us to church every Sunday. During that time, I leaned on God more than ever—praying, reading the Bible, and trusting Him through uncertainty. And He provided in so many ways: for my family’s needs, for my brother’s adjustment, and for me through friendships and challenges that helped me grow. Looking back, I can see that God gave me exactly what I needed at every step.

That season was a spiritual high for me, but as life became more comfortable, my faith started to drift. Learning about other religions in school made me question what I believed, and doubt stayed with me for years. Those doubts didn’t go away quickly. They stayed quietly in the back of my head for years. Even though I continued going to church and living what looked like a “normal” Christian life, internally I wrestled with uncertainty. But even in that season, God continued to show up—providing for me, guiding me through high school, college, and early in my career, despite my doubts.

Last year, God brought me to a turning point in my faith through my grandpa’s passing. I was very close to my grandparents, so it was devastating. But surrounding his passing were so many moments that felt like more than coincidence.

Before his condition worsened, he needed urgent surgery, and somehow a doctor was immediately available—something rare in a public hospital in Hong Kong. Through that moment, I was able to share the gospel with my grandma, and we prayed together for the first time.

After my grandpa passed, I was heartbroken. That same day, I was supposed to leave for a long-planned safari trip in Africa. I almost canceled, but my mom encouraged me to go. In the stillness of the trip, everything slowed down—limited internet, quiet moments, and time to grieve and seek God. I spent time reading the Bible, praying, and reflecting in nature. God met me in that place in a way I can’t fully explain, but I knew it was Him.

In those days, it felt like years of prayers were answered all at once. Everything aligned in a way that was too intentional to ignore. That was the moment my doubts finally disappeared.

For a long time, I thought about getting baptized but kept waiting until I felt “ready enough.” After losing my grandpa, I realized life is too short to keep waiting.

Through all of this, I’ve come to understand more deeply who God is and what He has done for me. Even in my doubts and seasons of drifting, He never left—He continued to pursue me, provide for me, and guide me back to Him. Looking back, I don’t think I have a definitive moment of change as to what my life was before and after Jesus. It is more a progressive change and peace that I have knowing that we have a God/Jesus who cares so much about us he died on the cross for us, so that through Him we can have a new life. I’m so thankful for His grace.

Getting baptized is my way of responding to that grace. It’s not because I have everything figured out, but because I believe in Him as my Savior and want to follow Him. And today, I want to publicly declare my faith and my commitment to continue walking with Him.

One verse that has stayed with me since childhood that I want to share is Philippians 4:6–7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Baptism – Hatsuho Fukuchi

Before I accepted Jesus, I was self-centered, focused only on myself and my own thoughts, and never even considered what Jesus would think.

How did someone like me come to the point of wanting to believe? The baptism preparation class I attended this time was a major turning point. Among the topics covered, the teaching on sin left a particularly strong impression on me. I began to think about what my own sin actually is. Jesus Christ was crucified and died for my sins thousands of years before I was even born. And I realized that the cross is connected to my own sin.

In that class, as I learned various things, like “Why do we get baptized?” and “What is faith?” I realized that although I had heard these words many times before, I had never truly understood the meaning. As I came to understand the meaning of each one, I could even notice a change in how I perceived the messages during worship services.

I haven’t fully understood everything about Jesus yet. In fact, I think there’s more I don’t know than I do. Even so, I still want to say “thank you” and “I’m sorry” to Jesus from the bottom of my heart, and my desire to follow Him remains unchanged. From now on, I want to live my life remembering that God knows me and my thoughts and watches over every part of me. When I’m in trouble, or when I see someone in trouble, I want to pray and do my very best to follow God.

福地　初穂

イエス様を受け入れる前の自分は自分のこと、考えが中心で、イエス様がどう思っているとか考えもしませんでした。

そんな私がどうやって信じたいと思ったのでしょう。それは、今回参加した洗礼準備クラスが大きなきっかけとなりました。その中でも罪の話が印象的でした。自分の罪とは何なのか考えるようになりました。イエス・キリストは私の罪のために、私が生まれる何千年も前に十字架にかかり死んでくださいました。そして自分の罪と十字架が繋がっていると思いました。

洗礼準備クラスで色々学んでいく中で、「洗礼は何のためにするの？」「信仰とは何？」などいつもの礼拝で当たり前のように出てくる言葉について学びました。今まで何度も聞いてきた言葉だけど、今まで意味をちゃんと理解できていなかったことに気付かされました。一つずつ意味を理解していく中で、礼拝での話のとらえ方も変わっていくのが、自分でも気付けるくらい変わっていました。

私はまだイエス様について全てを理解したわけではありません。なんなら知らないことの方が多いと思います。それでも、イエス様に心から「ありがとう」「ごめんなさい」といい、「これからもついていきたい」という思いは変わりません。これから生活では、自分のこと、考えを神様も知っていて自分の全てを見ていることを忘れず、こまったとき、あるいは、こまっている人がいたら祈って、一生懸命神様についていきたいと思います。

Baptism – Y. K.

Before I accepted Jesus, church was just a place to play. The stories my Sunday school teachers told me were interesting, and also when the teacher asked questions about the story, I would answer quickly to move to the next faster. I was having fun, but I felt like something wasn’t enough, but I just ignored it. During the lesson, I would think about other things that had nothing to do with the lesson.

My elementary school was a Christian school, and we had a subject called “Bible.” One day, during the Bible subject, there was a verse that made me think “If I was the teacher and there is a student not caring much, how would I feel?” This thought made me listen to teachers in all subjects. When I really thought about Bible stories, I also started to think about what they felt like in their situation. Everything became a lot more interesting.

I used to believe that Jesus died for our sins and came alive, but I didn’t know what they meant, so I just put John 3:16 as the reason and just left it. Recently, my parents asked me if I wanted to go to the baptism class, different from Sunday school. Baptism class encouraged me to officially accept Jesus into my life and also to get baptized. The class taught me the things I needed to know in order to get baptized, to know why Jesus died and resurrected, and if I believe in it from my heart. I didn’t know why Jesus really resurrected. In one of the lessons, there was an explanation that said, “Jesus’ resurrection is not only that Jesus resurrected but also gave us a new life.” This explanation led me to truly know the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection. This led me to accept Jesus in the real way you are supposed to, and I started to consider getting baptized. One night my mom asked me if I wanted to get baptized or not, and I answered no because I still had some questions about Jesus’ death and resurrection such as, “why was the period until Jesus’ resurrection 3 days?”, but she told me that it is fine to still have questions and get baptized if I truly believed that Jesus died and resurrected for me. This encouraged me to think I should get baptized.

Even if I have questions that other people can’t answer, I still want to learn more about the Bible. I would also want to spend more time with God every day.

 Y君の証

イエス様を受け入れる前は、教会はただ遊ぶ場所でした。日曜学校の先生が話してくれる物語は面白かったし、後で先生が問題が出してくれた時、早く回答して、早く遊べるようにするためにも、少しずつ暗記するようになりました。楽しかったのですが、何かが足りないような気もしていました。でも、その気持ちは無視していました。クラスの間も、学びの内容とは全く関係のない他のことを考えていました。

私が通っていた小学校はキリスト教系の学校で、「聖書」という科目がありました。ある日、聖書の授業中に、あるみことばを聞いたとき、「もし私が先生で、あまり真剣に聞いていない生徒がいたら、どんな気持ちになるだろう？」と考えさせられました。この考えがきっかけで、私はすべての教科で先生の話を真剣に聞くようになりました。聖書の物語を深く考えるようになると、出てくる登場人物たちがどんな気持ちだったのかも考えるようになりました。そうして、すべてがずっと面白くなりました。

私は、イエス様が私たちの罪のために死んで、よみがえられたと信じてはいたけれど、復活が自分にとってどういう意味があるのかがよくわからなかったので、ただ「ヨハネによる福音書3章16節」を理由として挙げて、そのままにしていました。最近、両親から、日曜学校とは別の洗礼クラスに行きたいかと聞かれました。洗礼クラスでは、イエスを自分の人生に正式に迎え入れ、洗礼を受けるよう励まされました。そのクラスでは、洗礼を受けるために知っておくべきこと、イエスがなぜ死んで復活されたのか、そして心からそれを信じているかどうかについて学びました。私はイエスがなぜ復活されたのか本当には理解していませんでしたが、学びの中で、復活とは「イエスは生き返っただけでなく、我々に新しい命を下さった」という説明がありました。その説明で、復活の意味を理解することができて、私は本当の意味で心からイエス様を受け入れることができ、洗礼を受けることを考えるようになりました。ある夜、母が「洗礼を受けたい？」と聞いてきたので、私はイエス様の死と復活について、例えば、どうして復活までが三日だったのか、とか疑問に思うこともあったから「いいえ」と答えました。でも母は、「分からないことがあってもイエス様の十字架と復活が自分の為だったと信じていたら洗礼を受けていいんだよ」と言ってくれました。その言葉に励まされて洗礼を受けることを決めました。

たとえ人間にはわからないような疑問があったとしても、これからも聖書についてもっと学びたいと思っています。また、毎日もっと神様と過ごす時間を持ちたいと思っています。

Baptism – John Kei Takeda

I was born as a pastor’s son and went to church since when I was little. But at church, I was mostly just thinking about playing. I didn’t really pay much attention to what was being said about God, and when I was studying at school, I always forgot about God.
I only went to church because my parents took me.

But because I believed in God, I began to want to be baptized. So, I started studying the Bible and came to understand that I had sins, and that Jesus died for me because of them. My sins are things I do even though I know they’re wrong. For example, even though I had a designated playtime, I would play longer than that, and I would hide my wrongdoings. I felt that Jesus loved me so much that He was willing to die for someone like me.

Also, through the baptism class, I came to understand and truly feel that He rose from the dead and loves me. For example, I’ve had many experiences when even small prayers were answered. Even when my studying was hard, God helped me.

From now on, I will read the Bible every single day and pay attention to what is taught at church. I will try to think about God even while I’m studying. Every day, I want to pray, giving thanks for God’s resurrection and forgiveness. I want to live with God, following Him forever.

武田　契

ぼくは、牧師のむすこに生まれて、ちいさいころから教会にいってました。けど、教会では大体、遊ぶことを考えていました。神様のはなしはあまりきいてなかったし、学校で勉強しているときは、いつも神様のことをわすれていました。
教会には親に連れていかれていただけでした。

だけど、神様のことはしんじていたので洗礼を受けたいと思うようになりました。そこで、聖書の勉強をはじめてみたところ、自分にはつみがあり、そのせいでイエス様が死んでくれたことを理解しました。ぼくのつみは悪いとわかっていてもやってしまうところです。例えば、遊ぶ時間が決められているのに、それ以上に遊んでしまい、わるいことは隠してしまっていました。そんなぼくのためにイエス様が死んでまでも愛していることを感じました。

また、生き返って、ぼくを愛していることを洗礼クラスを通してわかって、実感することがありました。例えば、小さいことでもお祈りしたらそれが答えられた経験をなんどもしました。勉強が大変でも神様がたすけてくれました。

これからは、毎日毎日聖書を読んでちゃんと教会の話を聞いたりします。勉強中にもかみさまのことを考えるようにします。毎日神様の復活に、許しに感謝してお祈りしたいと思います。神様とともにずっとに従って生きていきたいと思います。

Baptism – Utaho Fukuchi

I’ve been going to church since I was little. But I was so young that I didn’t really understand what church was for. That’s because I was always playing.

When I moved back to Japan and started kindergarten, I began to understand different words and what they meant, and I became a very talkative child. That’s when I truly encountered the church. And little by little, I came to understand about Jesus.

While living in Japan, I heard many stories about various gods. But my parents believed in Jesus, and the stories I heard from the people at church, and the stories written in the Bible, began to feel very real to me. I realized that even when I did something wrong, Jesus had already forgiven me for it on the cross. I was so happy to know that God loves me.

Then, when I came to America, I started attending a new church—that is this church. After my usual elementary school class, Pastor Takeda asked me, “Would you like to join the baptism class?” I immediately said, “Yes.” Because I wanted to tell everyone, “I believe in Jesus.” Now that I understand the meaning of the cross, I want to learn more about Jesus and the stories of the disciples written in the Bible. I also want to learn more about the Bible in both English and Japanese.

福地　詩穂（うたほ）

私は小さいころからきょうかいにいっていました。ですが、あまりにも小さかったもので、私はきょうかいを何をする場所なのか分かりませんでした。なぜならずっと遊んでいたからです。

日本に帰って、そして、ようちえん生になり、私は色々なことばや、その言葉のいみを分かってきて、とてもおしゃべりな子になりました。そこで、私はきょうかいに出会いました。そして、だんだんイエスさまのことが分かってきました。

日本に住んでいるといろいろな神というもの、話がたくさんありました。ですが、親もイエスさまを信じていたし、きょうかいの人たちから聞く話、そして、聖書に書いてある話がとてもリアルに見えてきたからです。それは自分がわるいことをしてしまったときに、イエスさまがこの私のわるいことをすでに十字架の上でゆるしてくれていることに気がつきました。神さまは私のことが好きなんだとうれしくなりました。

そしてアメリカに来たとき、私は新しいきょうかい、つまり、ここに来ました。そして、いつものように小学校クラスをやりおわったあと、たけだ先生に「せんれいクラスをやらないか？」と聞かれ、私はすぐ「はい」と言いました。なぜなら私はみんなの前で「私はイエスさまを信じてます。」と言いたかったからです。そして今は、十字架のいみを知って、もっとイエスさまのことと聖書に書かれているでしたちの話を知りたくなりました。そして、英語と日本語で聖書を深く知っていきたいと思いました。

Children’s Baptism & Christian Essentials Class

by Pastor Kohei Takeda

Over the past two months, five children from grades five through seven have been gathering for our Children’s Baptism and Christian Essentials Class. Conducted bilingually, the class was designed to ensure that children from all language backgrounds and cultures feel welcomed and are able to engage with God’s Word together. University student Yukimi Kuge has served as a wonderful assistant, providing warm support and prayers to the children throughout each session.

Every class has been a joy. Our discussions have explored meaningful questions — did Jesus have to die? How do we express Jesus’ love in our daily lives? What does it mean to sin, and have we ever bullied someone or stood by while it happened? Through Scripture, roleplay, and open conversation, the children have been discovering what concepts like sin, love, forgiveness, and following Jesus actually look like in their own lives.

One particularly memorable lesson drew from Revelation 3, imagining Jesus knocking at the heart’s door — would it be a loud bang bang or a gentle tap tap? And how would each child open it — cautiously, slowly, or wide open? Their responses were thoughtful and revealing.

The highlight of this season has been the baptism of four children. Each child was interviewed individually to confirm their understanding of saving faith and their genuine decision to follow Christ, with parental understanding also sought before baptism was administered. Every child spoke with clarity and confidence, confessing that their sins are forgiven through the cross of Christ and declaring their commitment to follow Jesus from this day forward.

Yet baptism is not a finish line — it is a beginning. It marks the joyful start of a life walking with Jesus, a life of purpose, grace, and blessing. Our class continues one month before and one month after baptism, covering Scripture, the triune God, the church, devotional life, evangelism, and prayer in a warm and relaxed atmosphere.

“The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these“ (Matthew 19:14).

Let us continue to pray for the children of this church and for the parents who nurture them — not only because the future of our church depends on it, but because it is Scripture’s call and God’s heart.

Pastor Kohei

Word & Prayer (Japanese)

by Pastor Kohei Takeda

What is the engine of the church?

It is prayer and the Word of God. Above all programs and events, it is God’s Word and prayer that truly grow a church. Without these, no lasting growth is possible.

Since December of last year, a dedicated group has been gathering monthly to seek God together, praying and discussing how to put this conviction into practice as a church. During this time, the passage of Mary and Martha spoke powerfully to us — reminding us that before doing anything else, we must be like Mary: sitting at Jesus’ feet, quietly listening to His Word.

Out of that shared conviction, “Word and Prayer” was born. Beginning in March, the group meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month, from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM in the church fellowship hall. The logo reflects Mary’s posture of humble attentiveness to the Word. Each gathering has been a joyful time — with tears and laughter alike — where participants, including those who do not yet believe, are experiencing the living power of Scripture.

We know that gathering for prayer requires sacrifice — of time, effort, and convenience. It is easy to think that praying alone or within one’s own small group is sufficient. Yet the early church devoted itself to prayer together (Acts 2), and Jesus promises: “Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matt. 18:20). Like a mustard seed (Matt. 13:31–32), our faithful, united prayer will grow into something far greater than we can imagine.

This is not a program — it is a calling. Let us come together as a church, offer our sacrifices willingly in prayer, and trust that God will answer and abundantly bless us through every challenge we face.

Pastor Kohei

WOK (WASABI & ROCK Ministries)

by Katie Li

Spring is officially here, making itself known with some fierce allergies as I write this latest WOK update. I’m excited to share what the WOK group has been up to! In February, we went ice skating at the Seattle Iceplex which was a great alternative since our January Lazy F retreat was rescheduled. It was a great experience watching everyone on the ice! It’s awesome to see the range of skills in our group, especially as we teach each other new tricks like skating backwards.

We had a warmer winter this year, so when we finally got to Lazy F for our annual retreat, the ice pond had turned into a swimming pond! On the bright side, this meant we got to experience Lazy F for the first time in the spring. We enjoyed the sunshine and the water rushing through the creek. We even hiked up a “mountain” (a large hill) and found some potential museum displays (bones on the hike). We also got creative by painting retreat shirts using 3D puffy paint. The focus of this year’s retreat was anxiety. Uncle Chuck Lind graciously joined us for the weekend and spoke on the topic. Since our group ranges from 6th to 12th grade, I appreciated Chuck’s ability to connect the natural feeling of anxiousness we all experience, regardless of age. Our anxieties change with each new chapter, but the message remains the same: we desperately need to give Jesus our burdens. Our theme verse was 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” A big thanks again to Chuck and to everyone who prayed for our retreat!

As we wrap up the school year, we are finishing our study in Matthew 7. We are focusing on the Sermon on the Mount, and our hope is that Jesus’s powerful message continues to remind us of His constant grace.

CYC (College & Young Career)

by Steven Ma

May is already here, and summer is fast approaching. I echo many people’s sentiments: this season always brings about a new wave of change. With new changes on the horizon anxiety and fear of the unknown often loom large; however, our trust is not in what we can see but in our God who sees and has a plan for all things. With that in mind, we’ll share some of the latest events happening around CYC:

First Light Fellowship:

The year kicked off with a First Light Fellowship. This was an opportunity to enjoy some congee together but ultimately to spend time in prayer with the Lord alongside friends. Big thanks to Edwin and Erik for cooking an absurd amount of congee, and to Josh Huang for leading the prayer time!

Women’s Tea & Testimony:

I heard that the tea and testimony time was absolutely great (although I was disqualified from attending, regrettably). The women did a great job coordinating, organizing, and creating a space for older women to share their wisdom. Auntie Lyanne, Auntie Marsha, and Karissa shared on career, calling, and the in-between, moderated by Sonya. Thanks to the CYC women for coordinating and cooking, and Auntie Yumi for lending the women her beautiful tea sets. In Sonya’s words, “we felt like we were at high tea!”

Men’s Jenga x Jesus:

I was not disqualified from attending this event, but I was out of town while it happened. From the photos and energy, it seems obvious the guys had a wonderful time together and I’m excited to see more events like this in the future hopefully. Thanks to Tyler and Joe for helping put this event together!

Baptisms

We had two baptisms within CYC: Tiphanie and Rina! We’re honored to be witnessing their faith grow alongside them and are thankful most of all to God who restores His people to Himself!

French Brunch

Joe and Tyler weren’t done with one event; they also helped host a wonderful French Brunch for brothers and sisters across the entire church! Great job to the guys and everyone else who helped them out!

JBC x FBC Game Night

Karissa Y & JBC (who happens to attend Karissa T’s small group) hosted a fun group game and dinner hangout with FBC brothers and sisters. We really appreciate JBC for their hospitality and hope to continue the connection at future events!

Christian Sports League (CSL)

Sacred Road Ministries Summer Mission Trip

Bill’s Book Blurb

by Bill Hamasaki

FBC Calendar (link)