In Community:

Fall 2024 Newsletter

Staying Out of a Rut

by Pastor Mike Kurtz

It has been 2 months since the start of the “new ministry year”. September is usually the month when ministries kick off, which typically aligns with the school year. After a summer break, new curriculum, new ministry leaders and other volunteers, and new small groups among many come back together for a fresh start. It’s an exciting time full of anticipation of what God will do in the year ahead.

During these first few months, people typically are trying to find a rhythm in the ministry. Routines are developed, and by now things are running like a well-oiled machine.

But somewhere along the way, something happens that Pastor Craig used to often say: there is a fine line between a routine and a rut. Over time, the longer a routine is maintained, there is the danger of it becoming a rut where the initial excitement has worn off, and serving starts to wear us out. I don’t think we are there only a few months in, but I’d like to share a few things that might prevent us from getting stuck in a rut in the months ahead.

When does a routine start to become a rut?

I can think of a couple reasons.

1. When the routine loses its purpose.

When we forget the reason why we do ministry (or anything we do for that matter), it can become ultimately meaningless and a little aimless. It becomes something we do simply because it’s on the calendar.

The Bible is no stranger to this problem. I recall in Matthew 6 when Jesus addressed the distractions of daily life, mainly anxiousness over things like food, clothing, shelter. What was Jesus answer to this attitude? He said to seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you. In other words, keeping our focus on the kingdom will keep our hearts in the right place and our fears at bay.

When serving in ministry, we have to remember that we are doing kingdom work. There are spiritual lives at stake. Not that everything depends on us, but it will help us to keep our focus on what is most important. The pressures of everyday life can distract us considerably. It’s when our ministries become just like “everyday life” that our ministries can fall into a rut rather than rise above this world. Keep your focus on the kingdom.

Why are you serving? There are many answers to that question on a personal level. Undoubtedly, there is a godly reason He brought you to this point in your life. Remind yourself of this often.

2. When the routine becomes more about me (and less about Jesus).

Ministry can be difficult. The longer we struggle through the difficulties, the more it wears on us. Prolonged discomfort has a way of grabbing our attention. In the process, it puts the focus on me and my comfort (or lack thereof). We aren’t alone in those feelings. Peter writes to the churches:

²⁰ For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. ²¹ For you have been called for this purpose, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps. (1 Peter 2:20-21)

Discomfort, conflict, and suffering are all a part of ministry to fallen people. But we are called to patiently endure it just as Christ did. I know that is a high calling, but it is always good to remember that when we are struggling to serve others, we are in good company with Jesus. The struggle really is an indication that we are doing the right thing if we will patiently endure through it.

Ultimately it is not about my comfort. It’s all about Jesus. When the struggle causes us to focus on the struggle, remember that Jesus struggled, too. And guess what? He struggled for you, too. So keep your eyes on Jesus. “Let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith” (Heb. 12).

3. When the routine fails to foster genuine relationships.

Similar to losing our focus on Jesus, ministry can sometimes be about the ministry and not about people. I have found personally that one of the best ways to keep from getting in a rut is by building and maintaining relationships within the ministry. If I am growing weary, I am encouraged and my spirits are lifted when I hear what God is doing in other people’s lives. Or when I can encourage others in their walks, so often the feeling is mutual.

But when ministry has become a battle and the routine is becoming a rut, it is usually because I have lost contact with the people. It’s when ministry has become a business and relationships become secondary.

I find myself sometimes picking up Maili from school only to end up in a long line of cars. Sometimes people are holding up the line because they’re doing something that ought to be done in a parking lot (rather than a pick-up line). It can be irritating, and I can become critical in those moments. And when that happens, I can forget the real reason I’m there. I have the privilege of picking up my daughter and influencing her life if even for only a short drive home. But you know what, in the 10 minutes it takes for me to drive her home every day, I will have accumulated roughly 30 hours of alone time with her (60 if you count the drive to school). Every minute matters, and I can’t let a long line and inefficiency ruin that for me.

Ministry is built on relationships. If we will keep relationships central to the ministry, then we will go a long way to prevent the routine from becoming a rut.

There are still 8 months remaining before summer. If we will remember why we serve and who we serve (Jesus and others), we stand a good chance of finishing well to the finish.

-P. Mike

FBC Fall Ohana Retreat

October 5-6, 2024

by Kenji Kumai

FBC Fall Ohana Retreat 2024 Recap Video by Daniel Mayeda

“The Mission Continues”

Adult Program Sessions:  Bob Kennell

Youth Program Sessions:  Pastor Bob Do

Children’s Program:  Dan Matsumoto & Dawn Mar

Saturday – Registration

• Session #1
• Group picture and lunch
• Free Time
• Mako & Ting Ting Kato Sharing time
• Gym activities: Basketball, volleyball, pickle ball and cotton candy!
• Outdoor activities: Zip lining, trail to walk on and beautiful sunny and warm day!
• Session #2
• Dinner
• Session #3 – All-Church Family Fun Night
• Fire pit time – S’mores and glow sticks!

Sunday

• Early morning prayer time
• Breakfast
• Session #4
• Lunch

As you can see the schedule above, we definitely had a full couple of days at Black Diamond Camp in Auburn, WA.  God surely answered our prayers and truly blessed our time together.  From young to old, God blessed us with wonderful times of fellowship, challenging messages, fun activities and restful times.  This is the only time that our FBC Ohana can get together for an extended period of time to connect and build community by getting to know each other better and spending time learning and growing together.

Bob & Noby Kennell shared about their experiences in the Bisorio land and how they got started at FBC.  It was amazing to hear the stories that they shared from their experiences in the jungles of PNG.  Bob honored our founders and original “Hall of Famers” of FBC who built the foundation of FBC.  And he shared about how they passed the torch on to the next generation.  His challenge to us was to go out into “our Jerusalem” (greater Seattle area) and spread the Gospel and to take the torch for the next generation.

The youth group (WOK ministry) was blessed by Bob Do who also was the guest speaker at the winter Lazy-F Retreat last year.  He was a hit once again as he is so gifted in connecting with the youth.  Thank you to the WOK leaders who sacrificed the adult sessions in order to serve our youth group.

The children also had their own program.  They had special crafts, lessons and organized activities.  Thank you to Dan Matsumoto who recruited teachers and helpers and organized the program.  And thank you to Dawn Mar who had big part in helping with the crafts and curriculum.

Session #3 is always reserved for our All-church Family Fun Night.  Thank you, Eric Lee, for organizing and leading this fun time!  We started with a lively praise time and then jumped right into the fun and competitive games! It’s so good to see our church body laughing and enjoying the time together.

We were also blessed with delicious treats before and after each session.  Thank you to the Ishimitsu and Machida families for their hospitality in preparing all of the yummy snacks and drinks.

Just to throw some numbers out there, we had 80 full time attendees and over 70 part time attendees.  Most of the part time attendees, were part time because they went home just to sleep.  Most of them were at the sessions and free time.  And this all was possible because we had over 40 people who helped in one way or another.  Thank you so much to each of you who helped with this retreat.  From registration, children’s program, youth program, worship times, free time activities, photography/ video to fire pit time late at night, there is someone or a group of people who plan and prepare for each of these activities.  We are blessed to have a body of Christ who is willing to step up and serve and bless our Ohana.  Thank you so much!!!

May the mission continue as we grow closer to our Lord Jesus!  As the FBC Ohana, may we continue to support and pray for our missionaries.  And may we continue to be a witness and to reach out to those around us and in our lives.

– Kenji

Ohana Retreat – WOK (Youth Program)

by Katie Li

Hello FBC Family! Katie here, reporting live on the WOK experience at the Ohana Retreat. Before I jump into things, thank you to everyone who was involved in the planning and logistics of the retreat, I have never had a retreat snack table so scrumptious hehe. Thank you to my WOK kitchen counterparts, Josh, Kelsey, and Will, who were instrumental in coordinating our program from planning games, hauling snacks, lassoing kids, or cheering on the zipliners.

So! Here’s the TL;DR of the retreat: it was chaotic and loud. We may have eaten more snacks and sweet treats than we should have, but it was special and beautiful to witness God’s presence as we fellowshipped together.

This year was my first time attending the retreat. To be honest, I did not know what was going to happen. So in true reporter fashion, here are 3 things I did not see coming:

1. Ryan Ishimitsu can catch a swinging donut with his mouth in one attempt. Please see included picture for context.
2. I was out “food-scienced” in our “guess the soda” game. I may have to look for a new career.
3. Minori Matsumoto is a dedicated structural engineer for creating her own “marshmallow glue” by melting marshmallows with her fingers to stick our spaghetti tower together.

There were so many moments like these where I felt energized by all of the kids leaning into our games, and might I even say I felt young again??

I love sharing the silly antics we get up to, but I also want to highlight the beautiful ways that God was at work in our hearts.

1. An inspiring and convicting message from Pastor Bob Do

We were grateful that Pastor Bob returned as our speaker and happy that Naomi, his daughter, could join him too! Pastor Bob preached from Numbers 11, challenging us to be set apart from the world by positioning our hearts towards God and leaning on His grace. In our discussions, we reflected on our natural tendencies to seek immediate satisfaction in things like achievement or social relationships. We shared ways we could deepen our desire for Him by focusing on spiritual fruits we could ask God to help us with. This is how I found out everyone in my discussion group knew the Fruits of the Spirit song (iykyk) and as we sang “The fruit of the Spirit’s not a coconut”, we recalled the true spiritual fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

2. A chance to be open and vulnerable

I will try not to mention how old I feel again (no promises haha), but it was not long ago when I also faced the struggles of school especially with the impact of social media. In my discussion group, I shared my own challenges with social media addiction and why I chose self-control as the fruit I want to focus on. It was a bit awkward when I realized that I had the highest screen time out of everyone in the group and someone asked, “How are you a high school leader?” I felt guilty, as if I’d let them down, but this moment of vulnerability gave me a chance to ask for accountability and prayer from the WOK kids. I am inspired and reminded that regardless of our roles, we are all part of the body of Christ, and there is strength and joy when we share our struggles.

I can pray for and offer advice to the WOK kids as they navigate the anxieties and challenges of middle and high school (I am so glad to be done with that stage of life whew). But I know that the challenges in our walk with God will continue to come, so I am grateful to walk this path together with our WOK kids, my brothers and sisters in Christ, and the chance to fellowship as His family at our retreat.

Thank you for reading through if you made it this far (especially if you’re a WOK kid) and I hope the next time you see me we both have reasonable screen times!

In Him, Katie

Ohana Retreat – Children’s Program

by Dawn Mar

This year at the Ohana Retreat the Elementary students (1st – 5th grade) focused their time of learning on the book of Daniel. In the first session the students learned about how Daniel and his friends refused to eat the king’s food. They were challenged with what reputation means and how they can build their own reputation by choosing to do what is right. In the second session the students learned about the fiery furnace. In the final session they continued through book of Daniel where they learned how Daniel interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Each of the lessons had an accompanying activity to help solidify the main point for the students. After each lesson, the students had craft and game time. The highlight of the craft was tie-dying their own t-shirts!

The 3-5 year old students focused their lessons on choices with a focus verse of Proverbs 3:5-6. The big idea of session one was “I can choose to make the right choice!” Following the big idea, they used the story of Samson and Delilah to help the children understand about making right and wrong choices. In session two the big idea was “I can choose to have faith!” In this lesson they learned about the story of Jesus walking on water. They were able to learn what faith is and how Peter showed faith by stepping out of the boat into the stormy waters. In the final session they learned that they could choose to be friends with Jesus! The story of Zacchaeus taught them that Jesus wants to be friends with everyone! After the lesson, the kids were able to enjoy free time and crafts.

The Ohana Retreat was a wonderful time for each of the children to learn, play and build relationships with one another. Thank you to each volunteer that gave up their time to invest in the children of FBC. Thank you to the parents for entrusting us to teach and care for your children. A HUGE thank you to Dan Matsumoto for leading the children’s ministry this year at the retreat!

WOK (WASABI & ROCK Ministries)
New School Year Kick-Off

by Kenji Kumai

We kicked off the new 2024-25 school year at the Kumai’s on September 21.  This year we invited all of the parents of our WOK ministry students and ended up with over 40 people!  We enjoyed dinner together and spent the evening with a great time of fellowship and fun.  After dinner, the WOK leaders got up and introduced themselves and talked about our vision for this year.  And then we played a couple rounds of a game that was so much fun and it got us all connected.

This year, we are excited to have Kelsey Huang, Katie Li, Will Tong and Josh Huang on our team.  The Kumai’s are there to support and oversee the WOK leaders.  Jeanne and I are so grateful for each of the leaders on our team this year.  We are always impressed with their leadership skills, talents and giftedness.  But most importantly, they each have such a heart for the youth and for each of our students.  We will miss Amy Li of course but we are so proud of her for taking a step of faith to serve in Yakama with Sacred Road Ministry.

Please see the program/ WOK Intro flyer below.  Thank you, Kelsey for creating this.  You can learn a lot more about our leaders and see what we have planned for 2024-25.  We usually have monthly events as a WOK group.  Lots of fun activities and retreats to look forward to.  We are growing as a group and would love to keep adding new students!  Please invite any middle school or High School students that you may know.

This year, we will have Pastor Bob Do as our guest speaker at the FBC Fall Ohana Retreat Youth Program.  Pastor Bob is a church planting pastor with The Table Covenant Church.  We are excited to have him join us this year.

We appreciate your prayers and support!

Serving Him together,

Kenji & Jeanne for the WOK leadership team

CYC (College & Young Career)

by Rachel Shin

Hey Faith Bible Family!

We had an awesome kickoff for the College Young Career (CYC) group on October 11th! The first portion of our fellowship event was Selah. Thanks to Josh Kwok’s beautiful piano, Michael Lee’s guitar background music, and Chris Moroney’s smooth cello playing, we had a quiet and intimate time of reflection and prayer.

After Selah, we continued our fellowship time. Huey and Tyler, our newest events team members – AKA our snack team, brought in some delicious Costco treats to keep everyone energized. Reeghan led us in a super fun word association family feud inspired by her students—it got competitive! We had a blast trying to guess the mind of today’s young generation. The top three memorable answers were hilarious: “apple bottom jeans,” “hot diggity dog,” and “hot to go.” Plus, we wrapped up the night with some amazing homemade lemon bars from Lauren.

We are continuing our monthly CYC virtual prayer meetings through Zoom. We have a time of sharing from the prayer team where they share praises of the month, and then our group breaks out into rooms to pray for each other.

Sunday School is going strong! We’re diving deep into The Exile to learn about how we should live our lives in a world that’s not our home.

Exciting news: we welcomed FOUR new core team members—Kelsey, Doreen, Michael Pu, and Josh Huang! Now we have a total of 11 core team members; returning this year are: Danny, Jen, Ryan, Lauren, Reeghan, Lulu, and yours truly (Rachel). Our core team is back to meeting monthly to plan, evaluate, and pray as we seek the Lord’s guidance for CYC. We celebrated the start of the new ministry team by feasting on hot pot. We are excited to see what this new school year holds for our team and our ministry. Please keep us in your prayers!

CSL Basketball

by Will Tong

Fall is here! While this also sadly means the end of our beautiful Seattle summer, it also ushers in an exciting new season of football, school, fall colors, and—best of all—CSL basketball. For the uninitiated, CSL stands for Christian Sports League, which brings together local Seattle area churches for fellowship through sports (primarily organized basketball and volleyball). This year, I, alongside Steven Ma, have had the honor of captaining our young adult basketball team, aptly named Full Blown Chaos (FBC). We have a great group of guys, with a mix of new and veteran players, and a range of skill levels and backgrounds. It’s a unique and wonderful opportunity for fellowship every Sunday afternoon to play a game we love, while also being a light and witness on the court to those who don’t yet know the gospel.

It’s also another year to continue my team’s annual tradition of getting our butts kicked by the old timer FBC CSL team (headed by Watson Louie and Steve Machida). But in all seriousness, these veteran ballers set a great example with their longevity, humility, and the strong fellowship that has stood the test of several decades and many injuries. Personally, basketball (and sports in general) has been an excellent way to grow closer to many brothers at FBC and also provide an approachable way to invite non-believers to church. It’s also been a joy to compete against other churches in the area and get to know other brothers and believers. We have a CSL celebration lunch at the end of the season where we will gather together for a time of intentional fellowship, food, and sharing.

Thank you FBC for supporting us and also please be praying for continued fellowship, outreach to unbelievers, healing from injuries, and hopefully that our team can clutch our first win.

Bill’s Book Blurb

by Bill Hamasaki

FBC Calendar (link)