In Community:
Fall 2025 Newsletter
God is Faithful!
by Pastor Mike Kurtz
Are you able to look back on your life and say these words: “God is faithful!” My guess is that we all can. Even when I look back at the hard times, I have seen, I believe, and I am convinced that God’s faithfulness is one of the hallmarks of His character. I am convinced that God is more faithful to us than we are even aware of.
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” (Deuteronomy 7:9)
Over the last 75 years, Faith Bible Church has stood as evidence of God’s faithfulness. From the purchase of the first house in 1950 to the purchase of 3 other houses years later; from its humble beginning with a group of determined women alongside a handful of young men; from the loving men and women who served the children to those same children now caring for their former teachers; from our first missionary to over 500 short term and career missionary workers; from a church plant in 2001; from a pandemic that isolated our community – God has proven Himself faithful through it all.
And that means God will continue to be faithful as we continue to walk with Him into an unknown future.
I shared these sentiments at the 75th Celebration, and I’ll share them again here:
The average lifespan of an established church is 80-120 years. Studies also note that churches that survive over 100 years are the exception rather than the norm. That means FBC is on the cusp of that 80 year mark.
God is not a statistic, but my prayer is that as we move forward, we will all have the same commitment to one another and to Christ that we have seen over the last 75 years. There will be times of struggle; times where we might need to make some hard decisions, but if we will remain faithful, God will be faithful to further His kingdom and His glory.
Just before Joshua and the people crossed the Jordan in the book of Joshua, God gave Joshua instructions and a promise to be with him if he would be sure to keep walking with God by obeying the law and commandments. So for the nation, they were embarking on a monumental task – they were about to enter a land that was completely foreign to them. They were about to face a people that were opposed to them. And yet in that uncertainty, we hear the words to Joshua and the people: “Be strong and courageous.”
How could they be strong and courageous? It was because God is faithful. That is true of Him for the past 75 years at FBC, and we can have confidence and the faith to believe that He will continue to be faithful for the foreseeable (and unforeseeable) future.
……………
Looking back at the 75th Anniversary Celebration, a tremendous amount of work went into bringing this about. Theone Tollefson will receive a great reward in heaven for her sacrificial efforts. She organized and led many teams through the planning and execution of the event. The Tsuji clan and Rieko Kato put in uncountable hours researching and gathering historical information and memorabilia, pictures and videos, display set ups, decorations, and much of the behind-the-scenes details that did not go unnoticed. I can’t possibly name every person that was involved in the celebration, and I fear that trying to mention more would only highlight those I missed. You know who you are – we are thankful for your incredible work of love for God and this church.
The theme for the celebration was God’s faithfulness and His glory. May that continue to be the theme of FBC in the years to follow.
-P. Mike
Faith Bible Church 75th Anniversary Video
by Shane Bang
In honor of FBC’s 75th anniversary, we are collecting memories from over the years! No matter how long you’ve been attending FBC, we’d love to hear from you. They will be published later in a memorabilia booklet. Share your memories here: FBC Memories Form
Baptism – 2025.09.28
Tiffany Lin-Vergara
Hi I’m Tiffany.
I started coming to FBC in 2017. I’m a deep reflector…a perfectionist, I really wanted to understand everything before getting baptized…, but this led me to procrastinate. So here I am on my last Sunday at FBC, before our family moves to California…Pastor Mike and worship service team graciously squeezed me in to finally get baptized. Thank you to everyone who helped put this together.
So I found FBC after praying for an “asian church”. I grew up “very Chinese”. I’m an 2nd generation American but I grew up with mostly Chinese culture, some Chinese religion…and remnants of hardships from the Chinese cultural revolution. I was raised to be “gwai” – a Chinese word for good, well-behaved, obedient. I learned how to be polite, a good daughter, tried to be a good person. But somehow, I always felt, why did being “gwai” make me feel so bad inside? And why was I never “gwai” enough/good enough? I was trying to understand…Is this what God expects from me too? How can I be Chinese and Christian? How do other Asian people balance this? And who’s Jesus?
So I was warmly welcomed on my first day here. I thank God for FBC because He knew answering these questions would be…tulmultuous, to say the least. These years been full of wonderful highs and very-low-lows. With marriage. The pandemic. Then unemployment and depression. Asking lots of questions and being discipled. And now motherhood. My church family became such a close support system and reflection of God and his love as I navigated all of this.
These last 8 years God tried to peel away a lot of distractions that represented worldly goodness, in order to uncover His goodness to me.
I recall being in the deepest of valleys in 2022, completely lost in direction. I felt the emotions of the psalmist of Psalm 23:4 (Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me). My only option through was Jesus. And I had the time and opportunity to really read through the whole bible with my small group.
I learned how Great God is and how much He yearns for each of us. I realized He’s always been trying to reach me – from age 6, my piano teacher, a pastor’s wife who shared with me my first bible stories. To 18 one of my first friends in college who brought me to church and gave me my first bible. To 26 marrying into a family with generations of faithful Christians. How amazing is it that God is continuously piecing together each of our stories, and still wanted me in this broken state.
For the first time I understood sin. And accepted that it is a part of me, of us and the world. And it was breaking me apart trying to hide it, and keep it in its own compartment, in order to be “gwai”/good. Now I know…there is no true goodness apart from God. While “gwai” felt conditional, God is unconditional and almighty.
And finally, I understood Jesus’s sacrifice in order for us to have a relationship with God. And I felt so overwhelmed by the love it entails. Then I finally saw all the love surrounding me, what it means to love and be loved regardless of whether I was good-enough/well-behaved-enough/obedient-enough. God surrounded me in this season, with the gentlest AND fiercest examples of love in this community.
I also want to acknowledge my wonderful husband Brian who has showed me unconditional love through all of this. And when we were finally holding and looking down at our baby Lucas, our gift from God, I understood even more of God’s overwhelming love for me.
Through all of this, I finally found peace, in celebrating the beauty of my Chinese culture as a child of God. And I’m excited to finally get baptized as I outwardly commit to following Jesus.
Thank you for listening to my testimony!
FBC Fall Ohana Retreat
October 4-5, 2025
by Kenji Kumai
We give thanks to God for another wonderful retreat at Black Diamond Camp this year. Praise God for the great turnout! We had 133 total who attended. Many who attended last year but we also had many who did not attend last year. And it was encouraging to see a good mix of age groups. This year we had Adult sessions, our WOK – Youth Program and a Children’s Program all going on separately at the same time. We were blessed with Lane Sanford as our Adult Program speaker. It was so good to see Lane’s wife Karrie and youngest daughter Lilly Sanford as well. The Youth Program was led by a panel made up of people from different life experiences and upbringing. Those on the panel were: Tony Encarnacion, Josh Huang, Kelsey Huang, Steven Ma and Rachel Shin. The Children’s Program was led by Sara Boyd. This was the first time for Sara to join us this year. She did an amazing job with our children! Sara works at Cedar Park Christian School as the Bible Department Head and High School Ministry Director as well as teaching in the area of Apologetics.
Just to give those who were not able to attend a glimpse of what took place in the sessions, here is a quick outline for each group:
Adult Program:
Session 1: Why Discipleship? Understanding The Biblical Reasoning for God’s Mission
Session 2: What is Discipleship? A Balanced Definition for Embracing Life in God’s Mission
Session 3: How to Begin a Life of Discipleship. The Thinking and Practices That Foster A Life In God’s Mission
Youth Program (WOK) :
Sessions 1-3: Our Identity – Who We Really Are In Christ
Children’s Program:
Session 1: Who is God and what is he like?
Session 2: Who is Jesus and what did he do for us?
Session 3: What does it mean to follow Jesus?
Each of the sessions were so full of teaching from His word. We were challenged and convicted. But we also had some R&R as well as fun activities during the free times. Young and energetic people playing volleyball and basketball in the gym as well as laser tag! We had people taking walks in the beautiful, forested campus and kids playing in the playground. We were blessed with good weather!
On Saturday night we always have a time together as the whole Ohana family to worship and play games. Andrew Lee and Abby Ishimitsu did an awesome job planning the games and we had a blast together! We are so blessed at FBC to have a multi-generational ohana from little kids to seniors playing games and having fun together. And then after the Family Fun Night, we had a fire pit outside with s’mores and lights for the kids. This has become a tradition!
Mealtimes are always one of my highlights! The food is OK, and for me as long as we don’t get mass food poisoning, I call it a success! But the time we can “break bread” together and spend these meals together is what makes this time so special. We also do that before and after the sessions with yummy refreshments and coffee. These are times that we can connect and get to know each other better.
Thank you to over 40 people who had a part in making this weekend happen. And I always appreciate Daniel Mayeda for spending the weekend taking pictures and videos so that we can all enjoy the video after the retreat. Please take a look at the video if you have not seen it yet.
With thanksgiving to God for our FBC Ohana,
Kenji
FBC Fall Ohana Retreat 2025 Recap Video
by Daniel Mayeda
WOK (WASABI & ROCK Ministries)
by Will Tong
Hi FBC Ohana! The fall and the rain have snuck upon us again, but with that also means a fun and exciting season at FBC—especially for the WOK group. We’re so excited for another year of youth group events and Sunday school, and to witness the kids’ grow. Here are a couple of highlights from the year so far 🙂
WOK Kickoff
Our annual WOK kickoff event took place at the Kumais’ home, bringing together both WOKers and parents. This event is always a warm and fantastic way to start the year—a time for fellowship, meeting the WOK leaders, and learning about our plans for the year ahead. After dinner and activities, we played a competitive game of church-themed Family Feud: parents vs. WOKers. It was close, but the parents came out on top—and I’d argue they might have had even more fun than the kids!
Ohana Retreat
FBC recently held its annual Ohana Retreat at Black Diamond camp. The WOK group ran its own program separate from the adult session, and this year we hosted a discussion panel led by Steven Ma, comprised of Rachel, Kelsey, Josh, and Tony (CYC friends and WOK leaders). The panel discussion was a new format for us—focused on identity and understanding who we are in the context of our faith, family, and relationships. I think the kids were able to learn from and ask questions to the young adults about their identities and faith journeys and was an engaging and fruitful time!
Retreat also is full of fun activities, including worship, game night, and sleeping over in the youth cabins. We even had a couple of students dye Kelsey and Josh’s hair as a reward for memorizing the Beatitudes! Praise God for such a blessed time of fun, fellowship, and faith🙂
Sunday School—Sermon on the Mount
And last but not least is Sunday School. Last year, we learned about the early church while making our way through the entire book of Acts. This year we’re studying the Sermon on the Mount from the book of Matthew, diving deep into Jesus teachings and focusing on just a few verses each week. This year, we also have returned back to separate Sunday school classes for middle school and high schoolers. We’re so blessed to have Emma Wu and Paul Mayeda lead the middle school Sunday School. Emma will also help with the broader WOK events (combined middle and high school) alongside Katie, Kelsey, Josh and Will.
Please continue to pray for the youth in their faith journeys and that the fellowship events can continue to be an avenue for kids to introduce their friends to a faith community. Thank you church for your constant support of the youth and of the ministry!
CYC (College & Young Career)
by Joshua Hung & Rachel Shin
FBC – CSL Basketball:
Many of us in CYC have been playing in the Christian Sports League (CSL), and it’s been such a fun way to connect with both new and familiar faces in a different setting! Because so many people wanted to join, we even created two teams this year. We’re already seven weeks into the season, and while our teams have a combined three wins, every game has been filled with laughter, great competition between churches, and fellowship afterwards. When I first moved to Seattle, CSL Basketball was a great way to get to know many people in CYC, and I hope it continues to be an avenue of outreach and community.
– Joshua Huang
Kickoff!
We kicked off our CYC year with some coffee and prayer time! Big shoutout to Erik Lee for hooking us up with his SideQuest coffee beans and to all our awesome baristas for keeping the caffeine flowing.
We got to hear some teaching from our new core leader Steven and some sharing from our former prayer team leader Joanna. We also took time to pair up and pray together—it was such a meaningful way to start the year centered on prayer and community.
Here’s to an amazing year ahead!
– Rachel Shin
Women’s Brunch:
Our women’s brunch was such a blast! So many ladies brought amazing dishes for the potluck that we actually ran out of table space—we had to add another long table just to fit all the food! FBC women definitely know how to eat well.
Huge thank-you to Auntie Theone for putting so much thought and heart into your sharing and for encouraging us with your powerful testimony. We also had Sonya lead us in a fun fall craft, making lanterns out of mason jars—some of them turned out cute! (HAHA)
Big thanks as well to Kelsey for MCing and helping everything run so smoothly. It was such a beautiful time of different generations coming together, sharing food, faith, and fellowship.
We can’t wait to see you at the next FBC Women’s Brunch!
– Rachel Shin
Missionaries
We were truly blessed to have several of our missionaries with us this summer. Their time among us was a beautiful reminder of God’s faithfulness and the power of His calling. Now that they have returned to their mission field, let us continue to lift them up in prayer for God’s strengthen, protection, and encouragement as they share His love and the hope of the gospel with those they serve around the world.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
— Matthew 28:19–20 (NIV)
Bill’s Book Blurb
by Bill Hamasaki
Recommended Book – The Eclipse of God by Erwin W. Lutzer
In our current culture, there are so many issues and ideas that have caused much confusion, strife, and in some cases, even violence. There is the great political divide, the illegal immigration issue, the transgender debate, the sexualization of our children, the growing influence of radical Islam and the increasing rise of anti-Semitism, the definition of free speech, the crime crisis, the push for Marxist/socialist policies, the great global reset, and many more. As followers of Christ, how should we approach and think about these issues from a biblical perspective?
In this book, the author (former pastor of Moody Memorial Church) has written to help believers understand and deal with such cultural issues from a biblical perspective. He writes with three objectives:
- To better understand the intellectual roots of this present darkness. “Like a doctor who diagnoses a disease before he prescribes a cure, so must we understand the ideas that got us here and how we can combat them.”
- To rejoice that God is sovereign and stands ready to give us the blessing of His presence, no matter our predicament. “If we seriously focus on God in our worship, we can view our culture’s darkness as an opportunity, not a liability. As mentioned, our fortunes as believers are not tied to the fortunes of the culture.”
- To remind us that only a repentant and submissive church can shine the light of the gospel with confidence and strength. “We are up against those who are convinced we can easily be crushed under the weight of secularization…Seeing our battle as primarily a spiritual conflict will drive us to prayer; we will realize that we cannot fight the world on its terms.”
He also addresses how many in our culture have created and follow a god “that is more sin-friendly…a god who just like us.” A god that is made in our image. The idea that truth is subjective and not objective is another issue discussed. Personal opinions and preferences are now the basis of truth, not that “which corresponds to reality.”
Of great importance and perspective is Part 2 of the book in which he discusses the need to return to God as the “God of Truth, Not ‘Truthiness,’” to the “God of Creation, Not Blind Chance,” to the “God of Moral Absolutes, Not Our Personal Preferences,” to the “God as Lawgiver, Not as Vacillating Ruler,” and to the “God of Wrath and Grace, Not Unconditional Love.”
I would highly recommend his previous three books (a trilogy) focusing on our culture from a biblical worldview where he addresses directly some of the issues mentioned above. With a scholar’s mind and pastor’s heart, his writings provide a clear, insightful, and much needed analysis of our culture and how believers can be a light in the darkness.
FBC is once again partnering with Sacred Road Ministries this Christmas to bless children and youth with gifts. The details and ideas for donation are listed here: https://fbcseattle.org/
