In Community:

August 2018 Newsletter

A Short Goodbye

by Pastor Craig Swanson

Lois and I often remark with thanksgiving how the Lord prepared us for and led us to FBC.  Leading us to Japan, He introduced me to ministry to Japanese.  Providing a business opportunity here, He brought us to the Seattle area instead of back home to Vancouver, WA.  Along the way He gave me associate and senior pastor experience and 16 years ago, introduced us to Faith Bible Church.  We feel blessed to serve together and amazed at how quickly the time seems to fly by.

From August 1st, I will begin my third sabbatical since joining the staff.  Each time the focus and purpose seem to change.  On our first sabbatical, we wanted to expose ourselves to a variety of worship experiences and so most Sundays we attended churches not so similar to FBC.  Last time around we were looking to step out of our comfort zone and trust God for daily practical things and encounters so we spent the bulk of the time in Europe where little was familiar.  This time around, my goal is to recharge; to come back re-energized for the next leg of our adventure in serving together at FBC.

One of the many things we appreciate about Faith Bible is the history of pastoral longevity.  The Kirkpatricks and Gosdens served here for nearly two decades each.  As we approach this milestone ourselves I want to do so with plenty “in the tank”.  That, as well as spending some time with family, including out-of-town family we don’t normally get to see much, will be the goal of each day.  The passage the Lord has brought to mind for our time away is Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of your time…” Even in a season of recharging, we plan to be intentional, to make the most of this blessed opportunity and to come back refreshed and ready to discover the things the Lord has for us in the season ahead.  We’ll still be around FBC from time to time and will continue to pray for needs in the church but we want to thank you all for this time away and look forward to being back together again in November.

VBS 2018 Recap Video by Daniel Mayda

VBS 2018 Babylon

by Sue Machida

What an amazing week we had at VBS this year!  2018 VBS “Babylon” took place on July 9^th through July 13^th with 78 children attending and 60+ staff workers serving in various roles.  This particular curriculum by Group involved quite an extensive preparation and much more staffing during the week than our usual, mostly due to the marketplace component as well as the tightly structured group discussion times.  Although this curriculum was rather challenging as a whole, the Lord’s provision was very evident before, during, and after the VBS week.  In the end, more than enough workers volunteered, more than expected children showed up to hear God’s story, and more than sufficient cash and backpack donations to support our VBS service project in helping with the Sacred Road Ministries in providing Yakama children their needed school supplies.  What a witness of God’s faithful work!

The 78 children were divided into four tribes and the leaders in each group discussed the cultural background in Babylonia, how Babylonians worshipped many gods and did not know the true God.  They also reviewed the daily Bible verses that coincided with the daily Bible lesson.  Chris and Missy Takano flew in from CA to tell about Daniel’s courage and miraculous story of his experience in the captivity in Babylon.  The children learned different stories of Daniel every day.
Monday – Enemies capture Daniel and his friends and take them to Babylon (Daniel 1)
Tuesday – Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2)
Wednesday – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego survive a fiery furnace (Daniel 3)
Thursday – Daniel prays, even though it means he might get into trouble (Daniel 6:1-16)
Friday – God saves Daniel from the lions (Daniel 6:16-28)
God is with you when things change, when you need help, when you’re afraid, when you’re lonely, and even when you’re thankful.

Pastor Mike had prepared many amazing and super fun games outside in the parking lot.  It is not so easy to get the cooperation from the little ones sometimes, but pastor Mike along with the youth helpers kept everyone so engaged and involved throughout the whole week with ever changing fun games.  The kids sure had a lot of fun in the sun!

Dawn Hamasaki, the master mind in planning, was in charge of the marketplace where the children could pick and choose the shop they wanted to visit each day.  Each child was encouraged to visit all of the 10 shops by the end of the week, so the tribe leaders had to work very hard in figuring out the schedule for the kids in their group, all in a short 30-minute marketplace time every day!  This marketplace schedule was complicated and very tight with so many people involved at once, but its flow was amazingly smooth and calm.  There were about 16 workers as shop owners, close to 40 children, and 6 tribe leaders at each marketplace rotation.  That makes about 62 people in the marketplace at a time, and can you imagine a skit breaking out in the midst of these bustling people brought by pastor Craig, Dave Bauson, and Naomi?  How Fun!  When this 30 min session was over, another marketplace session started all over again…  Thank you so much Dawn!

Each day of the VBS week started and ended with fun songs of worship led by Naomi.  Although it’s supposed to be her first time, Naomi led the kids like a pro all by herself!  Everyone had so much fun learning hand motions to new songs and singing their hearts out.  The Lord knew our needs and provided Naomi to step up in roles she’s never done before.  We are so thankful for God’s provision in this way.

A closing celebration took place at the end of the Friday schedule.  The slide show put together by Daniel Mayeda recapped our fun week in all areas and beautiful memories made learning God’s Word together.  (Video Link: https://youtu.be/6tw-YE6ZdMA)

While all these activities took place throughout the week, Sheila Chan and the senior helpers were busy in the kitchen preparing the snacks and the lunch for close to 150 people every day!  That sure is a daunting task, but our pro Sheila took care of us all!  A huge thank you to the seniors who came out in rotations to help in the kitchen!  You all inspire us and set good examples for us to follow! Thank you!  Another huge thank you to Rieko Kato and Stacie Lee who designed beautiful and awesome background designs even with their super busy schedules!  So many hours of labor were put into making the set design and we cannot thank you enough!  Thank you, too, to Lyanne Kurtz who took care of all the administrative needs and working very hard behind the scene overseeing the whole VBS.  This amazing week of VBS and reaching out to the children in the greater Seattle area wouldn’t have been possible without the full support of FBC.  We are thankful for the whole church staff for providing all we needed and more, especially for the extra janitorial service.  Thank you Whalens and Colsons!

As a service project, we collected backpacks, school supplies, and monetary donations in order to help the needy children in Yakama.  Many backpacks were donated along with close to $600 in cash.  This fund will be used in purchasing backpacks and other school supplies.  We pray that the children in the Yakama Nation would feel God’s love through this.  We will continue to pray for the children who attended the VBS that their hearts are moved by the story of Daniel’s courage even in his captivity, his faith in one true God and the salvation message.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!  His faithful love endures forever.”  I Chronicles 16:34

With thankful heart,

Sue Machida

In Loving Memory of Kay Abe of the LORD’s Table

by Jo Valberg

Kay Abe Obituary – Seattle, WA | The Seattle Times

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/seattletimes/obituary.aspx?n=kay-aiko-abe&pid=189496443

“Kay” Aiko Abe was born on May 9, 1927 in Selleck, WA to Buichi & Kotoyo Yoshihara, the 2nd of 8 children, and went to be with her Lord on June 26, 2018 at age 91.

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It is an inspiration to hear Kay’s testimony of her relationship with Jesus Christ as she followed Him in joyful obedience.  In every conversation she would constantly mention His faithfulness, including His providing helping hands to the tasks of preparing for His Table’s feeding.  And looking back over the years, we see His works!  Kay said she had never recruited any of the volunteers.  He called each one and He provided.

Kay cited scriptures in her response to His calling in helping the poor: Isaiah 58, Proverbs 19:17 and Matthew 25.  Each winter she would also distribute clothing and blankets.  Kay lived the example of a believer following Jesus.

A recollection she shared was of her parents, Buichi & Kotoyo Yoshihara.  They each came to faith in Christ with testimonies of amazing deliverances which passed on to Kay a legacy of God’s precious saving grace and love for the lost.

I will remember Kay’s face, glowing with an inner light, filled with joy and giving thanks for God’s goodness to her and family.  She dedicated her life and efforts, her finances, to His ministry in transforming lives, gently reminding us of His love and faithfulness.  I believe Kay was received into His kingdom with the following commendation…

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’  (Matthew 25:21  NASB)

‘Come…let’s celebrate together!’ 

Missionary Update

by Chris and Missy Takano

We moved away from Seattle seven years ago this summer, uncertain of what God was preparing for us in California. While our kids were still very small, Chris went back to school to get his teaching credential, and we started to see how God was leading us into His plans. Chris got a job at a wonderful school in San Jose teaching 7th Grade Bible, and soon completed his Master’s in Teaching. I (Missy) took a position at the church we attend and loved connecting with families and staff. Our boys began attending school, and in every way we really put down roots in California.

It came as a surprise two years ago when God started pulling us in a different direction. One morning at work, a substitute teacher approached Chris and asked him, “Do you think God has any dreams for your life that you’re not fulfilling?” This question was totally out of the blue and, frankly, a bit offensive! Everybody at the school loved Chris – students, fellow teachers, administration, parents – and he loved them too. Of course teaching was the dream God had for our lives! But we couldn’t shake the question, and Chris felt the Holy Spirit nudging him to be in a place of surrender to whatever God might have for us.

One night, Chris prayed boldly for God to lead us however He wanted, even if it wasn’t what we expected. Just a couple hours later we received an email about an international school for missionary kids that would be needing a middle school Bible teacher the following year. This definitely wasn’t in our plans! We began asking God to soften our hearts for missionary kids if this was really what He had for us, and before long He did just that. We grew so eager to serve this unique population – teenagers who are uprooted from their home culture because of their parents’ faith, and who need adults to invest in their lives in Jesus’ name.

We applied with Black Forest Academy last spring, as well as with TeachBeyond, a non-profit “sending organization” that mobilizes teachers to go all around the world using education to bring the love and truth of Christ to all people. Both organizations said “yes!” and we started the process of support-raising. All teachers at Black Forest Academy are 100% supported missionaries so that the school can serve the 75 different mission organizations of attending families free of cost. We are so excited to become a part of this community, impacting “kingdom work” around the world by serving the kids of missionaries, pouring into these students’ lives, and trusting God’s lead for our family.

We fly out on Wednesday July 25th with one-way tickets! Our hearts are deeply encouraged by FBC’s support of this ministry work, and we would love to hear from anybody who wants to stay in touch, receive updates on the ministry, and continue praying over our family and these students. Please drop us a note by email any time! And grab a prayer card in the FBC lobby so we can be on your fridge! Thanks for hearing our hearts and joining with us in reaching students with God’s love.

Sacred Road Mission Trip

July 28 – August 4

Please Pray!