July 2007

PASTOR'S PEN

The Future of Asian American Leadership in the Church

“Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity…Do not neglect the gifts what is in you, which was given to you…”  
- I Timothy 4:12, 14

As I celebrated my ??th birthday this past June, it really hit me hard that I am no longer as young as I used to be.  Now, I know that some of you who know me are thinking, “What in the world is she talking about!!???” With all due respect to those that are more mature and wiser than I am (which I realize is many of you!), it is a true reality to me nonetheless.  I feel my physical energy declining daily, I have glimpses of ‘mid-life crisis’ and I definitely cannot do an ‘all-nighter’ anymore!  Makes me wonder what my week in Chicago coming up with the young adults is going to be like…

From July 1-7, I spent a week with about ten Asian American young adults as a ‘mentoring pastor’ at McCormick Theological Seminary.  These young adults came from different parts of the country, from various theological backgrounds and diverse experiences.  But they are all gathering together because they are Asian Americans, and they are interested in becoming effective leaders in the church.

These young adults experienced the ‘Taste of Seminary’ – a week-long seminary-like experience with ‘real’ seminary classes, field experiences and worship.   The ‘mentoring pastors’ were with them the entire time, going to classes and doing field work with them.  (I was actually required to do all the readings for the classes – yikes!)  At the end of the week, the students were paired up with a ‘mentoring pastor’ and throughout the next year, this ‘mentoring pastor’ will assist the students in discerning which direction they will head next.  Some of them may hear the call to go to seminary and pursue professional ministry.  Some of them may choose other ways of doing ministry.  Either is wonderful, as they truly seek to live out God’s call for them.

I am honored to be a part of the AADVENT (Asian American Discipleship for Vocational Empowerment, Nurture and Transformation) program – of which ‘Taste of Seminary’ is one component of – as one of the ‘mentoring pastors’.  The AADVENT program, in its 3rd year, seeks to offer resources and opportunities for young Asian American adults for their leadership development in the church and their communities.  It also gives people like me an opportunity to walk alongside with younger, emerging, Asian/Asian-American church leadership – what an exciting thing to be a part of!

As I was growing up, I remember being given the guidance, opportunities and resources to serve God in various ways – and I am what I am today because of it.  And today, I believe that investing in the leadership of our young people is one of the important things God calls us to do.  Here at CUPC, we continue our quest to nurture our youth/young adults and to equip them with the necessary tools for effective leadership.  I, personally, have been given the privilege to work with young adults outside these church walls as well.  I consider this an additional blessing!

There are wonderful things about being younger – more energy, passion, able to do all-nighters (and still be function-able the next morning!), creativity, and definitely NO ‘mid-life crises’!  But oftentimes, younger persons are not as appreciated because of their lack of ‘maturity’ or ‘life experience’.  Timothy, as we can see in the above Bible passage, must have had those experiences as well.  But the apostle Paul (Timothy’s mentor), in writing to Timothy, encourages him to not give up, and to fully use the gifts that God had given him. 

I believe that we are all called to be like this apostle Paul.  To help nurture and support the gifts that God has given - to everyone, including the younger persons.  They are our future, and so investing in them and their leadership is investing in our own futures. 

So as I spent a week with the young adults at McCormick, I am inviting you to think and pray about ways that you, personally, and we, as a church are called to be a part of the leadership development of our younger persons.  Then I invite you to go and take the first step in doing it – come share your ideas with the session or myself, come get involved with us, become like Paul with us!  I am looking forward to hearing from you…

Summer blessings!

DEACONS' REPORT

As I write this report on the 4th of July, I am reminded to be thankful to God for living in this wonderful country and for the freedom that we have.   My only hope is that we find peace throughout the world.

The Deacon’s next meeting is July 15th.  I invite anyone who is interested to please join us.

Coffee Fellowship
The Deacons would like to thank the individuals who have contributed to the coffee fellowship during the month of June. The Deacon’s are aware there are others who do not sign up on the list, but contribute.  We would like to thank you all.  Also, if you haven’t signed up recently, I encourage you to sign up on the bulletin board next to the social hall.  Thank you in advance.

Irene Woo, Vice Moderator

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

Summer Camp Moment

My name is Rachelle Hata and I am 18 years old.  I am entering my sophomore year at City College of San Francisco this fall and majoring in Education.  To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to work at camp this year.  I was originally going to go to summer school and continue my job at Banana Republic.  But I told myself that if I started to hate my job for any reason, I will quit and work at CUPC.  And look where I am now, working at CUPC and no job at Banana Republic.  But this wasn’t the only reason why I came to work this year.  It was partially because others were working, and of course the kids. 

I’ve been coming to camp since the 4th grade and have been a leader for six years, which will make this year my eleventh year at CUPC.  This year I am the oldest leader, if you count by grades, but if not, then I am the second oldest leader.  It is pretty interesting to see how many younger leaders there are at camp this year.  They seem so exhausted at the end of the day during afternoon seminar and complain about how their campers would not listen and tell stories how a kid falls in the mud and we all would laugh hysterically. 

This week, we finished our first week of camp and it seemed like the longest week of camp I have ever spent here at CUPC.  I don’t know why but I am pretty sure most of the leaders would agree with me that this week was long and exhausting.  My week was pretty eventful, I had gotten a real bad sunburn on my arms, which are still burning now, I cooked the hardest cookout I had ever done, believe me, chicken skewers are harder then they sound, they would stick to the foil, take too long to cook, and sharing half of two grills was not the best cookout idea I’ve had, but I must say they were pretty tasty; it was also track and field day where the campers would compete in teams through numerous events that include relay races, soccer games, playing jug baseball, penguin football, volleyball with the biggest beach ball I had ever seen that had to be flown up manually, and going through the amazingly hard obstacle course that another leader and I had made up.  And most of all, the thing I would remember the most from this week was that on the way back from the park, I had accidentally picked up a backpack that was not even a campers’.

I would say that camp gives me so many memories that will last for a long time.  I can still remember how camp was like when I was in the 4th grade with the current ED as my leader.  The bonds we make here, the friendships we make here, they all will last a lifetime for most of these leaders and campers.

Gay Families in the Church

The weekend of June 24 in San Francisco was the celebration of the Gays and Lesbians in their annual parade on Market Street.  We saw brightly colored and flamboyant costumes worn by the participants in a joyful and celebratory mood as they danced and paraded in front of thousands of admirers and supporters.

For myself, having lived in this open and tolerant city, I felt we had passed the stage of drawing attention to the gay and lesbian communities in such a visible manner.

Having said that, I would like to focus on the churches of San Francisco, and Christ Church, in particular.  As yet, we as a church, haven’t openly stated our affirmation and acceptance for those who are gay or lesbian.  We haven’t held a forum or discussed this subject in any organized way.  I don’t know how our members think, but I believe that as a church we are open to all peoples, no matter what their racial, gender, age, and sexual orientations are.

There’s a film, “In God’s House:  Asian American Lesbian and Gay Families in the Church” which is now being shown among the church groups.  The film attempts to promote greater tolerance and acceptance in the church for gays and lesbians.  I’ve been told by those who had seen it, that the film is powerful and thought-provoking.

I am recommending that Christ Church, through one of its committees or boards, sponsor a study group on this subject, to view the film and to share our thoughts on this vital concern.

I believe it’s time that we openly discuss and hopefully affirm our acceptance of the gays and lesbians in our midst.

God loves us all!

Kathy Reyes

June 2007

YOUTH WORKER'S PEN

A note from Pastor Grace: 
I’d like to introduce Rufus Zingkhai, our new staff person since March.  He was brought on to CUPC to work with our youth – and we have surely been blessed with his presence and passion for youth ministry!  His ministry experiences include working with youth in various churches in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as in India, where he and his family are from. Currently, he is attending Golden Gate Baptist Seminary, furthering his studies in Christian educational leadership. So this month, here is the ‘Youth Worker’s Pen’…

Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18 KJV)

Being lost is a terrifying experience. When my wife Akani and I get together with our children, one of our favorite pastimes is to sit around and talk about the “good old times.” We enjoy talking about our childhood. From time to time, I am reminded that as a toddler, I had gotten lost once because I wandered away on my own. My uncles were supposed to look after me, but they wanted to play. They bought me some snacks and asked me to wait until they returned. I started to wander away after I finished eating. I was too young to have remembered anything, but one thing I do know is that the feeling of being lost is scary.

Without vision, it is easy to get lost in the shuffle of life. The busyness of life can easily entangle us, and gradually causes us to lose grip of the purpose and direction of life. Vision is important, especially for churches and the body of Christ. Vision allows us to plan for the future and evaluate the present. We aren’t looking into a crystal ball and trying to interpret the future. Rather, true vision is seeing what we can become in the future. The Bible says, “Without vision, people perish.” My families were so thankful to participate in fulfilling the vision of the founding fathers of our church, which set a long-term vision for us. The goal was to be a welcoming community of faith, and united in Christ, seek to offer opportunities for spiritual growth in our faith journeys, to build loving relationships that are Christ-centered, and to nurture one another through spiritual growth, prayer, life giving servant-hood, and fellowship, rooted in our worship of God. I hope each individual in the body of Christ will continue to remember and contribute something for the vision of the founder father of our Church. I believe if we continue to be obedient, we will continue to experience the joy of seeing the expansion of God’s Kingdom.

I am thankful to the founders of this church because they had visions. They built this church with the clear vision that allows us not to get lost in the wilderness. I am also thankful to each of our members for contributing your thoughts in the town hall meetings for the better serving of His kingdom.  The leadership of this Church invites you to share your thoughts and getting involved in turning our Church vision into reality. Let us together capture our Church ‘vision in faith’.

Before I sign off, I would like to encourage you to get involved in the Kingdom of God. It doesn’t matter whether you have a title of an officer or not, you are God’s servant, and therefore follow your Master’s example to humbly serve others. A reward is waiting for you to claim: “Well done, good and faithful servant . . . come and share your master’s happiness!”  Amen.

DEACONS' REPORT

As summer is quickly approaching, I would like to congratulate all the graduates. May God continue to bless you and guide you in all you endeavors. And for those of you who may be going on vacation, I wish you safe and happy travels. 

The Deacon Flock List has been posted on the bulletin board downstairs next to the social hall.  We will be updating the list, so if your name doesn’t appear on a flock, please fill out a form and we will place you on a flock.  If you have any concerns or prayer requests, please contact your flock leader.

If you have any prayer requests or needs, please contact the church.

Irene Woo, Vice Moderator

ARTICLE OF INTEREST

One Great Hour of Sharing

The theme of this year’s One Great Hour of Sharing is “Who is my neighbor?” Our salvation is not a private peace we can negotiate with God.  It requires our being involved with one another. Jesus tells us that “one another” does not just mean the people who shop at the same stores we do.  It means whoever is in need. One Great Hour of Sharing is one of the ways in which we reach beyond our own experience to the needs of others, needs we may never have seen firsthand. It is one of the ways we share the love of God with others. But what do we get out of this transaction?  Do we get our passport stamped so we can go straight to heaven?

Jesus teaches us that our separation from our neighbor, especially the neighbor we don’t really want to approach, is one of the things that separates us from true life. It is in recognizing our own face in that of our neighbor that we can see the face of God. It is in recognizing our common need and our common humanity with all of those we may be tempted to think of as them that we can open ourselves up to God. As we give our gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing, let us thank God for the opportunities to encounter those neighbors through the mission of this offering, and ask God to open us more and more to recognize the unacknowledged neighbors in our lives.

We will be collecting the One Great Hour of Sharing offering on Sunday, June 24, 2007. If you are unable to attend, you can mail your offering to the church or bring it at a later date. Please be a good neighbor.

Chris Hiroshima
Mission & Outreach Chairperson

May 2007

PASTOR'S PEN

Looking to Discern the Steps of God’s Plan for Us (Part 2)

“What then is Apollos?  What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth…For we are Gods’ servants, working together…”  I Corinthians 3:5-6, 9

In the last Pastor’s Pen (April), I began to share with you the findings from our four scheduled town hall meetings at CUPC.  For the first two, the foci were on: 1. the seniors, and 2. Nichigo/Japanese-speaking ministries.  Here, I continue to share with you the findings of our other two town hall meetings.  (Please see the previous issue for findings from the first two town hall meetings.)

Focus group:  CUPC Youth (held on April 1, 2007)

Some recent thanksgivings were: 

      The arrival of Rufus Zingkhai (Youth Worker) and family

      Youth have grown and have taken more responsibilities and leadership in the church

      Increased number of youth

      Sense of community at fellowship

      Having fun!           

Question:  What are some of the needs of the CUPC youth that you hope to see tended to?

Some answers were:

      Youth connected more to Presbytery and Presbyterian events

      More program consistency throughout the year

      Doing more service/mission work

      Work in the community and with non-profits

      Planning meeting during the summer to capture the excitement and momentum for fall

      Teaching about faith through music

      Worship: more upbeat, more physical involvement, drama – more well-rehearsed,

      please, youth sermons

      More youth-led worship services

      Retreat opportunities

      More intergenerational gatherings

      More ways outside of Summer Camp to bring in youth

      Do more outreach to youth in the community and at different events

      Have youth group hold lunch fundraisers (4 time a year or so) so that church family can have different settings to socialize and have fellowship

Focus group:  Family Ministries - Young Families, Families with Various Needs (held on April 29, 2007)

Some recent thanksgivings were:

      Nursery

      Play area in Social Hall

      More young children

      Young children/youth participating in worship

      Time for our Young Disciples (on communion Sundays) seem to work well

      Families take care of each others’ children

      Blessed with good ideas

Question:  What are some of the needs of families that you hope to see tended to?

Some answers were:

      More Sunday School teachers/volunteers

      Congregation learning more about what are the kind of special needs, how to work with parents/children with special needs

      Family activities and worship outside the church building

      Respite care for parents with children

      Intergenerational/inter-familial activities which expand the definition of ‘family’

      Incorporate the needs/schedules of ‘commuter families’ in the congregation

Now that we have finished all four of the town hall meetings, session will take the findings and prayerfully discern, plan and work to implement the ways in which our church can meet the needs of our existing congregation as well as equip our members/friends.  With God’s guidance and help, we pray that this will enable our church to effectively ‘Go Ye Therefore’ as stated in our Mission Statement in the next part of CUPC’s journey.  So, as you can see, the session has much work to do!

But please remember this: as shared in the last Pastor’s Pen, we are all God’s servants (like Apollos and Paul in the Bible passage above – who were both leaders in the early church) – which means that while session takes the lead in doing the work, we are ALL a part of the process and work.  Whether through your continued various inputs or helping with the ‘implementation’ of the work, we are ALL called to work together in this discernment/planning/implementing process.  We are called and invited to work for and with God, and do God’s work together!

So, how do you feel lead to respond to this call and invitation?   What gift(s) is God calling you to bring to the table?  Would you come join in this wonderful adventure with us? – I prayerfully hope that the answer is ‘YES’!!

DEACONS' REPORT

The Deacons had its quarterly meeting in April.  It’s amazing how quickly the quarterly meetings happen!  Even though we are not meeting monthly, we are continually doing God’s work by nurturing and keeping in touch with members and friends of CUPC.  

Just as Jesus is our Shepard and we are his flock, each Deacon is a Shepard and has a flock.  Do you know who your flock leader is?? Since you probably don’t, we will be posting all the flock lists on the bulletin board soon, so I encourage you to find out who your flock leader is.  If you have any concerns or needs, please contact your flock leader.

We are also working on a new program called the Pastoral Partnership Program.  This program will replace our current flock program.  It provides training tools to help Deacons increase skills in relating to members as a pastoral figure. Unlike our current flock list, which is numerous in size, this program will work with smaller groups of about five families.  A pilot program is being implemented.  If you have any interest or questions, please contact one of us. 

Also, during our meeting, some people shared a little about their faith journey. Both testimonies were touching and inspirational.  It was a great way to know a little more about them. Perhaps you can share your faith journey or ask someone about their journey during coffee fellowship.  It is a good way to know someone a little better.  We look forward to hearing other faith journeys in upcoming meetings.

If you have any prayer request or needs, please contact the church office.

Irene Woo, Vice Moderator