July 2012

PASTOR'S PEN

Ministry Opportunity: Director of Ministries for Families and Youth!

"'Don't push these children away. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in.' Then, gathering the children up in his arms, Jesus laid his hands of blessing on them." Mark 10:14b-16 (The Message)

Great things are happening at CUPC!!

Since September of 2010, our church had been in an intentional discernment process regarding the ministry toward our youth. After three youth directors who didn't stay very long, the church decided to take a step back, think and pray hard about this ministry. Why wasn't it 'working' as hoped? What was hindering the 'growth' of our youth ministry? Where was God in all this, and how are we being called to move forward?

With these questions in mind, the Youth Ministry Discernment Task Group was formed by the session. The Task Group first began by studying about what 'discernment' is, then prayerfully sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead us in each step of the way. Long story short (as we've been meeting regularly for almost two years, I will spare you all the details!) the session has just approved the hiring of the Director of Ministries for Families and Youth!

As you can tell from the title, one of the things that the Task Group discerned was the need for a more comprehensive approach to ministry. Instead of focusing only on the youth (middle school and high school), the Task Group felt it was integral that the ministry began with the families (the children and their parents) and nurturing them as the children reach adolescence and beyond. Of course, this does not exclude the high school youth who are a big part of summer camp program as volunteers (but may not always worship with us regularly) - but placing the emphasis on families (and not just youth) seeks to journey along the entire cycle for our children's growth and their families.

The person that we are seeking to welcome will be a full-time ministry staff of the church and will work with the Sunday school program, help coordinate youth fellowships, and direct the Summer Camp program. In addition to offering continuity between these programs, this person will reach out to, resource, and support new families, creating opportunities for them to be integrated into the church and its programs.

As the church moves forward in the direction of hiring a full-time ministry staff for families and youth, I believe we have faithfully discerned to attend to Jesus' mandate toward children as seen in the verse above. How can we welcome the children and their families? How can we take down the barriers between them and Jesus? How can we make them the 'center of the kingdom'? How can we bless them? These are the questions that I hope that we, the church, and the Director of Ministries for Families and Youth will continue to ask and take steps to answer as we heed God's call together.

Thank you for keeping the search process in your prayers, and please let me know if you know of any persons which might be interested in/fit for this position. Also, many thanks and kudos to the Youth Ministry Discernment Task Group, who stayed for many late hours in the night and worked diligently for the past two years in order to faithfully discern the direction that God is leading us. It was an amazing journey to be on with you!

Indeed, great things are happening at CUPC - thanks be to God!

Looking forward to what is to come, 

Pastor Grace

MOMENTS FOR CHURCH FOCUS

Continuing from previous month, the following are ways in which CUPC's committees/board are trying to live out our church focus for 2012: Love God, Love Neighbor. The transcripts below reflect what each committee/board shared with the congregation during worship.

Finance Committee: Sharon Yow, chair
Sunday, Jun 10, 2012

When Pastor Grace asked me to say a few words about the Finance Committee and its ministry to the Church, my reaction was "Oh my gosh." What is there to say about the Committee other than it deals with money? So I looked up the word "finance" in the thesaurus and words like business, investment, backing, support popped up. I started to think about how the church is like a "mini" corporation. A corporation has a Chief Operating Officer. We have our minister. It has a Board of Directors. We have Session. It has shareholders. We have members and friends. A corporation has different divisions to help make it run smoothly and so does the Church. Just to name a few are the following: Christian Ed., Fellowship, Summer Camp, Worship, Japanese-speaking Ministries, Personnel, Property Maintenance, and Finance. Each committee has a chair and the chairs report back to Session at its monthly meeting.

A corporation has "investors." Our "investors" are our "shareholders" - of all ages who give not only with their pledges and donations but also with their time and talents. There is a business aspect to the church which some people don't realize. The church pays salaries, and collects rent (NLF/parking lot). There are bills to pay such as gas and electric, water, janitorial services, office equipment, etc. The Church has long range goals - what do we want, how do we see ourselves five, ten, twenty years from now. There are short term investments such as money market CDs, and long term investments such as our staff and programs. Some returns are better than others and sometimes, the budget does not allow us to continue investing or make new investments. But the most important investment the Church has is in its Congregation.

So what role does the Finance Committee play in the Church ministry? It is the oversight committee for the budget. It keeps track of monies coming in and going out. It works with Session throughout the year to make sure that there are sufficient funds for the Church to operate. Sometimes there are unexpected expenses and not enough funds available so the Finance Committee has to borrow from the reserves to balance the books. In October, the budget process begins for the following year. Finance meets with the committee chairs to go over their requests. Combined that with the Church's operating expenses, Finance will recommend to Session a budget based upon what it thinks the revenue will be for the New Year. The Committee also meets quarterly throughout the year and sometimes more, depending on what the needs are.

How does the Finance Committee fit into the Church's theme of Love God, Love Neighbor? There are some that feel that God will provide and that the finances of the Church will be taken care of. God will support us but we are responsible to take care of our own resources. We cannot continue to Love God, Love Neighbor that way we want to without the support of everyone in our church family. By the grace of God, we are blessed with the generosity of our members and friends so that the church can remain a vital part of this community, with open arms, welcoming presence, and a place to worship. Amen.

Summer Camp Committee: Wayne Hiroshima, chair

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Love God, Love Neighbor - When one is treated with respect, love, care, and wonderful teachings, the person reciprocates in the same way. The tendency is also to treat others in the same way. If you have ever heard any of the youth share their testimony during the past 35 years of summer camp, you have heard how this ministry is "loving neighbors".

We have a new website this year and I would like to thank Kyle Otsuki and Arman Hirose-Afshari for their wonderful work on the new website.

Three words are used to describe our Summer Camp: Fun, Fellowship & Faith. I would like to share with everyone a few examples in each area that shows how this ministry accomplishes "Love Neighbor".

Fun: daily activities, sports and outings.

Fellowships: Belonging to a group and developing wonderful relationships.

• Happens between ED, Director, leaders, campers, families and CUPC Faith Community.
• Family Picnic and Parent's night
• Leader overnight trip
• Friday Night Youth Fellowships

Faith:

• The discipleship of the Executive Director, staff and leaders.
• Weekly devotions to campers.
• Friday Night Youth Worship Services.
• Sunday Worship Service and Sunday school.

The committee's role is to support the Pastor, Executive Director, staff, parents and campers in experiencing CUPC's wonderful "Fun, Fellowship and Faith" Community.

CLERK'S REPORT

Everyone is invited to attend our regular session meetings. If you are interested in how the session, our governing body, discusses ministry at CUPC, please come and join us! You are also welcome to read the minutes, which are public documents. The minutes are available in the church office.

COFFEE FELLOWSHIP: 

The Deacons would like to thank the individuals who have contributed to the coffee fellowship during the month of June. The Deacons are aware there are others who do not sign up on the list, but contribute. We would like to thank you all!

Jan Der, Co-moderator

SUMMER CAMP MOMENTS

Each Sunday during worship in the summer, leaders from our Summer Camp program share with the congregation what has been going on at camp, along with their reflections. You will see what they shared below:

Elijah Totten
Sunday, July 1, 2012

Hello everybody. My name is Elijah Totten. I am 16 years old and I go to George Washington High School. I have been coming to CUPC for 8 years now. This week at summer camp, we went to a lot of fun places. We went to Sharon Meadows in Golden Gate Park. Afterwards, those who signed up for it went to Valley of the Moon for the overnight. Those who didn't went to the Academy of Sciences and the beach. This week during our devotion we talked about stereotypes of the poor and homeless. We talked about how god loves everyone including homeless people, and stereotypes in general are not true. We talked about how being poor in spirit and being humble and not boastful is a very important aspect of life. After we talked about those things, I didn't see any stereotyping during camp after the talk.

This week I went along on the overnight and watched after the 3rd, 4th, 5th grade boys. It's been a long week. I have been to the overnight 5 times, but this was my first as a leader. I realized that it's a lot different as a leader. As a camper all I had to do was show up, bring everything I needed, and have a great time. As a leader, I had to plan, pack, clean, lead, direct, worry, do Manual labor, stay up until the wee hours of the morning making sure everyone was asleep, and keep a watchful eye on everything. Being a leader is harder than I ever imagined. For example, Christina, our omega director, Evan, a leader from oldest boys and I had to bring a bale of hay far down a hill so we could use it for archery. However, some of them were raving about it like it was the one reason they came on the overnight. No, I thought to myself, I can't let them down; I have to make sure this bale of hay gets down there. Once it was finally down and ready; after all that wheezing, grasping, dragging, and heaving, I felt great. Not my body of course, but I felt as if I had done something that was really going to impact someone.

That's how it is in general for me at CUPC summer camp. There's a lot of work involved in being a leader, sometimes I have to stay that extra hour, or go that extra mile. But, at the end of all of it, I think that I made someone's summer camp experience as much fun as it could possibly be. Every summer, I come back to CUPC summer camp not because I am forced to by my parents, not because I have nothing better to do, but because I feel I am needed here for the effort and work that I provide. I would like to thank all of you for all your support and prayers, and hope that you continue to do so in the future. Thank you.

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Relay for Life 2012

Christ United Presbyterian Church is participating in the Relay for Life walk with the American Cancer Society again this year. We've formulated a strong leadership committee for this ministry, and are currently recruiting members to join our team.

The Relay for Life event happens on August 4-5, 2012 starting at 10 a.m. at Crissy Field in the Presidio. It's a unique, challenging, and fun way to raise money for the American Cancer Society. It involves forming a team to walk in honor of those who have been affected by cancer, and at least one member of the team must walk the track during the entire 24 hours.

We're hoping and praying that everyone who worships at Christ United Presbyterian Church will participate in this outreach ministry. You can contribute in ways other than walking in the relay such as praying; sponsoring a team member; joining one of our church teams; donating to help purchase refreshments, supplies + equipment for our teams; providing transportation to and/ from Crissy Field; and/or asking others to support our ministry. We will also be selling raffle tickets at church before and after worship as well as at the event. We need your support in providing raffle prizes to be given out during the day of the event. Suggestions for prizes include but are not limited to gift cards for Peet's Starbucks, Jamba Juice, Target, iTunes, Trader Joe's or bottles of wine or entertainment tickets, etc. We would be extremely grateful for your support if you would inform stores, restaurants, vendors or anyone else that would provide prizes for our raffle. Our goal is to raise $20,000 as a group for the American Cancer Society to find a cure and fight the disease. You can donate either to the team or an individual team member by visiting CUPC's home page address below:

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=37054&team_id=1115385.

Find us on Facebook ("Friends of CUPC") for updates on how our team is progressing. Join our team and let's beat cancer together!

Fall Prevention Forum

A forum on Preventing Falls will be presented on Sunday, July 29, 2012 at 11:45 a.m. by Jackie Kwan. Come learn how to prevent falls in your surroundings: at home, at work, while walking outdoors…in all environments. This forum is appropriate for all ages. Pastor Jackie Kwan is a Commissioned Lay Pastor for Congregational Care of Christ United Presbyterian Church and is also a licensed registered nurse, geriatric nurse practitioner.

Manju Sale Report

The Japanese-speaking ministries held an Omanju sale on July 1, 2012. The net profit was about $575.00. Additional monies from JSM account yielded a total of $ 1,000 which will be donated for the rebuilding of Fukushima 1st Bible Baptist Church in Japan.

Thank you to all the church members and friends who helped to make our Manju Sale a success!

June 2012

SUMMER CAMP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S PEN "So continue encouraging each other and building each other up, just like you are doing already." 1 Thessalonians 5:11 On several occasions during the last couple of months, I have been asked if I am excited to be leading a child care summer program. I usually mention that I am, of course, looking forward to working with energetic children, being at the park and enjoying the fresh air on sunny days instead of being confined to a cramped office, and also seeing campers that I have not seen for years, who have now grown to be quickly maturing camp leaders. But the terminology of "child care" has consistently irked me in my conversations with my peers. While there are surely several definitions of what child care looks like, when I think of child care in my mind it invokes a purpose of looking after children, providing a safe place for them when their parents are busy, usually due to work obligations. As the summer grew closer and closer, I began to critically rethink our mission statement on our summer camp website that describes CUPC Summer Camp as "striving to provide low-cost childcare services for families." While child care is certainly a noble endeavor, I don't believe this fully encompasses what has made our program prosper over the last 36 years. My years at CUPC, both as a camper and as a volunteer leader, were filled with scores of fun memories but some occasional frustrating moments too. A couple that come racing back to the fore is the time I made the entire bus stop on the way back from the overnight camping trip because I threw up on the bus since I was sick, and the time when I was a leader and I accidentally left the meat out in the kitchen for cookout the next day, leaving my group with no edible meat to make tacos for the campers. Needless to say, the campers were not happy that day. Despite these rough patches, I can consistently see a common thread of personal development throughout the camp experience. Not only in physical skills, like being able to play "kick the can" a little better as a camper or being able to make better-tasting ice cream for the campers when I was a leader, but more importantly it was a development of character towards others. It was invaluable life training in how to build a deeply affecting, long lasting community of friends that embraced each others unique strengths and also even their flaws and mistakes. So how does CUPC move from a mission of static child-care to an intentional community that strives for positive youth development? This summer, I would like to focus on three components: empowerment, vulnerability, and servant leadership. These elements are highly connected and influence each other. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 instructs us to encourage one another and build each other up. An empowering community commits to affirming self-worth and awakening potential in others. Empowerment often challenges our vulnerabilities. It pushes us to have the courage to be imperfect, yet live boldly with authenticity. Finally, a servant leader embodies and embraces his/her vulnerability and strives to understand and empathize with others. A servant leadership model champions the belief that true leadership emerges from those whose primary motivation is to serve God and serve others. Such an approach recognizes that everyone can be a leader. We are all put in places where we have opportunities for authentic influence over others in an empowering way. These servant leaders know that people have intrinsic value and seek to grow and strengthen their community. It is the confluence of these elements that can foster an intentional community this summer. What is great is that positive youth development can occur on several levels: amongst the campers, amongst the leaders and even the directors. I am excited to see how everyone grows this summer and build more fun memories in our 36th year of CUPC Summer Camp. MOMENTS FOR CHURCH FOCUS Continuing from last month, the following are ways in which CUPC's committees/board are trying to live out our church focus for 2012: Love God, Love Neighbor. The transcripts below reflect what each committee/board shared with the congregation during worship. Mission and Outreach Committee: Jackie Kwan, chair Sunday, May 13, 2012 The Mission and Outreach Committee's focus, for a long time, has been and continues its focus on "Loving God, Loving Neighbor." CUPC's members and friends have gone beyond the doors of CUPC multiple times and have given generously to our neighbors and friends, not only locally but nation-wide and world-wide. Think of the times that CUPC's members and friends have donated their time, talents, monies, as well as, genuine love and concern for people worldwide; think of Haiti, afflicted by severe flooding and the monetary support you donated. Then there was the earthquake and Tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011. Again all of you gave generously to send money and hygiene kits to the survivors afflicted by the devastation in Japan. The children and youth of CUPC have also participated in Loving God, Loving Neighbor by helping infants and children affected by malnutrition worldwide... the children and youth of CUPC on Halloween night go out "Trick or Treating" for UNICEF to raise much needed funds for children all over the world. Locally, last year, the members and friends of CUPC donated funds to assemble gift bags and delivered them on "Outreach Sunday" September 2011 to the residents of Kokoro, Kimochi, and the Sequoias. It was a job well done as you all assembled the gift bags, with much enthusiasm here in the Sanctuary after Worship Service. Another example of CUPC reaching out is through Mission and Outreach's Nursing Home Ministry at the California Convalescent Hospital You should see our lead's interactions with the residents...she has a special gift for conversing and interacting with the residents. Our gifted piano accompanist plays so aptly as our CUPC members serenade the residents and also offers messages of joy and humor. I invite you all to join us in this uplifting ministry to the residents at the California Convalescent Hospital. CUPC will again go out beyond its doors and participate in the American Cancer Society's 2012 Relay for Life to raise monies to "save lives and create more birthdays." Join us to help celebrate more birthdays. "God is good all the time." Again I offer my Thanksgiving to all of you involved in reaching out to our neighbors. Loving God, Loving Neighbor are words which you have expressed through your "loving actions." Kudos... "Honor and Praise" to you all! Fellowship Committee: Wayne Hiroshima, chair Sunday, May 20, 2012 When one is treated with respect, love, care, and wonderful teachings. The person will reciprocate in the same way. The tendency is also to treat others as they have been treated. That is why it is so easy to Love God, because of the way God loves us. It is then our nature to Love our Neighbor in the same way. The Fellowship Committee's Purpose Statement reads: The committee will organize and support groups and/or activities for the church family to participate in, that will encourage spiritual growth and foster bonding within the Body of Christ. Through participation in the following fellowship groups and activities all are exposed to God's Word and Love and increases the bonding between all that participate. God Is Good (GIG): an incredible music ministry of ukulele and guitar. Youth Reaching out Loving Everyone (Youth ROLE): Prepared and distributed 40 bag lunches to those who were hungry on Mission Street, participated in CUPC's Nursing Home Ministry and feed breakfast to CUPC's congregation on that glorious Easter Sunday. Nursing Home Ministry: Provide fellowship and worship to the California Convalescent Hospital Community. Tuesday Night Fellowship (TNF): Provides worship, studies and fellowships for all age ranges and the Japanese Speaking Congregation. Outdoor Fellowship: Ministry of arranging walks in parks, Golfing and fishing, Japanese Speaking Ministries: Studies and fellowships. They are involved in manju making workshops and will have a manju sale to raise funds to support the 1st Baptist Church in Fukushima. On May 19th, they had a great all church Cherry picking fellowship to Brentwood. The Fellowship Committee will participate in the American Cancer Society's Fundraiser: "Relay For Life" to raise money to help fight and find a cure for cancer. The event will occur on August 4 & 5th. Know that God loves each and every one of you! Board of Deacons: written by Ralph Tanaka, co-moderator and read by Ed Murray, co-moderator Sunday, May 27, 2012 The Deacons' focus has been "Love God, Love Neighbor" throughout the years. We have helped others, assisted and cared for, and provided service to people of the congregation. The things we do are: checking up on people, praying, variety of other things and activities. All Deacons do their jobs to the best of their abilities. Each one of us has the strength and weakness that makes us whole. We overlap each other to show care for each other and to the congregation. The congregation has supported the Deacons over the years. You have helped us in bringing refreshments to coffee hour; brought food to potlucks, joined us for activities, and other things. We are asking you folks not to be shy in signing up for refreshments to bring for coffee hour or helping us out at any time. We are currently small in number on Sundays. We have been assisting others for so many years and we as Deacons are asking you to assist us and others to the best of your ability. It doesn't matter how big or small the task is. The bottom line is that it's very helpful when you assist us and others. Helping and supporting us every week makes our responsibility a lot easier and will make us all a lot happier. Personnel Committee: Gale Kondo, chair Sunday, June 3, 2012 A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to gain eternal life?" Jesus replied "What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?" He responded "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus said to him, "You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live." Luke 10:25 - 28 (Common English Bible) During the past several Sundays (for some, too many), you have been hearing about each committee's relation to the "Love God, Love Neighbor" 2012 focus - well, guess what? Here we go again... The American Heritage dictionary definition of personnel is: an administrative division of an organization concerned with the body of persons employed by or active in it, often acting as a liaison between different departments. This speaks to our area of concentration, the paid staff of CUPC. Committee members share their expertise from varied professional backgrounds toward ensuring appropriate staffing; requirements are documented and properly implemented in accordance with job standards and the ruling body of the church (the session) for level functioning of CUPC. The smooth procedures of CUPC demonstrate a body of caring into its beloved neighboring community. Consistent with the mission statement found each Sunday in the worship bulletin and on this wall hanging...we: "'Go Ye Therefore' into the larger community reaching out and sharing God's Good News". CLERK'S REPORT Everyone is invited to attend our regular session meetings. If you are interested in how the session, our governing body, discusses ministry at CUPC, please come and join us! You are also welcome to read the minutes, which are public documents. The minutes are available in the church office. DEACONS' REPORT June brings the end of school & the start of summer, June weddings, graduations, Father's Day, etc. As mentioned in a message to the nursing home folks this month, it's a time for change. For some, it's a big change... life-changing. I attended a graduation for our nephew this past weekend. The commencement message was given by a former science teacher at the school and he gave the graduates three things to remember...his parting homework assignment to them: Don't Be Stupid, Be Thankful, and Hold onto the Truth of God's Love for You. God's enduring love will equip each of them in fulfilling His perfect plan for their lives. Jan Der COFFEE FELLOWSHIP:  The Deacons would like to thank the individuals who have contributed to the coffee fellowship during the month of May. The Deacons are aware there are others who do not sign up on the list, but contribute. We would like to thank you all! ANNOUNCEMENT Relay for Life 2012 Christ United Presbyterian Church is participating in the Relay for Life walk with the American Cancer Society again this year. We've formulated a strong leadership committee for this ministry, and are currently recruiting members to join our team. The Relay for Life event happens on August 4-5, 2012 starting at 10 a.m. at Crissy Field in the Presidio. It's a unique, challenging, and fun way to raise money for the American Cancer Society. It involves forming a team to walk in honor of those who have been affected by cancer, and at least one member of the team must walk the track during the entire 24 hours. We're hoping and praying that everyone who worships at Christ United Presbyterian Church will participate in this outreach ministry. You can contribute in ways other than walking in the relay such as in praying; sponsoring a team member; joining one of our church teams; donating to help purchase refreshments, supplies + equipment for our teams, providing transportation to and/ from Crissy Field; and/or asking others to support our ministry. Our goal is to raise $20,000 as a group for the American Cancer Society to find a cure and fight the disease. You can donate either to the team or an individual team member by visiting CUPC's home page address below: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=37054&team_id=1115385. Find us on Facebook ("Friends of CUPC") for updates on how our team is progressing. Join our team and let's beat cancer together!

May 2012

PASTOR'S PEN

Moments for Church Focus

"You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself." - Luke 10:27 (Common English Bible)

Early this year, our session (governing body at CUPC) went through an intentional process of trying to discern where God was calling us to focus our ministries for 2012. After some initial back-and-forths, it became clear to us that although we had done some major 'work' on the church focus of the previous year, there was still much that could be done...the focus being: Love God, Love Neighbor. Of course, if you think about it, Jesus' commandment of "Love your God...love your neighbor" is not something that would be achieved over a year's worth of ministry (or a number of years, for that matter!) - it is actually a lifelong goal for every follower and church who seek to live in Christ.

As a way to continue being intentional about our church focus in 2012 and getting the word out, we decided that every committee/board would use the designated time called, "Moment for Church Focus" during Sunday worship to share with the congregation how their committee/board were planning to live out that focus in their own ministry context, and how others could participate.

Over the next two newsletters, you will find what the committees/board shared with the congregation. My prayer is that you will keep the entire church and our committees/board in your prayers so that we can fully live out how God calls us to be as we do ministry in 2012. And as you are led, please come and join us in living this out together!

Blessings,

Pastor Grace

Moment for Church Focus (April 29, 2012)

Worship Committee: Rachael Yamashiro

The Worship Committee is responsible for oversight and planning of all worship services at CUPC. The Book of Order (our denominational constitution) does not mandate a prescribed form of order. However, it states that "freedom in Christ should be balanced with biblical command to do all things in an orderly way." The church Focus for 2012, Love God, Love Neighbor, was also the focus for 2011. The session felt that extending it for another year would better define the goals and achievement of the various committees.

The senior pastor and lay pastors have reached out to our immediate neighbors, namely Kokoro Assisted Living, and The Sequoias. They have led worship services in these institutions. The senior pastor, alongside with the lay pastors also participated in the Day of Remembrance event held at the Peace Plaza here in Japantown. One of our lay pastors continues to be involved with the Japanese-speaking ministries in the bay area. All of the pastors continue to extend their roles beyond the boundaries of Japantown.

Here at church, the committee is well aware of the needs of the various groups. We are also aware that we are creatures of habit. We take comfort in singing familiar, traditional hymns; specific order of worship, and singing the same melodies and lyrics to the Gloria Patri and Doxology.

However, in order to meet the needs of all, the committee knows it needs to be creative, innovative and flexible. To meet the needs of the "traditionalists" we have "Hymn Fests"; for families with children, we have "Entire Family Worship"; for the Japanese-speaking worshipers, we have bilingual services; and for the youth, we have the Worship Team leading us in praise songs.

But there is another reason why we are here on Sundays, apart from gathering to participate in worship services to our own liking. We are here because we love God. In loving God, we love neighbor. In loving our neighbor, we love God. One does not necessarily take precedence over the other, nor is one of greater importance than the other. Hence, two equal parts become as one.

Go forth from the church - love God, love neighbor. Love neighbor, love God. For God's words endureth forever. Amen.

Moment for Church Focus (May 6, 2012)

Japanese-Speaking Ministries chair: Yukiko Tanaka

Firstly, we the Japanese Speaking Ministries, are very grateful to our Commissioned Lay Pastor, Hiroko Suzuki for leading our Japanese-Speaking Ministrie s so passionately.

Last Sunday, her message was taken from "John 10:11-18. She explained how to know God and how to love God by first, reading the Bible, second, to pray and third to worship.

As the Japanese Speaking Ministries, we have our monthly Bible Studies, prayer meetings and weekly Tuesday night studies. We attend the JPC (Japanese Presbyterian Churches) Retreat to listen to other Japanese pastors. Through our studies, prayer meetings and Retreats, we seek to know God and learn to love God even more.

This year, we invited Rev. Akira Satoh, who lost many churches to the tsunami and the radiation in Fukushima, to speak about God's everlasting love. Now we are planning to have two "Omanju Classes and after we master Omanju making, we will have an Omanju sale fundraising to help to build churches in Fukushima. We will have a very busy schedule before summer begins. We are going to visit the Japanese speaking members who are not able to attend church. On May 19th, we will go cherry picking with the Koinonia (Intergenerational/Inter-lingual) Fellowship. We will also co-host an evangelical opera concert at this church with the 19th Ave. Japanese Baptist Church on June 16.

Sometimes Pastor Hiroko holds one-on-one spiritual classes with non-Christians. Another wonderful fellowship that Hiroko-san holds is an English group conversation class for Japanese and Asian students called, "PIE Night" which stands for "Partners in English". (You are very welcome to join us if you enjoy conversing and/or teaching English.) Through these classes, events, and fellowship, we are learning how to love neighbors.

Hiroko-san's strong passion is to sow and plant each small seed at CUPC. We believe that these seeds will grow and bear very ripe fruits. I am sure everybody remembers the Artist Yuki Ikariya who was baptized at this church. She always remembers to send post cards with her artwork to us from Japan. Each card has a verse from the Bible. One was from Romans 8:28 - "We know that in all things, God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose." His purpose is Love God, Love Neighbor!

CLERK'S REPORT 

Everyone is invited to attend our regular session meetings. If you are interested in how the session, our governing body, discusses ministry at CUPC, please come and join us! You are also welcome to read the minutes, which are public documents. The minutes are available in the church office.

DEACONS' REPORT

April was a month filled with God's blessings. We gathered together for a potluck luncheon and baby shower and baptism on Easter Sunday. We also enjoyed having someone back in the choir for a couple of Sundays, before her return to Japan. It was good to see others worshiping with us again this Sunday.

As summer is rapidly approaching, we are starting sign-ups for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. We had a successful event last year at Crissy Field and hope to get even more of you involved this year. Relay for Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled and are battling cancer, remember lost loved ones, and fight back against the disease. At Relay for Life, teams of people camp out and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Because cancer never sleeps, relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length. Relayers do not have to walk all night, but each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. As stated by a current member of our congregation battling the disease, "we are going to crush cancer and this is a way to give our support." Expect to get recruited.

COFFEE FELLOWSHIP: 

The Deacons would like to thank the individuals who have contributed to the coffee fellowship during the month of April.

The Deacons are aware there are others who do not sign up on the list, but contribute. We would like to thank you all!

PASTORAL PARTNER PROGRAM 

The Pastoral Partner Program began as a pilot program of the Board of Deacons more than 3 years ago. As of January 2012, it has replaced the 'flock system' of the Deacons and has become the main program for pastoral care at CUPC. Still under the umbrella of the Deacons' ministry, the Pastoral Partner Program is a planned, effective, flexible way to provide coordinated caring support to members of the congregation.

Each trained 'pastoral partner' is responsible for a 'cluster', which consists of approximately five family units. (A 'family unit' could be a single person, or multiple persons.) The pastoral partner keeps a friendly "eye out" for the members of his or her cluster; maintains regular contact with them; prays for them; and alerts the ministry team as needs emerge.

In addition to some of the Deacons being pastoral partners, several young adults have expressed interest in being trained as pastoral partners. Anyone who has an interest in learning more about the Pastoral Partner program, please see Jackie Kwan.

"Love one another" as Christ has loved you.