STINA’S MESSAGE

Are you in?

Last year, I sent out a slightly different stewardship letter. The basic question was this: Are you in? Are you willing to say that you will support Christ Church Sei Ko Kai financially this year? A large number of you said yes, which was very gratifying. It is coming to the time when again I will send out this letter, asking the question: Are you in for this year?

It is fair for you to ask, so what have you done with this money? Is this a good investment?

Of course, we don’t measure things in the same way that corporate America does, but we can give some measure, and it is not a bad thing to ask. So here goes!

We have exercised good stewardship with our physical plant. Having a caretaker living on the premises means that issues are dealt with quickly. Our long-term renters have signed progressive leases with us. There are some normal wear and tear items coming up for replacement, but nothing major. The building is in good shape.

Our programming continues to evolve. It is congregation-driven. While I may propose different possibilities for us to do, it is the congregation that decides what we should be doing. Over the last couple of years, we have gone from just a few things going on to the rather full list of “events” seen below.

When I started at SKK, I asked what the priorities were in terms of my time. The answers were clear. Sunday service, pastoral care, and interacting with the J/A community. I am now the English-speaking VP in JARF, and an important part of the Soko Bukai. I have become a familiar face in more and more of the J/A community. The pastoral care needs this year have been varied, ranging from the quiet conversation with someone concerned about a situation to helping a family dealing with a dying member. Because of the cell phone, I am available to the congregation 24/7 for pastoral care.  I do all of the preparation for the Sunday service, deciding which words and which service to use, which hymns for each day, and putting it together into the bulletin, then writing the sermon and printing out extra copies for member who need it, and printing out the Sunday school materials for the children. When I did a small survey about the Sunday service a while back, the general consensus was that people liked the sermons, and that it was very important to them. I try to combine education with relevance, so that what we have read in the Biblical passages makes some sense, and how it might relate to our lives today.

So there you have it. Please start thinking about your answer to the question that will come soon: Are you in? And if you have questions for me or the BC, please ask!

Stina

BC HIGHLIGHTS

• Website: we are in the process of revamping the website, seikokaisf.org, matching our email address: seikokaisf@gmail.com. We are going to get some outside help to continue the process, and will keep everyone posted.
• The next Adult Ed offering will be similar to the Marcus Borg series, this one by Phyllis Tickle.
• The area around the basement door by the stairs has been reworked. The exterior basement doors are still in process.
• Choices about the new altar, pews and flooring will be brought back to the BC by a subcommittee.
• The next Deanery meeting is Sept 22, everyone is encouraged to attend this particular session.
• Our representatives for Diocesan Convention are all going to be out of town, if you are available to represent us on October 20, please speak to Stina
• The BC asked Stina to request Aug 25, 2013 for our next Asian Music Festival at Grace.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Deanery Meeting September 22 at St Francis, SF
• Cooking Class September 23 – Wendy Wang will give a demonstration All About Tofu. Please send Stina an email if you plan to come so Wendy has an accurate count! (stinapope@gmail.com)
• Tapping for Wellness, Sept 30, 12 noon, at CUPC – if you have not yet learned how to do meridian tapping, this is a great time to come, and an easy thing to bring friends to.
• World Communion Sunday, Oct 7, CUPC – we are bringing dessert
• BC, Oct 14
• Phyllis Tickle Education Series – Oct 21  Phyllis Tickle isan authority on religion in America, author, historian and keen cultural observer who invites us to look at the changing face of Christianity and culture. She surveys 2000 years of Western history, identifying the great upheavals that occur in Western culture every 500 years, looking at the one going on now, and asks what the implications are of this “Great Emergence.”
• Stina on vacation, Connie preaching, Oct 28
• All Saints’ Celebration Luncheon, Nov 4 – Plan to come for the Christian day of remembrance for our ancestors, and for a celebration luncheon afterwards. Make sure that your loved ones who have joined the saints are on our list – if you have a question about that, email the names to seikokaisf@gmail.com at least a week ahead.
• EAM @ 40 – please mark your calendars for the weekend of June 22-23, 2013. We will be hosting the Japanese Convocation, and both Stina and Connie are already very involved in the planning for this event. The main part of the conference will be held in Burlingame. The Sunday afternoon service will be at Grace Cathedral, with the Presiding Bishop.

FLOWERS

Thanks to all those who have signed up to donate flowers each Sunday. The “Flower Chart” for 2012 is posted in the Church hallway on the bulletin board by the Sacristy.  Please sign up or email the Vicar to donate flowers on a given Sunday.

 

MANY THANKS

To Noriko and David Raffauf for maintaining the website for the past years!

THE LAST WORD

Untangle my mind, O God, with patience gently pull out all the threads that have knotted themselves into a ball and left me tired of thinking. Surely reason is among your greatest gifts, but with its use comes a peril. Like so many I can over-think my problems, worrying them into fine bits or blowing them up out of proportion. I let my monkey mind chase me around in circles. Calm my thoughts, I pray. Still my spinning imagination and bring me back to that quiet pool at the center of my soul. Let me in peace ponder what I need to know and with a clear mind find my question’s answer.  Bp Steven Charleston

 

MESSENGER’S NOTES

The Messenger will strive to provide:

1. Information regarding events of significance to the whole congregation.
2. Information regarding the customs and practices of the Protestant Episcopal Church, USA and of our Nikkei community. 9
3. Information regarding efforts made to advance the program goals established by the Vicar, Bishop’s Committee as the goals themselves are made known.
4. Information regarding events relevant to the mission of the church.

The Messenger will not list individual monetary gifts or donations as it has no direct access to such information.   However, donors will be acknowledged as their names are provided.  Institutional grants for project goals of the Mission will be acknowledged as a part of information regarding the programs themselves.