“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2
Greetings in Christ,
One Psalm that is very near to my heart is Psalm 121. It is a reminder to us all that we all have moments where we’re feeling overwhelmed. When we feel overwhelmed, we want to see something beyond our current situation. The other day, as I was walking to get some air, I saw a clear and beautiful view of Mount Rainier. For many Seattleites, it’s a comforting and familiar view. When we live by so many wonderful mountain ranges, we can get jaded to all of the beauty around us. With everything that’s going on right now, it’s a good time to get reacquainted with our mountains.
This Psalm reminds us that when things get overwhelming, it is important to look to the unshakable and grounded things of our lives. When we get lost on the ground, it makes sense to start searching for the mountains. When we start to look at the mountains and its unshakable beauty and majesty, we are reminded of the faithful strength of our Creator God.
Friends, it can be very discouraging to see that the timetable of the “Stay at Home” restrictions are not moving with what we would prefer: we may feel upset at all of the hardships that the coronavirus has brought upon us; or we can feel profoundly lonely and disconnected from people who are socially distancing. In times like this, we should all look up to the mountain and recognize that God is not far from us and able to meet us with generous Grace.
This month, we would be celebrating our 121
st
Anniversary as a church. Our church has endured many challenges in this long history, but God has been faithful to every generation of JBC. It is truly a miracle that we continue to come together as a community of Christ even to this day. It may feel like the ground underneath is shifting underneath us all the time, but God has placed us upon the immovable mountain of Christ’s Love.
Although we are struggling now, we can take hope in the fact that this world has faced many challenges and “impossible” situations only to discover that “with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26). When you get discouraged, look up to the mountains and remember that God created these beautiful and immovable things. Although we do not how this will all turn out, we can rely on the unchanging love of our God.
May God’s peace surround you,
Pastor Sam
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Listen to JBC's
most recent messages on:
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Wednesdays (10:30 am)
Daniel Bible Study (Zoom/Call)
Wednesdays (6:00 pm)
Men's Bible Study
(Zoom/Call)
Thursdays (1:00 pm)
Nichigo Bible Study & Prayer (Zoom/Call)
Sundays (9:15 am)
Leviticus Bible Study (Online/Dial-in)
Sundays (11:00 am)
Online/Dial-in Worship Service (
Facebook/YouTube)
1st Sunday (12:00 pm)
Online Communion & Coffee Fellowship
(Zoom/call: bring a
beverage & bread)
May 23, 2020
Japanese Baptist Church's 121 Year Anniversary!
Praise the Lord!
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Saturday Special: Postponed until further notice. Fellowship and fun for people with special needs. Contact Lillian Hayashi for more information.
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Ikebana Classes (Senke or Sogetsu) Saturdays at 10AM -12PM. Suspended until futher notice. Contact Dean Ishiki or Saori Tachibana for more information.
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Photography Group: Keep taking photos and wel look forward to seeing what you captured when we gather again!
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Due to the unpredictability of pandemic of COVID-19, we appreciate your prayers and flexibility as we all navigate this unexpected season.
- Stay up to date with the latest JBC through our various social media connections:
- Facebook (facebook.com/jbcseattle no account necessary to view information.)
- YouTube (jbcseattle)
- Also our weekly Tuesday newsletter has a summary of changes and events. Sign up: https://mailchi.mp/084e5fcbae41/jbcweeklysignup
- Ways we can journey through this together by: PRAY, CONNECT, GROW, and SUPPORT (See below)
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"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18).
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Nursing Care & Continued Healing
Vic Takemoto
;
Rhea’s father
(cancer);
Jeff Nelson
(brain lesion, son of Jean Nelson),
Mary Takeuchi
(Bellevue Regent);
Don Shimono
;
Lillian Hayashi
;
Mary Nakanishi
;
Todd Koyamatsu
(Newport Hill Villa);
Tien Fa Wang
(father of Wei Chih);
Dennis Wheeler; Amanda & kids
,
Dr. Ishimaru
;
COVID-19 patients
and
others who are ill & desire not to be listed
.
Other
Ministry of JBC in this pandemic season
(members, diaconate, pastors, and staff),
Hwang Family
(JBC
missionaries to Japan)—The Hwangs arrived safely back in the states on 4/29. Pray for their year back in the USA.
Memoriam
Mits Ito (former member, 4/22);
Fred Hirai (Brother-in-law of Louise, widower of Fumi)
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Other COVID-19 Related
Emotional/Physical/Spiritual Health and safety of
- vulnerable populations (age, economic, abuse, etc)
- immunocompromised
- health care workers (David, Nick, Etta, Abby)
- other Essential Workers (grocery, restaurants, farmers, sanitation workers, factory, delivery & community leaders)
Grieving
due to change, isolation, loss, and the unknown.
Sabbath,
as we have been sharing about this spiritual commandment to rest over the past year, many in the world are grappling with releasing control of this situation... hopefully into the hands of our trustworthy God.
Hope,
the areas that are being stirred, let's pray for the Lord's will to be done.
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If you have any prayer requests or praise to report, please let us know!
We sincerely want to join you in prayer over whatever is going on in your life or the lives of loved ones, as well as rejoice with what God may be doing in your life. Please let the
office
know. If you would like to keep your prayer concerns confidential but would still like the prayers of the staff, we are more than happy to oblige.
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Online or Dial-in Worship Sunday Service
We will be holding short services online and listen-in by phone every Sunday until further notice.
At 11:00am this Sunday morning:
- Online: Visit our JBC Facebook Page, and join the premiere of the service (NO log-in/account necessary to watch).
- We will be pre-recording the service and posting it on Sunday morning. We will be joint with a message in English and translated into Japanese.
- Join the WATCH PARTY so we can chat and worship together for Easter Sunday this week. Chat with fellow attendees & with staff online! ️️ (Login required)
- Call-in: Dial 206-331-4836 and PIN 318 3927# when prompted (limited interactions during service)
- Feel free to call in starting 10:30 A.M. and chat with other members who will be listening-in in our #VirtualNarthex.
- We'll keep this line open for our virtual coffee fellowship to continue to chat with fellow attendees!
- After you enter in, feel free to state your name (before service) so others know who we will be listening along with.
- All attendees will be muted when the service begins.
Virtual Coffee Fellowship on the first Sunday head over to the online/dial conference room where Dial-In attendees will already be:
www.anymeeting.com/771-174-101
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Communion & Coffee Fellowship
Call-in:
Dial 253-215-8782
- Meeting ID: 983-6986-7553
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Wanted: YOU!
A) Short JBC Member Clips
Want to help us personalize the online services? We are collecting short video clips because its comforting to see some familiar faces (like yours... yes you!):
- Saying: "The service will begin in a few minutes." (or something along those lines).
- Showing us something you made or something you enjoyed this week (like a recipe/craft/garden/pet/walk etc).
- Waving bye (for our closing).
- Please record clips in landscape and keep it about less than a minute. Submit to the office.
B)
Covid-19 Connection Crew
Have a desire to call or write a few JBC church members while we're in self-isolation? Open or willing to help troubleshoot tech issues or run an errand? Contact
Pastor Angeline and we will add you to the team!
Thank you!
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Subscribe to our new JBC Podcast
We're excited to let you know that JBC now has a Podcast available for all on most of the major platforms (Apple, Google, Spotify, etc.)! We'll be filling this podcast with a variety of content like sermons, reflections, interviews, and more! You can find the podcast here and find links to different podcast services here:
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We all find ourselves in a season that is drastically different than 7 weeks ago with projected phases for easing back into a socially physical society in WA. God continues to be the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We pray you continue to find your identity, strength, hope, and peace in the Lord.
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Bible Studies Online or Phone-In
During times of joy and difficultly we hope that you are able to do so with the Lord. In this season we find ourselves we especially want to look to the Word of God.
A) Series on the book of Daniel (Zoom/Call)
Previous weeks:
B) Men's Bible Study Fellowship: Studying Acts & Ministry of Apostle Paul (Zoom/Call)
C) Nichigo Bible Study (Zoom/Call)
D) Sunday Morning Bible Study: Leviticus & Hebrews (Zoom/Call)
- Sunday @ 9:15-10:15am
- Contact Roberta Stephens or the office for the link.
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Hwangs Welcome Helpers Wanted
The Gordon and Lee Ann Hwang have returned April 29th from AB missionary work in Japan and we're looking for
- A few people who are open to providing groceries or a meal the first couple weeks back since they are in quarantine for the first 14 days.
- Affordable apartment options for housing.
If you are open and available please contact the
office so the Hwang MPT can coordinate.
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ACRS: Walk for Rice
Join our JBC team for the Virtual Walk to help spread the word and raise donations.
OR simply made a one-time donation to help continue the ability to provide culturally relevant foods to communities who have been hit the hardest by this pandemic. https://acrs.org/events/walk-for-rice/
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During this time of uncertainty due to the coronavirus outbreak, it is more important than ever to be faithful in our giving to the mission of JBC. We deeply appreciate your financial support because it helps us continue the important ministry we are doing right now to hold our community together. Since we’re unable to be physically present in church, I’d like to encourage you to use the avenue of giving online. We are still able to accept checks sent to the church (160 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122), but it may take us longer to process them.
If you’ve never done online giving to JBC, these are the steps to take:
- Go to jbcseattle.org.
- Click on “Give”
- Click on “Donate now”
- If you already have an account, you will log in. Otherwise, click “Create account” and follow the steps.
- Choose either “Recurring” if you want to donate weekly or monthly*, or “One Time”
- Enter the amount you want to donate. The fund “General contribution” is already chosen. If you want to contribute to a designated fund, you can also do that by clicking on the drop-down menu.
- Follow the rest of the instructions and click “Donate.”
*Once Recurring is set up, your donation is given even if you are unable to be at church.
If you have any questions, please feel free to text or call me at 206-914-8461. I’d be glad to help you.
Thank you so much for being an active partner with JBC by your faithfulness and support.
Pam Nomura, Chair
Stewardship and Finance Committee
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Seattle:
List of Resource Links all over Puget Sound (from a non-profit coordinator):
Families:
Enrichment:
JBC Links:
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Online: Good Friday Love Feast, Musical Series & Easter Service
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More and more we have been learning how to utilize online spaces to join together in virtual spaces. We never imagined that as we started the Lenten season with Ash Wednesday with Seattle First, that we would instead tune in and be encouraged by videos with musical reflections with Alex Zarecki, our Worship Director (
find on FB or
YouTube), an online (
FB/
YouTube)/phone-in worship service, and a love feast on Zoom. However, as thankful as we are to have these opportunities, we still missed the Easter morning worship service in the garden and physically greeting each other. Pastor Sam and Rev. Peebles of SFBC had a conversation about Easter during a pandemic if you'd like to listen (
podcast) or watch (
FB).
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We have been making bible studies and community groups available online. If you are interested in visiting any of them we would love to have you try it out! The various weekly bible studies have been life-giving and we always depart closer and more thankful for the revelations and the Lord revealed while we met in fellowship. The Daniel Bible Study is self-paced, but if you would like to join us at a different time, please reach out to the office and we can make arrangements.
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(Photo: 75th Anniversary)
If you are interested in contributing stories, resources, or photos, please email
[email protected]
.
Thank you for considering to invest into projects like our Legacy Library renovation.
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Honoring the Past
Committing to the Future
After 121 years of ministry (this month) in the community and the world, we have a Anniversary Fund established to
preserve and present the memories of how the Lord worked through JBC, while also preparing for God's continued plans for us in the ever-changing community.
UPDATE: Roberta Stephens is still working hard gathering more information, so if you are willing to join us for as an hour here or there, we can use your help! Almost done scanning,
Interested in seeing what's next?
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Have fun growing in your faith and teaching our young ones about our Savior. Talk with
Eric M
. or any of the children's staff if you're interested.
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Bailey Gatzert Volunteers
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JBC has a team of volunteers that help at our neighborhood elementary school, Bailey Gatzert. They help out an hour at a time. This is a great opportunity to reach out to our neighboring elementary school, their staff, teachers and students, allowing us to get to know them, and them to get to know us as we help them with their classroom needs. Please consider being a part of this ministry!
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Coffee Fellowship or Baptist Baristas
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Coffee Fellowship is a unique time of fellowship for JBC. If you love hosting by helping to bring a few treats, make coffee, tea, juice and clean up on a rotating basis, we would love to have you join our team!
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We were sad to inform you all that the Lord's Table has ceased operations. We are in the process of researching other feeding or like programs to continue to serve the community.
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We have openings and trainings coming up, so contact Nick or Emily Escobar, or Pastor Angeline for more information.
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Musically inclined or interested in learning?
· Praise Band: Contemporary, practices Wed. nights
·
Choir: Traditional, practices Sun. mornings 9:15 AM
o
Contact: Sandra Sakura
·
Hand
Bells: No experience necessary! Practices Sun. mornings 10:15 AM
o
Contact: Karissa Yamaguchi
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Contact the
office
if you're interested in getting involved with any of these ministries.
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Want a secure and fast way to give your offering or donate to a specific ministry of JBC? Just click the button below.
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Supporting Our Missionaries
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JBC supports a number of international missionaries. Please continue to keep them in your prayers. Click below to find out more about their ministries.
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Japanese Baptist Church
160 Broadway | Seattle, WA 98122-5434
206.622.7351
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**We respect your privacy, please
contact us if you would like us to exclude your image or name from our future publications.
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