SPIRIT. Dear. Gardena Valley Baptist Church. Inside this issue: Issue 6 March 17, 2010 GV BC M I SSI O N

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1 Gardena Valley Baptist Church Issue 6 March 17, 2010 SPIRIT GV BC M I SSI O N ST A T EMEN T Helping people discov er Jesus and become His fully devoted follow ers. GV BC PU R PO SE ST A T EMEN T At GVBC, we seek to glorify God by: ~ reaching the world for Christ ~uniting as His family ~worshiping Him with our liv es ~growing in Christ-like character ~and serving others in lov e. Inside this issue: Holy Week Events 2 Order Your Easter Flowers Gardena Emergency Food Pantry Needs Nehemiah 3 February Report Family News Easter Multi-gen Choir Needs Your Voice Dear Dear church family, One of the things I love about being a pastor is getting the opportunity to close my office door and study the Bible and know it s part of my work for the day. Well, this past week when I was working, I resumed my study through the book of Proverbs (since we re preparing to go over it in the College-age Ministry) and one phrase really struck me from Proverbs 1:7: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. The phrase fear of the Lord literally means to, live before the face of God. It s the idea of being so in awe of God that I long to obey Him. Fearing God happens when we recognize He is the Creator and we are the created. He is the master and we are His servants. He is the Father and we are His children. It involves a consciousness of being in the presence of the Almighty, a thrilling sense of privilege, which results in an overflow of respect and admiration. You can tell you fear God when His opinion about your life matters more than anything else. I pray we would each grow in our fear of God so we can grow in wisdom and be able to do what is right in the decisions and activities of our daily lives. May we strive to live before the face of God and with the conviction which His opinion about our lives is the most important thing. His servant, Chris FYI: Events Calendar Christian Service Scholarship 6 7

2 HOLY WEEK EVENTS March 28 8:45 & 10:45 AM Community Hall Pastor Daniel Matsuda April 1 6:30 PM Community Hall Pastor Annette Kakimoto Good Friday Service April 2 7:00 PM Sanctuary Pastor Chris Koga Sunday, April 4 6:00 AM Easter Brunch served after Sunrise Service in the Community Hall Pastor James Chang Easter Services Sunday, April 4 9:00 AM 11:00 AM Community Hall Pastor Steve Langley 2010 Early Childhood Easter Celebration Breakfast "Discovering the Treasures of Easter" Registration ends Sunday, March 21 Saturday, March 27 9:00 am 11:30 am Gardena Valley Baptist Church We would like to invite you, your family, and friends. For the entire family (Nursery Kindergarten). Siblings of all ages may come & join us for breakfast, too. Breakfast will be served between 9:00 10:00 am Register through your Sunday school class or call the office, ext. 0. Children 0 6 yrs. old will create a Family Easter Story Craft that will help them to continue the Easter story at home. Celebrate the life & resurrection of Jesus with fun, interactive family games, and activities. We hope you can come. Sign up now. Contact Linda Matsuda, ext. 683, linda@gvbc.net or the church office. Page 2 SPIRIT

3 Order Your Easter Flowers We are receiving donations for Easter flowers In Memory of, or In Honor of your loved one(s). These names will be listed in the Spirit newsletter and the Easter Worship bulletin. Checks payable to GVBC [Easter flowers in subject line], $6 per flower. We encourage you to take the flowers home after the 11:00 AM worship service (not before, please) on Sunday, April 4. Place your order with your check in the offering bag or contact the church office. Deadline to order: Sunday, March 28. Gardena Emergency Food Pantry We are collecting for the City of Gardena Food Pantry, starting April 4 until May 31. There are some immediate items needed which are: Canned (preferably with pop tops): *Beef stew, *tuna, *chicken, *Wieners, *corned beef hash, *Spam, *pork & beans, *chili, *Spaghetti-Os, *Ravioli, Fruit & vegetables Boxed Macaroni & cheese, Bisquick, pancake Mix, crackers, Rice-a-Roni, corn muffin mix Grains Beans (pinto, kidney, etc.), rice, oatmeal (instant), cereal, cornmeal Dry Goods Powdered milk (1 qt envelopes), pasta (dry), Cup O Noodles, Jello~all varieties Other Peanut butter & jelly, baby formula & baby food Toiletries/non-food items *Feminine hygiene products, *disposable diapers, *deodorant, *toilet paper, *tissue, *paper towels, can openers *Immediate items needed Issue 6 Page 3

4 Nehemiah 3 February Report We received $19,986 in February, not enough to make our $28,046 monthly loan payment. However, because we started 2010 so well in January we are still in the black. We praise God for the faithfulness of His people. Please keep the leadership team and the Finance Committee in prayer as we plan for the next building project, maybe called Nehemiah 4? We also hope to report what happened with the pay down of the Christian Community Credit Union loan. Stay tuned. There has been a leadership change of the Nichigo codirectors since Makoto and Junko Anegawa moved back to Japan in March. Welcome Jeff & Minako Fujimoto! Family News Baby Announcement. Congratulations to: Aaron & Tammy Hernandez who gave birth to a baby boy, Alexander Keahi, who was born on March 3. Alexander weighed 7 lbs and he was 18-3/4 inches long. Mark & Noreen Ito who gave birth to a baby girl, Leanne, on February 12. Proud grandparents are Howard & Sawako Imatomi. Leanne's siblings are sister, Makenna, and brother, Nolan. Our prayers and condolences go out to: Kristine Nakama in the passing of her grandmother, Kazumi "Kaz" Watanabe, who passed away on Sunday, March 7. Letters to our GVBC Family Dear Friends: On behalf of the City of Gardena, we would like to extend our genuine thanks for your donation of $500 [from our LOVE fund] to our emergency food pantry. You are to be commended for taking an active part in assisting the needy of the community. For over 31 years we have been able to lend a helping hand to less fortunate families and individuals in our Gardena community with emergency food assistance, bus tokens, crisis counseling and homeless assistance. Your spirit of sharing allows us to continue our Emergency Assistance Program. May we continue in our quest to try to keep up with the ever-growing needs of struggling families and individuals in our community. Sincerely, Deryl Lloyd, Superintendent of Recreation/Human Services/Building Maintenance; by Lydia James, Community Services Counselor Page 4

5 The Multi-gen Choir Needs Your Voices Calling all existing and NEW Multi-gen Choir Members. All are invited to join us as we sing two songs for our Easter Services on Sunday, April 4. We will sing for the 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM services, both in the Community Hall. The children s choir will join us at the beginning of the services to sing one song then the adults will be singing the Messiah s Hallelujah Chorus (like we did for our Christmas potluck) to end the services. Rehearsals take place between the worship services at 10:10 to 10:40 AM in Room 159 (behind the Sanctuary). To sign up, come to a rehearsal and pick up the music and CD of the songs or contact the church office. If you can t attend all rehearsals, please practice on your own with the CD, however, it is advised that you try to attend as many rehearsals as you can, especially the dress rehearsal. The dress rehearsal will take place on Saturday, April 3 at 3:00PM in the Community Hall. Contact: Wendy Katagi (Multi-gen Choir Director), church office. Patty Yanaga (Adult Choir Director), church office. Issue 6 Page 5

6 CONTACT: office (310) [put your event in the subject line]. You can also call or the event leaders directly. WEBSITE: Children s Ministry KidZone (1 st to 5 th graders): Fridays, 7:00 8:30 PM, Community Hall. Wear comfortable clothes and gym shoes to all events. March 19 Volleyball March 26 Egg Hunt April 2 Good Friday: Movie, Crafts & Games April 9 Baseball April 16 Sockey April 23 Bingo April 30 Hide & Seek Contact: Brandon Tsukamoto via the church office or gvbckidzone@yahoo.com, or Susan Wakuta, ext. 689, susan@gvbc.net. GVBC Men s Breakfast Saturday, March 20, 8:00 AM, Community Hall. Men, join together for a time of devotional and fellowship. Contact Dave Uratsu via the church office. Just Walk Across the Room Seminar Monday of March 22, 7:00 9:00 PM, room 218. Learn how to be an effective witness of Christ s love as you walk from your circles of comfort and meet with people every day in ordinary circumstances. Develop a natural witness in sharing God s love wherever you are. Books on sale for a discounted price of $9.00. Sign up at the Guest Center in the Courtyard between services. Contact Marianne Matsuda or Cyril Nishimoto via the church office, ext 0. Class 101 Sunday, March 21, 12:30 PM, room 220. For those seeking information about GVBC and who would like to become a member and/or be baptized. Taught by Pastor Steve Langley and Layne Wakuta. This class begins with a FREE lunch. Sign up by checking off the appropriate box on the back of your Connection form or contact Jan Magnani, ext. 0 or jan@gvbc.net. Cleaning/Easter Decorating Saturday, April 3, 8:00 AM. Come help us decorate with hundreds of beautiful lilies and tulips. Baptism Sunday, April 11. Reaching My Buddhist Friends Sunday, May 23, 12:30 3:00 PM, room 113. Visit the Guest Center between services. Contact Marianne Matsuda. Primetimers 2010 Calendar of Activities Southwest Spectacular (Utah/Arizona), Thursday, May 20 Thursday, May 27, $1,245 per person (double occupancy), $1,645 per person (single occupancy). Deadline: Final payment due no later than April 4. Overnight stays in Las Vegas, NV; Kanab, UT; Page, AZ; Flagstaff, AZ; and Laughlin, NV. Great Reno Balloon Race & Lake Tahoe, Thursday, September 9 Sunday, September 12. Cost for passengers $492 double occupancy, single supplement add $150 (includes gratuity to the bus driver). Payment due: August 2. Glory of Christmas at Crystal Cathedral, Sunday, December 12. Cost: $105 (based on participants) includes the gratuity to the driver. Please note: price does not include dinner. Please eat your dinner prior to boarding the bus driver. We will leave GVBC at 6:00 PM and return at 10:30 PM. Payment due: October 24. Make checks payable to Gardena Valley Baptist Church [your event title in subject line]. Contact: Keiko or Richard Imatomi through the church office. Mexico Outreach Missions (M.O.M.) Saturday, May 15, Tijuana Friday, July 23 to Sunday, August 1, Summer Mission Trip from Oaxaca to Panama Saturday, October 2, Tijuana Friday, December 17 to Sunday, December 19, San Telmo Christmas Mission Trip [NOTE: a U.S. passport is required]. Spanish is helpful, but not required. Contact Teresa Matsushima via the church office. JEMS 61 st Mt. Hermon Summer Conference (Continued on page 7) Page 6 SPIRIT

7 (FYI Events Calendar Continued from page 6) Sunday, June 27 to Saturday, July 3. Applications available on the Narthex counter. Theme is The Lord Almighty is with us and Pastor Steve Langley is one of the main camp speakers! Registration forms also available at: Deadline to register is May 1. Ohana Festival Saturday, July 10, Mas Fukai Park. Contact Tammy Cosare. Hope for the Future Fireproof Movie Night Thursday, July 22, 6:00 9:00 PM, Sanctuary. Contact Cindy Matsuda. Vacation Bible School Sunday, July 25 to Friday, July GVBC Seminarian Golf Tournament Monday, August 16. Day of Prayer Saturday, August 21, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Contact Bob Matsushima. Keep Gardena Beautiful Saturday, September 18. We ll be working in the wetland preserve near South Park on Vermont & Artesia Blvd. Men s Retreat Saturday, September 25 to Sunday, September 26 at Victory Ranch. Cult & occults Seminar Sunday, September 26, 12:30 3:00 PM, room 113. Contact Marianne Matsuda. Storytelling Class Sunday, October 10, 12:30 3:00 PM, room 113. Contact Cyril Nishimoto. Team Basketball Practices If you are interested in using GVBC facilities for your team s basketball practices, right now we are taking names ONLY to create a list of interested parties. You must be a member of GVBC, or a member s child, high school age and younger. If you want to be on this list, please wendy@gvbc.net, and put the day and time you would be interested. Scholarships Available for GVBC undergraduate students: C hristian Service Sch olarshi p Several scholarships are given to encourage those who have used their time and talents in Christian service. For more information, please read the brochure attached to the application. Scholarship application is available in the narthex, and are due on June 20th, including recommendations. For questions, please call Wendy in the church office, ext. #672. Issue 7 will be uploaded to website on Wednesday, April 7. Hard copies available on Sunday, April 11 in the Narthex. All articles should be submitted by Sunday, April 4. The Spirit is copyrighted 2010 and a publication of Gardena Valley Baptist Church, 1630 W. 158th Street, Gardena, CA., 90247, (310) , FAX: (310) , gvbc@gvbc.net, Website: Senior Pastor: Steve Langley (310) , Editor: Susan J. Shelley, susie@gvbc.net. Office hours: 9:00am 5:00pm, Nichigo Website: bc.info. The Spirit is published tw ice a month to keep members and friends informed of programs of the church and to report news about GVBC and its people. Announcements, praise, prayer requests, and letters are welcomed. Articles are subject to editing and/or postponement. Issue 6 Page 7

8 Gardena Valley Baptist Church 1630 W. 158th Street Gardena, CA (310) Web: Twitter: Morning 8:45 AM & 10:45 AM Nichigo Japanese-speaking 10:45 AM, Room 201 Sunday, March 21 Special speaker: Rick Chuman, JEMS new director Sunday, March 28 Palm Sunday Maundy Thursday, April 1 Dinner & Service 6:30 PM Community Hall Good Friday, April 2 7:00 PM, Sanctuary Easter Sunday, April 4 Sunrise Service/Breakfast 6:00 AM Easter Services 9:00 & 11:00 AM Community Hall English-speaking children s Sunday school runs concurrent with the Worship Services. Nichigo children s Sunday school 9:30am, Room 206. Steve Langley, Senior Pastor, ext. 0 Bunso Otani, Nichigo Pastor, ext. 676 Ron Matsuda, Associate Pastor Teaching, ext. 679 Annette Kakimoto, Assistant Pastor Leadership Development, ext. 680 James Chang Assistant Pastor of Young Adults, ext. 682 Chris Koga, Assistant Pastor College, ext. 685 (pt) Daniel Matsuda, Assistant Pastor Youth, ext. 681 Layne Wakuta, Pastoral Intern Junior High, ext 684 (pt) Susan Wakuta Elementary Children s Director, ext. 689 Linda Matsuda Director Early Childhood, ext. 683 (pt) J.J. Frey, Worship Coordinator (pt) Wendy Nakano, Office Manager, ext. 672 Rei Abe, Nichigo Secretary, ext. 677 (pt) Peggy Kushigemachi, Financial Assistant, ext. 675 Jan Magnani, Secretary, ext. 671 Dawn Robinson, Christian Educ. Secretary, ext. 678 (pt) Susie Shelley, Newsletter Editor ext. 673 (pt) Kevin Hatashita, Maintenance Asst. ( pt) Socorro Kagawa, Maintenance Asst. (pt) Kevin Maeda, Maintenance Asst. (pt) Kyle York, Maintenance Asst. (pt)