No Letdown after Easter
We have all experienced it. After an important and sometimes all-consuming event is over, we usually experience what is called, “a letdown.” We may have the satisfaction of getting things done or the sheer joy of exhaustion that amazed us of what just happened. Whatever that event might have been, we still end up on the day after, a letdown. What are we to do now?
After Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples were amazed to meet him on the road to Emmaus, speak to him outside the tomb thinking that Jesus was the gardener, eat broiled fish with him, and even have the opportunity to put their fingers on the places that Jesus was nailed on the cross. The disciples said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32) These must have been exciting times that consumed all of the disciples’ conversations.
When Jesus was about to ascend to heaven, he commissioned his disciples. After all of the exciting events that happened after Jesus’ resurrection, there was no letdown for the disciples. Jesus was sending them on a mission. On a mountaintop in Galilee, Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). Empowered and equipped with the Holy Spirit, the disciples spread the Good News of Jesus Christ “in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This Good News has reached us in San Francisco Chinatown!
Now that we have proclaimed the Resurrection of our Lord, what are we to do now? Just as the disciples did not have time for a letdown, we don’t either. The Missions Committee is sponsoring a team to participate in an American Baptist Thailand Mission Project this November. They will learn from and build relationships with hill tribe people, help provide fresh water to a rural village, and provide leadership at VBS, sports and other activities. This mission trip builds on the one in 2006 that led to the Lanna Coffee Project that sells Arabica coffee from northern Thailand to support village economies and reduce the risk of human trafficking.
As we literally travel to the ends of the earth, we are also committed to missions close at home. The 2009 Day Camp will reach over 100 children from our neighborhood for 5 ½ weeks this summer. Leading all these children will be trained youth and young adults who will utilize their leadership skills to teach the Bible, lead learning activities, and model positive Christian lifestyle. We hope and pray that in God’s time they will come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.
There is no such thing as a letdown after Easter. God is calling all of us individually and as a church to go and make disciples everywhere! Pastor Don
Proposed YMCA Partnership
God is continuing to bless us with new members and our programs continue to expand necessitating the need for more suitable space for ministry. While the Chinatown YMCA across the street from our church is currently under construction to add a new addition as well as to retrofit their existing building, our church has an opportunity to partner with the YMCA to renovate their existing gymnasium for multi-purpose use. At the March 29th Church Membership Meeting, this proposed partnership with the YMCA was presented.
The proposal is for FCBC to make a significant contribution to assist the YMCA to renovate the gym to become a multi-purpose space suitable for us to use for Sunday school classes, corporate worship, fellowship, and sports ministry. The proposed partnership is based on the contractual agreement that FCBC would have first-user priority with few exceptions over a determined number of years. Once completed, the YMCA would assume all normal janitorial and maintenance costs.
The majority of FCBC’s financial contribution would come from resources already in hand with the balance coming from a modest capital fund campaign. The benefits of such a partnership are having access to space on Sundays when we need such space the most and the opportunity to work with the Chinatown YMCA, a close neighborhood partner over the course of many years.
Our hope is for the church membership to vote on this partnership some time before the summer at a special called church membership meeting. If you have any questions or wish to comment on this proposal, please contact Pastor Don Ng.
2009 English Summer Series
This year’s Summer Series of 8 Sundays (11:30-12:30) beginning on July 5 and ending on August 23 will be in two parts. The first 4 Sundays will feature guest speakers whose work/ministry is in partnership with FCBC. The second 4 Sundays will provide opportunities for participants to go out to lunch together and fellowship over a suggested question for conversations. You would sign up and your assignments posted in the vestibule. This reflects our 2009 church’s theme of Christian fellowship.
Partners in Ministry
July 5 Anna Eng, San Francisco Lead Organizer, Bay Area Organizing Committee (BAOC). Ways that our church can participate in the larger Bay Area to build communities of equity and justice.
July 12 Tim Tseng, Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity (ISAAC). A look at new trends facing Asian American congregations today.
July 19 Paul Martin, new President of American Baptist Seminary of the West, Berkeley (ABSW). Exploring new avenues of doing theological education in preparing for future church leaders.
July 26 Kari Lee, Executive Director of the Chinatown YMCA. A preview of our proposed partnership with the Y in renovating their gym for multi-purpose usage including our church’s ministries.
Lunch for 4 or 6
August 2, 9, 16, and 23
Your assignment for lunch will be posted in the vestibule and the topic for discussion will be revealed on that Sunday. Come and get to know sisters and brothers in Christ!
Pasadena Biennial
American Baptists will be meeting at the Pasadena Convention Center, June 26-28 this year and you are invited to come! On the theme, “These hands…These Feet…I am Sending You” (John 20:21), there will be wonderful worship and speakers, learning workshops, mission fairs, exhibits for you to learn what it means to be an American Baptist, and much more. If you have not been to a biennial before, here is your opportunity to do so since it is only 8 hours away. If you are planning a family vacation in southern California and would like to visit for a day, there’s also a “day participant” registration. For more information, visit www.abc-usa.org or speak with Pastors Lauren Ng or Don Ng who would love to introduce you to your larger American Baptist family this June!
Senior Center—“Will you have enough insurance?”
As we live longer into our mature years, we want to ensure our ability to take care of ourselves for medical and mental reasons. To achieve such peace of mind, a look at “Long-term Care Insurance” is the subject for the May session of the Senior Center on Wednesday, May 13th, beginning at 12:00 noon. Our speaker, David Jeffrey of Genworth Financial, Inc. will return with his wife, Janet to share the newest developments in this important area of insurance for seniors. Join your friends at the Senior Center for a great program, a hot and healthy lunch, birthday cake, and as always, the warm fellowship of the Senior Center at FCBC! For more information and to sign up, contact Gary Eng or Warren Lee.
Thailand Mission Trip
This November, FCBC will commission and send a mission group to Chiang Mai, Thailand. FCBC will spread God’s love and compassion to a hill-tribe village by their spiritual witness and assisting in bringing clean water into the village. This will be an amazing adventure of spiritual growth for those able to travel, the church body, and the hill tribe people. If you would like to know more about the upcoming trip, contact Kenley Mew (kenley_mew@yahoo.com) or Will Lam (wlam@bhhc-wc.com). An informational session will be held on May10th, 2009 at 1:30pm in the Sanctuary.
Family News
On Palm Sunday, April 5th, we praise God and welcome 12 persons into church membership; Believers Baptism: Irene Chao, Daniel Chin, Brandon Ng, Melanie Ng, Ryan Ng, Allen Quan, Josephine Wong, and Caroline Woo; Transfer of Letters: Eddy Lai, Lydia Lee, Peter Lee, and Ng Ho Wong. May God bless these new friends as they serve Christ’s church at FCBC!
On March 29th, Guy and Kimmie Takahashi presented Grant Josiah Takahashi and Dan and Kris Smith presented Miles Daniel Smith to be dedicated to the Lord. Praise God for the gift and blessings of children in our lives!
Congratulations and God’s blessings to Tony Tang and Cindy Zhou on their marriage on April 10th!
Drs. Timothy Tseng and James Chuck completed their study of Bay Area Chinese Churches with the publication of 2008 Report—Bay Area Chinese Churches Research Project Phase II. Our church is a part of the study. If you are interested in seeing a copy, please see Pastor Don Ng.
In the Bay Area section of the April 6th Sunday San Francisco Chronicle, we were surprised to see our church building featured for its clinker bricks. Here’s the full description by Cityscape writer, John King: ‘Clinker bricks’—and a craggy treat. Amid Chinatown’s theatrical pagodas stands a robust surprise: the First Chinese Baptist Church. With roots on the site dating to 1880, the congregation steered clear of Asiatic flourishes when it rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake, instead constructing a plain fortress of brick. If the walls were straightforward and smooth, the result would be as dull as a too-long sermon. No chance. Instead, they’re studded with “clinker bricks” – gnarled chunks of masonry that give the structure a medieval air, creating an earthy counterpart to the colorful show elsewhere in the neighborhood.
First Chinese Baptist Church 15 Waverly Place | Architect: G.E. Burlingame | Style: Post-earthquake | Size: 3 stories | Date built: 1908 Cityscape is a weekly look at a building or place that makes San Francisco distinct. To see the actual article and view the pictures, go to our own church website and click onto the SF Chronicle link.
May Calendar
2 CONFAB Interchurch Event, 9:30-3:30, Berkeley
3 9:30 Joint English/Youth Sunday
11—P
CE, 1:00
Pastoral Relations, 1:00
6 Mom’s Group
9 Sojourners
EFG
10 Mother’s Day
9—L
10—D
11—Lydia Lee
12 Office Staff, 10:00
13 Senior Center
15-16 ABSW Board Meetings
16 ABSW Commencement, Oakland, 2:00
17 9—L
10—D
11—P
Deacons, 1:00
Christian Circle, 2:00
18-22 OYYAs Trip
18 CCU Sports, 7:00
20 Mom’s Group
24 9—Jerry & Wilma Mishler
10—D
11—P
25 Holiday (Office closed)
26 Pastoral Staff, 10:00
29 Lanna Coffee Team
30 Men’s Fellowship, Suisin City, 10:00
31 Pentecost
9—L
10—D
11—P