2008 Annual Report

Senior Pastor

Rev. Donald Ng

Making the Most of Time

The popular saying, “How time flies…” when we are in the midst of a full life applies for 2008. When we are given many items of the same thing, we wonder how on earth we will be able to use them all— a good example might be buying bulk at Costco! So when we start off the year with 365 days, we might say, “How on earth can we fill 365 days of things to do?” In God’s mercies, the 365 days in 2008 were filled with opportunities to participate in God’s world and in the end; we give praise that time did fly by but all in the name of the Lord! We made the most of the time that God gave us!

Sabbatical Time

After serving as your Senior Pastor for the past ten years, you approved a three-month sabbatical program for me to learn, rest, and be with my family. Ever since I completed seminary in the mid-70s, I have wanted to visit Israel, the birthplace of our faith. For four weeks in June, I became a student once again by studying at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem. Along with 28 other students from all over the world, I learned about the geography and context from which our biblical heritage emerged. This was exciting and revelatory. Every day I had my eyes opened. At one point, I was able to recite all of the major historical periods of ancient Israel to the present. Being in the Middle East for an extended time also allowed me to better understand the tragic continuing unrest that exists in Israel and her Arab neighbors. When breaking news happen now such as in Gaza, I am interested and have a commitment to work for peace.

Following my Tantur study, I served as the chaplain for a Holy Land Pilgrimage for 23 people for 12 days in Israel and Egypt. Having spent four weeks as a student, I was happy to be able to share my new discoveries with church friends immediately as we embarked on our tour beginning in Tel Aviv. This again was a wonderful experience visiting many of the sacred and commemorative sites of our Christian faith. One of the highlights was to worship with sisters and brothers at the East Jerusalem Arab Baptist Church where I was asked to share in celebrating the Lord’s Supper and to pray for peace. As one way to share my sabbatical with you, I have developed a presentation on the “10 Things I Learned on My Sabbatical.” Plans are underway to sponsor another Holy Land Pilgrimage in May 2010 and a tour of Paul’s Churches (Turkey and Greece) in 2011.

The other two components of my sabbatical were to understand more about the missionary years of our church from reading missionary letters and to have a family reunion. I was able to organize the copies of letters in our possession for each missionary and began reading them and taking notes of interesting facts and developments. My hope is that I will be able to share some of this rich history with you in the days to come. We were able to spend a week in San Diego with our entire family for a reunion. Having all 5 grandkids in the same room was a delight. Calling up my early years working as a short-order cook, my daily job was to prepare a full breakfast for all 11 of us.

Time of Searching

The Search Committee entrusted with the task of identifying and recommending a candidate to serve as our Pastor of Chinese-speaking Ministries began its work earnestly in the beginning of the year. By spring and early summer, candidates were reviewed and interviewed. And on Oct. 26^th using video-conferencing technology, the church membership officially met and unanimously approved the calling of Rev. Peter Wai-Ming Lee to become our new Pastor of Chinese-speaking Ministries. Pastor Lee was on the pastoral staff team at the Kowloon City Baptist Church in Hong Kong specializing in cell group ministry, family ministry, men’s ministry and community outreach. We faithfully believe that God has guided Pastor Lee with his strong gifts and vast experience to serve at our church by bearing bold witness of Jesus Christ as Lord. Pastor Lee begins his new ministry with us on January 1, 2009. Join me in welcoming Pastor Peter Lee, his wife, Lydia and their daughters, Andia and Tiffany to FCBC and San Francisco!

New Worship Times

After careful study and opportunities for questions and answers, the Deacons and the church membership approved new Sunday worship times beginning on Nov. 2^nd. The 9:30 English Worship that was meeting at Cameron House became the 9:10 Service combining with the 9:00 English Youth Service. The 10:05 English Worship became the 10:20 Service. And the 11:15 Cantonese Worship became the 11:30 Service. The time changes allow at least one hour of worship time for each service along with a 10-minute transition time. Sunday church school times were also adjusted to fit with the new worship times. For the past 3 months, we have seen continued strong attendance at all three services. English-speaking worshipers now also have the option of worshiping with a praise band at the 9:10 Service or with organ/piano at the 10:20 Service.

Church Family Times

Being a good size church with 3 Sunday services and almost everyone belonging to one of our 20 fellowship groups means that we strive to get to know one another by name and to deepen our unity as the Body of Christ. New in 2008 was the “Live in Harmony,” an all-church music festival on April 12^th that featured musical gifts and talents from all facets of our church family. The Fellowship Hall was converted into a venue of warm fellowship and great snacks! The 2009 “Live in Harmony” event is April 25; plan now to come!

The Social Committee with the assistance of the Sojourners Fellowship once again sponsored the All-Church Picnic on Aug. 24^th in Sunnyvale and the Thanksgiving Luncheon on Nov. 23^rd that attracted record numbers! It’s true that when we spend time breaking bread together (or eating rice), we become one in Christ!

Another development that brings us together is the publication of Chinatown—More Stories of Life and Faith, the second volume of 60 life stories of people whose lives have been influenced by the ministry of our church. Stories collected by James Chuck, pictures developed by Bill Chin and the book designed and copyedited by Joy Shih Ng make a significant contribution to the field of Asian American studies as well as giving testimony to how God is always present with us in the world.

Time and Time Again

The 365 days in 2008 were filled with the weekly or monthly or annual activities and events that make up a good year for the Lord. Our classrooms were filled with City College students learning English and cared for by our Night School Coordinator Nancy Guan. Our summer ministries highlighted with Day Camp, Youth Camp, sport teams, and summer series provided many ways to spend our summer days. Our church home was cleaned up and effectively maintained by the Trustees. Seniors met twice a month for lunch and hearing a good speaker. Sunday Breakfast at Church accompanied by Lanna Coffee was always ready by Joe Chan and his dedicated kitchen helpers. Financial record keeping was of the highest standard monitored by Marian Hom and the Finance Committee. The 2008 Canvass led by Nelson Wong enabled us to faithfully adopt the new budget to serve Christ in 2009. The Deacons clarified many church policies and completed annual staff appraisals. Friday Night School with its emphasis on reaching everyone to know Jesus Christ as Savior was directed by Jane Lam. Moms of young children met on Wednesdays with Pastor Lauren Ng to share about the joys and sometimes trials of parenting. Moa Imchen and Akumla Longchar filled the 9:30 Service pulpit while Pastor Lauren Ng was on maternity leave. While I was on sabbatical, Pastor Chris Otani ably filled the pulpit at the 10:05 Service. The day to day operations of the church of scheduling rooms, ordering supplies, printing up bulletins, publishing monthly newsletters and maintaining church communications have been professionally cared for by Wendy Lin.

We are thankful for the host of dedicated and faithful servants at our church who generously gave their gifts, talents, abilities, and especially their time to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ in the world. Without everyone’s help, we would not have accomplished as much as we have in 2008. Personally, I thank you again, the FCBC family for granting me my sabbatical time so that I may continue to serve you with energy, new ideas, and faithful insights in the years to come.

In your hands are the annual reports of the church staff, all church boards, committees and fellowship groups that comprise the ministry of First Chinese Baptist Church. In addition to thanking God for guiding us through 2008 while you read these wonderful reports, we ask you to also pray for our church and its mission in 2009. As we look forward to our 129^th year of courageous witness in Jesus Christ, we pray for God to bless us with a strong evangelistic spirit to reach those to know Christ and to deepen our Christian fellowship as one church family.

Thanks be to God that we faithfully have made the most of the time in which God has blessed us!

Pastor of Christian Education

Chris Otani

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray for us as well that God will open a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it clearly as I should.” Colossians 4:2-3

            This verse was the theme verse for 2008, emphasizing the importance of prayer and missions.  Throughout this year, the Lord has taught me a lot about prayer: by praying, by reading a lot of books and also by working with a spiritual director.  One thing that I learned is that prayer is not so much about telling God what we want but prayer is also about listening to what God wants!  That one idea has really transformed my prayer life.  Now, not only do I bring to the Lord all of my concerns and requests, but I also spend intentional time trying to listen for what God wants.

            This year was a little different for me because of some new responsibilities that I undertook while Pastor Don was on sabbatical this past summer.  I really appreciate all that he does and he was missed!  But I am also so thankful for all those who stepped up and helped out in the months that he was gone.  Even though I very much enjoyed the opportunity to preach at the 10:05 service and at the All Church Picnic, I was so glad when he returned in September!

            2008 was also a year filled with lots of transitions and one new Sunday school ministry and God continuing to work through our annual ministries as well.  In 2008 alone there were over 7 babies born!!  Because of all these new babies, a need surfaced to move the toddlers (those 2-3 years old) to a new space.  I am so thankful for Serena Jang who spearheaded the new Toddler Time ministry that now meets in a 3^rd floor classroom!

            In addition to this new ministry, 3 major transitions happened.  The first major transition is that the College Bible Study that had been meeting in my home for the past six years transitioned officially to a post-CBS group.  Since the fall, they have been meeting at Sunset Ministry on Friday nights and have been continuing to meet with new advisors, Ken Tom and Chris Chin.  I also re-launched the College Bible Study with a group of younger collegians who have started to meet at my home on Friday nights.

            The second major transition is that the Cameron House service and the 9:00 Youth Service merged into one service starting in November 2008 at 9:10am.  This has been a positive transition for all involved!  It is great to see the sanctuary filled with people and a high energy level at the new service.  I think that the youth and youth leaders enjoy worshipping with other age groups and after they graduate high school they won’t have to transition to a new service.  I’m looking forward to seeing how God will continue to use and grow this worship service.

            The third major transition this year was a re-organization of the children’s ministry.  For a great many years, our children’s Sunday school teachers have not had the opportunity to attend worship service on a regular basis.  While I am so thankful for their dedication and sacrifice, I fully believe that our teachers also need to have opportunity to worship and grow as well.  Our current structure now is that we have two teams of teachers – one team teaches from 10:00-11:15 and the second team teaches from 11:15-12:45.  Now with the reorganization, all the Sunday school teachers are able to attend worship service EVERY week!  Thank you to all the teachers and assistants who continue to serve in this vital ministry.

            Last but not least, God continued to work powerfully through our continuing summer programs.  Eric Chin and Chris Lee lead a wonderful and packed Day Camp and Jon and Joyce Ng and Leslie Chin directed our largest Youth Camp in awhile (close to 80 campers this year!).  Please enjoy reading about all the CE ministries in the following reports!

Assistant Pastor

Lauren Ng

As I look forward to a new year, it’s a joy to also reflect on the new things that happened with the English-speaking young adult ministry in 2008.

• Much of the year was spent planning for a new location and time for the former 9:30 worship service. Following months of preparation and planning, the 9:30 service moved from Cameron House to the church sanctuary, and switched to a new time—9:10AM. The first 9:10 worship service was held on November 2 with over 100 people in attendance! Many thanks to all those who prayed for and carried out a smooth transition on behalf of the entire church family.

• With a new worship time came new Sunday School offerings. Two classes are now offered to adults attending 9:10 worship—a Bible Study class and Table Talk whose topics change from time to time but is currently focusing on Christian Ethics. It’s been great to see many new faces in these classes toward the end of the year.

• I went on a two-month maternity leave over the summer to welcome our new daughter Story Kushner into the world.  Ministers Moa Imchen and Akumla Longchar graciously covered the pulpit while I was away and blessed everyone as they shared the Word of God.

• With many other new babies being born into our church family, the new Moms Group that started in January 2008 really took off! This group for new Moms whose work lies within the home either full or part-time, met once a month in the church library for two hours of fellowship, prayer, sharing, Bible study, crafts and hearty conversation! Gracious volunteers took care of our children, ages 0-5 years, in the nursery during our meetings. Thank you to Steven and Anna Ng, Melanie Low, Franklin Hom, Dan Lee, Nelson Wong, Nancy Chen, Nancy Guan and Daisy Leong for so generously committing their time and energy! The ministry is thriving so much that we will meet twice a month in 2009 and we now have a childcare volunteer roster of 15 people. We will also be hosting quarterly events on Saturdays to allow Moms who primarily work outside of the home to join in on the fun and fellowship.

• The whole church family enjoyed a new All-Church event on April 12 called Live in Harmony. This was an idea born out of the brainstorming of young adults desiring a venue for all church members to share their gifts of music as a way of worshiping and fellowshipping together. It was an evening of excitement and praise that we will enjoy again this coming April. Thanks to Norman Cheng and Wendy Chu for their leadership.

• I enjoyed a new aspect of my pastoral care ministry in 2008 by providing pre-marital counseling to three young adult couples in our church. I greatly enjoyed getting to know these couples and pray for God’s blessings upon all the new couples and families at FCBC.

• The three fellowship groups for English speaking young adults continue to expand and thrive. The Xplorers (career young adults) and Ashira L’Adonai (young adults with birthdates from 1982-86) enjoyed another year of learning, service and community fellowship. Thanks to Jackie Chou and Genevieve Lau (Xplorers) and Ani Sittig (Ashira) for their leadership. The newest GIFT Fellowship group consisting of young adults families with small children had a wonderful year of seasonal events that catered to the growing number of children in the group. Thanks to Leslie and Hong Hua and Kris and Dan Smith for serving as co-chairs.

I am once again reminded of the blessings that come with serving here at FCBC. I thank the Lord for calling me to serve here and for blessing me with all of you on the journey.

Peace to you, Pastor Lauren

Community Outreach

Jane Lam

Community Outreach Ministry in FCBC

2008 was a milestone for the community outreach ministry.  We recorded a record high of dinner and Joshua Fellowship participants (>80) on a regular week, ~60 for Community Worship and ~140 for special event.  It was not only numbers that were impressive, these people came with searching hearts eager to learn more about Jesus.   God really prepared the harvest for us, may we be faithful to reap the harvest for Him!  (Please refer to Wallace Chu’s report on Friday Night School and Joshua Fellowship).

Pulpit line-up for Cantonese Worship

I am really grateful for God providing us with great preachers for our Worship service in 2008.  We invited seminary professors (Rev. David Cheung, Dr. Darren Fung, Dr. Esther Ng, Rev. Fulton Chin, Rev. James Ip from CWTS, and Rev Lawrence Chan from ACES); mission agency staff (Rev. Cyrus Lam, Rev. Kan-Chor Lam & Rev. Lawrence Fung from GO International, Cassy Silva from L4TP); Rev. Charles Kwan from SFCAC, Cecilia Yau from CCM, Esther Lou & Amen Tang from CCHC, Dr Bill Tam, Halina Folta.  Dr James Chuck, Rev. Chris Otani and I also filled in several weeks.  The congregation enjoyed a spiritual feast and learned from all of them.  May God be glorified!

Missions @ FCBC

We continue to invite more missionaries and agency staffs to come share at FCBC on Sundays in 2008; we had invited Love for the Poor, New Life Center and GO International to raise the mission awareness of our members.  May God Bless their ministries aboard.

Summer Retreat

Working with a new committee in 2008 (Feng-yi Wu, Janey Chan, Jennifer and Steven Leung, Johnny Lo & Nancy Guan) for the summer retreat was a fun experience.  Upon request of brothers & sisters, we moved to a new campsite – the Alliance Redwood Conference Ground in Occidental.  We enjoyed the new site and the many outdoor activities they provided (archery, canoeing and kayaking, rock climbing and etc.)  Speaker Winnis Chiang, LMFT spoke on the theme “growing together” (Eph. 4:13), and I led a workshop in “Enneagram and Growth” to the ~60 participants, we also enjoyed the participation of many new comers.

Evangelistic Event

It was great celebrating Jesus’ birth with 140 people from the community on 12/19.  Over 30 FCBC members participated in the skits, music, testimonies, sermon, dinner and chatting with them.  Many were touched by the Love of God, close to 20 people accepted Jesus, and many more indicated interest to know more about Him; many also wanted to join Joshua Fellowship in the future.  Indeed it was great harvest time!  Please remember the new believers, so that they may grow steadily in Christ!

Community Worship on Friday nights

The Community Worship continued to grow in numbers and gathering weeks, after a steady semester of having close to 60 attendees, the core group decided to keep having worship services during term break.  Now we’re meeting every first Friday of the month @ 8:00pm.  Please invite non-believing friends and family to come join us at this seeker sensitive service.

Seminary Study

I really felt God’s guidance in leading me back to study in the seminary; after finishing the MCS in CGST Hong Kong seven years ago, He led me to the A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary to the Master of Divinity program.  Classes were held in different forms: bi-weekly cohort meeting in Sunnyvale, 1-2 weeks intensive in Redding, and on-going online directed studies.  Due to the increasing load, quitting the part-time hospital social work job seemed to be the only option so that I could be more focus in ministry and study.  Please kindly remember me in your prayers so that I may grow more in ministry!

Night School Coordinator

Nancy Guan

Serving as the night school coordinator when City College classes are in section, I work at FCBC in the evening from Monday to Thursday.  In the pass year, I got along well with CCSF teachers and students, we had good communications.  During the class section, many students came to the office to ask for help; and I helped them to solve problems from everyday life and homework.  I also help students in different areas. For example, helping students call the phone company to check his phone bill; filling out application forms for housings and jobs; reading English mail for new immigrant students; and helping them to register for class, etc.  Sometimes I tried to teach them how to fill out forms by themselves, so that they can be more independent.

I always invite students to our come join the Friday Night School. Hoping they will learn about the Gospel here. I am thankful that many students came during the Fall 2008 semester. Many students also like to read the Gospel literatures, i.e. Christian Herald newspaper or CCM magazine.

When I work with students, I can understand their feelings as new immigrant, as I walked in their shoes not long ago.  I am thankful that God gives me this opportunity to serve at FCBC so that I could share God’s love with community students through my ministry.  I always pray for the students so that they may come to know Jesus Christ.

May God bless FCBC to be the bridge of blessing to the Chinatown community!

Board of Deacons

Anna Q. Wong, Chairperson

Our lives are Bible based, but our work is FCBC Constitution based!

Because of the rotation system on-off the board, and members who are novices, or veterans who have returned to serve after a long hiatus, we needed to go back to basics.  What do Deacons Do?

The FCBC Constitution, Article VII Church Administration, Section E describes our qualifications and duties.  Everyday we pray to stay qualified, “a person of high morals……settled in his/her religious faith….”  Our duties include “…have general oversight of the spiritual life of the church…” Other duties are more mundane, and include “…annually review the work of the staff………act as a personnel committee”.

Highlights of 2008 Board of Deacons:

1. Recommended to the membership the best case scenario for worship schedule changes.  From March to October, we studied several schedule scenarios, sun shined them to individuals and fellowship groups for concerns and input, held 2 open lunch-time forums, and presented the recommendation for discussion and action at the October Membership meeting. The worship time changes also included moving the English Service meeting at Cameron House to our FCBC sanctuary, and the incorporation of Youth Service under its umbrella.

2. Gathered economic data and benchmarks, applied the FCBC Salary Matrix, consulted with the Finance Committee, and made final recommendation of 2009 salary for staff. 

3. The staff submits monthly activity reports to us. At our monthly meetings, both the staff and the board members talk about these activities.  This year, the Board also undertook a formal staff appraisal. The overarching conclusion is that every current staff member is essential to the mission of our church, and vital to the church organization.  They are capable to continue their work, as well as expand their horizons.  The staff and the congregation are truly blessed to be there for each other, and render mutual prayer support and appreciation.

4.  a.       We made a thorough review of the Church Directory, identifying the names of persons needing to be contacted immediately, and will be ramping up our Care Ministry to all persons.

b.       We interviewed baptismal candidates in 2008, and assisted them in the rite of baptism.

• Each deacon took a turn at leading the All Church Prayer meetings held the last Sunday of each month after the 11:30 Service.
• Prayer concerns for each worship service are reported weekly (by email) to all the Deacons, by the deacon assigned.
• We have “full charge” (per FCBC constitution) of Communion Fund. We largely entrust the application of those funds to the Senior Pastor, our first line of contact with individuals with urgent financial needs.  However, we established limits to disbursements without Board approval.

A sum of $1,362 was sent to the New Life Center in Thailand. Other sums were disbursed to individuals with dire needs. Closing balance for the year is $5,200, which includes a rollover amount of $3,460 from previous year.

Other:

1. Partnered with and made space available for Bone Marrow Transplant Program, thanks to our health specialists, Deacons Diana Lee and Charlene Fong.
2. Maintain an up-to-date website all about FCBC and what it does, thanks to our technology guru, Deacon Don Fong. 
3. Revised and clarified processes and procedural guidelines, committee functions and relationships, thanks to Deacons Luke Kwan, Steven Ng, Jason Yow, Byron Chan.
4. Actively participated in the Pastoral Search Committee, chaired by (and thanks to) Deacon Wallace Chu. Jointly, with the Committee, unanimously recommended and presented candidate Pastor Peter Lee via videoconferencing, to the membership for approval

I hope I answered “what do deacons do”? 

When the nominating committee calls you to serve, say “yes”!

Vice Chair, Deacon Luke Kwan will be Chair, 2009 Board of Deacons

Board of Christian Education

Robert Mah

The purpose of the Christian Education program at FCBC is to develop students of all ages into followers of Christ who love God wholeheartedly, love others selflessly, serve faithfully, and strive to be more Christ-like, having God’s heart for the world.  The CE Board works closely with Pastor Chris Otani to support and nurture the over 50 different ministries under the umbrella of Christian Education at FCBC. 

2008 was another productive and rewarding year for the 11-member board.  Co-chaired by Robert Mah and Deborah Mok, the board was divided into three subcommittees:  The Children’s Ministry Subcommittee was led by Deborah Mok and consisted of Mei Wong, Alan Fong and Adam Kung.  The Youth Ministry Subcommittee was led by Pastor Chris and consisted of Dan Smith, Rebecca Chu and Genevieve Yow.   The Adult Ministry Subcommittee was led by Robert Mah with Don Lam, Winnie Lam and Sheryl Chan serving as members.   Together, we worked towards developing and implementing new ideas to support and encourage our esteemed teachers so that our existing ministries can continue to flourish and grow, while overseeing a year of change, most notably the combining of our 9:00 Youth Service and the 9:30 English Service.

The highlights for the year include the very successful Teachers Appreciation Luncheon in June, which honored more than 50 faithful and hard-working teachers and aides of our Sunday School program.  This event was coordinated by Don Lam, Robert Mah, and Sheryl Chan with assistance from our friend and last year’s CE Board Chair, Wes Chan.  Another successful highlight of the year was the Fall Luncheon for the chairpersons of 15 fellowship groups.  This luncheon gave opportunities for the different groups to get to know or become reacquainted with each other around the table, as well as to pair up together for one or more joint fellowship events in 2009. 

The Board also concluded the year by reviewing and approving the 2009 CE budget and discussing the impact of the new worship service schedule on attendance, Sunday School Classes and Church Nursery Volunteers.  

Thank you to all CE Board members who served in 2008, and to the teachers, advisors, counselors, and directors who make the CE ministries possible.     Special thanks to outgoing members: Deborah Mok, Winnie Lam, Genevieve Yow, Don Lam and Rebecca Chu.  May God bless you for your dedicated service.  A special prayer of thanks for Pastor Chris Otani, for her leadership, her modeling, and  her passion for the mission of Christian Education.

On behalf of the CE Board, I cordially invite all of you to join us in being a continual student and disciple of Jesus Christ by joining a small group or a Sunday School class, participating in a retreat, or helping in a classroom to share your gifts and talents with others.

Reports on the other CE Ministries are following.

Nursery-Becky Lessler

Here are some comments from parents and Nursery workers about the mezzanine ministry on Sunday mornings.  The chorus must be, “God provides.”

“The Nursery has grown so much that it is now two ministries -infants, crawlers, and walkers in the mezzanine and “the big” girls and boys on the third floor in the new Toddler Ministry!”

GOD PROVIDES
“It’s a joy watching them grow up – they change every week!”
GOD PROVIDES
“Keep ’em coming!”
GOD PROVIDES
“There are SO MANY kids, we’re lucky we haven’t lost one.”
No worries, GOD PROVIDES
“Pajammy to the right, pajammy to the left, jamma, jamma, jamma, 
jamma, P! J!  It’s Pajama Time!!!”
Even at Family Camp, GOD PROVIDES
“It’s not just a ministry to children – it’s a ministry to parents.”
For parents, yes, GOD PROVIDES
“Bow! Bow! Bow!”
The call for food, and GOD PROVIDES
“It’s the only place adults and kids can both wet their pants.”
And GOD PROVIDES
“Don’t worry, we love them the whole time they’re crying.”
Unconditional love is what GOD PROVIDES
“Thank you.”
It’s our joy.
It’s our ministry.
Nancy Fong, Maddie Dong, Serena Jang, John and Lana Tom, Franklin and 
Marian Hom, Dan and Diana Lee, Debbie and Doug Manguiat, Brenda Choy, 
Rosalie Jing, Laura Pang, our supporting cast Lea Wong, Sherry Pang, 
and workers-in-training Samuel Yee, Clay Manguiat

Toddlers Jubilee–By Serena Jang

Every Sunday, the Toddlers gather for a time of singing, Bible stories, snacks and playtime. The toddlers love to play their instruments and sing (Old McDonald and Jesus Loves Me are our favorites), hear Bible stories, eat yummy fruit and crackers and play silly games with each other. Highlights this year included our Easter Sunday egg hunt, learning the story about the Moon Festival, decorating our Christmas tree and sharing Christmas songs at the 10:20 worship service.

Special thanks to our faithful teachers who helped serve in Toddlers Jubilee this year:  Melanie Low, Serena Jang, Pat Yee, Anita and Charles Yong, Sheryl Chan, Franklin Hom, John Tom, Diana and Dan Lee, Nancy Fong, Celina Ng, Courtney Tsunehara, Genevieve Yow and Madelena Dong.  Also thank you to Pastor Chris for her support.

Children’s Ministries -Rev. Chris Otani

Children’s ministry from January-August of 2008 continued to be in the capable hands of Adam Kung and Charlene Fong.  Adam Kung and Benjamin Chau were teaching a group of 1^st-3^rd graders who were mostly from the community.  Betty Jin and Charlene Fong and Alan Fong, Sophie Chong and Mei Wong faithfully taught the 2^nd-3^rd graders and the 4^th and 5^th graders (with help from Cheryl Yee, Anne Lee and Scott & Courtney Tsunehara).

Early in the year, Sophia Chong told me that she felt it was time to retire.  With much thanksgiving we were able to honor her at our Teachers Appreciation luncheon in June for her decades of service in the children’s ministry.  Alan Fong also thought it would be a good time to take a break from children’s ministry and focus on adult ministry.  So with this change, the CE Board decided to do some radical re-structuring of the children’s ministry so that teachers can attend worship service every week.

Starting in September 2008, Mei Wong agreed to become the children’s ministry superintendent.  We decided that the nursery and toddler ministry would only support families who attend worship services at this point and that our community children’s ministry would begin at 4-6 years old in our preK-1st grade class taught by Carol Jensen and San San Yue with help from Jennifer Erickson.  We would have one 2^nd-3^rd grade class taught by Benjamin Chau with help from William Lam and one 4^th-5^th grade class taught by Mei Wong with help from Rebecca Lee. They would teach from 10:15-11:15.  

Then at 11:15, a team of 3 people lead by Charlene Fong would watch the kids from 11:15-12:15.  This team includes Scott Tsunehara, Law Pang, Eva Ung, Cheryl Yee and Betty Jin.  Sobe and Milton Dong and Pat Yee continue to be a big help with the snack time.   From 12:15-12:45 we have an after Sunday school program for those children whose parents are still in the Chinese speaking worship service.  San San Yue and Charlene Fong have graciously agreed to volunteer their time for this.

I am excited for this new structure in that it truly shows the partnership of the English and Chinese speaking congregation in ministering to the church family as well as the community children and no one has to sacrifice their worship experience!  I am thankful as well for the continued commitment and faithfulness of our children’s ministry team.

Day Camp – Eric Ryan Chin                      “iPray”

This past summer Chris Lee and I had the privilege of directing First Chinese Baptists Church’s Summer Day Camp. We went with the theme “iPray” and used James 4:2-3 as our theme verses. We based our theme and theme verses off of the church’s overall theme for the year; Prayer and Missions. We chose these two verses because we know a lot of counselors and campers think we can just ask God for things and it will be given to us, so we wanted to make sure they knew that asking God for things must be aligned according to His will for us. Furthermore, when we ask God for things, we must be talking to Him, and a way we talk to Him is through prayer. This is how we came up with the theme of “iPray.” In addition, we figured “iPray” was the best theme because for many of us, prayer begins as an individual thing, but as we become more comfortable it can turn into something that happens within a group.

            The number of campers was high as usual and was around one hundred and eight kids. We interviewed over forty-five counselors and kept thirty-one, and also had six full time volunteers.

            For the most part, there is always no question whether the kids had a great summer or not. The counselors and volunteers did an amazing job planning a wide variety of structured activities. Lessons based off of the Bible took place twice a week. We took the kids on field trips every Wednesday which included places like the San Francisco Zoo, a movie, and the annual end of the year picnic.

            Having worked with the counselors very closely, one of the biggest highlights of Day Camp besides seeing the kids making new friendships, and growing spiritually had to be the spiritual growth of the counselors. Day Camp has become a place where many of the Counselors in Training (CITs) are new to Christianity, and where there were also many Junior and Senior counselors who have grown up in the Church, and know a lot about who God is. It was definitely a sign of confirmation from God that about half of the counselors went to FCBC’s Youth Camp at the end of the summer. And there were about seven others who really wanted to go, but due to previous commitments could not attend.

            In our point of view, Day Camp 2008 was a success because of the commitment from the counselors and the openness of the kids. It was easy to see all of us had a lot of fun, and we hope it is something every counselor and camper will remember.

Junior High – Becky Chu

            This past year has been filled with many memories. We started the year with the annual Jr. High Lock-In. The kids had a blast with the speaker and playing sardines. In the summer, the Jr. Highs joined with the Sr. Highs for a rafting trip in Davis. Everyone had a great time having water fights with other rafts, doing devotions and playing board games with one another. At the end of the Sunday school year we said good-byes to our graduating 8th graders and two of our leaders (Marcus Dong who now attends pharmacy school and Matt Chin who is now teaching in senior highs). As we entered the new Sunday school year, we welcomed new 6th graders and new leaders. The leaders include; Chris Lee, Keegan Doung, Jackie Ma, Jeffrey Yue, and myself (Becky Chu). We are truly blessed to have such unique and creative kids. At the end of the year we had our annual Cookie Bake at the Christmas Craft Fair. It was a new experience for some kids to work with younger kids or even to work in a kitchen, but it all went very well and the kids had fun while learning something new. As we continue into a new year, we hope that God will continue to be a presence in the kids lives as well as in our own.

Senior High – Kyle Lessler

2008 was a great year in the Senior High Department. The year began with a leadership team of Matthew Dong, Kyle Lessler, Tiffany Lessler, and Joyce Ng. A great grad class helped lead a strong showing at Youth Camp, where Joyce bid us adieu with a wonderful job co-directing – thanks for all your years of service, Joyce! Matthew Chin was promoted from the minors (Junior Highs) to the big leagues, where he’s done a standout job. The fall curriculum had us enlist the help of John Piper and his text “Don’t Waste Your Life,” and the Senior High Department is striving to do just that during 2009.

Youth Camp –                                             Instant Messenger 2008

In keeping with the church’s theme of missions and prayer for 2008, this year’s Youth Camp focused on God’s mission for the world and the importance of prayer.  The theme of an Instant Messenger emphasized our (1) constant communication with God and (2) obedience as His messenger in all circumstances. 

We were blessed with a wonderful staff:

• Pastor Chris : In addition to providing overall support for the entire staff and composing the awesome slide show, Pastor Chris began and ended each day by leading a time of morning prayer and sharing a closing thought at the end of the night.
• Guest Speaker (Pastor Jennifer Plantenberg) : We were privileged to have Jennifer share about having an intimate relationship with God and how we are to respond and be a part of His global mission. 
• Morning Learning Team (Kyle Lessler, Jackie Ma) : Our morning learning sessions were filled with purposeful lessons, small group discussions and a simulation exercise that focused on life choices.
• Chapel (Matthew Dong) : As our chapel speaker this year, Matt shared about God’s word and the acronym A.C.T.S., a tool to help us in our prayer life.  Six campers blessed everyone with their personal experiences – great testimonies of God’s faithfulness, power and love.
• Campout, Friday Night Celebration and Blogpals.com (Matthew Dong) :   The campers enjoyed “Camp Rock Out” with games, fellowship, s’mores and much more right under the stars!   Our celebration night provided a fun night to wrap up an awesome God-filled week, including a talent show and revealing our blogpal (a “secret buddy” to offer encouragement to during camp).
• Craft Room (Laurie Woo) : Always a spot for fellowship, creativity and fun, the Craft Room was no exception this year!  From stuffed animals to bags (Thanks to Laurie for coming up with great ideas!), all crafts were made with care and thoughtfulness, and added to the many memories of Youth Camp.
• Evening Activities Team (Matthew Chin, Becky Chu, Rick Wong) : Our Evening Activities Team led exciting events, including Olympics 2008, Film Festival, Boogie Nights, Oscar Night and Campfire.  From relay races to performing skits, to dancing and walking down the red carpet, everyone shared and made memories with each event.
• Evening Worship Team (Justin Louie, Jonathan Wong) : The Worship Team led us in “Filled with His Glory” – great times of worship and praise to God.  The campers expressed their thoughts through journaling, and sang “Shine,” our theme song for the week.

The week was filled with fun, prayer and unforgettable memories.  God’s faithfulness and presence were evident in all aspects, and He will continue to work as preparation for Youth Camp 2009 begins!

Leslie Chin

Youth Camp 2008 was a true testimony of God’s amazing faithfulness. Planning for youth camp provided many opportunities for growth – both emotionally and spiritually. The more we trusted in the Lord’s provision, the more we say how strong His hand was over this ministry.

Through abundant and constant prayer, we were blessed with 80 campers. The campers were shepherded by a young and energetic group of 11 counselors. They were Eric Chin, Brent Fong, Chris Lee, Donald Ma, Jeffrey Yue, Samuel Yee, Christine Louie, Joanne Wong, Lindsay Yuen, Odelia To, and Sandy Tran. This brave bunch planned daily cabin devotions, talked with their cabins one-on-one throughout the week, lived with their cabins for a whole week, and prayed diligently for them. As a result of their passion and hard work, we saw that the campers were more enthusiastic about camp, were learning valuable lessons from the speakers and activities, and were generally more outgoing, supportive and friendly towards one another. Many campers came to know Christ this year, and many more have recommitted their lives to Him. May God continue to grow the youth this year as we look forward to what He has in store for Youth Camp 2009! 

Joyce Ng

Adult Committee – Alan Fong

The Adult Committee is a sub-committee of the Board of Christian Education. The mission of the Adult Committee is to develop and implement programs for the adult congregations in order to equip members for discipleship, personal growth, ministry and service. To this end, we review each year the activities that involve the adult ministry of the church to see if these activities are still appropriate in meeting our goals. The Chairperson for 2008 is Alan Fong. Serving with Alan on the committee are Howard Lee and the late Diana Ming Chan. Reverend Don Ng and Reverend Lauren Ng provide staff support for all our meetings. For 2009, the Adult Committee welcomes Wesley Chan and Sharon Fong to our committee.

Events sponsored by the Adult Committee for 2008 are listed below:

• Chinese New Year celebration on February 17, 2008 coordinated by the late Diana Ming Chan and Dick Wong
• Nine week Summer Series coordinated by Dr. James Chuck and assisted by the late Diana Ming Chan and Rev. Lauren Ng
• Family Camp on August 30, 31^st and September 1, 2008 directed by Alan Fong
• Senior Appreciation Luncheon (incorporated with Thanksgiving Luncheon) on November 23, 2008 coordinated by Reverend Don Ng
• Christmas Workshop on Sunday, November 30, 2008 coordinated by Alan Fong
• Regional Lenten and Advent Study Groups

The Adult Committee also sponsors the Adult Sunday School classes for the English and Chinese Speaking congregations. The classes this year have been held at Donaldina Cameron House and were led by our Pastoral staff and lay people of our congregation. We would like to thank Sharon Fong for her continued leadership in coordinating coffee and light refreshments for the English Adult classes, and for those who volunteer to bring refreshments and assist Sharon on a weekly basis.

In addition, various Bible Study groups met throughout the year, with a special emphasis during Advent and Lent. Warren Lee continues to work with the Senior Center which he helped start in 2004. The Senior Center will meet once a month on the second Wednesday of each month. They normally share a lunch together, followed by a short program. They welcome all retired members of our church and their friends to attend.

In closing, the Adult Committee would like to acknowledge the contributions of the late Diana Ming Chan to our committee. Her generosity in opening her home for our meetings, the snacks, her enthusiasm, leadership, and vision has helped the Adult committee stay focused on the needs of our church and congregation. She will be missed.

Board of Trustees

Nelson Wong

The work of the Trustees continues to support the various ministries we have at First Chinese Baptist Church.  One major accomplishment was the purchase and installation of an overhead mounted projector in the sanctuary.  We also purchased and installed a computer in the Audio/Video room to run the applications that support the use of the overhead projector.  The new projector and related equipment enhance the worship experience by eliminating the use of the clumsier portable equipment cart.  Many thanks to Clarence Chan who designed and donated the projector mounting bracket.

Another major accomplishment was the purchase and installation of baby changing stations in two of the restrooms.  Our church has been blessed with the birth of many babies in the church family and the changing stations will certainly serve them well.  We owe a debt of gratitude to Arlen Ung who ordered and installed these units.

Other routine work kept the church programs functioning.  These included the two annual church clean-up events, and repairs to lighting, plumbing, carpets, water heater, heating and ventilation systems and the children’s chairs.

We continue to participate in city-wide training on emergency preparedness and response.  We have also been working cooperatively with Old St. Mary’s Church to address how we can best serve the Chinatown community during a disaster.  This effort will continue in the new year.

Information Technology / Website Task Force

Don Fong, chair

The IT/Website Task Force is responsible for 2 major areas involving technology applications for FCBC:

• The Information Technology (IT) group focuses on network, infrastructure, desktop and laptop computers maintenance/support, and audio/video needs for use during worship services and special events.
• The Website group focuses on maintenance and content updates to the church website,

www.fcbc-sf.org, technical interaction with the website’s Internet Service Provider (www.ipower.com),and maintains the church’s email system for the pastors, staff, and fellowship groups.

Listed below are highlights of each group’s accomplishments this year:

Website:

• Focus on content improvement (primarily with the addition of over 350 new photographs) has resulted in the following activities being showcased as unique web pages:
  • All Church Picnic, Sunnyvale (August)
  • Family Camp, Santa Cruz (August)
  • Believers Baptisms (March and December)
  • Community Volunteering Service Projects (Glide Memorial Church,2^nd Harvest Food Bank)
  • All Church Fellowship event, “Live in Harmony” music performances (April)
  • Fellowship Activities (Sojourners/GIFT Halloween, Semanon Christmas, Women’s Retreat)
  • YMCA building retrofit groundbreaking ceremony (May)
  • Senior Appreciation/Thanksgiving Luncheon (November)
  • New 9:10am English worship service in sanctuary (November)
  • Sports Ministry (Basketball, Softball, Bowling)
  • Videoconference broadcast with Rev. Peter Lee, Hong Kong (November)
  • Christmas Eve worship service (December)

• News, Press Release and Recognition information categories defined showing:
  • Found 13 web pages noting Press Releases (National Public Radio broadcast, Asian Week)
  • Found 15 web pages noting Recognition of Pastor accomplishments (ISAAC affiliation, ABSW Scholarship, Bay Area Chinese churches demographic study, ABC-USA national awards)
• New Website page category includes:
  • English worship service sermons (Rev. Don Ng) has Sermon Talkback notes
• Website Statistics Report (using AWStats application provided by www.ipower.com) shows:
  • Number of unique visitors (2008 monthly avg: 648); Oct. – 661, Nov. – 862, Dec. – 828
  • Number of pages viewed (2008 monthly avg: 3906); Oct. – 4774, Nov. – 5055, Dec. – 4412

Information Technology:

• Replaced personal laptop with new church purchased Apple MacBook laptop computer for Rev. Don Ng
• Purchased and installed 1 terabyte backup system (RAID 1 configuration) for networked church computers (supporting both Windows and MacOS based operating systems)
• Implemented custom videoconference solution (Microsoft Live Meeting, external USB based video camcorder) to broadcast a live congregational meeting (in sanctuary) with our new pastor of Chinese speaking ministries (Rev. Peter Lee (living in Hong Kong))
• Replaced aging laptop computer with newer desktop system to stabilze the erratic system failures when using the portable projection system (on video cart)
• Chinese fonts maintained for Microsoft Office usage in church office and public desktop computers
• Purchased and implemented a new Windows Vista based desktop computer, integrated with a new, permanently mounted sRGB/S-Video projection system, for use in displaying Microsoft Powerpoint sermon presentations, lyrics to songs performed during worship services, and for other video based presentations during special church events
• Setup and deployed wireless Internet (password protected) access point (3^rd floor) in November

Gift Planning Committee

Joel Jang

Gifts Planning Sunday – As designated by our church, the first Sunday in November is Gifts Planning Sunday. In celebration of this day in 2008, a small group of interested persons sat down for lunch in a local restaurant. Due to various commitments by others, the turnout was smaller than we had anticipated. As a result, the group who were present felt the need to reschedule a more convenient time whereby others will be able to come to join in the discussion. A suggestion to meet after the Christmas and New Year Holidays was expressed. 

Reaffirm Program Goals – Prior to establishing the goals for the church in 2004, the Gift Planning Committee worked hard and diligently in carrying out its task. Some committee members who possessed working knowledge on gift giving provided the committee with critical professional experience. Others just had the penchant in trying to follow God’s will. Each person’s contribution was pivotal in establishing printed documents and timely correspondence to the congregation. As the years went by, the committee felt that we need to revisit the printed material, level of communication, and the stated goals of our current thinking in matching the mission and vision of the church.

When Giving Stock – While the stock market is on a tail spin, if a donor still wishes to give stock to the church, FCBC’s Finance Committee has requested that the donor instruct his or her broker to remit the funds by electronic transfer. The donor must include the following information in the letter or other transfer documents:

Broker set up by the church:

Charles Schwab Co., 101 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94104

Beneficiary:    First Chinese Baptist Church, 1 Waverly Place, San Francisco, CA 94108-2118

                        Tax ID 94-1415308

                        Brokerage Account Number 9774-4585 

                        DTC #0164, Code 40

Contact Persons – If you are interested in making a gift or joining in the work of the Gift Planning Committee, please contact Steven Ng, Shirlene Leong Nakano, Keith Louie, Wendy Quan, Joel Jang, or Pastor Don Ng.  May God continue to richly bless you in all your days!

Missions Committee

Steven Ng

Touch Lives -> Changed Lives!  Many of our young people endeavored short term mission trip this year. They have touched the lives of many and some of them resulted in changed lives. 

Kenley Mew joined the medical mission team from Cornerstone Christian Fellowship Church of Bellevue, WA to serve the people at Cambodia.  Many of you donated your old eyeglasses so that the people there can see better.  The people that the team encountered and served saw God’s grace and Jesus’ love through them.  What a way to touch and change lives!

Odelia To joined PESI (Professional & Educational Services International) and taught English at a University in China.  Stephanie Ng joined Teach Overseas and taught English at a small town called Vinh in Vietnam.  Billy Chow and Eric Tam went to Hubei, China for two weeks to help run the summer school program there.  They also visited the orphanage run by the World Vision. 

These short term mission trip goers together touched the lives of many.  Some of them see God’s grace and His salvation.  Please pray for the lives that were touched and changed by these short term mission trip goers.  May God’s glory be magnified!

 FCBC collected 108 gift-filled shoeboxes for the Operation Christmas Child project.  Many children’s lives around the world are touched and changed.  God’s love is being shared through these shoe boxes.

We are continuing the Lanna Coffee project.  For the past 2 years, FCBC has donated $3,810 to House of Love and New Life Center in Thailand through this coffee project.  Every Sip Saves Lives!

FCBC was once a missions point supported by ABC Home Missions.  God has graciously blessed this church and we are ready to channel God’s blessings to others.  God is on the move.  Are you ready?

Music & Performing Arts Committee

Wendy Quan

At our last meeting of the year, appreciation was expressed for the music ministry led by our members as musicians, singers, directors and accompanists. We are blessed at FCBC to have such a rich ministry.

Committee members include:  Bill Leong, Keith Louie, Wendy Quan and Sarah Wong.  Ex officio members include:  Melanie Low, Lawrence Pang, Victor Low, Johnny Lo, Joy Shih Ng, Joyce Moy and Shirlene Leong Nakano.

 FCBC Choir

Members of this choir have served faithfully throughout the year. The format of the choir singing twice a month and the men’s chorus once a month with alternating accompanists works out well for us.  Also, with our members coming from different parts of the Bay Area, choir practice on Sunday mornings is the ideal time.  We continue to use our own collection of anthems with the added resource of borrowing anthems from the Fellowship of American Baptist Musicians to enhance our worship services.

Say Amen! Gospel Ensemble

After a delightful set of Christmas 2007 concerts, the choir went on hiatus for a number of months in 2008 and has begun getting back on schedule.  Wendy Quan has been appointed co-director to give our director Joy Shih Ng, and accompanist, Becky Lessler more flexibility.  With the new worship schedule, our choir will have greater opportunity to sing at the 9:10 and 10:20 services in 2009.

Handbell Choirs

The handbell players really have a lot of fun playing and working together. After losing four players who graduated and went off to college, we recruited six new players.  Our highlight for 2008 was playing music at Piedmont Gardens with Lawrence Pang and Sarah Wong as directors.  Maestro Law also did a wonderful job directing the handbell choir with piano, organ and Gospel Ensemble during our Christmas Eve service. 

As we look forward to 2009, the committee envisions the continuation of our long musical tradition of choirs and accompanists, supporting each of the worship services, as well as the many praise bands that serve each week. Additionally, the committee is looking for future ways to serve God through music and is beginning to explore new ventures in our community through our church. Please continue to pray and support this ministry.

Pastoral Relations Committee

Joel Jang

Committee Meeting Postponed – 2008 was a year of changes and challenges for the pastoral staff.  For the Chinese speaking congregation, a minister had not yet been called.  For the early English speaking worshippers, some are now with young children, there must have been adjustments for getting out of the house, dropping off the little ones, and finding a parking space.  On any given Sunday, navigating through the vestibule and the stairways throughout the church requires courtesy and patience.  A visit inside the crowded nursery will make you smile.  With all that buzz of activity, it’s not surprising that the pastoral staff and the committee were not able to convene a scheduled meeting during the year.

Pastor Don on Sabbatical – In the summer of 2008, Pastor Don was on his sabbatical leave.  After finishing a 4-week study course in Jerusalem in June, Pastor Don led a group of church members and friends on a pilgrimage tour of the Holy Land.  The memories and experiences of the 14-day journey will last a life time for many of the 23 travelers.  The time we spent together was akin to the work of pastoral relations, albeit with a much larger audience.  In the process of visiting, listening, and seeing the sights in Israel and Egypt, we experienced first hand the personal care and attention of our pastor’s leading and shepherding up close.  In exchange, there were opportunities for us to walk, socialize and share our questions and comments with Don and Joy.

2009 Committee Reorganized – During the Christmas Holidays, Pastor Don sent out an email to members of the present Pastoral Relations Committee.  The central message was to notify committee members in the canceling of the scheduled meeting.  Here is another part of that same email.  “In the advent of Pastor Lee joining the church staff and the plan to provide Jane Lam with a lay support committee, we [church staff] have made a decision to revamp the PRC [committee] as we currently are organized.  We want to deeply thank the current members on the committee and suggest that your service on the committee is completed.  We appreciate the prayer support and your care for the pastoral staff.”  Pastor Don also mentioned that the pastoral staff will soon identify persons to serve as (new) committee members.

Many Thanks – As the convener of the committee, I wish to thank the pastoral staff for their prayerful devotion to their ministries.  We are truly blessed as members of this church because of each and every minister’s dedication and care in his / her calling.  I also want to thank the committee members for their attendance in meetings, private meetings with their pastors, and other ways in contributing to the well being of our church staff and their families.  For us in the committee, it was an honor to serve.

Social Committee

Laura Pang

Celebrations and gathering events in church always center on food. That is where the Social Committee comes in. We are there to prepare the food or to coordinate groups to help prepare the food. Some events are more involved than others.

Social Committee Calendar of Events in 2008

Feb 3            Membership meeting: Served cha sui bow and tea

March 9        Membership meeting:  Served cha sui bow and tea

March 16      Baptism Sidewalk reception.  Semanons prepared a light lunch

August 24    Church Picnic at Ortega Park, Sunnyvale: Sojourners prepared lunch.

Oct 5            Membership meeting:  Served cha sui bow and tea

Nov 23         Thanksgiving & Senior Appreciation Luncheon: Turkeys made by OYYAs and Emmanuel Family Group, help from Youngfolks, Koinonia, Zion, and Senior Highs.

Dec 7            Membership meeting: Served cha sui bow and tea

Dec 14          Baptism Reception at Fellowship Hall: Social Committee and Christian Circle

Dec 24          Christmas Eve: Baked goods by Gospel Choir

The church picnic is one of our more labor intensive events. Many thanks to Wes Chan’s organization skills and leadership along with the Sojourners and others for making this enormous event a successful one. For many years now Betty and Wing Lee, and their son-in-law have reserved our great picnic site. For the two Baptism Receptions, it is

always fun to see the variety of delicious goodies different individuals have to share. FCBC has some great cooks and bakers. Cooking for 200 plus people for the Thanksgiving Luncheon involves many more fellowship groups to get everything underway.

As I complete my term as chairperson I just want to say it has been a pleasure working with my committee of Wes Chan, Jennifer Erickson, Sharon Fong, Helen Hong, Faye Lam, Margaret Lum, Darlene Mah, Yuk Mei Ng, and Helen Poon. You have all been awesome in your support. Behind the scene is Jimmy Yee who continues to advise and help us order food for various events. Joe Chan, Eddie Lum, and others are always available to lend a helping hand and share their expert knowledge. Many thanks to the various fellowship groups and individuals who participated in this past year’s events.

Sports Ministry

John Tom

The Sports Ministry committee members for 2008 were Matt Chin, Mel Fong, Jayson Gatdula, Rev. Chris Otani, and John Tom (chairperson).  

The objective of the Sports Ministry committee is to invite church members and friends, young and old, English and Chinese speaking, to participate in sporting activities.  Our hope is that the participants would find the love and grace of God through these activities and fellowship time.  This year, we sponsored the following events: 

1. Entered 4 teams in the CCU summer basketball league,
2. Entered 2 teams in the CCU summer softball league,
3. Entered 2 teams in the CCU summer volleyball league,
4. Golf tournament in June, coordinated,
5. Bowling tournament in November

The coaches for the CCU Summer Basketball league were Albert Chin/Roger Chen for silver team, Eric Chin/Robert bronze team, John Tom for the Women’s team, and Tony Ng for the Youth team. The coaches for the CCU Summer Softball league were Alan Fong and Donald Ma.  Jayson Gatdula coached both volleyball teams.

We had 37 men and women played in our 7th Golf Tournament at Monarch Bay Golf Course in San Leandro on June 16, 2008. They concluded the tournament with a Chinese buffet dinner where they had time to fellowship.  After the tournament, the tournament coordinators, Butch Chan and Joel Jang, delivered a check for over $2,800 to support FCBC Day Camp low-income subsidies, Youth Camp and basketball outreach ministries. 

We want to thank all the coaches, event coordinators, team managers, spiritual leaders, and volunteers who supported the Sports Ministry program.

Agape Fellowship

Lisa Chau

The Agape fellowship started to meet again in the Spring of 2008 after a long break. The mission of the Agape fellowship is to strengthen our relationships with our spouses through Bible studies and other activities. We are really thankful that Charles and Anita open their house for us to meet twice a month on Saturday afternoon. After serious considerations, we have decided to meet once a month in 2009 to accommodate our packed lives. The highlight of the year was that three babies were born, we need more volunteers to baby-sit, please. May God continue to bless us with more babies in the year of 2009.

As for the women prayer meeting, we have continued to meet every other Thursday night for prayer meeting and Bible studies. Over the past year, we have developed a very strong bonding and were able to share our inner thoughts on a variety of topics, especially about what is important and happening in our lives. We will continue to pray our husbands and hopefully, a men’s prayer meeting will be formed in the near future.

Ashira l’Adonai Fellowship

Ani Sittig

In 2008, Ashira L’Adonai met once every 2 months in a variety of events, and we continued to get to know each other and get stronger as a group. We also put up a website and posted photos of most of our events. As a quick rundown, here is what we did:

February – Ashira planning meeting and games at Evan Lessler’s apartment

April – Dinner and game night at John Tom’s house

June – Barbecue and family tree activity at Lawrence Pang’s house

July – Picnic and hike across the Golden Gate Bridge

October – Volunteering at the SF Food Bank

December – Joint Christmas party with Xplorers and our own Christmas potluck party at Sunset Ministry

This year Ani Sittig was chairperson and John Tom and Brenda Choy were our advisors. Next year Shannon Kong will be our chairperson. I have high hopes for 2009 – we have a few years behind us to learn from and each year so far we’ve gotten more organized and had increased participation.

Cell Group for College Sisters

Nancy Guan

In the past year, our cell group sisters had experienced many blessings from God. Sherry said, “Thank God for giving my family peace, health and joy. Even though we are struggling to make our needs meet, difficulties cannot reduce even a little bit of our joy.  I learned to pray for everything, look up to God, study the Bible and try my best to get a growing spirit.  What I have learned will benefit my whole life.”  Michelle and Philip had a healthy and cute baby from God in September, 2008.  May God continue to bless their family!  June had two car accidents and experienced God’s deliverance; she got to know more about God and realized that God is always by her side. 

In 2008, although we did have weekly meetings, we prayed for each other through emails and phone on top of monthly gatherings.  We all know that God listens to our prayers all the time.  We care and support each other in God’s family.  In 2009, we welcome three more new members to our group, and are planning to have regular group gatherings once a month after Worship.  We pray that we all grow up together in Jesus Christ.

Christian Circle

Che Chiu Yee

In 2008, Christian Circle Fellowship met regularly at FCBC on the second Sunday of each month. Our meeting starts at 4 pm and ends at about 8 pm. The fellowship program lasts for about two hours and we enjoy our dinner together at church shortly afterwards. Since we take turns in preparing the meal, the “kitchen fellowship” actually starts in the early afternoon with many people coming to help. We are very grateful that we have always been blessed with wonderful food.

Our program usually starts with singspiration, followed by personal devotion, monthly theme and group sharing. The monthly themes included book sharing, bible study, video, mission trip sharing etc. During the year, we had joint fellowship for a couple of times where we had good sharing and games with other fellowship groups.

Even though our fellowship attendance has dropped to about 15 to 20 people due to fact that some of our members have left FCBC and some have time conflicts on Sundays, our fellowship continues to be a strong one. We care and provide spiritual support to one another.

For the year 2009, Christian Circle will be under the leadership of Shung and Faye Lam. We have decided to change our meeting to the 3rd Sunday of each month and meeting time will start from 2 pm to 4 pm to accommodate the time schedule of more people. We look forward to seeing more new members joining us. With Pastor Lee coming on board, I am convinced that our fellowship will be further strengthened.

Emmanuel Family Group

Howard & Anna Lee, Franklin & Daisy Leong, Bill Leong & Sharon Young

Our attendance averages 25 members.  Meetings were held every second Saturday of the month starting from 4:00PM to no later than 8PM.  We always welcome new members and guests. Our program is divided into several areas including sing-along, program, devotion and a delicious dinner.  We charge $4 per dinner.  It is rotated at a different member’s home throughout the year.

We have had many different speakers who spoke on various topics including Rev. Dr. James Chuck, Rev. Don Ng and Rev. Chris Otani, Joel Jang, Harland Wong, Victor Lee, Shirlene Leong Nakano, Judy Ung, Lorraine Dong and Dr. Darrin Lowe, and Danny Lee.  A variety of interesting topics were presented including taxes, Chinese history in America, foot care, Holy Land, Thailand, China, etc.

We donated $300 to House of Love and also $300 to Cornerstone Christian Fellowship for their Fall Cambodia Mission Trip.  We also sponsored the reception of the celebration of the ending of Day Camp.  We were saddened by the loss of Diana Ming Chan.  She helped in planning and implementing the event along with Dick and Anna Wong and members who volunteered. 

We thank everyone that has been a part of the EFG family for their endless energy, love and dedication and they have invested into EFG.    

Faithfully Loving Youth (F.L.Y.)

Debora Mok

This year, we continue to carry out our vision to serve the Chinese-Speaking youth in our community.  The four youths that are attending our Sunday school are the same members as in 2007.  They are high school students and two of them will be graduating in summer of 2009.

Due to the schedule change of the Sunday worships, our Sunday school now meets from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., which allows Sunday school teachers to attend the 11:30 Sunday service.  As for our Sunday school, we will be finishing the Book of Matthew at the end of December and will be studying the Book of Acts next year.  After Sunday school, we hang out with the youth and have lunch together and we see this as wonderful time we can fellowship with each other.  We had our 2-day summer retreat at Collins Lake in June.  We had devotion time, topical sharing and we also played Bible games related to the themes in the Book of Matthew.

We want to thank God for the blessings he has given us this year and we look forward for another fruitful year in 2009.

FROG Fellowship

Adam Kung

…Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household. Act 16:31

Although FROG fellowship is a children ministry, we have never forgotten their family members. 

Besides taking care of the fellowship, our advisors also continue to build up relationship with the parents by visiting their homes. Many of them have already known our advisors for a long period of time, because their children have been coming to our church since they were very young. Therefore, the sense of trust is already been built up, and they usually welcome us to visit them. We also invite them to pray with us during the visiting, so that they could come closer to Jesus.

GIFT Fellowship

Courtney Tsunehara

2008 was a very exciting year for the GIFT Fellowship Group.  It was our first full year in existence and it was a very blessed year for us.  Our first major accomplishment was coming up with a name for our group.  Dan Smith creatively came up with our fellowship name, GIFT, which stands for “Growing in Faith Together.”  Our fellowship group consists of young families so we always try to have gatherings that cater both to the adults as well as our children.

Dan and Kris Smith and Hong and Leslie Hua were our co-chairs for 2007-2008 and we would like to thank them for their leadership during our inaugural year.  We are also fortunate to have Pastor Don as our trusted and wise advisor. 

Some event highlights:  In June, we went to Gilroy Gardens.  In October, we had a joint fellowship group with the Sojourners at Leslie and Hong Hua’s home.  The children were dressed in their Halloween costumes and went trick-or-treating throughout the house where Sojourners were dressed up as different Bible characters.  And in December, we had our 2^nd annual Christmas party at the home of Arlen and Eva Ung.

By far the most exciting part of the year for our group was welcoming many new babies.  We are so blessed to have our newest members: Ren Tsunehara, Grant Takahashi, Marcus Li, Erika Fong, Story Kushner, Miles Smith, Cameron Chow, and Sophie Hua.  We welcome them into our families, our fellowship group, and our church family.

Joshua Fellowship and Friday Night School

Nancy Guan

2008 was a year of challenge for the Friday Night School and Joshua Fellowship ministry. The Chinese-speaking congregation was still searching for pastor. Some brothers and sisters who were involved in the ministry discontinued to serve for a number of different reasons. Recruiting new helpers was not easy. However, we are thankful as God is always there to help us through tough times.

Thanks to the faithful commitment of brothers and sisters from the whole church, both the Chinese-speaking and English congregations, the Friday Night School Program and Joshua Fellowship Ministry operated normally as usual. God has brought many people from the community to our church through this program. Around forty students consistently stayed for Joshua Fellowship after class. There were a variety of programs such as Bible studies, workshops, sharing times, games, and regular monthly worship. Many of the students never heard about Jesus Christ before. They showed great interest in finding out more about Christianity and the truth of the Bible. On December 19^th, we invited them to an evangelistic meeting prepared by the brothers and sisters of our church. Over a hundred students attended and more than twenty of them indicated that they either want to find out more about Jesus or accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and savior. We resumed the Joshua Fellowship a week later in the term break. Even though there were no English classes, many of the students still came just because they wanted to know more about we believe.

God’s plan is always amazing. ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.’ We are thankful for God giving us the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ through this ministry. As there are so many non-believers and new believers, follow-up work becomes a great need. Please continue to pray for this ministry and join us when God calls you to serve.

Koinonia & Zion

Rebecca Lee

This year Koinonia has combined with Zion to meet almost weekly. While the attendance may fluctuate from week to week, the group continues to meet. In the middle of the year, the two groups started looking into John Ortberg’s “Everybody’s Normal Til You Get to Know Them”. Each chapter has an important message about living in community and brings light into our own communities. Billy Chow and Eric Tam went on a short term missions trip over the summer and they were able to share their experiences of God’s work in China. Steven Ng also shared his views about the recent election in November. Other than meeting to discuss topics, the two groups have been able to enjoy each other’s company through activities such as horseback riding, a Wii Night, and hotpot dinners. Looking beyond ourselves, we’ve been able to participate with Operation Christmas Child. Also, we will be passing out goodies with the Gospel on the streets of Chinatown before the Christmas holiday. We praise God for blessing our groups with so much even in times of uncertainty. Please continue to pray for the two groups to transition back to their own and for Zion to have a fun and safe road trip this winter!

Men’s Fellowship

Wesley Chan

The Men’s Fellowship has again had another “busy” year.  The Fellowship itself only met officially for three fellowship activities, but the “Men” of the Fellowship have been busy in all phases of the church, from childcare in the nursery and the toddler class, to teaching in Sunday School, to singing in the different choirs, to being active in all the standing committees and boards of FCBC.  Men’s Fellowship this past year had a Fellowship Dinner at Ono Grill in San Mateo in March; learned about the medical and therapeutic values of massages in June, while also having some treatment at the Massage Envy facility in Walnut Creek, owned by Jon & Nathan Ng; helped do much of the cooking at the All Church Picnic, at Ortega Park in Sunnyvale (August); and finally enjoyed a delicious breakfast cooked by master chef Nelson Wong and thoughtful discussion about “Dreams Unfulfilled, and New Opportunities Presented” led by Don Ng, at the Annual Holiday Gathering.  Other events in the year had to be postponed due to the busy schedules of the Men.

Chairperson Wes Chan would like to acknowledge the tremendous assistance and support of all the Men of FCBC who participated; and especially the Advisory Committee of John Tom, Don Ng, Nelson Wong, & Dan Lee, for their suggestions and insights.

We extend many good wishes to 2009 Men’s Fellowship Chairperson Alan Fong.

OYYA

Melanie & Victor Low

We were blessed this year with 2 grandkids.  Proud grandparents, Mic and Paul Fong have a very cute granddaughter, Erika.  Proud grandmother, Betty Jin has a very cute grandson, Cameron.  Of course they are cute!!!!

We started January with our retrospect program and shared our latest adventures of 2007.  About 1/4 of us travel a lot and we have many interesting stories to share. 

We are mostly retired and finding more things to do than we have time.  We did go on a California Missions tour together.  We learned a lot about our Spanish missions and of course we had a lot of yummy meals and wonderful conversations with each other.  We generally don’t have time to commune together.

We had a wonderful time with the Christian Circle Fellowship.  Victor taught us “Moon, Bright, Bright” poem which he learned when he was young.  It’s been so long that he can’t remember where he learned it!  We were able to introduce ourselves sharing a story in Chinese to each other.  We were proud that we could still use our Chinese.

Quite a few of us attended the Adult Asilomar Conference led by Dr. James Chuck.  Our focus was on relationships with God, family and friends.  This is another time when we can commune with each other. 

We had a wonderful year exploring and sharing our faith in God.

Semanon

Debbie Chong-Manguiat

The Semanon Fellowship is a group of English-speaking 40- and 50-somethings, singles and families, who fellowship on Saturdays or Sundays once a month. We are grateful for this network of friends and family, and welcome you to join us for fellowship.

In January, we met at Mic and Pungo’s home to reflect on the past year and what we were looking forward to 2009. This is the opportunity to catch up with each other, eat, fellowship and bond as a whole group. This is our biggest turn out because we are fed dinner!

In February, our service project was at the San Francisco Food Bank where several families and individuals were able to attend and help.

For the month of May, we provided dinners for Friday Night School students who always love the meals.

In October, we met at Darlene and Robert’s home to plan for the next year and to pick new chairs for the group.

In December, we held our annual Christmas Celebration Holiday Party at UCSF (thanks to Liane!). Even though we had a smaller group, we still had a great time.

We are grateful to those Semanon members who support the FCBC Clean-Up Days, the Yosemite Retreat, Church Picnic and Family Camp.

We are thankful to God who continues to guide us and keep us healthy. We are especially thankful for the faithful 20+ years to our advisors Mic and Pongo Fong, with outgoing chairpersons Debbie and Doug Manguiat, and incoming chairpersons Debbie and Norman Chin

Senior Adult Fellowship

George Lai

In 2008 the Senior Fellowship and the Youngfolks had a combined active membership of over twenty- four and operated under one leadership team.  Although they shared the same activities during the year, the Youngfolks continued to do separately the Nursery curtains and Thanksgiving luncheon table decorations.  We tried to meet the first Friday afternoon of each month, and our attendance ranged from six to as many as twenty-four.  We usually had a program, followed by a short devotion, and then a lunch at a local restaurant.

We attended the Conservatory of Flowers at Golden Gate Park and the Ming Exhibit at the Asian Art Museum.  We helped serve lunch at Glide Memorial Church.  We supported an Ethiopian elementary school girl through the Compassion, a missionary program. 

We participated in our annual Seaman’s Project.  We made and filled twenty-four tote bags with personal care and stationary items and knitted caps, which our members hand- knitted.  These items were delivered to the seamen aboard the cargo ships in the Port of Oakland.

Our annual Christmas party was held at Ben and Susan Lee’s house in San Anselmo.  We had a pot luck lunch.  The Christmas program was followed by a white elephant gift exchange.  We all went home with some lemons and persimmons picked from Ben and Susan’s trees.

The highlight for the year was our late October Asilomar retreat.   Thirty-one attended.  Dr. James Chuck led us in our retreat theme,’ Honoring Our Relationships’.  Warren Lee, Paul Fong, and Joel Jang gave us insightful devotions.  An added feature this year was Ray Tom, who led us in Chi Gung in the morning.  Bill Chin researched and provided us with some excursion options on Thursday afternoon.  We sang some camp and nostalgic songs for the sing-along program the first night, but some real talent was uncovered the second night.  There were harmonica, piano, and guitar playing, a singing quartet, and some stand-up joke telling.  The women put on a terrific skit, the high point of the talent show.  We closed our retreat with each person stating publicly someone whom he/she honor.  Then we had communion and passed the peace with each and everyone.

Praise God for guiding us through another year.  We believe that our relationships have been deepened not only with God but also with one another in our fellowship, families, friends, co-workers, and whomever have touched our lives.

Senior Center

Warren Lee

We formed our senior center five years ago with a mission of serving the seniors of the CBC and the community.  We visualized a place where seniors could gather together for Christian fellowship.  Believe it or not, retired people need a place to go to, too!  Our goal is to provide a friendly place where everyone is welcome.  Our senior center is located in the Fellowship Hall on the 4^th floor.  We held our meetings on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month and usually begin with a luncheon of healthy, delicious food at 12:20 PM.   Afterward, we will listen to a talk.  This past year, we heard from diverse speakers such as Gayle Chan on traveling, Catherine Yee on estate planning, Kari Lee on the YMCA building project, and Rev. Norman Fong on Chinatown housing issues.   We try to schedule a variety of topics to keep it interesting.  Following the talk, we have a period of exercise consisting of tai chi and line dancing. Thus, the three elements of our operating plan are fellowship, learning, and exercise.  We have a lively group consisting of 25 or more members at our activities regularly.   

Our ability to serve depends upon the effort of many people.  First of all, we wish to thank all of our members.  Ours is a do-it-yourself operation, and everyone pitches in to help set up, serve food, and after the meeting, to restore everything to the way we found it.  So many things have to be done, but without fail, someone always steps up to do them.  Moreover, we are very grateful to our members and friends for their financial support.  We have been able to operate without using any funds from the CBC budget for five years in a row.  We are truly blessed in so many ways!

  Before we begin year six when we will only be meeting on the second Wednesday of each month, we wish to give special recognition to the following key people who have made an important contribution to the center: Gary Eng, Pearl Eng, George Lai, and Jimmy Yee. They are there for practically every meeting and carry out their responsibilities unhesitatingly. This is a great team, and we are grateful to them.  

Our senior center is a place where people can come and enjoy fellowship and fun.   If you know of someone who might be interested, please let one of us know.  Everyone is welcome!  That’s for sure.

Sojourners

Bonnie and Tommy Lim

The Sojourners Fellowship Group is now in its 40^th year.  The group has grown in numbers, adding new members primarily from the South Bay.  We strive tofocus on God and showing His love in all our group activities.  The friendships that are forged in our fellowship group, some life-long and some in recent years, continues to grow as we open our hearts to those in the Bay Area searching for a place to worship God and to belong. The Sojourners are a group maturing in many phases of life, with some of our members at the peak of their careers, winding down at the work place, entering retirement as well as grandparenthood and now caring for aging parents.  Whichever phase they may be in they remain strongly rooted in service to Christ and maintaining a strong presence in doing our Lord’s work in our professional life, in our communities and at FCBC.  We are in awe of God’s love for all of us and are thankful for His blessings. 

We started the year with our annual Retrospect where we reflected on the previous year and gave thanks for God’s presence in our lives.  Speakers were invited into our homes to share their experiences and thoughts.  Dr. James Chuck updated us on his work with the Chinese churches in the Bay Area while Butch and Gayle Chan shared their unique experiences from their trip to Turkey.  Our group sorted canned foods in San Jose at the Second Harvest, served food at St. Anthony’s Dining Room as well as cooking at the All-Church Picnic and Friday Night School.  We shared our musical talents, participating in Live in Harmony, the All Church Music Festival.  In October we met with the GIFT Fellowship, taking part in a Biblical Halloween with treats, no tricks.  It was a road down memory lane for many of our members, once again seeing little children in Halloween costumes.  Just as important, we took time to relax, spend time with special friends and explore on a weekend trip to Pajaro Dunes in Monterey Bay. 

2008 was a special year for the Sojourners, with moments to reflect, opportunities to share as well as learn from others and commitments to serve.

May God continue to bless the First Chinese Baptist Church.

Women’s Fellowship

Joy Shih Ng and Lea Wong

Our ninth annual retreat in March was on the theme of “Dirty Laundry: Letting God’s Grace Shine Through the Dysfunction.” Our retreat speaker, The Rev. Kristin Krantz, Associate Rector, All Souls Episcopal Parish in Berkeley, led us in looking at several dysfunctional families in the Bible. Our sessions included Sibling Rivalry (Martha and Mary), When Parents Fail (Jephthah’s daughter), Dysfunction and Desperation (the story of Leah). The retreat featured dramatic readings, comedy sketches at our Crackpot Family Theater, and a meaningful worship service where we symbolically “washed away” the dirty family laundry and put on the shine of God’s grace. Fifty two women of all ages participated in the retreat at San Damiano in Danville.

Once again in 2008 the women had such busy lives that we were unable to schedule our normal Saturday brunches. In December we met for breakfast at West Portal and attended the annual Charles Dickens Christmas Fair at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. It was a fun time to be together as we looked forward to Christmas and the busyness that brings.

In 2009 we look forward to a special celebration at our 10^th annual retreat. We praise God for the women of the church who continue to support each other physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Women & Brothers’ Society

Helen Poon, Translated by David Wong

Every year is a good year for us. 2008 was no exception. We received many blessings, guidance, and care from God. We met once month on the second Sunday of the month at 10:00 a.m. in the church library (third floor). We had singing, prayer, devotion, and sharing. We took term to do the devotion in the meetings and gave everyone time to speak and ask questions on Bible study. We hoped this way would help ourselves to learn, to listen and to do a good example to show others God’s grace. We also conducted our group business, such as where God’s work that we could contribute money to. In 2008 we sent money to Chinese Mission and SOBEM USA. Early the year, we sent get well card and some money to Rev. Joseph Tsang. We celebrate our members’ birthday with light refreshment. We collected contributions from members when there was a need to do God’s work. In May, we sang a hymn to glorify God at the Chinese Christian Union Women Group Music Retreat. Near end of the year, we purchased a Microwave oven as a gift for welcoming Rev Peter Lee and his family coming to serve our church.

Our Sunday school Bible class met at 10:00 a.m. at the church library. Mr. David Wong and Mrs. K.C. Lee were our teachers. In the fall, Mrs. K.C. Lee retired. We thank God for his calling Mrs. Anna Ng to come to teach our Bible class. We have 23 people in our class. The average attendance was about 16. We sing once month at the Sunday Chinese speaking worship service. We praise our God with our hearts and voices. For He is good to us. We welcome everyone who wants to study Bible, share his/her faith, witness, and fellowship. We have a seat waiting for you.

We were very happy that three new friends joined us in Sunday school to study the Bible.

 Our 2009 officers are: Helen Poon, Chairperson; Lucia Ren, Vice-Chairperson; Fanny Tang, Secretary; and Luen Oi Ng Lai, Treasurer.

Xplorers Fellowship

Jackie Chou & Genevieve Yow

Xplorers had a wonderful year fellowshipping with one another, breaking bread, and growing into a deeper community with one another. We met and celebrated important events in each others’ lives, including the births of Jacob Andrew Ng (son of Joyce and Jon Ng), Story Ng Kushner (daughter of Lauren Ng and Daniel Kushner), Parker Joshua Chou (son of Jackie and Josh Chou), and Kira Dare Feng (daughter of Laura Dare and Tom Feng), and the marriages of Kyle Lessler and Tiffany Louie, Jonathan Wong and Joanne Yee, and Norman Cheng and Rose Wondany.

Our monthly events included such activities as an appetizer potluck, fruit picking, learning about missions and hearing about Pastor Don’s trip to Israel, church clean ups, our annual tri-tip Thanksgiving dinner, and a joint Christmas gathering with Ashira L’Adonai. 

We also had a wonderful retreat in October at Pajaro Dunes. Pastor Karen Yee, affectionately known to many of us as “Garwshy” was our guest speaker and led us in a time of reflection and Bible study on growing and deepening our community.  We look forward to continuing to build community with one another during 2009!

Membership Statistics

Receiving the Right Hand of Fellowship

Four (4) new members by Baptism on March 16, 2008:

                        1. Timothy Lee

                        2. Randy Leung

                        3. Clayton Manguiat

                        4. Courtney Yuen

Four (4) new members by Baptism on December 14, 2008

                        1. Russell Chin

                        2. John Lam

                        3. Odelia To

                        4. Cindy Yue

Serving in God’s Kingdom

 One (1) member transferred her membership:

            Karen Au

Returning to the Lord

Two (2) members rested in peace:

1. Diana Ming Chan

2. Bow Ngan Wong

As of January 2009, our current membership listed in the 2009 Directory is: 554.