Senior Pastor: Don Ng
After steady growth in church membership and annual giving for the past number of years, in 2010 our church decided to cast an even larger vision for expanding our ministries to add a fourth full-time pastor to our staff team. Responding to the increasing number of young families coming to our church, we were hoping to add a Pastor of Family Ministries, knowing all along that this was by faith that the pledges and contributions would meet the much larger goal. However, after much prayer and review, we recognized the reality that in the midst of the longest recession in our country’s history without any credible forecast that the economy will improve, we needed to become more realistic with our 2011 budget. By the Dec. 5th Membership Meeting, the Finance Committee, in consultation with leaders of the Deacons and pastoral staff, presented a revised budget to reduce the draw from our cash reserve and reduce expenditures, including the suspension of the pastoral search to call a Pastor of Family Ministries. This revised 2011 budget was approved.
This was not the first time in our church’s history that it was necessary to revise down our proposed budget based on received and anticipated giving. It is certainly not going to be the last time either. Like every situation that occurs in the life of the church, we can learn something from this. We learn that financial capability has some limits but it does not in any way reflect the dedication and support of our members and friends for the mission of our church. We learn that we have some very competent and experienced people who utilize their abilities for the church’s ministry. We learn, from serving on the search committee, procedures and strategies to conduct a search that will be absolutely valuable for future searches. We learn that when a change in plans is called for, we are courageous to see new possibilities, trusting in God to guide us along the way. Finally, we can say that we learn that we are unshaken in the Lord and God will refocus us in the new year and many more years to come.
Major Highlights
The year 2010 marked our 130th Church Anniversary which was celebrated on Oct. 10, 2010 with a display of our variety of ministries and capped with a luncheon for over 400 people at the Empress of China Restaurant. Testimonies of how FCBC made a difference in their lives were given by Wendy Chu, Luke Kwan and John Tom. We thank the anniversary committee that was comprised of Gayle Chan, Jennifer Erickson, Rodney Tom, Anna Quan Wong, Sarah Wong and Byron Chan (Chair) for their faithful work.
The 30-year contractual partnership with the Chinatown YMCA came to fruition with the reopening of the Y in September. Our Sunday school adult class are now meeting in the classrooms and beginning in 2011, all of the youth classes will also be using the YMCA. We express our appreciation to Cameron House for allowing us to rent their facilities when we were in such need of additional space. On Pledge Sunday, Oct. 31st, we had our first all-church worship service in the YMCA gym. We hope that in the near future we may offer another worship service that would use the excellent facilities that the Y now offers.
Using special gifts designated for building improvements, two major projects were completed. The six sanctuary stained glass windows were cleaned, resealed, reinforced and protected with a Lexan covering by the Bovard Studios of Fairfield, Iowa. Now when you are worshiping in our sanctuary, the removal of the wired screen gives you an unobstructed view of the beautiful Centennial Windows facing Sacramento Street. In loving memory of Diana Ming Chan, Sun Light & Power of Berkeley installed 81 SunPower solar panels on the roof of our building. The panels are generating all of our electrical needs and donating electricity to PG&E. Going solar is a continuation of our church’s commitment to be green and sustainable.
Ongoing Developments
Members of the Deacons and Pastors have been attending ongoing meetings with other American Baptists from the greater Bay Area to explore the possibility of affiliating with the ABC of Oregon. As a church founded by Baptist missionaries and continuing to be committed to ABC life and mission, having the opportunity to fellowship and do common mission with equally committed churches fulfills our mission as a church. On Oct. 22–24, Deacon Nelson Wong and I participated in the ABC of Oregon annual meeting held in Medford. There will be more opportunities for our church members to discuss these possibilities before any decision is made.
For the past four years after returning from a visit to explore ABC overseas mission in Thailand, the Lanna Coffee Project continues to sell coffee that strengthens village economies and raises needed funds for the New Life Center and the House of Love. By our example, a number of other churches are now selling Lanna Coffee to help stop human trafficking—“Every Sip Saves Lives!” To renew our commitment and to invite people from other churches to become more familiar with this project, we are traveling to Thailand on Feb. 24–March 6, 2011 for an eyewitness exposure to the coffee ministry, including staying in the villages for two nights. We invite you to pray for this life-changing project and to continue to donate and buy Lanna Coffee.
In May, we sponsored our second pilgrimage to the Holy Land with visits to Israel and Jordan. Thirty-four pilgrims walked where Jesus walked and the Bible became more vivid for them. As a part of our ongoing commitment to provide experiential learning opportunities, I will lead a Steps of Paul tour to Turkey, Greece and Patmos this coming May.
Milestones
Our Minister-in-Training Ashang Lolly from ABSW, Berkeley, completed his one-year training with us in May. The Deacons and the Commission on the Ministry of Growing Healthy Churches region approved the ordination of Moa Imchen into the Christian Ministry and a service of ordination took place on Sept. 12th. Nancy Guan resigned from her position as the Night School Coordinator in May to pursue full-time college education, leading us to welcome Feng-Yi Wu and Francis Kwong to share this position.
The reports in your hands for the most part highlight the significant events that happened in 2010. Nestled between these noteworthy events are the many and different ways the church carries out its faithful ministry: preparing for Sunday worship and writing sermons; getting out the weekly bulletins and monthly newsletters; updating our church website; maintaining the church home with regular janitorial services and our biannual church clean-up days; attending meetings and implementing decisions; counting contributions and paying bills; visiting the sick and offering counseling; officiating at weddings, baby dedications, and funerals; teaching Sunday school classes; leading Bible studies; planning summer programs; and answering email!
Maintaining our high level of ministries requires committed and talented leaders with whom our church is blessed and to whom I am deeply grateful. Our board and committee chairpersons are on top of needs and emerging issues and involve their members to make informed decisions. Our church staff team is always committed to the mission of our church without exception. I praise God for our pastoral staff: Chris Otani, Peter Lee and Jane Lam; our administrative staff: Wendy Lin and Marian Hom; our Night School staff: Nancy Guan, Feng-Yi Wu and Francis Kwong. And I thank our Pastor Emeritus James Chuck who is always supportive and continues to be active in serving the Lord in many ways.
Special appreciation goes to Shannon Kong who used her copyediting skills to prepare these reports in a form for us to enjoy.
Looking Ahead
The 2011 new year is undoubtedly pregnant with new opportunities and possibilities. Emphasizing the need to become more aware of our neighbors who live a stone’s throw from our church, we will strive to answer the question “Who is My Neighbor?” in 2011. We invite you to join us in sharing the Christian message of Good News and welcoming our neighbors.
While none of us would like to be shaken out of our wits, the issues and challenges that happened in 2010 may have shaken us up for a bit. But they did not shake our focus on God’s kingdom work. For that we give thanks and will continue to worship God with reverence and awe (Hebrews 12:28).