Down by the Riverside
Down by the Riverside is the name of a book that a number of our church members are studying this spring. It’s a brief history of Baptist faith written by Everett C. Goodwin, an American Baptist author and local church pastor. For hundreds of years, Baptists have gone down to the riversides where the water is running to baptize new Christians in Jesus Christ.
When we are worshiping in our sanctuary, the most prominent feature we see is the front stained glass window. Commissioned to celebrate the centennial of our church in 1980, the window is a waterfall cascading into our actual baptistry. There are living things all around: birds in the air, blooming flowers, verdant trees, and swimming fish. On the left side window, the Chinese reads, “Come, accept the water of life.” (Rev. 22:17) We may not be baptizing new converts in an active river anymore, but we know that Baptists believe that to believe in Jesus Christ, the Living Water, we are to become active and faithful disciples living out our convictions in daily life.
The result of our book study has enabled many to understand who Baptists have been and where they came from. Baptists began in England and soon ventured to the North American continent. For the principle of freedom in faith against totalitarian authority, they were persecuted and marginalized. Baptists believe in the power and authority of the Bible and only have considered confessional statements to organize their life together. While Baptists strongly stand for individual “soul freedom” to interpret Scriptures with the responsibility to understand Scriptures in their context and with the wisdom of biblical scholarship, they are also committed to the local church where a democratic form of organization welcomes everyone to participate equally. Unlike some churches, where a person is credited as a “founder,” Baptists have no such person. We do have people along the way who have shaped who Baptists are today: missionaries Adoniram Judson and Ann Hasseltine, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., President Jimmy Carter and many, many others.
Baptists do share core beliefs in the nature of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, the nature and experience of humankind, the character and role of the church and other aspects of faith such as salvation, worship, and the ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism. Perhaps the most eye-opening discovery from our study is the realization that since the late nineteenth century, Baptist views of Scripture at times have been a source of disagreement among Baptists themselves. But what makes Baptists Baptist is this religious freedom in belief and worship, freedom in the interpretation of Scripture but always with the commitment to discern God’s truth, and freedom from interference by governmental and religious authority.
Our church is truly a healthy Baptist church enabling every person to have the freedom to read and interpret Scriptures. This is the reason why we present Bibles to Sunday school students or have Bibles in our sanctuary or encourage everyone to attend Bible studies. From this conviction to knowing the Bible and to share our understanding with other Baptists while always discerning the mind of Christ on matters of importance, we will continue to invite new Christians down by the riversides to be transformed by the Living Christ!
Pastor Don
May Attractions at Senior Center
May 9—“Understanding Your Hearing” with Tia West, audiologist from Kaiser Permanente will probably say, “Do you hear me now?” We live in a very noisy world and trying to hear well over the din of today can be a real challenge. With so many people using iPods plugged into their ears, some health experts are worried about hearing loss. And when we are getting older, our hearing tends to fade. If you are having difficulty hearing well, you are not alone. Ms. West will inform us on what is happening to your hearing and what you can do about it. By the way, if you are attending worship at FCBC and have a difficult time hearing, we do have “hearing enhanced devices” for you to participate fully in worship!
May 23—“Stocks and Bonds” with our own Warren Lee. Most of us skip over the business section of the newspaper and especially the pages of stocks and bonds listings. But Warren Lee reads these pages and can even make heads and tails of them! Experienced in the investment field, Warren will share how investing in stocks and bonds can strengthen your portfolio so that you can live long and prosper! Come with your questions and expect wise and proven answers.
Every Senior Center program features a healthy Chinese food lunch followed usually by birthday cake in honor of members. Come and join our Senior Center because we want to celebrate your birthday too! Following our topic for the day, there’s fellowship and tai chi exercise. The Senior Center is from 12:00-3:30 in the church Fellowship Hall accessible by the elevator. For reservations, contact Warren Lee or Gary Eng.
Sports Ministry
6th Annual FCBC Golf Tournament is on Monday, June 18, 10:30 AM first tee time at Poplar Creek Golf Course, San Mateo. The tournament goal is to have fun, enjoy fellowship with friends, and to raise funds for the church’s summer programs (Day Camp, Youth Camp, and retreats). The cost per person is $110 includes green fees, dinner, and awards. Donations are welcome to defray the cost of the tournament as well as to contribute to the church’s summer programs. To register, contact Joel Jang or Butch Chan.
FCBC Tennis Tournament is on Saturday, June 23, at (more to come)
Family News
On Palm Sunday, April 1st, we welcome 6 new members to our church! From Believers Baptism, we welcome Ian Heung, Grace Law, Geoffrey Ng, and Samuel Yee. From Transfer of Letter, we welcome Moa Imchen and Akumla Longchar. May each of them serve Christ with their gifts and talents at FCBC!
Praise God for the gift of new babies! Congratulations to Eva and Arlen Ung for the birth of Noah Steven Ung born on March 23rd. May God bless the Ung and Chen families!
We celebrate the commitment of parents and our church family to raise children to grow up in the Christian faith. On April 8th, Allison Lee and Chris Mayrena presented their daughter Nadirah La Yi Mayrena to be dedicated. On April 15th, Laura Dare and Tom Feng presented their son Tristan Dare Feng; Brenda and Damon Li presented their daughter Carina Li and Eppie and Chun-Tung Leung presented their daughter Bethany Leung to be dedicated.
Congratulations to Lawrence On and Ngon Ling Pang, parents of Paley Pang, Perry Pang, and Lana Tom in our church for their 60th Wedding Anniversary on April 14th!
Thanks for your generous donation of $3000 to help Redwood Glen Christian Camp to renovate MacArthur Cabin to be ready for use this summer camp season. On April 7th, our 2007 Youth Camp Staff helped in the work day for this project.
Attending the American Baptist Biennial and Centennial Celebration on the theme, “Arise & Shine” (Isaiah 60:1), June 29-July 2 in Washington, DC on behalf of the church will be Pastor Don Ng, Joy Shih Ng, Pastor Lauren Ng, and Daniel Kushner. One hundred years ago in 1907, the Northern Baptist Convention was organized at the Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, DC. This will be a time to faithfully celebrate the past, be challenged by the present and be committed to the future.
May Calendar
6
9—C
9:30—L
10—D
11—J
CE
Music Comm, 2:30
Christian Circle, 4:00
9 Senior Center
12 EFG
13 Mother’s Day
9—C
9:30—L
10—D
11—J
14 Adult Comm. 7:30
15 Staff Meeting, 10:00
19 Semanons
Xplorers
20 9—C
9:30—D
10—D
11—J
Deacons, 2:00
Sports Rally, 2:00
23 Senior Center
26 Sojourners
27 9:30—L
9:30—D
11—J
Congregational Prayer, 12:45
CESEM, 2:00
28 Holiday
30 Staff Meeting, 10:00