Footprints for Christ
1 Corinthians 12:12—Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one, so it is with Christ.
Everyday we get up to begin our day making footprints at work, school, home, and our neighborhood. When we meet people during the day, we bear witness to God’s grace and mercies in our lives. We move about in the world proclaiming God’s love especially to those who need to hear good news. Our footprints meet up with the footprints of others.
If we think about religion with all of its doctrines and beliefs, it has no body. But when all of these truths of Jesus Christ are lived out in the lives of Christians, we have ears, eyes, noses, hands, and feet, living people who will follow Him. As Christ’s Body, the church, through us, members of the body, the living Christ is always intruding, going where he is not necessarily wanted or expected, leaving footprints where people did not expect God to be. Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “The body of Christ takes up space and makes footprints.”
In his earthly ministry, Jesus intruded into the homes of the sinners. He showed up at a wedding and caused a scene. He welcomed little children and outcasts to him. He came into places of death and illness, where people hardly knew him, and brought forth unexpected life.
Our church has been following Jesus Christ for almost 130 years leaving a pretty big footprint in Chinatown and around the world. Every year, our church serves Christ as his physical body on earth reaching out to immigrants from Asia through English classes and Friday Night School. We extend our hand to our neighborhood children to our summer Day Camp. We use our eyes to see needs and our ears to hear concerns so that we can preach God’s Word with a message of hope and promise. As Christ’s Body on earth, wherever we go in His name, we leave a “footprint for Christ.”
The 2009 Canvass on the theme, “Footprints for Christ,” focuses on our church dedicated to being Christ’s Body in the world. If we were not his Body, there would be no trace of God’s love and truth in the world. But when we faithfully support the life-changing ministries of our church enabling all of us to serve as Christ’s eyes, ears, noses, hands, and feet, we will leave thousands of footprints for Christ!
We invite you to attend the Church Membership Meeting on Oct. 5th, 1:00 to hear about the 2009 Proposed Church Budget as we strive to be “Footprints for Christ!” Following the meeting, you’ll receive the 2009 Canvass materials describing how your mission giving will be used to support the historic and effective ministries at FCBC. On Sunday, Oct. 26th, you are invited to attend the 10:30 All-Church Worship at Four Seas when we welcome your pledges.
Let us be “footprints for Christ” as Christ’s body, a living people ready to follow Him in ministry and mission in the world!
Pastor Don
10 Things I Learned…
Now that my three-month sabbatical is over, I have much to tell you about! For those who have attended Sunday worship, you have already heard me reflect on my visits to the many religious places in Israel. Based on the time I was in the Middle East, I have put together a slideshow of the “10 Things I Learned in the Holy Land.” One of the ten things is “The Bible is true.” Another is “Our faith is not based on what we see but what we believe.” If you are interested in seeing my presentation, I would be happy to join you in fellowship to affirm our faith in God and the truth in Jesus Christ. I thank you once again for my sabbatical when I learned many new things, read about our missionary church history, and received some good rest and connecting at our family reunion.
Pastor Don
World Mission Offering
As the world becomes increasingly smaller and at times more dangerous, the love of God and the peace we have in Jesus Christ is made possible through our American Baptist missions. When we can’t go ourselves, we are committed to those who have dedicated their lives as full-time missionaries who labor in the name of our Lord to educate the illiterate, heal the sick, develop weak local economies, bring fresh water to the thirsty, and clothe those who are naked. In October, we receive the annual World Mission Offering with the goal of $4300 to accomplish these goals. You may give to this offering on Sunday mornings or you can also send in your check made out to FCBC but designated for the “WMO.” Every dollar makes a difference to help make our world a better place in the name of our Lord.
All-Church Fall Clean-Up Day
Our church building is like our “second home!” It needs cleaning, dusting, washing, and even clearing out of unneeded stuff. As we prepare for the Fall season and the upcoming holidays, we invite every fellowship group to send at least 3 representatives to work on Saturday, Oct. 11th, 8:30-12:30. All supplies and instructions will be ready for you. Come early for coffee, tea, and donuts and enjoy the delicious lunch afterward for a job well done! To sign-up, please contact Trustee Liane Wong.
Proposed Sunday Morning Worship Schedule
For the past few months, the Deacons and CE Board in conversations with a number of groups are planning to institute a new Sunday morning worship schedule to integrate the 9:30 English Worship currently meeting in Cameron House into the church sanctuary beginning on November 2nd. To eliminate the arduous task of setting up and tearing down equipment for worship every Sunday and the increasing reality that worshipers and leaders of the 9:30 service are bringing more young children to the church nursery, having worship in the sanctuary would make better sense.
The proposed Sunday morning schedule is:
9:10-10:10 English Worship with Contemporary Music (Formerly 9:30 Worship at Cameron House)
10:20-11:20 English Worship with Traditional Music (Formerly 10:05 Worship
11:30-12:45 Cantonese Worship (Formerly 11:15 Worship)
Youth would attend the 9:10 English Worship as well as participate in worship times during the Sunday school hour. There will be a greater need for more child-care providers before the first service as well as the last service on Sundays.
We invite your input as well as your cooperation as we prepare for the joy of church growth and Christian worship at our church!
Asilomar 2008
On the theme, “Honoring Our Relationships,” this year’s Asilomar Adult Retreat begins on Wednesday, Oct. 29 with dinner and ends on Friday, Oct. 31 with lunch. Led in discussion by Dr. James Chuck, you will explore your relationships with parents, siblings and extended clan; teachers and mentors; and spouses and friends. Come and enjoy warm fellowship, daily worship on the topic of “Honoring God for what God has done in our lives,” and a free afternoon for excursions and relaxation. The cost per person is $220.00; register with Joel Jang.
Family News
Our church family continues to welcome and celebrate the many new babies born into the world! On June 8th, Amias Yong-Liang Tong was born to Alvin and Maggie He; on June 11th, Parker Joshua Chou was born to Jackie and Josh Chou; on July 18th, Jocelyn Mei Yin Kwan was born to Jeanine and Kevin Kwan; on July 20th, Colin Gabriel Chin was born to Kay and Brian Chin (Grandparents Mary and Bob Chin); on July 28th, Miles Daniel Smith was born to Kris and Dan Smith; on July 29th, Benjamin Brian Jung was born to Shannon and Elton Jung; on September 12th, Cameron John Chow was born to Christi and Johnny Chow and on September 16th, Sophie Claire Hua was born to Leslie and Hong Hua. May God continue to bless these families and the many proud grandparents who provide love and support!
Over the summer, we congratulated those who committed themselves to holy marriage: Kenneth Chow and Jenny Choi on June 21st; Kyle Lessler and Tiffany Louie on July 5th; Joanne Yee and Jonathan Wong on July 26th; Norman Cheng and Rooslainy Wondany on August 16th; and Dana Lee and Joe Tam on August 16th. May God bless these new couples with joy and happiness!
Our deepest sympathy to the families who lost loved ones from our midst but with our faith in Jesus Christ who has given us eternal life, we can only believe that we will meet again. On June 1st, Bow Ngau Wong and on August 5th, Diana Ming Chan returned to the Lord.
In a letter dated September 1953 by our former missionary and Director of Christian Education, Celia Allen, she writes,
With the Vacation Church School so recently over, I recall with inner joy a number of persons who helped. There is Sophia, who is a fairly new Christian. A few years ago a young attractive girl was coming through the door of the sanctuary following the Sunday evening worship. Our eyes met and I knew I had seen her before. “I should know you.” I said. “I used to be in your kindergarten.” came the reply. Her name flashed to me at once. I made an appointment to see her and she seemed so willing. I enjoyed our first chat so much and suggested that we continue meeting once a week. She asked to invite a friend (Marjorie Chan (Choy)) and the story of that friend is another remarkable story. Well, we met together for some weeks until I asked one of the Christian girls to meet with them. What a glorious day it was when both of these girls made their confession of faith and were baptized. Sophia at once became a(an out)going, growing, glowing Christian. Later she was willing to follow our prescribed reading course for prospective teachers. One night this summer I phoned her and asked if she would accept the superintency (superintendency) of one of the departments in the Vacation Church School. Guess what was her reply! It was totally unexpected because one does not often have the privilege of receiving such an answer to such a demanding request. “I was going to ask you if you didn’t ask me pretty soon” is what she said. Such a response so spontaniously (spontaneously) given is a joy to any worker in Kingdom service. The Church sent her to the Western Area Laboratory School and she was thrilled with the opportunity to go.”
The person that Celia (Debbie) Allen excitedly wrote about is Sophia Tom (Chong). At the end of the Spring quarter, our most experienced master teacher, Sophia Chong who had taught in the Primary and Juniors Departments for about 50 years retired from her teaching post. We give great thanks to God for Sophia Chong who touched the lives of hundreds of children with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Sophia was also the 1998 Recipient of the Mrs. Janie S. Chu Christian Education Award given in recognition of Excellence in Christian Teaching.
October—World Mission Offering
4 OYYAs
5 9—C
9:30—L
10—D
11—
Membership Meeting, 1:00
11 All-Church Clean-Up, 8:30
12 9—C
9:30—L
10—D
11—
Fellowship Group chairs Luncheon, 12:30
13 Holiday
17-19 Xplorers Retreat, Pajaro Dunes
19 9—C
No 9:30 Worship today
10—D
11—
Deacons, 1:00
22-24 Asian American Baptist Caucus, Dallas
25 Sojourners & GIFT Fellowships
26 10:30 All-Church Worship/Pledge Sunday, Four Seas
All-Church Prayer, 12:45
29-31 Asilomar Adult Retreat