State of the Church
February 6, 2011
One of the privileges of being Senior Pastor of FCBC is giving the State of the Church report. While my rhetoric is pale to President’s Obama’s State of the Nation report or our problems are nothing like the large scale challenges in Governor Brown’s State of the State report, I always come to this task with the most humbling task of trying to describe where we have come from and where we might journey together as brothers and sisters for the Kingdom of God.
Our church is a strong and mighty church in the name of Jesus Christ. It’s not afraid of facing daunting issues. It’s not afraid to confront differences of opinions knowing that God has given us brains to think and contrasting perspectives affirming the truth that everyone’s life experience is unique and special. It’s not afraid to embrace new ideas or explore new territories or envision what tomorrow might bring. We are God’s strong and mighty church.
Our church’s financial state is healthy and strong. In the midst of the worst economic recession in the history of our country and in a state with one of the highest unemployment rates in America, our church remains financially stable. When we received special gifts postmarked for church home improvements, we restored our sanctuary stained glass windows to their brilliance. In loving memory of Diana Ming Chan, Clarence Chan and Curtis Poon contributed substantial resources of time and money to make us the only church in Chinatown with solar panels. We do not pay PG&E for our electricity anymore but contribute unused electricity back to the power grid. By composting with the dedicated help from our church administrator Wendy Lin, we have reduced our trash cost measurably.
Today you heard from Jackie Chou of our Finance Committee the importance of being fiscally responsible as a church. I am 100% in support of this. When we accumulated a large surplus knowing that this reality would begin to discourage people to give to our church, we wisely agreed on a 30-year partnership with the Chinatown YMCA to have use of their gymnasium on Sunday mornings. In so doing, we have now brought our cash reserves down to the size that we need to operate comfortably on a monthly basis. This is good financial stewardship of our resources for the work of the church. We have appropriately allocated available resources to invest in adequate facilities on Sundays for the next 30 years. And we are now able to communicate to our potential donors that their support will make a difference in the lives of people in our community and world today.
As the result of generous giving in the past, our church’s restricted reserves and memorial funds serve as a strong financial base on which we can continue being the church of Christ for many more years to come. In discussions with the Gifts Planning Committee and the Finance Committee, it would be worthwhile to explore how we may invest more of our available funds in higher yielding accounts. By being good stewards today, we pray that even more resources will be available for tomorrow’s challenging ministries. Today, we also have a beautiful gifts planning brochure, thanks to Joy, that we can use to present to potential donors to support mission and ministry endeavors that exceed our normal annual giving.
The recent actions that we have taken could be perceived as unsettling and troubling. However, from another point of view, what we have done in December 2010 and in today’s actions can also be accepted as decisions made by our church in the right direction. If we believe that living within our means is what we do at home, we should expect nothing less in our church family. If we believe that God’s redemptive power in Christ is always transforming us and the world we live then change is welcoming God into our midst and we become open to wherever God may lead us. If we believe that in the 130 years of our church has not been static and fixed in the past but that every year offers a new thing then we can trust that God is making all things new at FCBC.
One of the blessings of working in a multiple staff team ministry is the opportunity of serving with bright and talented colleagues. For over 10 years, which is a long tenure in today’s standards, I have enjoyed serving Christ at FCBC with Rev. Chris Otani. Chris brings focused energy to what she does. She faithfully guided our historic Day Camp and Youth Camp ministries every summer. She worked hard to keep our Christian education programs to be one of the primary ways for men and women to come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and to become members of this church. One of the things that Chris contributed to my ministry is to help me see things that I missed. This I will miss and I pray that as God has guided Chris in life and ministry before, God will do the same in the days to come. On Sunday, March 27th, we will celebrate Pastor Chris’ ministry with us at a Farewell Reception.
Today you have adopted the new pastoral position of the Pastor of Christian Formation. In doing so, we remain fiscally responsible. In doing so, we allocate resources to ministry priorities in the 9:10 congregation while at the same time remain committed to the important ministry of Christian education. In doing so, we will be looking at how all of our pastoral job descriptions need to be revised and made up-to-date in order to better balance the distribution of our resources and staff time. I am committed in doing this so that our church remains strong and effective in ministry.
Where is God calling our strong church to go in this new year and beyond? We’ll appoint a search committee and trusting in God’s will and plan, we’ll welcome a new pastor to our church. We believe that God is always preparing men and women to become faithful servants in his church.
During this interim and transitional time, we will not just maintain the status quo but lift up the importance of our Christian education and the worship experience at 9:10 service. We will need help and leadership from many of you. I see this as yet another opportunity for us to utilize the God-given gifts and talents that all of us have for his ministry at FCBC. God has never disappointed us in the past, we have no reason to believe that God will disappoint us today. Instead, God will sustain us, encourage us, and lead us to greater and more faithful ministries tomorrow.
As a church that originally started as a mission to the Chinese, we are a mission-oriented church. It’s in our DNA. A number of our young adults went to Thailand two years ago to bring fresh, potable water to villages. Last year, Steven Ng and Kenley Mew participated in a medical mission to Vietnam. Later this month, a group of 7 will travel to Thailand again to learn more about how Lanna Coffee can begin to stop human trafficking, trained girls and women rescued from prostitution with skills for new jobs, and support a residential home for boys and girls who have AIDS or HIV infected. We’ll be exploring with our missionaries on how we can decaffeinate Lanna Coffee. We know that what we do in San Francisco affects what happens in the other side of the globe.
As a church founded by Baptist missionaries in 1880, we have always been in the limelight of the American Baptist denominational family. Our marble marker on Sacramento Street tells this story. When I read the annals of Baptist home missions history, our church is frequently mentioned. Today is no exception. In the eyes of our American Baptist family, FCBC is one of the leading churches out of 5500 in the United States and Puerto Rico. Our rich heritage and continuing leadership mean that there are times when much is asked from those whom much has been given. Today, we are being asked to give leadership in a number of ways.
For the past 1 ½ years, our church leaders have been in discussion with other church leaders of some 40 churches in the larger Bay Area and northern California of changing our affiliation from Growing Healthy Churches formerly known as the ABCW to the American Baptist Churches of Oregon. As it is widely known that GHC is pursuing avenues of ministry and mission apart from ABC life, we as a church that has been committed to ABC life and mission for 130 years want to continue in that valuable and life-changing history. As of today, 6 churches have already voted to affiliate with Oregon. It is my hope that we will engage in informed discussions to consider this action as well. Affiliating with ABC of Oregon will enable us to fellowship and to collaborate in common ABC missions again.
As a leading church in the ABC family, I am proud to see that our Say Amen! Gospel Ensemble has been invited to sing at this year’s ABC Biennial in San Juan in June. Our 25-voice choir will help celebrate the rich diversity in our Baptist life and the oneness that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ as thousands gather on the theme of “Celebrate 2011!” I pray that many of us will become more active in ABC life.
You have heard me say in the past that if it were not for the First Baptist Church of Boston, I wouldn’t be here today. My home church assisted my father to sponsor my mother to America in 1947. I was born in 1949. My life has always been with the American Baptists. I went to an American Baptist seminary. I have twice served FCBC; in the mid-1970s and today. And for 20 years, I served at our ABC mission center in Valley Forge. Today, I am serving as a member of the General Board and also on the American Baptist Home Mission Societies which by the way is the mission organization that started and organized our church in 1880.
The purpose of this history lesson is that at the San Juan Biennial in June, I will be nominated to serve as the Vice President of the ABC, USA for the years 2012-2013. I am honor to be asked to serve in this capacity. This is a volunteer position with no compensation. I am still your Senior Pastor, God willing. After serious and thoughtful prayer, I feel God calling me to such a post at this time of my life. It is one thing that I have not yet done in American Baptist life. You may wonder what would this mean to FCBC. Some of you may wonder how in the world will he be able to manage more responsibilities and attend even more meetings. You and I know that we won’t really know until it happens. And as a person of faith who has always permitted God to lead the way, open doors that were once shut tight, and given me strength and gifts to carry out God’s plans, I just know that God will be there and provide for me and for FCBC and for the ABC. I invite your prayers and support for my election and humble service in the name of Christ.
While we have had church annual themes in the past, this year’s theme is the most challenging and perhaps threatening. Can we honestly and faithfully in God’s sight, say that we know who our neighbors are? When the lawyer asked Jesus who was his neighbor, Jesus then told the parable of the Good Samaritan. Although we all would like to say that we are the “good Samaritan” today, are we more the Pharisee or the Levite who walked away from human suffering. I pray that we will have the faith, courage, and confidence to begin answering the question, “Who Is My Neighbor?” by visiting the people who live around our church.
Imagine what this would do for our neighborhood. Imagine how our neighbors would perceive us and our church as people who care for them. Just imagine what this could do to transform our own lives of going out two by two and to try to be neighborly with those who also are loved by God. Isn’t it always true that when we are asked to do something that we are not comfortable with is exactly what we need to do? I believe God is calling us to meet our neighbors today.
At the end of one year and the beginning of a new year, there is much to which we are thankful and grateful. Last year like before, you gave of yourselves in time, skills, and treasures to keep this church in operation. Last year like before, you supported missions both at home as well as in other countries in the world. Last year like before, you brought your children to this church to read the Bible and to know Jesus in their hearts. Last year like before, you brought your prayer concerns and life’s struggles and placed them at the feet of Jesus and you received God’s mercy and grace. Last year like before, you remained faithful to God and God has been faithful to you.
May God continue making FCBC a strong and mighty church. I am so proud of being a part of it and a part of you. Amen.