The Banner of Anaheim Free Methodist Church May, 2016 Volume

The Banner of Anaheim Free Methodist Church
May, 2016 Volume LVII
“The Finnish Secret to Success” by Pastor Kevin Wong
Recently I saw a video on Facebook that rocked my world. It was a clip from a documentary that tracked Finland’s
journey from one of the lowest ranks in global education to now one of the top 5 in the whole world. It wasn’t an
overnight fix, but today the international spotlight shines brightly on Finland’s incredible success. Do you want to
know what the secret to their success was?? NO HOMEWORK.
Finland’s Ministry of Education confirmed this in the video and claimed that “students should have more time to be
kids, to be youngsters, to enjoy life”. So young students in Finland (like 1st graders) go to school on Mondays for 3
hours, Tuesdays for 4 hours, and so on, coming to a grand total of 20 hours per week (including lunch hour!). A
school principal gave the reasoning behind this schedule: “Your brain has to relax every now and then. If you just
constantly work, work, work, then you stop learning. And there’s no use doing that for a long period of time.”
This statement really hit home for me and caused me to challenge the American recipe of success which has resulted in crazy busy, over-packed schedules and economic competition like no other. It also caused me to realize that
even though my own schedule can be jam-packed with all sorts of good things like meetings, sermon prep, studying,
and sending emails, I wonder if I am being “efficient” at the cost of being more “effective”? Perhaps I would be
more effective if I worked less? Or perhaps working/stressing less would affect my quality of life (as the Finns would
suggest)?
Ultimately, this was a reminder that the creator of the Sabbath WANTS US to take time for recreation (RE-creation)
and play, so that our creativity and rejuvenated self would be expressed through who we are and not what we do…
“We were made to enjoy ‘playing’ like our Creator – especially on Sabbath. We are invited to dance with our God
who joyfully runs the universe with his love and power.”
- Peter Scazzero author of “Emotionally Healthy Church
AFMC Information
Sunday Worship Services:
8:30 a.m. First service
11:00 a.m. Second service, Sunday school & nursery care
11:00 a.m. Japanese-English bilingual service
Last Sunday of the month is Japanese language only.
Church Office Hours:
Tuesday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
English Website: www.anaheimfreemethodistchurch.com
Nichigo Website: www.afmcnichigo.com
AFMC Staff
Rev. Nancy Terada Wong, Senior Pastor
Rev. Kevin Wong, Associate Pastor
Pastor Matthew Asami, Assistant
Pastor Kristin Ou, Assistant
Yoshito Nakamura, Nichigo Director
The Anaheim Moms Group
started their current 10-week session on
April 15. The moms and children made a
recyclable craft (bird's nest) for Earth Day.
Pastor Kevin and Pastor Matt helped in
childcare by playing with the children.
Pastor Kevin also prayed a blessing at the
end of the meeting time.
Moms, grandmothers and their (grand)
children ages 0 - 5 years old are welcome
any time! This session will continue
through June 17.
Kidz Korner - submitted by Shirley Chai, CM Director
Children at AFMC Kidz Church are truly blessed to have such wonderful teachers preparing and planning their lessons each
Sunday. It brightens their day and uplifts their spirit when children enter the classroom prepared and ready to learn about
God and His love for His people. This month, we had six children complete their charts (pictured below)! Congratulations to all
of them for their diligent effort in attending church faithfully, being on time, bringing their Bible and memorizing scripture!
Thank you parents for being their spiritual models. We love seeing your child growing and maturing in God’s Word!
The Joyful Noise choir presented a song for Mother’s Day during Nichigo and 2nd service.
Save the Date! Vacation Bible School “Ocean Commotion” is coming July 5-8! Times will be Tuesday – Friday 6:30 – 8:30 pm
& Saturday 1:00 – 3:00 pm. It is open for children entering kindergarten through 6th grade in the fall, 2016. We will dive into
Noah’s Flood and learn important life lessons from Noah! Check the Sunday worship bulletin for registration info. and receive a
free t-shirt for early registration! For VBS parents: Debbie Nishi will be offering a FREE spiritual parenting class during
VBS hours (Tuesday-Friday). Take advantage of this great opportunity!
AFMC Sports Ministry & CSP (Community Service Programs)
Present Award to the Anaheim Police Department ~ submitted by Julie Spessert
This past year the AFMC Sports Ministry received a $5,000 grant from Orange County's Community
Service Programs to help promote prevention/education about drug and alcohol use/abuse in
youth. Thus, we had two special presentations at our annual basketball banquet. During the younger group session (2nd - 4th graders), we made a special presentation to the Anaheim Police Department and recognized their efforts in the fight against driving under the influence. Pictured are
Loga, Lucas, and Mason with Lt. Orozco of the Anaheim P.D. and members of CSP.
During our older session (5th - 8th graders), we had two youth from the Touchstones program share
about their life experiences which involved drug/alcohol use and the difficult road that they have
been on. It was very difficult for them to share, but they shared from their hearts about their struggles, desires, and the need for help from God. They have been able to stay sober for the past
year. We lifted them up in prayer and also prayed that their courage may help others who needed
to hear their message.
AFMC’s participation in the Project Faith in Youth Mini-Grant program was recently featured in the monthly “Faith Coalition” newsletter. AFMC’s Sport Ministry will continue to reach out to our players and their families by providing active events to keep them
engaged in a healthy lifestyle with the intention of showing God's love to everyone so that they may come to know Him.
WiM Update:
Clap-N-Tap Chamber Orchestra/Recital
Many craft classes have been planned for this year; these are
great opportunities to invite your friends to join in! Space is
limited; sign up at church or contact the church office. Classes
are $2/person which includes all supplies.
Upcoming classes are:
*Card Making class Friday, May 27 @ 10:00 a.m.
*Designing with Flowers Sunday, June 12 @ 10:00
a.m. or 12:15 p.m.
*Jewelry class - making stretchy bracelets Thursday,
July 7 @ 10:00 a.m.
*Knitting class Thursday, August 11 @ 10:00 a.m.
Saturday, May 21, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
The Clap-N-Tap Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Mr. David L.
Wen, will be performing recital pieces in the AFMC Fellowship
Hall on Saturday, May 21, 2016. Members of the orchestra
range in age from 7 to 15. All are welcome to come enjoy the
music produced by these fine young musicians.
Pictures below are from the March 22 Ikebana class; about 12 ladies made
beautiful arrangements led by instructor Keiko Miyahara.
With Appreciation for Special Offerings
Easter offering for chapel remodel: Hiroshi & Frankie Fukuda,
Gloria Garza, Isamu Inouye, Mr. & Mrs. Richard Oye, Tatsuye
Shozi
Chapel Fund, for George Suda’s 92nd Birthday Frank Nishimura
Chapel Fund, in memory of daughter Jennifer Marilyn Fukuda
Chapel Fund, in memory of Gerald Takaki Margaret Saito
Chapel Fund, in memory of my father
Richard Takasago
Chapel Fund
Jeffrey Murakami
Missions
Victor Asawa
Youth
Merry Toguchi
“Light Up the World” Follow-up
Pastor Themba and Bhembe were able to purchase a sturdy,
reliable truck for their ministry in South Africa, thanks in part to
your generous donations to the “Light Up the World” Christmas
Alternative fund! Rev. Paul Siaki contacted Penny Takeda with
a special note of thanks to the AFMC family: “Thank you once
again, may the Lord richly bless you and the church as (you)
continue to do the good work and touch lives.”
Nikkei Discovery Camp @ AFMC
Kizuna is hosting its Nikkei Discovery Camp at AFMC on July 11 15. This is a summer program for kids ages 7-13 (entering 2nd
grade to entering 8th grade) centered on building a foundation
of Japanese American culture and
heritage.
The camp is a high-caliber program which selects its instructors
from the community’s cultural experts; counselors are carefully
vetted and rigorously trained, workshops and activities are optimized for passing on Japanese-American
tradition.
The program runs Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pricing begins at $215 per child. Kizuna also hosts the camp at other locations. Please visit the website:
www.ndc.kizuna-la.org or contact Program Director Paul
Matsushima at [email protected] or 213-973-4465 for more
info.
PCJC Family Camp 2016
July 17 - 22 at Redwood Christian Park, Santa Cruz mountains
Theme: “Thrive”
Registration forms are available at church or can be downloaded on our website:
http://www.anaheimfreemethodistchurch.com/2016-familycamp/
(FREE) On-line registration is available at the PCJC website:
http://www.pcjcfm.org/#/upcoming-events/family-camp-2016
Registration is now open; last day to register is May 27 (no late
fee) or June 14 (late fee applies)
AFMC will pay 1/2 of the registration fee for first-time youth
campers (only). Please see Pastor Nancy or Lauren before turning in your registration if you are first-time youth camper.
Scholarships are also available; forms are in the Sunday school
office. Please note that applications for scholarships must be
filled out by a parent or adult, not the student.
AFMC’s Observance of the National Day of Prayer
“Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet.” Isaiah 58:1a
The theme for 2016 is Wake Up America, emphasizing the need
for individuals, corporately and individually, to return to the
God of our Fathers in reverence for His Holy Name. AFMC
joined people all around the country on May 5, 2016 by praying
our country’s government leaders, our military, our schools, our
businesses, our families, and our churches.
AFMC
SPORTS
SEYO News
by Special Correspondent Julie Spessert
Little Dribbles: A Fun-Filled Time for All
BUENA PARK - Thirty-four kids from pre-K through
2nd grade had a fun time learning how to dribble,
pass, shoot, and play defense at our three-week-long
Little Dribbles clinic in April.
Many volunteers helped to make it a fun-filled
time for all of the kids! We would especially like to
thank our coaches: Jeff Sano, Mark & Nolan Yokogawa, Eric Lee, Keaton Nishimi, Mumin Sabha, Justin Wu,
Joshua & Cory Spessert, Kaitlyn Sugita, Ethane Castillo,
Deanna Tanaka, Cale & Braeden Lee-Takaki, Bob
Sumiyoshi, Blake & Cole Nagao and Pastor Kevin
Wong.
Special thanks to Jennie Kaihara for bringing
snacks and the sound equipment each week and
thanks to Janice Nagao, Juli Inagi and Shirley Chai for
helping lead the kids. The kids had a great time and
can't wait for our next session!
Juli Inagi & some of the coaches talk to the kids
Little Dribbles group picture taken April 9, 2016
Teaching the players basketball
fundamentals
Longtime friends, Mark Yokogawa, Glenn
Kubota and John Lee-Takaki reunited at
AFMC Little Dribbles.
It’s Time to PLAY BALL!
Spring Basketball Academy
SUMMER - AFMC’s SEYO baseball season is right
BUENA PARK - AFMC's Spring Basketball Academy is cur-
around the corner! Games start June 5 and run
through the end of July.
We are looking forward to a great season
for everyone! We have some kids who are
“rookies” so we are excited to have them join our
team!
We ask our church family to pray that our
players and coaches have a fun and safe time together. If anyone is interested in helping coach,
please contact Julie Spessert.
rently in full swing with about 40 participants joining us every
Wednesday night from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Buena Park
Junior High School.
The players’ energy level is high and the coaching by
Ron San Pedro and his team is engaging and challenging. We
encourage all of our AFMC coaches to come out to watch the
academy in action and gather ideas for drills that can raise the
level of play for all of your players.
AFMC
Youth
News
by Special Correspondent
Lauren Fukuzawa Wong
Post-Midwinter/Pre-Camp RALLY!
ANAHEIM - AFMC hosted the PCJC’s post-Midwinter/pre-camp rally on April 30. The evening was filled with UNITY and FELLOWSHIP before the Lord. We had an awesome time of worship, I gave a message, and we enjoyed a lot of food and quality time
together! Each of our camp directors shared a bit on their vision for the program.
Shout out to Pastor Matt Asami and Justin Toguchi who will be directing the middle high program, Katie Edwards and
Michael Ohno who will be doing the Genesis program, and Lindsey Karasawa who will be directing high school with me! I am superpumped to see what God will do leading up to and at camp!
Thanks to all who came out and brought food to share! I am so thankful for what God is doing in our midst.
Note to college/post-college people:
Join the connect group that meets at the
Wong residence the last Friday of every
month, 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Contact Lauren for more information and
join us!
A shy bunny
AFMC
Calendar &
Late-Breaking News
Dates subject to change without notice. Contact the church office 714-827-0782 if you have any questions.
May, 2016
5/14
Saturday
5/29
Sunday
5/30
Monday
All-Church Work Day, 8:00 a.m. - noon
Please join us to maintain and clean our church! Lunch will be provided to volunteers.
CLASS 301: Discovering your “SHAPE”, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. in room 9
The Lord has a unique calling and purpose for you! Contact Pastor Nancy if you are interested
in learning about your spiritual gifts, strengths, and temperament. Lunch will be provided.
Some pre-class preparation is necessary; please see Pastor Nancy for class materials.
Orangethorpe Christian Church soup kitchen - volunteers needed; see shifts below
June, 2016
6/5
6/19
Sunday
Sunday
Basketball in the AFMC parking lot - 1:00 p.m. All skill levels and ages are welcome!
Fathers’ Day
7/1 - 7/3
Fri. - Sun.
7/5 - 7/9
Tues. - Sat.
7/11 - 7/15
7/17-7/22
Mon. - Fri.
Sun. - Fri.
Fishing Ministry 2-day deep sea trip out of San Diego
To sign up or for more information, contact Steve Ikeda or Vince Chiya via the church office.
Vacation Bible School for children entering K through 6th grade in Sept. 2016
Theme: “Ocean Commotion”
Join us at AFMC for a fun-filled week of stories, crafts, and games!
Tues. - Fri. 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.; Saturday 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
See the Sunday worship bulletin for registration info.
Nikkei Discovery Camp @ AFMC ~ more details inside this newsletter
PCJC Family Camp at Redwood Christian Camp ~ see more details inside this newsletter
July, 2016
On-going activities







Sewing Circle - Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. - noon in room 6. Bring sewing projects or help make quilts.
Some experience needed. Facilitator: Yoko Grieve
Watercolor Class - 2nd & 4th Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. Instructor: Donna McFarland
Contact Pastor Carl Yoshimine to sign up or for more information.
Line Dancing - Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. in room 1. Instructor: Marian Ikeda
Knit & Crochet - Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. Instructor: Carol Yee
Anaheim Moms’ group - Fridays at 10:00 a.m. - noon until June 17. Moms, grandmothers, and their (grand)children ages 0-5
years are welcome! Bible stories, crafts, cooking, and parenting classes all while building lasting friendships!
Volunteer caregivers are needed, please contact the church office if you can help.
Growth groups and Bible studies meet throughout the week at church and in homes; there is a group just for you!
Contact Pastor Kristin for information and to find a group that meets your needs.
Orangethorpe Christian Church Soup Kitchen - AFMC is serving on May 30, August 29, and October 31, 2016
Three shifts: 2:30—5:45 p.m. set up & cook; 5:45—7:30 p.m. serve & clean-up; 7:15 p.m.—closing clean up.
Thanks a Million, AFMC Family!
We have met our goal of collecting ONE MILLION COINS! The
total amount equals $25,432.96 towards our
main chapel remodel.