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Sangha
President’s
Message Allan Hoshida Many of you have heard
that Reverend Kaz is being reassigned to the Lodi Buddhist Church
starting on June 15, 2009. Reverend Kaz has been at our temple for more
than five years (how time flies). In reflecting back, it has been
wonderful to see how far he has come: picking up the English language,
marriage to Michi, and now raising a family with young daughter, Kanon.
We all wish he could be with us for a longer time, but many of us knew
that eventually changes would have to be made since there are so many
BCA ministers retiring and temples without ministers. RK, Michi, please
let us know what we can do for you during the transition period and know
that you are always welcome here in Sacramento. Rinban Bob Oshita Hello…and welcome to the month of November…. As many of you may know, Reverend Kaz announced at the beginning of October that he and Michi and Kanon will be making a move to another temple next year. Socho Ogui, our Bishop of BCA, is in the process of making the arrangements for Reverend Kaz to have a temple of his own. It is very sad to see him move on and I know his “can do” spirit will be missed. There is no doubt that Michi and Kanon will also be deeply missed. But fortunately, we will have them until June 2009, which will give us these months ahead to express our appreciation for what they have brought to our Betsuin. The first time Reverend Kaz ever flew on a plane was when he came to the United States in August 2003. Reverend Yukawa, Betsuin President Bobby Tanaka and I drove to San Francisco and brought him here on Monday, August 4, 2003. Reverend Yukawa and Michiko were still living in the parsonage, so Reverend Kaz was introduced to America by staying a week with Frank and Katsuko Hirota, a week with Ted and Sharon Yoshimura, and a week with Don and Linda Masuda. When he first came, he could speak five words or phrases in English: “Yes,” “No,” “My name is Kaz,” “Thank you” and “I’m hungry.” He studied English at City College one semester and began playing in the City College Jazz Band. He also met each weekday, Monday through Friday, with a volunteer tutor to help him develop his language skills. With his “can do” spirit, he quickly excelled and I was amazed at how his vocabulary and his command of English grew. Over the years, his Sunday “greetings” also grew more insightful, sharing with us his experiences of living in what was to him a foreign country. He became a huge Kings fan, he learned to drive (thanks to Frank Hirota) and if you wanted to know about virtually any restaurant in the Sacramento area, you could ask Reverend Kaz, because most likely he’d been there. We celebrated with him when he married Michi on August 6, 2005. We worried about them when they got stuck in a snow storm in the Rocky Mountains in September 2006; and we celebrated again the birth of their first child, Kanon, on March 3 of this year. These last 5+ years have been significant and life-shaping for Reverend Kaz and his family. The Sacramento Betsuin was also Reverend Yukawa’s first assignment. And it was here that he married his Michiko…and it was here that they had their first daughter, Mayumi. Perhaps someday, like the Yukawas, Reverend Kaz and Michi’s life will come full circle and they will find themselves once again with our Betsuin. Whatever their future holds, we hope the journey of their lives will be long and fulfilling. As the Dharma always reminds us, let us appreciate the people whose lives give meaning to our own — while we have them. Gassho, RB Koichi Mizushima I have never met any celebrities in real life. But a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet a very well-known radio DJ in Sacramento. Most of us have come to know him as Davey D. I didn’t know it at the time, but Davey D actually hangs out at Kamon from time to time on Wednesday late nights when we play reggae. When one of my staff mentioned to me that it was him sitting at the bar, I immediately went over to him to introduce myself. I was surprised at how humble and open he was. It was a really surreal experience for me, because I never knew what he looked like since I only heard his voice on the radio. I asked if we could sit down and chat one of these days, and he immediately gave me his number. I called him up a few weeks later, and we met up for a late night dinner at the restaurant. He began talking to me as if he has known me for years, which actually felt quite natural for me, because I’ve been listening to his voice for years. I think it’s interesting being in the public eye, because people all think they know you. Many people have an opinion of who you are and what you stand for, but very few of them truly know. He shared with me the hardships he faced in his life over the recent years prior to him leaving radio. He told me how much he has healed in these past years, and that if we had met a few years ago, we would never be having this conversation right now. It fascinates me how the Karmic circumstances of our life paths brought us together on that day. I’m watching this stranger sharing his most intimate stories with me. He is very passionate and very animated. He is completely immersed in sharing the tales of some of the things he’s experienced in his life. His eyes are fixated on mine as he shares the meaning and history of reggae music, as we hear the beat playing in the background at my bar. And for a moment I felt what it must be like when people talk to me for the first time. It was hard to get a word in. LOL. He is very spiritual. He has an incredibly strong faith in God. But despite the differences in our religious beliefs, we find an incredible commonality on how we view the world. We both believe that you have to take accountability and responsibility for your choices and actions. We both believe that you have to really sift through a lot of extra baggage at times to find what is truly real. But the one thing he said to me that lingered with me the longest was actually a question he asked me. He paused for a moment and asked, “Do you know how to spell LOVE?” Of course I didn’t respond because I knew there was much more to this than a simple spelling test. So I simply shook my head. “He looked at me intensely and said, “You spell love T - I - M - E.” I sat there puzzled for a moment, not quite getting it. He explained to me that love is time. When you make the effort to invest time in someone or something, that is a genuine expression of caring and love. Time is a finite resource that can be spent only once. So when we really make that conscious effort to spend it with someone, it has great meaning. He spoke of the time that we were sharing right in that moment and how meaningful it was. He spoke to me about some of the mistakes he has made in his life. But one thing that he is most proud of is that he knows he is a great father. He chooses to spend his time with his son. He has come to realize the value of time and what it means. His time with his son is everything. And while I’m sure on some level he misses his time on the radio, I also have gleaned from this brief moment together that he is more grateful for the time he has with his son today. I’ve thought about Davey D from time to time since that late night chat. I’ve reflected on how brief our time is in this life. He has also made me think about what it is to truly know someone. We are all so much more than that outer persona that the public sees. We must make the effort to invest that little extra time to get to know one another a little better. I cherish my time with our Sangha members — the conversation in the hallway or the little chats in the courtyard. The post-service huddles with the seniors in the parking lot after dharma school class are wonderful and very intimate. The little group discussions we have in the kitchen end up being quite informative and revealing. These are all just examples of time spent with one another. Time is everything. How will we choose to spend our finite amounts of time? I hope we will not waste our time on anger and regret. Let us spend our time with those we love, and doing the things we love. Let us spend our time making our lives and the lives around us better. Let us not forget that the true way to spell love is in fact: t - i - m - e. Have a wonderful day! Greeters' ProgramFall 2008 September 7 Roy Imura Diane Muranaka Shirley Sekeres September 14 Eddie Imai Roger Ito Diane Shimosaka September 21 Steve Kawano Brian Okamoto Sheryl Kajioka September 28 Gordon Nitta Bob Tanaka Mark Umeda October 5 Mary Ann Miyao Ted Yoshimura Robbie Midzuno October 12 Frank Hirota Shigeko Tanaka Marc Ely October 19 Mark Amioka Richard Kai Kelvin Mark October 26 Don Honda Ken Koyama Denis Ishisaka November 2 Valerie Fong Allan Hoshida Keith Kato November 9 Don Honda John Fujimoto Ken Furukawa November 16 Roy Imura Diane Muranaka Shirley Sekeres November 23 Eddie Imai Roger Ito Diane Shimosaka November 30 Steve Kawano Brian Okamoto Sheryl Kajioka December 7 Gordon Nitta Bob Tanaka Mark Umeda December 14 Mary Ann Miyao Ted Yoshimura Robbie Midzuno December 21 No Service December 28 No Service From The OfficeThanks to the “dynamic duo,” Billy Hatano for getting out the mail for the upcoming Hoonko Service and several other mail outs. Church MaintenanceEd Imai BazaarSteve Kawano
SACRAMENTO BETSUIN SPORTS COMMITTEE MOCHI TSUKIPICK UP Saturday, December 13, 2008, 12:30-3:00 p.m. or Sunday, December 14, 2008, 9:00-11:00 a.m. Where: Sacramento Buddhist Church KaikanDeadline for Orders: December 8, 2008, 11:00 a.m. Cost: $3/pound or $5/Kasane Set Please submit orders and make checks payable to: Sacramento Betsuin Sports Committeec/o Sacramento Buddhist Church 2401 Riverside Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95818 MOCHI ORDERName Address Telephone Lb(s) Kasane Set(s) Total Cost $ FORMCHECKBOX Cash FORMCHECKBOX Check # Pick up FORMCHECKBOX Saturday FORMCHECKBOX Sunday Miyoko Carter In Memory of Father Tsugiye Ruth Imoto In Memory of Sei Imoto Harumi Dote In Memory of Asato Dote Masaaki Tademaru Kikuyo Kodakari Phyllis Matsuura In Memory of Shiro Matsuura Joe & Alice Kataoka In Memory of Lily Tanabe Sally Yamaichi In Memory of Oyushi Kikumoto Masae Murai In Memory of Brother, Tsuyoshi Yamauchi Ikuko Sakazaki In Memory of Saichi Sasaki Haruo & Sueko Yamashita In Memory of Hamayo Yamashita Alan Wu We now ponder the age old Buddhist question: Why is there air? And our answer is: There is air to blow up basketballs! Time has once again arrived where the activity around the basketball program soars to blinding heights and becomes a dull roar. Take a look at the “Important dates to remember” and you will see that there are a lot of holidays coming around the bend and that makes for very busy schedules, and to top it off, our NCCL basketball season is gearing up. So, you can imagine, well you will not have to imagine, just walk into the kaikan and you will be hit by the wonderful fragrance of our nearly 200 sweaty kids sweating up the place. Actually, it may not be so bad as in the past, because we have exported a few of our older teams to the SASF facility to have practice over there, so the sweaty teenagers are at SASF stinking up that joint instead, and we all know how aromatic sweaty teenagers can be! Now that our teams have been formed, they are all preparing for league to begin. League will begin on December 6-7, the first weekend of December. In addition to the preparations for the league, the Sports Committee also has the annual tournament in March to tackle with all its “to-do” lists, and if memory serves correctly, it will be the 38th Annual Betsuin Invitational Basketball Tournament. Actually, some of us have to rely on the memories of others, since some of us were not around back then! Ha! (So, Rod, what number tournament is it?) November is when the invitations are sent out to all our basketball friends, so if you run into any, check to see if they received our invite. Also in November, we would like to have this year’s T-shirt design finalized, so if you want to have your own creative design adorn this year’s T-shirts, and programs, please submit your artwork as soon as possible! In and amongst all those holidays is our annual Mochi Tsuki, which will be on December 13 this year. This event is always such a great success because all our families come out and participate no matter if they have the 5 a.m. shift or if they go home covered with mochiko; our families diligently and industriously make mochi until the cows come home. Can you say Sweat Shop? Even Steve Kawano comes out to help. . . help find the Kirin that he hid the last time he stopped by the church. Many thanks in advance for all your time and effort you all put into our mochi tsuki. Your Coordinator or Team Mom will be filling out the work shift assignments, so make sure to sign up for the shift that fits your schedule before you get “assigned” a shift. Our church and our Sangha really do appreciate all your efforts. It appears that everyone has a good time socializing and making mochi like one big happy village, as in the olden days, except we have machines to wash the rice, and machines to cook the rice, and machines to grind the rice, but other than that, it is just like they way they did it back in the motherland. Somewhere in this Sangha is the Mochi Order Form. The first 1,000 people to find it and fill it out and turn it in will get their mochi order for the price of $3 per pound and $5 per kasane set. Don’t forget that December 8 at 11a.m. is the deadline for ordering your mochi. If you miss it, you will have to deal with Sam at Oto’s on December 15. The price for our mochi has been the same for the last I don’t know how many years, so how can you monku about that? As our early warning, advanced detection system automatically engages, it officially reminds you of the two extra credit days that are approaching. To take advantage of these last two extra credit days, you must attend the New Year’s Eve service, and the New Year’s Day service, and that’s all you have to do. Do you remember that little requirement called attendance, like 60 percent? I am sure you all do, so until next month. Important Dates to Remember: November 27: Thanksgiving Day November 28: Day after Thanksgiving Day December 6-7: League games begin. Check your local listing for times. December 8: Deadline to order mochi is 11 a.m. December 13 Mochi Tsuki. See your coordinator for shift times. December 14 Last chance to pick up your mochi order at the church December 15 You may purchase our extra mochi at Oto’s until sold out. December 31: New Year’s Eve Service January 1, 2009: New Year’s Day Service Denis Ishisaka Greetings from Cub Scout Pack 50! September marked the start of the new Cub Scout year and have the Scouts been busy having fun!! Under clear and starry skies, our annual Kick-Off Pack Meeting was held at Camp Pollock’s campfire bowl. The Webelo scouts of Den 8 served as our masters of ceremony and they did an outstanding job! Good job, boys! The evening highlights included award presentations, skits and jokes, and the making and eating of s’mores. Congratulations go out to our Tiger Cubs of Dens 9 and 10. They set the stage by dressing sharp in their uniforms and coming away with the top prize for the uniform inspection. Way to go, boys! A big thank you goes to Roger Ikemoto for chairing this event and his crew for helping set things up. Our Pack has grown to 65 Cub Scouts with the addition of 21 new Cub Scouts. A big Pack 50 WELCOME to the following boys and their parents! Kyle Chan and his parents, Lynn and William Nathan Chan and his parents, Charles and Jennifer Andrew Nishikawa and his parents, Patty and Darryl Niko Ramirez and his parents, Clarissa and Joel Matthew Tang and his parents, Benjamin and Kelly Brendan and Bryce Noguchi and their parents, Jori and Glen Robert and Steven Dair and their parents, Sallie and Curtis Blake Delgado and his parents, Leslee and Joe Justin Okimura and his parents, Jerry and Julie Nicholas Loui and his parents, Harlan and Dena Tyler Takaha and his parents, Shelley and Blake Connor Gill and his parents,Tami and Michael Jason Lee and his parents, Kay and Gregory Ellison Wong and his parents Yvonne and Elliott Lucas Matsuura and his parents, Julie and Curtis Nicholas Shibata and his parents, Kiyoko and Gregg Alvin Le and his parents, Vihn and Hoa Emil Ramos and his parents, Kate and Manny Marcus Matsubayashi and his parents, Monica and Mike Pack 50 recently held its annual fundraiser, the pancake breakfast! With the church courtyard air filled with aromas of cooked pancakes, sausages, ham and eggs, we saw many people leaving with full tummies and smiles on their faces. The Cub Scouts and parents would like to thank all who came out to support our only fundraising event of the year. Your support helped make this breakfast one of the most successful ever! A special thank you to our donors for this event. They include: Oto’s Marketplace Raley’s / Bel Air Markets Ron Nakano Nor Cal Produce Restaurant Depot. We greatly appreciate your generosity! And finally, a special thank you to Gayle Firth and Nick Shebert for co-chairing this event. Along with the parents of the pancake committee, you all did a wonderful job in making this event a huge success! Thank you! Pack 50 always boasts about the great parent help we have that makes it the best in all of Sacramento. In addition to those parents who helped out with the campfire and pancake breakfast, we’d also like to thank David Yasuda, Teri Yasuda, Minh La and Greg Kochi for coordinating our annual picture day. Thank you for making it such a smooth-running event. Pack 50 is also appreciative of the support that the community provides in keeping our Pack strong! We would like to acknowledge and thank Mr. and Mrs. Ted/Tak Ito for their generous donation. Thank you! We’ll see everyone at the upcoming Halloween Party! Seniors 1, Girl Scout Troop 569 Lindsay Nozuka, Carly Kubochi, Courtney Wong, Angela Chin, Judy Kwan Project Linus is a nationwide, non-profit organization established in 1995. The Sacramento Chapter was formed in 1997. Project Linus has distributed over two million blankets to children in need since its inception in 1995. History On Christmas Eve in 1995, Karen Loucks read an article about a small child who went through intensive chemotherapy and looked to her security blanket to help her get through her treatment; shortly after, Karen decided to donate homemade blankets to children with cancer, and created Project Linus. Mission The mission of Project Linus is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth, and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.” It is a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children. The mission is achieved through the help of hundreds of local chapters and thousands of volunteers across the United States. Girl Scouts Troop 569 During September 2008, in collaboration with Project Linus, more than 200 girls and leaders from Girl Scout Troop 569 participated in this community service project. Over the course of three sessions, Cadettes and Seniors measured, cut, and prepped fleece material for the blankets. The last session Juniors and Brownies joined the older girls in teams named after the Peanuts characters to loop the fringes and complete the blankets. It was a great opportunity and a lot of fun for all the different age levels to work alongside each other. Altogether, we were able to contribute over 250 double sided, no-sew fleece blankets to the local Sacramento Chapter, which will distribute them to children in hospitals, emergency care homes, homeless shelters and other organizations that provide care to children. A big “Thank You” to Gifts to Share for their generous grant, Jo-Ann Stores, and to the families and Troops of 569 who donated fleece material. By supporting this wonderful event for our troop, you helped our Girl Scouts make the world a better place. Richard Kai The Dharma School board is fortunate to fill a few key positions that have been kept vacant for nearly 10 years. In the world of business, positions are usually kept open due to budgetary, recruitment or personal difficulties and problems. That is not the case with the Dharma School Board — at least not two of the three. The Dharma School does not face budget reductions, though the osaisen collections have been lagging. We don’t have a recruitment problem when there’s an abundance of talented and able-bodied persons among the Sangha ready to serve at some point in their relationship with the Betsuin. So, could it be the other third reason — working for and with a difficult boss or supervisor? Just because the position has been vacant for 10 years and this writer has been the superintendent for that period of time should not suggest to two ends meet and match, should it? There’s no paranoia extending from the fingers that write this article, not a bit. Besides, where else can you work with dedicated social butterflies like Ken Koyama and Carol Tamai? Only at the Dharma School. Change is in the wind, with the addition of a couple of familiar names to the Dharma School Board. Yes, finally progress has been made with Ken Furukawa and Val Fong stepping up to fill the positions of assistant superintendent of the upper and lower divisions, respectively. Both will assume their positions immediately. Ken Koyama also can feel relieved knowing that his long-standing position as treasurer will be filled by a person well-known among the Sangha. Derek Ikami, who is the treasurer for the Sports Committee, has agreed to take over for Ken starting with the 2009-10 school year. Ken will be taking a well-deserved break before taking on increased roles with the Betsuin. Let me be the first to acknowledge and thank each of those mentioned for volunteering to serve on the Board, and extend my personal gratitude to each person for their continued service to the Dharma School. Of course, through it all, Carol Tamai, the glue for Ken and me for countless number of years, will continue as the humble servant of the Dharma School. She’s actually the go-to person who knows everything about anything relative to the Dharma School. Having an attendance problem? Ask Carol. A historical perspective what has transpired for most of the last 10 years? Ask Carol. What to order for the end-of-year Dharma School picnic? That’s Carol again and again. Knowing how to work with an annoying and exasperating colleague? Ask Carol. Where and how she was able to learn and acquire these traits and characteristics? Ask Mervin. Filling these positions enables the ball to start rolling for filling the Dharma School superintendent post once vacated, and allow me to move to another position with the Sacramento Temple. Allan Hoshida, who has served admirably as the president of the Betsuin for the last two years, is waiting patiently for the positions of president-elect and superintendent to be filled before the changing of the guard can take place. One-half of the equation is coming together while the other half is still stewing. There are many, many qualified candidates who are worthy of appointment. All it takes is to say yes. There will always be reasons not to serve on the Betsuin’s general and executive board — too many of this or that, but there’s no better time to serve when today there are issues before us that need to be resolved. Sagging membership, declining Dharma School enrollment, financial concerns at the BCA, facility issues, recruitment of a reverend to fill behind Reverend Kaz’s departure in June, and the list goes on. Members of the Sangha need to feel the honor to serve and step forward to take on leadership positions. Find a way to say yes when asked. We all will feel better when you say “I will” (you don’t need to say “I do” again). November 16: Hoonko Service December 14: Bodhi Day Service (schedule and calendar change) December 14: New Officer Installation Service December 21: No Service December 28: No Service Donations Dharma School “courtyard” gratefully acknowledges donations from the following: Sam & Misao Abe Susan & Mickey Bennett Dr. Ken Furukawa & Family Girl Scout Troop 569 Nancy Hashimoto Vi Hatano Ruth Hayashi Irene Hoshiko Minnie Iseri Mary Ann Ito-Wong Utako Kimura Mary Kurimoto Yen & Michael Marshall Yo Morisawa Mitzie Muramoto Mike Nagai Pauline Nishina Dr. Jan Okimoto Ken Okuhara Mary Orite Reverend Bob & Patti Oshita Sacramento Tofu Company Kiyo Tanaka Tomi Tanaka Amy Watanabe Girl Scouts Troop 569Tony Cooper Brownies 2 kicked off the year with the Friends & Fun Try It. The troop is pleased to welcome three new girls this year. The girls all enjoyed making their secret code and friendship bracelets to send to each other. In early October, the troop got together for a fun day at the spa, where they had their fingernails and toenails painted. The girls had a blast doing this! We are now starting our fall magazine and nut sales, so thank you ahead of time for all that support of Troop 569! Juniors 3 wants to formally say “thank you” to Ashley Joe (Seniors 3), for her help and guidance for Thinking Day, and of course helping the girls bridge to Juniors! Since the summer, the girls have been quite busy. As the summer wound to an end, the girls attended the Council-sponsored Cheetah girls movie, and hosted the girls from Brownies 3. This made the event even more enjoyable and for many, it became a stepping stone toward earning their Junior badge The next day, the Juniors 3 girls helped out the Matsuyama group in making origami crafts at the California State Fair. September brought another opportunity to get involved in the community, as the girls passed drinking water out to the runners during the “Run to Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancer.” All troops then participated in the Linus project, which turned into a big success thanks to the leadership of Jennifer Nitta and Diane Huey. (Thanks for being great role models, Jen and Diane!) Finally, during our first meeting in October, Dennis Ham and Kristine Okino made arrangements via the United Way, and with the sponsorship of the Target Corporation, the Junior girls put together hundreds of survival bags that were donated to a women’s shelter in Auburn. Legacy Endowment Fund BoardKelvin Mark “Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” — The Buddha On behalf of the Legacy Endowment Fund Board, let me extend to you this Happy Thanksgiving wish. Our second Legacy Fund and Estate Planning workshop, sponsored by Mark Umeda, Esq., and Derek Seo of Seo and Associates, was held October 26 at the Temple. Thank you all so much for your ongoing support and enthusiasm. Can you imagine just how far the Sacramento Betsuin has come in 110 years? Together, our sangha has grown to become a major leader in Buddhist education and cultural exchange, home to the Japanese language school, youth sports and scouting programs, and home to the best bazaar in all of BCA. Your tax-deductible contributions to the Legacy Endowment Fund help make all this possible and will help secure the future of our temple for years to come. The church office is now equipped with an electronic Visa/MasterCard terminal. The addition of this terminal makes giving safe, secure and convenient. Sacramento Buddhist Women’s Association Utako Kimura
PRE-MEETING SERVICE: OCTOBER 1In his sermon before our meeting, Rinban Bob Oshita told us an incident involving two former ministers of our church, Reverend Kosho Yukawa and Reverend Junjo Tsumura. The story is that Reverend Yukawa had been told that his okesa was on backwards. Hardly able to hold back an opportunity to “chide” Reverend Yukawa, Reverend Tsumura teased Reverend Yukawa, saying that he was getting to be an old man. Without missing a beat, Reverend Yukawa said to Reverend Tsumura, “You are wearing your robe inside out.” Reverend Yukawa continued, “So, who’s getting old?” Rinban brought out that as we get older, how easily we find ourselves becoming forgetful. He has resigned himself to that fact. Further, he reminded us that the secret to happiness in life is finding humor in ourselves and others — yes, even in the mistakes we make.OPENING Alice Kataoka led the Opening Gassho. In the absence of President Lynn Kurahara, Secretary Virginia Uchida served as presiding officer and welcomed fellow Board members. Presiding Officer Uchida introduced and welcomed new Board member Lori Itow. Ms. Itow is the replacement for Fusako Takahashi. BUDDHIST CHURCHES OF AMERICA - RINBAN BOB OSHITA- Reverend Kyogyo Miura of the Gardena Buddhist Temple has passed away of an aortic aneurysm. Reverend Miura was 61 years old. - Reverend Kosho Yukawa is now serving as a “part-time” minister of the Tacoma Buddhist Temple. Rinban Bob adds that Reverend Yukawa is at the Tacoma Buddhist Temple almost daily as opposed to one, two days a week. Our congratulations to Reverend Yukawa. We feel certain the congregation is elated to have a “part-time” reverend. CORRESPONDENCE/DONATIONS/ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWe would like to continue to share with you the generosity of fellow members and friends in both monetary and thoughtful notes. We value with grateful appreciation.Uchida Family In Memory of Fumiko Uchida Toshie Kobata 50th Wedding Anniversary Tamale Fundraiser Chair Mary Inouye has reported letters acknowledging our donation have been received from Mike Nagai on behalf of the seniors and Allan Hoshida, president of our Betsuin Board of Trustees. The letters were read to the SBWA Board at its meeting. Conferences/Meetings - Alice Kataoka/HIROKO TSUDA Federation of Buddhist Women’s Association (FBWA) Delegates Meeting October 11, 2008. Oakland Buddhist Church: Hiroko Tsuda reported that two resolutions have been received from FBWA President Yukiko Otake. Both proposals will be presented for vote at the FBWA Delegates meeting to be held on October 11 at the Oakland Buddhist Church. The proposed resolutions are: - Financial Support of the Center for Buddhist Education of the Jodo Shinshu Center by FBWA. Currently, for three years beginning 2007, each Buddhist Women’s Association has pledged 5 to 10 percent of their unrestricted funds to the Jodo Shinshu Center. This proposal would set the pledge amount to 10 percent of their unrestricted funds. [Submitted by the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple Buddhist Women’s Association, Bay District.] - Annual Donations to Center for Buddhist Education After 2009. Currently, FBWA dues are $2 per member. The proposal would, after 2009, have the FBWA in its yearly request for dues from each chapter, add $2 per member toward the Center for Buddhist Education. [Submitted by the Southern District.]. SBWA Board voted to accept the two proposed resolutions. Attending the Oakland meeting are Shirley Kato, Molly Kimura, Frances Kondo, Hiroko Tsuda and Virginia Uchida. The NCBWA has voted to accept the two proposed resolutions. 2009 FBWA Conference – October 9, 10, 11 at the Doubletree Hotel, Sacramento - Opening Service. Plans are to set aside 30 minutes for the opening service followed by an hour special service for Shinran Shonin with Bishop Koshin Ogui as speaker. - Conference keynote speakers are Reverend Diane Johnson (English) and Reverend Mariko Nishiyama (Japanese). - October 22 is the next Conference Planning Meeting at the church at noon. Lunch will be provided. RELIGIOUS - MOLLY KIMURA- October 19, Sunday, Eitaikyo/Memorial Service. “Guest Speakers” are our own Rinban Bob Oshita and Reverend Kaz Nakata. Chairing the service is Frances Kondo with organist Junko Egi. Oshoko representatives are Amy Ishimoto for the 9:30 a.m. service and Mieko Kono for the 11:30 a.m. service. - November 23, Sunday, Hoonko Service. Reverend Michael Ensho Endo of the Buddhist Churches of America. Reverend Endo serves as one of Bishop Ogui’s assistants. Chairing the service is Molly Kimura with organist Machiko Kimura. Oshoko representatives are Junko Egi for the 9:30 a.m. service and Keiko Nishimura for the 11:30 a.m. service. In charge of refreshments are Keiko Nishimura and Mieko Kono. - December 7, Sunday, Bodhi Day/SBWA Service and Tsuitohoyo. Guest Speaker is Reverend Tesshi Aoyama of the Placer Buddhist Church. Service chair is Alice Kataoka with organist Machiko Kimura. Oshoko representative is Lynn Kurahara. CALLIGRAPHY CLASS, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 The September 28, 2008 Fall Ohigan Service Guest Speaker Reverend Akio Miyaji of the Orange County Buddhist Church conducted a calligraphy class on Monday, September 29, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. When we arrived, it was awesome to see all the supplies and fudes neatly set out at each place, including a pamphlet describing the calligraphy relationship to Buddhism. We learned how to hold the fude — it is difficult as it is held unlike a pencil — practice the strokes to write the kanji with the fude, and then were asked to write it on special paper. We did. Reverend Miyaji even gave us a frame to place our fude written words. Reverend had us also write with the fude on a shikishi! Of course, each of our fude works was special even though it may have looked unrecognizable. It was an evening well spent with fellow members and friends as well as being educational. The class was attended by more than 30 women and men. Social Services - Marcia Matsuda/Mitzie Muramoto- Kiyoshi Hamamoto passed away on July 14. A memorial service was held on August 15. A sympathy card and okoden were sent to the family. - Kiyoshi Kato passed away on August 10. A private memorial service was held on August 14. A sympathy card and okoden were sent to the family. - Fumiko “Dodo” Sakamoto passed away on August 31. A private memorial service was held on September 7. A sympathy card and okoden were sent to the family. - Masae Suwa passed away on September 7. A memorial service was held on September 12. A sympathy card and okoden were sent to the family. MEMBERSHIP - DIANE MURANAKA/SANDY NISHIMURA-YEE The committee has now received all the information for a new roster. The plan is to distribute the roster and telephone tree list in December. The committee thanks everyone for providing the particulars. SPECIAL EVENTS - FRANCES KONDO 62nd Annual Bazaar August 9-10 A special thank you to everyone who came out to help make sushi for the Bazaar. The sushis were sold out by mid-afternoon on both days! An extra special thank you for all who came back on Monday, August 11 to help with the clean-up. CRAFTS FOR CHURCH BAZAAR – SHIRLEY KATO/MASAKO FUKUDAArts and Crafts Chair Shirley Kato says thank you to the following members and friends for their very generous donations of craft items and materials, and assistance with this year’s craft booth. It was another very successful year! Gladys Adachi Mary Amemiya Joanne Champ Joan Curry Amy Dote Junko and Steve Egi Jim Fujii Sherry Fujii Masako Fukuda Janis Furuta Tessie Goi Sally Hamatake Lori Hara Nancy Hashimoto Hiroko Hayashi Kathy Henry Meriko Hoshida Judy Inaba Misao Inaba Mary Inouye Fumie Ishihara Yvonne Ishimoto Midori Ito Miyo Iwata JoAnn Jung Terry Kagiyama Amiko Kashiwagi Alice Kataoka Mary Kawamoto Judy Kimura Toshie Kobata Frances Kondo Emi Koshimizu Lynn Kurahara Reiko Kurahara May Kurimoto Stacey Matsunami Teiko Matsuo Jane Mitsuhashi Peggy Mori Bridget Morisaki Fumiko Morishige Carolyn Murai Keiko Nishimoto Joanne Nishimura Eleanor Nobuye Norrine Okamoto Misa Oshiro Chizuko Sakaishi Ikuko Sakazaki Motoko Satow Yaeko Tademaru Jane Tamano Kiyo Tanaka Irene Takeda Virginia Uchida Mary Wakabayashi Colleen Warner Cheryl Watanabe Donna Wong Dorothy Yamamoto Sueko Yamashita Irene Nabeta Yee Sandy Nishimura Yee Elaine Yoshikawa TAMALE FUNDRAISER Chair Mary Inouye writes: “Thank you for all the great help during our last tremendous tamale undertaking. We topped out with 10,080 tamales! Sizes were uniform and no one took offense at my nik-picking about weight. I knew we would make more [tamales] than tickets sold. I thought it would be nice to have some tamales for lunch and extras to take home. It worked out! “Please know that your long hours of standing, masa stirring, wrapping, checking, lugging, steaming, boxing is an excellent display of teamwork. Your work and dedication is gratefully recognized and deeply appreciated.!” NOMINATION COMMITTEE – MOLLIE OTO/ALICE KATAOKA/HELEN SEKIKAWA The nomination letters will be mailed to members soon. TID BITS . . . - Presiding Officer Virginia Uchida thanked members for providing those “treats for good health” — Alice Kataoka, Molly Kimura, Utako Kimura, Reiko Kurahara, Teiko Matsuo, Diane Muranaka, Patti Oshita, Heidi Sakazaki, Hiroko Tsuda and Gerry Tsukiji. Thank you to Reiko Kurahara for setting up the refreshments. - October 19, Sunday at 1 p.m. – Presentation on Ovarian Cancer by Mari Ueda at the Sacramento Buddhist Church in Classroom 2. Mari is a “survivor.” - The Church Board is considering professional cleaning of the inside kitchen stove vents and the outside kitchen stove burners. - Information has been received that the late Mikiye Hayashi has named the Sacramento Buddhist Women’s Association as a recipient of monetary funds from her estate. - Glass gallon jugs – the Sushi Committee is in need of these jugs with handles. Donations are most welcome. November 5, Wednesday – SBWA Meeting. 6:45 p.m. service. 7 p.m. meeting. Rinban Oshita led the Closing Gassho. Markus Mar-Liu The months of September and October were pretty busy for Troop 50. On September 13, the Boy Scouts participated in helping with the Asian Nursing Home Service Project from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. During this time, they undertook the duty of taking out the trash and working in the kitchen. At the closure of this event, the boys were even able to eat what was left of the food and dessert! On September 14, the Boy Scouts again helped out at the Chinatown Mall Culture Fair between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. While there, they helped break down canopies for storage, put away tables, and stored chairs in the buildings. Overall, this event provided the boys with a moderate workout and a great experience. \ The Boy Scouts with their new patrols embarked on their first campout to the Salt Point Campout on September 19, 20 and 21. Though foggy, it did not dampen their morale and they were ready to hit the beach on Saturday after a quick lashings exercise hosted by the senior patrol. Afterwards, they enjoyed a roaring campfire, complete with s’mores and plenty of entertainment to last the night. Toward the end of the campfire, the Boy Scouts had the honor of retiring an American flag to honor the men and women in service, a very solemn experience for first-year scouts. Before the October 3 troop meeting, some boys sat in Ms. Hara’s UC presentation. In it, she emphasized the importance of sophomore and junior years as well as what sections colleges look for, such as grades. The people who went said it was a lot of information and a useful tool in the future. The actual October 3 troop meeting involved each patrol receiving a coupon book from which they were told to plan a patrol outing menu while staying in the budget. They also had to include where and what activities they would do at this outing. Talk about interesting! Funerals Takako Fujioka, Tamiko Siu In Memory of Kayoko Fujioka Katsumi Hashimoto In Memory of Dubby Tsugawa Memorial Manji Family In Memory of Yoshizo & Chise Manji & Nobuko Lillian Manji Terry Uyeminami 25th Year for Toshio Uyeminami Kaye Kato 49th Day for Kiyoshi Kato Alice Kurotori 49th Day for Tom Kurotori Ronald Kashiwase 5th Year for Kiyo Kashiwase0 William Kashiwase 5th Year for Kiyo Kashiwase Ed & June Miura Family 7th Year for Hatsuko Miura Laura Miyake 1st Year for Shiro Takemoto Jane Nakagawa 3rd Year for Eleanor Kubo & Toshiko Nakagawa Bessie Nakano 1st Year for Toki Matsuura Doug & Donna Sakamoto 1st Year for Willie Sakamoto Toshiko Sakamoto 7th Year for Shige Sakamoto Margaret Takemoto 1st Year for Shiro Takemoto Craig & Donna Tanaka, Will & Karen Wong, Marc & Christine Jang 1st Year for Shiro Takemoto Sumiko Taniguchi In Memory of Eugene Taniguchi Mitsuko Kitade 7th Year for Eli Kitade Anonymous 7th Year for Eli Kitade Bob Ariyasu 7th Year for Eli Kitade Lorna Fong 49th Day for Natsuko Shimada Amos P. & Mary Freeman 5th Year for Kiyo Kashiwase Amos P. & Mary Freeman In Memoryof Kiyo Kashiwase Fred & Doris Hirotani In Memory of James & Irene Hirotani Fred & Doris Hirotani In Memory of Fumiko Tsuji David & May Ikemoto 49th Day for Lucy Yodokawa Nancy Shimizu & Sadie Inada In Memory of Mother, Tatsuno Inada Ronald Kashiwase In Memory of Tsuyako Satuwatari Joe & Alice Kataoka 1st Year for Shiro Takemoto Sandra Kataoka 1st Year for Shiro Takemoto Bert Kitade 7th Year for Eli Kitade Wayne & Cynthis Kitade 7th Year for Eli Kitade Gary & Sherrie Morimoto In Memory of Tom Kurotori L. & C. Nakashima In Memory of Kiyoko Kashiwase M/M Brian Shijo In Memory of Tom Kurotori Ted & Gerry Tsukiji In Memory of Shig & Willie Sakamoto M/M Katsumi Yamamoto 1st Year for Shiro Takemoto Kent Kitade Family 7th Year for Eli Kitade M/M Fred Taniguchi In Memory of Eugene Taniguchi Hiroshi & Fujie Urakawa 49th Day for Natsuko Shimada Carlo Visante, Yumiko Kitade Family 7th Year for Eli Kitade Yamamura Family In Memory of Gene Taniguchi Dorothy Fujimoto 25th Year for Toshio Uyeminami Masateru & Mitsue Hashimoto In Memory of Yukiko Enkoji Keith Kataoka 1st Year for Shiro Takemoto Maria Kato 5th Year for Kiyo Kashiwase M/M Steve Masuda 7th Year for Eli Kitade Alice Otani In Memory of Tom Kurotori Nancy & Thomas Shimizu In Memory of Yukiko Hosokawa Enkoji Asa & Martha Shintaku &nbs |
