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Senior Pastor News, June 2023 Comments Off on Senior Pastor News, June 2023

Senior Pastor News, June 2023

Posted by on Jun 9, 2023 in Blaine Youth Group, Church News & Events, Congregational Care, Giving, Innovation Hub, Pastors' Columns, Prayer, Service Opportunities, Small Groups, Spiritual Formation, Sunday Worship, Weekly Calendar

ACRS Executive Director Michael Byun and Rev. Karen Yokota Love hold up Church Member Glenn Mitsui’s special edition ACRS art print. You can purchase your copy at ACRS.org.

News from our Senior Pastor

Celebrating the Harvest

By Rev. Karen Yokota Love

“Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the first fruits of the crops you sow in your field. Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.”

– Exodus 23:16

June is here, which means that summer is just around the corner! Summer is a season known for cultivating and bearing good fruit. There is just nothing like a sweet, sun-ripened, summer cherry. Could we say, it is like a taste of heaven? Summer is known to be ‘harvest time’ in the Pacific Northwest with the cherries, blueberries, marionberries to name a few. Farmers are busy, reaping and bringing in the fruits of their labors.

We, too, at Blaine Memorial are busy celebrating the hard work of our students and teachers as June signals the end of another school year. This month, we are celebrating our high school and college graduates, Church School teachers, BYG directors and leaders, dads, and father-figures alike. It also marks the season of summer activities including the National Japanese American United Methodist Caucus’ Jr. High Camp and Asian Camp, as well as, Blaine Memorial UMC’s Vacation Bible School. You are invited to celebrate our dads and father-figures at our Sunday, June 18 worship service with a special lunch provided for all of our father and father-like figures.

Thank you to our Church School teachers, BYG directors and leaders for all the flexibility, commitment, and love that you’ve demonstrated this year to our growing children and youth. You’ve all done a fantastic job continuing to share God’s good news! We also celebrate the fruits of the harvest as we honor and celebrate the good work in The Pacific Northwest Conference:

May 24, 2:00pm
PNW Clergy Session (online)
June 2 & 3, 6:00pm
PNW Focus Sessions (online)
June 13, 9:00am
PNW Opening Worship
June 13-15
PNW Plenary Sessions
June 13, 7:00pm
PNW Memorial Service
June 14, 11:30am
PNW Retirement Service
June 15, 11:00am
PNW Service of Commissioning and Ordination
June 15, 6:00pm
GNW Closing Worship

Each of these meetings and worship services are both in-person and online this year and will be available for your viewing at a later date. This year’s PNWAC representatives are Ron Nobuyama, George Yates, Lynne Onishi and myself. Rev. Mia MiKyung Park is a member of the Oregon-Idaho Conference so she will be attending her Annual Conference prior to the PNW Conference Sessions. Please visit https://pnwumc.org/ac2023 for the full schedule.

Finally, Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) Walk for Rice is on Saturday, June 17 at Seward Park from 9am-12pm. Walk with Blaine for a great cause to help those who are experiencing food insecurity. Join Team Blaine and read more, here.

During this season, continue to celebrate joys and lift up your concerns. Continue to pray for friends, family, and the stranger. Together, may we grow into all that Christ longs to pour into us, Christ’s body. May we continue to pray and shout for joy as we cover everything we do with God’s guidance, presence, and love to transform lives in every way possible.

May the Holy Spirit continue to open our hearts to receive God’s abundant grace, that it may flow through us, offering healing and hope to everyone around us.

Rev. Karen Yokota Love serves as the Senior Pastor of Blaine Memorial UMC.

Read our latest issue of the Beacon!

The June edition of the Beacon features stories from our church in celebration of Summer! Download the PDF!

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Trinity Sunday  Comments Off on Trinity Sunday 

Trinity Sunday 

Posted by on Jun 4, 2023 in Archives, Blaine Youth Group, Church News & Events, Congregational Care, Giving, Prayer, Sermons, Small Groups, Spiritual Formation, Sunday Worship, Weekly Calendar

  • June 4, 2023
  • Hybrid Worship
  • Celebration of Teachers, BYG Leaders and Graduates of 2023
  • Thank you to the Yorozu Family for today’s flower arrangement. Arthur S. Yorozu, 95, passed away on September 26, 2022. Arthur’s Celebration of Life service was yesterday, June 3, 2023 at BMUMC.
  • For bulletin, continue scrolling or view print version
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Senior Pastor News Comments Off on Senior Pastor News

Senior Pastor News

Posted by on May 16, 2023 in Blaine Youth Group, Church News & Events, Giving, Innovation Hub, Pastors' Columns, Prayer, Service Opportunities, Small Groups, Sunday Worship, Weekly Calendar

Blaine Church members meet-and-greet with Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth. From (L-R): Sharon Maeda, Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth, Ron Nobuyama and Rev. Karen Yokota Love

We are resurrection people!

By Rev. Karen Yokota Love, additional photos by Lawrence Paltep and Jesse N. Love

Hallelujah! Christ is risen. Hallelujah! Christ is risen, indeed! I greet you with the miracle of Easter during this Eastertide season.

Members and friends of Blaine wrap the rice balls with anko. The rice balls were prepared the night before. Anko is a sweet red bean paste made from adzuki beans and sugar.

I’m thrilled because Blaine Memorial’s Sukiyaki Take Out benefit ministry event was an absolute success. After three years of being suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a great team of leadership resurrected Sukiyaki this year. Thank you for your generous support. This event can only be successful when folks like yourselves are willing to give your time, energy and commitment. Take a look at “Sukiyaki Photos 2023” to see all of the fun.

The Blaine Youth Group prepared a delicious breakfast for Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023.

To top that off, Easter Sunday at Blaine Memorial was magical this year. Our Blaine Youth Group (BYG) resurrected the Easter Breakfast! The BYG prepared and cooked a delicious Easter breakfast with all the fixings – scrambled eggs, mini sausages, fruit, cinnamon rolls, haupia, and so much more!

Steve Sofronas and Joseph Adriano set the flowered cross in the sanctuary.

The Worship Committee decorated the sanctuary on Holy Saturday. The altar was covered in lilies with white and gold touches. Joe Adriano, Steve Sofronas and Michael Corsilles carried in the flowered cross during the processional which magnified the sanctuary. Our Church School Teachers and BYG filled and hid 300 Easter Eggs in the Social Hall and Kono Chapel for our children. Even though it rained all morning, Easter was still special with Christ’s love surrounding us with breakfast, the flowering of the cross, a dynamic worship service and an Egg Hunt. Thank you for a special Easter, Blaine Memorial. Christ Is Risen, Indeed!

George Yates and Shig Nishida serve breakfast on Mother’s Day as Rev. Karen Yokota Love partakes in a hearty meal.

Speaking of eggs, our Mother’s Day Breakfast made a comeback! We honored the women and those who identify as women at Blaine Memorial UMC on Sunday, May 14. We showed love to our mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, aunts, sisters, cousins, wives, teachers, mentors, and all the women in our lives that have influenced and shaped us into the people who we are today. The men of Blaine Memorial prepared breakfast early at 6am. Thank you to Howard Nakase for chairing this year’s Mother’s Day breakfast!

Team Blaine represents at the ACRS Walk for Rice!

May signals the importance of Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. On Sunday, May 21, we will celebrate our long-standing relationship with Asian Counseling and Referral Services. Executive Director Michael Byun will join us in our worship service and share stories with us about ACRS’s long history with Blaine Memorial. ACRS promotes social justice and the well-being and empowerment of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other underserved communities – including immigrants, refugees, and American-born – by developing, providing, and advocating for innovative, effective, and efficient community-based multilingual and multicultural services. We’ll also hear from Audrey Hwang and Justine about the upcoming Walk for Rice event in June. Visit “Walk for Rice 2023” for more info.

The Rev. Karen Yokota Love presents a Reconciling Ministries Moment during Sunday Worship on May 7, 2023.

Also on Sunday, May 21, we will take a straw poll after worship. This poll is to identify if we can become a reconciling congregation. It will also give us an opportunity to measure our progress and to discuss further scripture texts, intentionally facilitate dialogue, and answer any questions that one might have to become a reconciling congregation. Please look at “God’s Radical Love: Diversity”, where Lynne Onishi discusses the process more in depth.

Earlier last month, I had the honor of meeting our new Greater Northwest Resident Area Bishop, Cedrick D. Bridgeforth at a Meet-and-Greet with the SeaTac District. We also had the chance to meet his spouse, Christopher. Bishop Cedrick expressed his great passion with a wide range of social justice issues, including restorative justice, homelessness, and hunger. He articulated in his sermon that one of his goals while he serves the Greater Northwest Area is to eradicate racism and discrimination of all kinds. I look forward to Bishop Cedrick’s leadership and where he will take this conference with his vision and innovative ideas.

As we move towards Pentecost, which signifies the birthday of the church, may you feel and know the power of the Holy Spirit this season. May you celebrate and be renewed with God’s Spirit. May you use this time of deep reflection and a renewal of faith. May God be with you. Blessings to you during this season!

Read the Beacon!

The latest issue of the Beacon newsletter is ready for viewing! Printed versions are available in the office, sanctuary, and social hall!

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Walk for Rice 2023! Comments Off on Walk for Rice 2023!

Walk for Rice 2023!

Posted by on May 16, 2023 in Blaine Youth Group, Church News & Events, Giving, Service Opportunities, Small Groups

Last year, Team Blaine raised over $8,300 to help support local food banks with a special focus on the Asian Community. Now is the time to help! Reach out to Justine or Audrey Hwang for more details!

Support Walk for Rice Now!

By Justine, photos by Audrey Hwang

The 33rd annual ACRS Walk for Rice will be on June 17, 2023 at Seward Park!

Blaine Memorial UMC has a special connection to the Asian Counseling and Referral Service Walk for Rice. In 1990, Sam Mitsui, with Herb and Bertha Tsuchiya, wanted a way for everyone to help feed the community. Team Blaine continues to honor Mitsui’s contribution through the Walk for Rice, commemorating 33 years of service.

This year’s Walk for Rice will be in-person at Seward Park on Saturday, June 17, 2023! We need you!

The ACRS Food Bank remains one of the busiest food banks in King County, distributing more than 1 million pounds of food annually to 5,700 clients. More than half are children under the age of 18 or seniors over 65, and many people served by the ACRS Food Bank are low-income. Proceeds from the Walk for Rice allow ACRS to buy many of the culturally familiar foods that its Asian clients rely on: tofu, noodles, and produce like bok choy. Don’t forget, rice!

Last year, Team Blaine raised over $8,300, which put us in third place! This year, ACRS hopes to raise $325,000 and Team Blaine’s fundraising goal is $7,000. You can also support us by joining Blaine Memorial at Seward Park on June 17th at the Walk for Rice celebration!

Go to our team page to donate online or join our team as a walker! You can also mail your donation (checks made out to “Walk for Rice”, memo: “Team Blaine”) to the Blaine office.

Thank you in advance for supporting ACRS Food Bank – every dollar counts!

Justine serves as Team Captain for the ACRS Walk for Rice, representing Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church.

Read our latest issue of the Beacon!

The June edition of the Beacon features stories from our church in celebration of Summer! Download the PDF!

Learn More
Sukiyaki 2023 Photos! Comments Off on Sukiyaki 2023 Photos!

Sukiyaki 2023 Photos!

Posted by on May 16, 2023 in Blaine Youth Group, Church News & Events, Giving, Service Opportunities

By Rev. Karen Yokota Love, photos by Ryan Kozu and Kai Yamamoto, graphics by Ally and Steve

Thank you, Blaine Memorial, for making this year’s Sukiyaki Take Out fundraiser a huge success! The entire community came out to help, cook, set-up, bake, clean, and make this year’s event memorable, exciting and meaningful. This was the first year we had Sukiyaki in three years. Thank you for your commitment to the Blaine Memorial UMC community! A portion of our earnings will benefit the Rainier Valley Food Bank. We look forward to preparing more activities and opportunities to bring our community back to Blaine for fellowship and to connect with the greater neighborhood. Enjoy photos from this year’s Sukiyaki event!

David Hayasaka, Jim Mano, and Rick Mano pour out Saifun noodles. The Saifun noodles are an important ingredient for Sukiyaki.

Howard Nakase cleans and peels vegetables to be chopped.

Many Blaine volunteers fill the uncooked Sukiyaki orders so that each dish is proportionally equal.

(L-R): Carol Okano and Pam Ikegami cut tofu

(L-R): Miriam Tong, Stephanie Nishida and Barbara Kanaya cook the beef before merging it with the vegetables and Sukiyaki broth.

Justine, Lily, and Terry Adolfo sell baked goods to our community members. Some of the baked goods included cakes, cookies, bake mochi, manju, brownies, chi-chi dango, and ohagi.

Volunteers count each of the uncooked Sukiyaki servings.

Eugene Onishi and Kobe Yamamoto transfer cooked Sukiyaki into a different pan, as they get ready to package Sukiyaki orders. How much sukiyaki did you order?

(Above) Tala and Marisa happily sell baked goods to customers.

(Left) Jill Fluvog, Margaret Inouye and Donna Sekijima put different varieties of mochi and manju to make assorted packages to sell. This was sold at the Bakery and sold out within the first hour after opening at 2pm.

Read the Beacon!

The latest issue of the Beacon newsletter is ready for viewing! Printed versions are available in the office, sanctuary, and social hall!

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