Pastors’ Columns

Summer: We are together again! Comments Off on Summer: We are together again!

Summer: We are together again!

Posted by on Jun 13, 2023 in Pastors' Columns, Prayer

The Revs. John and Mia with Gloria and Grace enjoy dinner as a family.

Associate Pastor’s Spiritual Reflection

Summer: We are together again!

By Rev. Mia MiKyung Park, Assoc. Pastor

I am grateful to share that my mom, three older sisters, and one brother-in-law will be visiting us for the first time in early June. Even though time seems to be moving slowly, I’m grateful for the chance to prepare for their arrival. Seeing my mom’s smile when she arrives will bring me so much joy. I cannot wait for her to witness John’s and my ministries in the U.S. Although it was difficult for my mom to accept our decision not to return to our home country, she is beginning to understand that God works beyond our experiences and expectations.

Living far away from my mom and siblings has been challenging. Not being able to support them physically created feelings of guilt and resentment that have lingered for a long time. However, after witnessing how God has brought my family to know God and attend church, I’ve learned to trust that God is always there, guiding and protecting them through every step of their journey.

My mom’s childhood was difficult, as her family faced financial challenges. Only her brothers were able to attend school, so she didn’t learn how to read until she was in her mid-70s. When she started attending church, my mom became curious about the Bible. She was determined to learn how to read so she registered for a basic reading class at the senior center. Now, she can read hymns and the Bible, even if she doesn’t fully understand the meanings. I believe that the Holy Spirit inspired my mom to achieve her lifelong wish of learning how to read.

During their visit, I plan on taking my family to see the iconic Space Needle and explore Pike Place Market, where we can get my mom’s favorite fresh seafood. I’m also excited to show them around the church and visit some of the local parks and beaches, where we can spend quality time together and enjoy the beautiful summer weather.

As I prepare for my family’s visit, I’m filled with gratitude for this opportunity to spend quality time with them and create new memories together. I know it will be a time of joy and laughter, but also a time for us to reflect on our shared experiences and the ways in which our faith has brought us together. I’m excited to see how this visit will deepen our connection and strengthen our bonds as a family. I’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time, and I can’t wait to show them the beauty of Seattle and the Blaine Memorial campus, which has become another home for me.

As summer begins, I am thrilled to announce that we will be offering special time for our children and youth through VBS and camps. This year’s VBS theme is “Food Truck Party On a Roll with God,” and it will run from Monday, July 10 through Friday, July 14, from 10 am to 3 pm. Registration for VBS is now open, and you can visit blaineonline.org to register your child or children.

I am excited to memorize John 10:10 with the children in June. The verse states, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” My prayer is that our children and youth will experience the abundant life that our Lord provides, and that they will be filled with His peace.

In May, we were able to accomplish so much together, and I am truly thankful for all the hard work and dedication that was put into all ministries. We have so much to be grateful for Work party, Sukiyaki, uplifting worship services, etc. As we move into June, I am filled with anticipation for what’s to come and the new opportunities that await us. I am confident that with our collective efforts and God’s guidance, we will continue to grow and thrive as a community. Let’s make this next month even more amazing than the last!

The Rev. Mia MiKyung Park serves as the Associate Pastor of Blaine Memorial UMC.

June Lectionary

First Sunday after Pentecost
June 4, 2023
Genesis 1:1-2:4a Psalm 8 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 Matthew 28:16-20
Second Sunday after Pentecost
June 11, 2023
Genesis 12:1-9 Psalm 33:1-12 Hosea 5:15-6:6 Psalm 50:7-15 Romans 4:13-25 Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
Third Sunday after Pentecost
June 18, 2023
Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7) Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 Exodus 19:2-8a Psalm 100 Romans 5:1-8 Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23)
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
June 25, 2023
Genesis 21:8-21 Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17 Jeremiah 20:7-13 Psalm 69:7-10, (11-15), 16-18 Romans 6:1b-11 Matthew 10:24-39

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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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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Senior Pastor’s Spiritual Reflection Comments Off on Senior Pastor’s Spiritual Reflection

Senior Pastor’s Spiritual Reflection

Posted by on May 16, 2023 in Church News & Events, Innovation Hub, Pastors' Columns, Prayer, Sermons, Spiritual Formation

The Rev. Karen Yokota Love presents a Reconciling Ministry Moment during Sunday Worship.

Pentecost: The Gift of Diversity

By Rev. Karen Yokota Love, Senior Pastor

“When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.” Acts 2:1-4

In Acts 2, the disciples are huddled in the upper room. First, there is wind and fire. Then the disciples speak about Jesus, and the author Luke writes, “When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?’”

The image of a dove – a symbol of the Holy Spirit of God, peace, rest and humility, in the context of the symbol of the Holy Trinity.

Pentecost becomes an affirmation of God’s gift of diversity. Luke makes a point of listing all the places that the people had come from to be in Jerusalem. There were many different people from many different places speaking many different languages. Pentecost is a celebration of unity in diversity. Diversity can be difficult. The people of Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church began conversations around LGBTQIA+ inclusion in July 2022. This is an ongoing process of prayer, learning, discernment, and conversation. The process will culminate with a congregational decision. Disaffiliation, or leaving the United Methodist Church as a denomination, has not been a part of these discussions. There is no intention of leaving the UMC. We continue to discuss what this outcome looks like for Blaine Memorial UMC and how this helps us be a more loving community. We might not always understand one another and there might be miscommunication. Social queues could be misinterpreted. Sometimes, understanding one another more effectively or efficiently can be frustrating.

However, the “birth” of the church is more than simply understanding one another more effectively or efficiently. The reign of God depends on diversity. The more we can widen and deepen our awareness of where the holy is at work among us, the more possibilities become reality for the peaceable kin-dom to come near.

Sometimes this work of deepening understanding and stretching our perceptions is the opposite of efficient. But it is worth the effort because we are talking about the dream of our hearts, initiated and fulfilled by our God. Sometimes we are tempted to confuse our own experience of “normal” with being faithful.

The Pentecost experience reminds us that God always is willing to break up and expand our perception of the norm to welcome every blessed variety of God’s beloved creation. The more we can hear, see, and experience the Spirit at work in the incredible diversity of our world, the more we receive the deep invitation to full life in Christ.

We are re-centered in God’s love as the ultimate “norm” for all life, and we begin to see the world anew. When we truly are baptized into Christ, we become a part of a new creation.

Every Pentecost is the re-birth of the church anew into a particular time and place and context, each with its own joys and sorrows. The visible manifestation of the Holy Spirit in Pentecost today may be very similar to the first Pentecost: reaching across boundaries to understand those who live differently, speak differently, experience reality differently. Our Spirit-given diversity challenges singular and dominating forms of power that dehumanize, and that ignore the breath of divine life, the Holy Spirit, who dwells in all creation, in every human being. This gift offers us countless and bold ways to build communion and inclusive community where diversity breathes life. Pentecost then is not so much the birth of the church, but a snapshot of the church in action through the power of the Holy Spirit: where diversity is chosen over division, where dialogue is chosen over conflict, and where all are cared for, not just the people of our tribe or clan. Pentecost screams the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ: all are invited and all are welcome here. May it be so.

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Assoc. Pastor’s Spiritual Reflection Comments Off on Assoc. Pastor’s Spiritual Reflection

Assoc. Pastor’s Spiritual Reflection

Posted by on May 16, 2023 in Church News & Events, Pastors' Columns, Prayer

The Rev. Mia MiKyung Park leads Blaine Memorial UMC in prayer during Sunday Worship.

Grounded in faith, trusting in God

By Rev. Mia MiKyung Park

One of my reflective practices is to write a letter to my future self, expressing my hopes and prayers for myself. This practice has proven to be beneficial to me in many ways. Not only does it encourage and support me, but it also helps me view my situations and myself from a more objective perspective. When I write this letter, I imagine myself as one of my friends or neighbors and pour out my thoughts, encouragement, affirmation, and suggestions. Over time, I have accumulated many letters from myself that not only inspire and uplift me, but also provide moments of chuckles as the situations often turn out differently than I had anticipated.

Recently, I came across a letter I had written to myself about 20 years ago while on a plane during my very first trip to the U.S. I could feel the nervousness and anxiety I had experienced about flying into a place with an uncertain future. I remember vividly how my thoughts were wandering around without any rational connections, and I couldn’t sleep for the entire 10-hour flight. In the letter, I talked to myself in Korean, acknowledging my worries about my baggage, how to contact John if he wasn’t there to receive me, and the stress about John’s seminary acceptance and possibly moving in the near future. However, I reminded myself that God, who had led me on this journey of living in a foreign country, was already there to provide everything I needed. I also expressed my hope that I would get a chance for further education in the U.S. before returning to Korea.

Although the letter doesn’t apply exactly to my current situation, its message of grounding myself in faith and trusting in God still resonates deeply with me.

As I write this article, I am filled with both excitement and nervousness about my family’s upcoming visit in June. My mother, three older sisters, and one brother-in-law will be visiting me for the first time, and I am grateful for this opportunity. However, I also feel anxious about the logistics of their trip, particularly since my ordination service will take place in Meridian, Idaho on Sunday, June 11th. They will arrive in Seattle on June 5th, and John and I are prayerfully and carefully planning the trip with my family from Korea to Idaho and back to Seattle. After my family’s visit, our Jr. High campers will leave for camp, and in July, we will have Vacation Bible School for our children from July 10th-14th, from 10 am-3 pm. Additionally, our high schoolers will attend Asian Camp from July 23rd-28th. These are just a few of the events scheduled for my family and church.

I am praying for strength, guidance, and wisdom to make this spring and summer amazing. I already know that God will continue to deepen my faith and trust during this time, even when things sometimes turn out differently than what I anticipated. As I continue to write letters to myself, I hope to be able to look back on them with fondness and gratitude for how God has guided me through my journey. Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I am also excited to share that the Church School in May will be memorizing the Lord’s Prayer, so I ask the families to support our children to memorize the Lord’s Prayer at home as well.

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our Church School teachers, BYG leadership, and the entire congregation for your dedication and commitment to our ministries. May will be an amazing month, and I look forward to experiencing it together.

Also read:

“Coram Deo: In the presence of God“

Rev. Mia MiKyung Park serves as the Associate Pastor of Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church.

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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!

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Sixth Sunday of Easter Comments Off on Sixth Sunday of Easter

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Posted by on May 13, 2023 in Archives, Blaine Youth Group, Church News & Events, Congregational Care, Giving, Innovation Hub, Pastors' Columns, Prayer, Sermons, Service Opportunities, Small Groups, Spiritual Formation, Sunday Worship, Weekly Calendar

Welcome!

Order of Worship

Prelude
Time Now to Gather
By M.N. Keithahn and J. D. Hormon
Kathy Onishi
Welcome of Grace and Greeting
Rev. Mia MiKyung Park
*Opening Hymn
For the Beauty of the Earth (UMH #92)
Eugene and Kathy Onishi
Mother’s Day Liturgy
Lynne Onishi
First Scripture Reading
John 14:15-21 (CEB, JLB)
Lynne Onishi & Tsutomu Nagoya
Children’s Message
Rev. Mia MiKyung Park
Special Music
Love Comes From God
Blaine Memorial Choir
Sermon
The Great Comforter
Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Hymn of Response
Spirit of the Living God, Fall Afresh on Me
(UMH #393)
Eugene and Kathy Onishi
Reconciling Ministries Moment #2
Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Introduction to the Offering
Rev. Mia MiKyung Park
Doxology
Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow
(UMH #94)
Kathy Onishi
Prayer of Dedication
Rev. Mia MiKyung Park
Announcements
Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Closing Hymn
Gift of Love
(UMH #408)
Eugene and Kathy Onishi
Benediction
Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Postlude
He is Exalted
By Twila Paris
Kathy Onishi
Passing of the Peace
Rev. Karen Yokota Love
Zoom Breakout Room
Rev. Dr. Jeney Park-Hearn

Announcements

Today! Blaine Memorial’s Mother’s Day Breakfast is back!

After worship!

Come join us as we give thanks to our mothers and mother-like figures in our lives! Join us as we honor the women and those who identify as women at Blaine Memorial UMC. Our Mother’s Day Breakfast is back! During this time, we will honor, remember and show our love to our mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, aunts, sisters, cousins, wives, teachers, mentors, and all of the women in our lives that have influenced and shaped us into the people who we are today.

Wednesday Coffee & Prayer

May 17 • 9am on Zoom

Please join Rev. Karen for a time of meditation and prayer on Wednesday, May 10 at 9am. The Wednesday Prayer group continues to meet each week. Our time together consists of a check-in question centering around United Methodist Founder John Wesley’s famous question, “How is it with your soul?” We continue our time together with a few readings out of The Upper Room Magazine May/June edition.

Finally, we end our time together with a pastoral prayer. We pray for anyone who would like to be prayed for. Please join us! Brew a fresh cup of coffee or steep some tea. This is a great opportunity to pause in the middle of the week to check in with others. The Zoom link will be sent out prior to gathering on Tuesday.

Reconciling Ministries Team

Celebrating God’s Gift: Diversity

By Lynne Onishi

Greetings from the Reconciling Ministries (RM) team at Blaine! The RM team is a lay-led group of congregation members who are passionate about LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the church. We are here to help guide this church through a process of discernment as we consider affiliating with the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN).

To affiliate with RMN, our church must vote to adopt a Reconciling Statement. We want to hear what you think about this statement before we take a final vote, so we are conducting a straw poll on May 21. As we prepare to take a straw poll, we invite you to look at the Reconciling Statement below:

“We celebrate God’s gift of diversity and value the wholeness made possible in community equally shared and shepherded by all. We welcome and affirm people of every gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, who are also of every age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education, and family structure, and of every economic, immigration, marital, and social status, and so much more. We acknowledge that we live in a world of profound social, economic, and political inequities. As followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice and pledge to stand in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed.”

Why are you a part of the team?

I am a member of the Reconciling Ministry Team because I know a family whose son is non-binary. I have seen their fear when prejudice and hate were directed toward their child. And I have seen their reaction to be one of honesty, courage, and love. I believe the church can come alongside families like this to provide support and community.

Terri Pittman

I am part of the Reconciling Ministries Team because I grew up in this church and have always felt included, yet also off to the side, and want to see a place that is welcoming and affirming to all.

Dale H. Watanabe

I am a member of the Reconciling Ministries Team because we, as a church, love God and God’s people. We can show our love by openly expressing welcome to our friends who are often marginalized and hurt, even though that may not be our intention. As a teacher, I worked with many youth who suffered pain and rejection because of their sexual identities. Sometimes, the pain was too much to bear. Offering an accepting (Christian?) community can metaphorically and literally save lives.

Arlene Naganawa

Reconciling Ministries Team

Yoshi Kuramoto, Arlene Naganawa, Lynne Onishi, Lawrence Paltep, Terri Pittman, Mariko Ronan, Jarrett Shirouzu, Jenna Tong, Dale Watanabe, Malia Yamamoto

The Reconciling Ministries Team invites all who are interested to join in our work! Visit rmnetwork.org for more information.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Apply Now! Blaine Educational Scholarships

Due May 17

The Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church Educational Scholarships are designed to support the mission of the church through supporting a multitude of educational opportunities. We are proud to have helped students in their pursuit of continuing education since 1968. Applications are due May 17. We are blessed to offer the following scholarships: the Vera Ing Scholarship, Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church Scholarship, Yasuda Scholarship, William S. Yorozu Scholarship, and the Robert S. Sato Scholarship. Read more.

Blaine Cookbook needs your recipes!

Due May 31

Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church will release a 120th Anniversary Edition of “Let’s Dine!”, the latest in a series of cookbooks produced by Blaine Memorial over the past 70 years. This cookbook will commemorate the 120th Anniversary of Blaine Memorial, with a scheduled release of January 2024. We are seeking submissions for the 2024 cookbook and are calling on you to contribute! Read more.

This summer’s Camping Ministries and Vacation Bible School schedules are out!

Please save the dates for your children and youth! Summer Camps & VBS 2023!

June 25-30
Jr/High Camp (for incoming 6th-9th graders) Jr. High Camp registration is open now! Please register your youth by May 31!
July 10-14
Vacation Bible School 10am-3pm VBS registration is open now! Visit the VBS 2023 page and bookmark it for updates!
July 23-28
Asian Camp (for incoming 10th grade- 2 yrs. post-high school)

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