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| Prelude Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness By James K. Manley Kathy Onishi |
| Welcome of Grace and Greeting Rev. Karen Yokota Love |
| Call to Worship Rev. Mia MiKyung Park |
| Opening Prayer Rev. Mia MiKyung Park |
| *Opening Hymn Sois la Semilla (You are the Seed) (UMH #583) Eugene and Kathy Onishi |
| First Scripture Reading Acts 1:6-14 (CEB, JLB) Terri Pittman & Yuki Sofronas |
| Children’s Message Rev. Mia MiKyung Park |
| Special Music O Jesus, I Have Promised By J.E. Bode, A.H. Mann Blaine Memorial Choir |
| Mission Moment: ACRS/Walk For Rice Michael Byun, Executive Director; Audrey Hwang and Justine |
| Second Scripture Reading John 17:1-11 (NRSVUE, JLB) Terri Pittman & Yuki Sofronas |
| Sermon The Struggle for Love Rev. Karen Yokota Love |
| Hymn of Response Blest Be The Tie That Binds Eugene and Kathy Onishi (UMH #557) |
| Reconciling Ministries Moment #3 Arlene Naganawa |
| Introduction to the Offering Rev. Mia MiKyung Park |
| Doxology (UMH #94) Kathy Onishi |
| Prayer of Dedication Rev. Mia MiKyung Park |
| Announcements Rev. Karen Yokota Love |
| Closing Hymn They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love (TFWS #2223) Eugene and Kathy Onishi |
| Benediction Rev. Karen Yokota Love |
| Postlude Across the Lands By Keith Getty and Stuart Townend Kathy Onishi |
| Straw Poll Arlene Naganawa Not at in-person worship? Send your vote by May 21, 2023 at 2pm to blaineoffice@yahoo.com. This method is not anonymous. |
| Passing of the Peace Rev. Karen Yokota Love |
| Zoom Breakout Room Rev. Dr. Jeney Park-Hearn |
| Monday, May 22, 2023 Psalm 99; Leviticus 9:1-11, 22-24; 1 Peter 4:1-6 |
| Tuesday, May 23, 2023 Psalm 99; Numbers 16:41-50; 1 Peter 4:7-11 |
| Wednesday, May 24, 2023 Psalm 99; 1 Kings 8:54-65; John 3:31-36 |
| Thursday, May 25, 2023 Psalm 33:12-22; Exodus 19:1-9a; Acts 2:1-11 |
| Friday, May 26, 2023 Psalm 33:12-22; Exodus 19:16-25; Romans 8:14-17 |
| Saturday, May 27, 2023 Psalm 33:12-22; Exodus 20:1-21; Matthew 5:1-12 |
Reconciling Ministries Straw Poll
Today after worship
The Reconciling Ministries Team will conduct a straw poll on Sunday, May 21. This poll is not a final vote on affiliation with Reconciling Ministries. The team is simply conducting a poll of our congregation to better understand your thoughts, feelings, and concerns about the reconciling statement. The vote will take place after the service is finished, and your participation is required.
VBS Volunteers Meetings
May 21 & June 4
We will be holding volunteer meetings on the following Sundays: May 21st and June 4th, after the service, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm in the Webb Room. If you are planning to volunteer at VBS this year, please make sure to attend these meetings.
Wednesday Coffee & Prayer
May 24 • 9am on Zoom
Please join Rev. Karen for a time of meditation and prayer on Wednesday, May 24 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?”
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.
33rd Annual ACRS Walk for Rice
June 17 • 9am
This year ACRS will hold its in-person Walk for Rice at 9:00 am on Saturday, June 17, 2023 at Seward Park! Team Blaine’s fundraising goal is $7,000. Help ACRS feed AAPI community members who are experiencing food insecurity by joining or donating to Team Blaine!
Go to: https://give.acrs.org/team/498138 to donate online! Or mail your donation to the Blaine office (checks made out to “Walk for Rice”, memo: “Team Blaine”) . Thanks for your support! 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.
Ongoing Donations for Afghan and Ukrainian Refugees
Items being collected: At this time, we have an abundance of some items and so we are NOT in need of clothing or children’s toys. Especially needed items are women’s products, toothpaste, personal care items, rice cookers, blenders, mixing bowls, microwave ovens, toasters, mixers, irons, dish sets, towels, and blankets.
Blaine Memorial UMC Collection Hours: Collection items can be dropped off to the Blaine Memorial Social Hall from Tuesday – Thursday between 10:00AM-4:00PM. Please call the Church Office at (206) 723-1536 prior to dropping off your items. South King County Response Center Collection & Volunteer Hours: The Donation Center is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays from 10am-2pm, same time as the Tukwila Pantry at 3118 S. 140th St. Seattle.
Please text Kim Parks at (206) 683-1707 when you would like to help. Please wear a mask and bring a marking pen and measuring tape if possible. Please contact Donna Sekijima at: donnasek@outlook.com and/or Anne Arakaki-Lock at: aarakakilock@gmail.com.
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) |
Ongoing Request for Chips and Savory Treats
Thank you all for generously donating sweet and savory treats for post-worship fellowship time. Currently, we need more chips and savory items: wrapped bags of chips (potato chips, Doritos, Cheetos etc.) would be appreciated. Drop off your donations to the Narthex, Church Office, or Social Hall either on Sunday or during Church Office Hours (Tuesday-Friday 10:00AM-4:00PM). Help serve refreshments on Sundays after worship by contacting Julie Lock at: jtlock00@gmail.com
Printed versions are available in the office, sanctuary, and social hall!
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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?’”
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.
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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| 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 |
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.
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) |
Printed versions are available in the office, sanctuary, and social hall!
Comments Off on Fifth Sunday of Easter
| Prelude “In Moments Like These” by David Graham Leann Onishi |
| Welcome of Grace and Greeting Rev. Karen Yokota Love |
| Opening Hymn and Opening Prayer “How Can We Name a Love” (UMH #111) Miriam Tong, Leann Onishi, Neil Komedal |
| Transfer of Membership: Alma Santos, Edwin Santos and Joshua Santos Rev. Karen Yokota Love |
| First Scripture Reading 1 Peter 2:2-10 (CEB,JLB) Kobe Yamamoto & Tsutomu Nagoya |
| Children’s Message Sai Hanaoka |
| Scripture Reading Romans 12:9-21 (CEB,JLB) Kobe Yamamoto & Tsutomu Nagoya |
| Sermon “#BeUMC: ??? People of God” Rev. Mia MiKyung Park |
| Hymn of Reflection “Help Us Accept Each Other” (UMH #560) Kathy & Eugene Onishi, Unison |
| Reconciling Ministry Moment Rev. Karen Yokota Love |
| Holy Communion Rev. Mia MiKyung Park and Rev. Karen Yokota Love |
| Communion Special Music “The Sweetness of Mary” by Joan MacDonald Boes arr. by Brenda Hunter “Amber Waltz” by Mick Doherty Leann Onishi |
| Doxology and Prayer of Dedication “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow” (UMH #94) Miriam Tong, Leann Onishi, Neil Komedal |
| Announcements Rev. Karen Yokota Love |
| Closing Hymn “Because He Lives” (UMH # 364) Miriam Tong, Leann Onishi, Neil Komedal |
| Benediction Rev. Mia MiKyung Park |
| Postlude Traditional American Fiddle Tunes Leann Onishi |
| Zoom Breakout Room Rev. Jeney Park-Hearn |
Sermon title and questions are adapted from #BeUMC campaign website.
| Monday 5/8 Psalm 102:1-17; Exodus 13:17-22; Acts 7:17-40 |
| Tuesday 5/9 Psalm 102:1-17; Proverbs 3:5-12; Acts 7:44-56 |
| Wednesday 5/10 Psalm 102:1-17; Proverbs 3:13-18; John 8:31-38 |
| Thursday 5/11 Psalm 66:8-20; Genesis 6:5-22; Acts 27:1-12 |
| Friday 5/12 Psalm 66:8-20; Genesis 7:1-24; Acts 27:13-38 |
| Saturday 5/13 Psalm 66:8-20; Genesis 8:13-19; John 14:27-29 |
Next Week! Blaine Memorial’s Mother’s Day Breakfast is back!
Sunday, May 14, 8:30am-10:00am and 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. Calling all men and those who identify as men at Blaine Memorial! We need your help! Help us prepare the breakfast beginning at 6:00am! Please contact Howard Nakase for more information.
Wednesday Coffee & Prayer
May 10 • 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.
Blaine Memorial UMC Church Member Stephen Sumida in “Hometown Boy” play
Throughout the month of May
Seattle Public Theater presents “Hometown Boy,” starring our very own Stephen Sumida. Performances will run every weekend in May. If you’d like to see Steve perform as “Walter,” please purchase your tickets here.
If you have ticketing questions, or would like help with purchasing tickets, please contact the box office.
About Hometown Boy
James hasn’t been back to his rural Georgia hometown in over a decade, but reluctantly returns to check in on his father, whose behavior has become worryingly erratic. And since the South has a way of holding onto secrets, he soon stumbles into a life he thought he had left behind as a child. That stench in the air isn’t just his father’s decaying house, but the rotten core of long-buried secrets teeming just under the surface and ready to explode.
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) |
Making a Scene with Dr. Stephen Sumida
May 2023 calendar is available
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