olivet baptist church jan 2016 newsletter
DESCRIPTION
Olivet Baptist Church - Honolulu, Hawaii January 2016 NewsletterTRANSCRIPT
Volume XLII
No 1
January 2016
A COOPERATIVE EFFORT OF PASTORS, TEACHERS, AND VOLUNTEERS DEVELOPING A SOUND FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIAN FAITH
Be sure to follow us on social
media for the most up-to-date
information, events, and
outreach opportunities.
Olivet Baptist Church
@OlivetBC
#OlivetBaptistChurch
Contact Information:
Senior Pastor Timothy Morita
Office Phone: 808-946-6505
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.OlivetBaptist.org
Phillipians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And
the peace of God , which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
In the news for many years we have read about rivers that flood and overrun the roads and fields. In the past you may have read about the lone farmer who lived on a distant bend in the river, where a weak levee was about to burst. A sheriff was sent in a big four-wheeler to get the man, and was told, “Naw, I’m praying for the Lord to get me.” When the levee broke, a neighbor rowed over in his boat and found the farmer in the hayloft. “No thanks,” he answered, “I’m praying for the Lord to deliver me.” Later, a National Guard motorboat went up the rapids and found the farmer on his barn roof. “Appreciate your coming, but I’m praying for the Lord to deliver me.” Well, the barn broke apart and the farmer drowned. A moment later, he frowned at God in Heaven and shouted out, “Lord, I prayed for you to de-liver me; where were you?” “I sent the sheriff, your neighbor and the National Guard,” God told him. “If you’re too stubborn to accept my help, then you get what you deserve.” You have probably heard this account be-fore, but it raises a good point. In 2016, let us all be more aware of the help and oppor-tunities that God puts before us, serve Him with diligence, and “—let His peace rule in our hearts, to which we were called as one body of Christ, and be thankful.”(Col. 3:15) In God’s Aloha,
Pastor Tim
Happy New Year! Can you believe it is 2016 already??? Where does the time go?
The other night I ran into a friend and we were talking about the perception of time. He was saying
that an article he read suggested you perceived life is longest from birth to seven-years-old. That is, during
those first seven years of life, time seems to go by ssssllllllooooowwwww…. As you get older your perception
of time continues to shorten.
Consider this; in my perception of time, having
children makes time go by fast. Ever since I had kids,
the months and years fly by! Then when I talk to
people with adult children they say, “Enjoy them now
it goes by fast.” I think to myself, ‘well, maybe it’s not
going by THAT fast.’ Perceived time changes as we get
older. There are many variables to why this happens.
Whatever those reasons, it’s a reality. It happens.
The Bible talks often about the end times. The
Bible repeatedly reminds us, “The Kingdom of God is
near.” Jesus himself teaches this. After His time in the
desert Jesus introduces His ministry with these words;
“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into
Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying,
‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’ Mark 1:14-15
This year forget the shallow resolutions. Ditch the diet plan, skip the new exercise craze, and forget
about fighting bad habits. Focus on one thing: Living a repentant life. If you focus on this, I believe those
many other things will fall into place. A repentant life is a transformed life. How do you do this? Vow to live
each day listening for the Lord’s voice. Start your morning with the Word and prayer. Not to mark off a
checklist or fulfill your resolution to “read my Bible more”. Get into God’s Word to seek His voice. Pray not to
give God your wish list, but to have a designated time to hear Him speak. This is a repentant life; that you will
turn from the voices that are not of God, and hear and draw near to the voice of God. When you hear His
voice He will draw you to a life lived in obedience to Him which may include physical fitness, a change in diet,
the removal of bad habits. The difference is, not your will, but His be done.
The Kingdom of God IS near! Time is running short.
Resolve to live a life of repentance as we anticipate His return!
Jason
Jason Hew
Minister of Outreach &
Education
808-946-6505 ph
How did it get so late so soon?
It’s night before it’s afternoon.
December is here before it’s June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?
Dr Seuss
Baptism— a public declaration of faith Just as Christ died and was resurrected, so the believer dies to their old self and is raised to new life in Christ.
What is the Senior Pastor Search
Committee?
The Senior Pastor Search Committee is a
special committee established for facilitat-
ing the church's search for a senior pastor
by recommending prospective pastors to
the church one at a time.
Olivet's Constitution and By-Laws call for
a Senior Pastor Search Committee (PSC)
to be formed when the church needs to
seek out a new pastor. It reads:
"This committee shall be composed of
seven members elected by the church.
The nominating committee shall present a
slate of at least ten candidates for election
by the church"
2016 Olivet Baptist Church
Pastor Search Committee (PSC)
TERRANCE ARASHIRO
SUSAN CHONG,
Secretary
PAT MURPHY
JO ANN SEGAWA
RUTH FUJIMOTO
JOSHUA LEE
Vice Chairperson
RANDALL SUZUKA, Committee Chairperson
Stay current with Olivet Baptist Church news and events via text message.
Text the letters OBC to 313131 Standard text message and data rates may apply
An update from the Youth Department
Christmas is always a special time of year
and this year was no exception. This year
Lorna and I had the opportunity to lead a
couple of our high school girls in an out-
reach to a homeless family that lives out
of a van in the Iwilei area. Our high
school girls used money from our $20
challenge to purchase gifts for an 18
month girl and a four year old boy. On
the 20th of December we delivered
these gifts and were able to spend some
time talking with the family and playing
with the kids. It was a blessed time that
reminded me of the words of Christ, “It’s
more blessed to give than to re-
ceive.” (Acts 20:35) I doubt I’ll forget the
look on the kids faces as they received
their Christmas gifts, their 18 month old had a smile that was contagious and full of joy.
With the New Year upon us the youth department is in the process of planning our calendar for 2016.
On the 22nd of January we are having a youth pool party at the Elks Club, hosted by the Moritas. This
will be a fun time for our students to build community as we hang out at the pool. Also, parents please
mark your calendars for January
24th as we are planning a parent
engagement meeting in which we
will share some of our vision for
2016. Our goal with this meeting is
to partner with our parents so we
can increase our spiritual impact in
each student’s life.
Jeff & Mary Mullis
Director of Youth Ministries
$20 Challenge —
Japanese Dept. Schedule
Jan 3(Sun) 9:15 am— New Year’s Worship新年礼拝
Jan 14 (Thur) 7:00 pm— Wahiawa Japanese Bible Study at the First Baptist Church, Wahiawa Jan 16 (Sat) 9:00 am— Association of Hawaii Japanese Christian Churches Trustees’ meeting 10:00 am— Associational Business Meeting 1:00 pm— Associational Prayer Meeting Jan 17 (Sun) 9:00 am Guest Speaker: Rev. Shigeru Masaki 12:30 pm Japanese Church Council Meeting Jan 18 (Mon ) Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Church Office Closed) Jan 28 (Thur) 9:00 am— Mililani Japanese Bible Study at the Mililani Baptist Church Jan 30 (Sat) 8:30 am— Food Pantry Jan 31 (Sun) 11:50 am— Prayer of Hope Gathering
Maki to Watanabe
Japanese Language
Associa te Pasto r
Makito Watanabe 渡辺牧人
Japanese Language Pastor
Office: 808-946-6505 Direct: 808-380-7612
Email:
Japanese Worship Service: Sunday, 9:15-10:30am
Japanese Sunday School:
10:50am - 11:40am
Midweek Bible Study Wednesday, 9:30am
HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2016
明けましておめでとうございます！
Akemashite Omedeto Gozaimasu!
‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:39【NKJV】
“Living in Christ’s Love” (The Motto of this year)
This Scripture (Matthew 22:39) above is the verse of the year 2016, chosen
by the Japanese congregation. “Living in Christ’s Love” is the motto of this year for
the Japanese Department.
I pray that this verse and the motto will be our reminder of God’s will
throughout the year. We are living in a world of fear, and a time that people’s love
is growing cold (Matthew 24:12 “Such will be the spread of evil that many people's
love will grow cold”. (TEV)). But if we have Christ in our hearts, that love will never
grow cold. It is the time for us to show the world Christ’s love in the midst of the
evilness. We see those lawless acts as we hear and see the terrorism in the world
today.
We can never give up our love in Christ even when the darkness fills the
society. We just celebrated the birth of our Lord who was the light of the world last
month. The light is the only solution for the darkness. We have the light in our
hearts. We have the love of Christ in our hearts. Let us live in Christ’s love!
In Christ’ Love & Peace,
Makito
Your Japanese Language Pastor
Japan Department R E L A T I O N S H I P S | L I F E | L O V E
YOUNG ADULTS MINISTRY —Hiking Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail—
Please contact Susan Arashiro or Jeff Mullis for any questions.
Save the Date!
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Prepare for an elegant evening of delicious eats, entertain-ment and fellowship to support our Youth department.
Tickets will be on sale on Sundays. Tickets are $20 and pro-ceeds go to support the Olivet Youth Department.
Seating is limited and is available on a first come first serve basis.
For more information on the young
adults ministry or to receive an
invitation to our next gathering,
please contact the church office.
Contact Us Church Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8am-4pm
Phone: 808-946-6505 Address: 1775 S. Beretania St
Fax: 808-946-6507 Honolulu, HI 96826
Web: www.OlivetBaptist.org Email: [email protected]
Rebecca McGuire
Preschool Director
Jeff Mullis
Director of Youth Ministries
Makito Watanabe
Japanese Language Pastor
Jason Hew
Minister of Outreach & Education
Timothy Morita, Senior Pastor