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Congratulations & Aloha Paul! (page 2) Volume XLI No 4 April 2015 A COOPERATIVE EFFORT OF PASTORS, TEACHERS, AND VOLUNTEERS DEVELOPING A SOUND FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIAN FAITH
Congratulations & Aloha Paul! (page 2)
Volume XLI
No 4
April 2015
A COOPERATIVE EFFORT OF PASTORS, TEACHERS, AND VOLUNTEERS DEVELOPING A SOUND FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIAN FAITH
“Prayer is the basic foundation of the church.” As we continue to pray, we are strengthening the foundation of our church. Our prayer team ministry continues to pray for our community, our families, and our church. If you have a prayer request, please share them with the church so that we can pray for you as well. As 1 Peter 4:10 says: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve
others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” Please join us for our next prayer walk on Saturday, April 25, at 10:00am at Olivet Baptist Church. As a reminder, please remember 1, 2, 3. 1pm. Pray one minute for unsaved people in our lives. 2pm. Pray two minutes for those new Christians coming to our church and backsliding Christians. 3pm. Pray three minutes for our church, our pastors and our nation.
Reasons to Pray
We would love to hear how prayer is working in your life and we would love to share those stories with our church brothers and sisters. Please send us your stories by email ([email protected]), by mail, or even a hand written note. We want to hear how God is working in your life!
(from cover)
Thank you and congratulations Paul.
Your retirement is well deserved. You
will always be a deacon for OBC. Thank
you for your service to our country,
your family, our church, and your
friends. We love you very much and we
will miss you all dearly! Take care and
God Bless!
“We Are Ready To Serve Our Church Family.”
Deacon Pauline Wagnon April Deacon on Call
Phone: 808-840-0101
Deacon of the Month
Olivet has active
deacons who are
available to help in a
variety of ways.
WHAT’S
A Deacon
Q
Q
A
A
What is a deacon?
Deacons serve the Lord by
conducting the caring
ministry of the church-
doing the benevolence
work, visiting the sick,
being alert to the spiritual
needs of the congregation-
for the purposes of freeing
the pastoral staff to focus
on prayer and the ministry
of the Word, promoting
unity within the church,
and facilitating the spread
of the gospel.
When can I call a deacon?
Deacons are servants of the Lord,
and you can reach out to them at
anytime. Each month, Olivet has a
designated deacon on call who
can be reached at anytime, day or
night. However, other deacons are
also available when needed.
Images from Deacon Paul Snyder’s Retirement
ceremony on the deck of the Battleship USS
Missouri at Pearl Harbor.
Contact Information:
Senior Pastor Timothy Morita
Office Phone: 808-946-6505
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.OlivetBaptist.org
Dear Family and Friends: Hallelujah! Christ the Lord is Risen. This Easter Sunday is extra special. I led my first worship service at Olivet Baptist, as your pastor, the first Sunday of April 2012. Three years have gone by so quickly. Thank you for allowing me to be your shepherd. You truly have been “good sheep” to lead. God Bless,
Tim Morita
B U I L D I N G FA I T H I N Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y
Be sure to follow us on social
media for the most up-to-date
information, events, and
outreach opportunities.
Olivet Baptist Church
@OlivetBC
#OlivetBaptistChurch
Mark Your Calendars
2015 Memorial Day Weekend Picnic SATURDAY, MAY 23
Bellow’s Air Force Station This year, due to the enormous success
of last year’s picnic, the picnic will again
be held at Bellow’s Air Force Station in
Waimanalo. However this year, the
picnic will be held on Saturday, May 23.
If you will be driving out, please sign-up
your vehicles. Sign up sheets can be
found in the lower auditorium.
Please contact the church office for any
questions or for additional details!
April 20
Creatures of Hawaii @ OBP
8:45-10:30am
May 1
Preschool May Day Program
10:30am
May 29
Preschool Graduation
10:30am
Keiki’s News
Olivet Baptist Preschool
Working in groups
developing Christian values
What’s
happening…
Aloha!
This past month of March
brought us the experiences
of celebrating the birthday of Dr. Suess, starting to learn
about the early stages of Spring through growing seeds
which will hopefully turn into plants and watching the
caterpillars we caught in the yard turn into butterflies! In
April, we will be gin to prepare for our annual May Day
Program on Friday, May 1st. You are invited to join us as
we celebrate five of the nine Moku (Island) in the
archipelago of Hawai'i.
If you have a chance to clean out your yards before then,
please consider donating greenery to decorate the stage. We
will be accepting greenery donations the morning of
Thursday, April 30th to be able to decorate that afternoon.
Mahalo!
Rebecca McGuire, Preschool Director
Coming
soon…
1775 S. Beretania St Honolulu, HI 96826 (808) 949-7548
A World in Search of Love
A young man asked me recently, “Were you popular in high school?” Immediately I
replied, “No, I was kind of a loner.” I clarified. It wasn’t that I didn’t have friends, I did,
great friends. In fact, many of those friends are still friends today. I am so grateful for all
my friendships. Something inside of me still felt alone. Something kept me feeling
isolated and I always felt I never really fit in. In high school I even hosted thoughts of
suicide. “What’s the point?” I’d ask myself. “Would anyone really miss me?” “Would they
even realize I was gone?” In college my patterns of drifting between groups of friends
continued. I met a lot of wonderful people along the way. I also began seeking out romantic relationships with
women. Things didn’t seem so bleak anymore, but it was only because it was masked by alcohol. Still, there was
emptiness inside. I began going to church occasionally. Then it became a regular thing. Life seemed to be brighter.
Then my zealous Christian life began to crumble. Piece by piece I saw things falling apart. Church, I didn’t need it
anymore. I just stopped going. Things felt empty again. My search for love continued. What was I searching for?
Recently, Emily and I were discussing some of the world issues and it struck me, true love. I believe we live in a
world of people that are searching for love. I believe that my life was spent searching for love. The crazy thing is
there are people all around us that love us. It’s not enough. Why? I believe that the love we are searching for is a
self-constructed idea of what we believe love should be. We are so intent on discovering this love that we don’t
even realize that there are people around us that love us. Most tragically of all, we easily look past or even flat out
reject God’s love.
Sometime later I found myself back in church. It seemed different this time around. Something was changing
inside of me. In time, others could see it. After returning from a mission trip to Australia I went to lunch with a
friend. I can’t even remember what I said, but his reply was, “Who are you???” There was something more that I
discovered than simply attending church or playing the Christian role, I discovered the love of God. It still
transforms me today, because I need it. There are times that I find myself seeking that illusion of love that I
believe is the snare of the Enemy. That thing inside that says, “There’s something more.” Truth is, there is nothing
more whole, nothing more complete, than the love of God.
This Easter we celebrate the love of God. It is all summed up in the Good News of Jesus Christ. God sent His Word
in flesh and we know Him as Jesus Christ. Jesus modeled righteous and holy living. He taught and guided twelve
disciples and left those teachings for us to live by today. Then He went to the cross. Innocent, blameless, perfect,
He was crucified as though a criminal. Why? For us, that’s our death, He did it for us. Then victory, He defeated
death and was resurrected to the Father. Through this victory we are able to be reconciled to the Father. When we
recognize that we are sinners, when we see our sin, we repent from that sin. Ask forgiveness and turn to seek a
life of righteous and holy living in the eyes of God. He loves you. I hope you see that. Stop searching for a love that
doesn’t exist. The greatest and one true love is found in Jesus Christ. When we find our hope in God’s love, Jesus
Christ, we also begin to see clearer the love from family and friends that has always been there.
The search is over. –jason
• Small Group Bible Study • Youth Group Activities • Youth Group Retreats • Community Service Groups • College & Young Adult Ministry • Music Ministry • Elderly Care Ministry
Get Involved:
We Have Something For Everyone
Jason Hew Minister of Outreach & Education 808-946-6505 ph [email protected]
Live in Christ
Our Logo
What’s in a Color? The colors between the leaves are not typical, but are “blended” earthy colors that are connected to harvesting. The bottom two colors are variations of green and brown earth, themes representing Teaching of the Word (through Bible study and discipleship) and Proclamation of the Word (through preaching and evangelism), which are foundations to the church. The Word of God is our solid ground. The middle two colors are warm, reddish hues, representing the outreaches of the church, Fellowship and Service. These are the ministries that allow God’s Holy Spirit to touch people’s lives through love and care expressed with compassion through us, and in recognition of the sacrificed blood of Christ. The top section is Worship, and the blue hue represents God’s glorious
splendor, His heavenly realm, the majesty of Christ on His throne. We are called to
love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We are His bride and He is
our groom.
The name Olivet is separated into two
colors, to highlight the word “LIVE.”
This word within a name had never been
noted before, but ties in the thought of
what it truly means to be in Christ, to be
fully in Him with everything that we are
and ever hope to be, His Holy Spirit
living in us, guiding us every day.
May this simple logo be a reminder of
our heritage and calling.
By:
Terrance Arashiro
You may have wondered about the relatively recent Olivet Baptist Church “logo” that pops up here and there on the newsletters, letterheads, signs, church bulletins and nametags. It may surprise you to know that there is much meaning in the logo that identifies uniquely with Olivet. The cross outlined by the rectangle is reflective of the cross framed behind the baptismal and choir loft. It contains five colors separated with what appears to be free-formed crescent shapes. If you look closely, you will see that the crescent shapes actually resemble cane leaves and were inspired by the sugar cane metal works decorating the front of the church sanctuary building, above our main front door. If people don’t look up, most would not even know it’s there. Our building was designed during a time when sugar cane was still predominant as an industry within the islands. The material from which it was made also recalls the ironworks shop that existed on the property before we were a church. In their creative foreknowledge, the architect of the church likely thought of the sugar cane representing something alive and growing. The theme as it relates to our faith embodies our role as life harvesters, continually planting, nurturing and growing, reaping, and replanting.
A Note from the Youth Department Aloha blessed family in Christ, Even as we bid a fond Aloha oe to our dedicated Minister of Youth, Worship Coordinator, and sister in Christ, Hannah Tomita, we are looking forward to the journey that God has prepared for our church's young people. We would like to update you as to your current leadership within the department and our prayer needs. Your teachers are Susan Arashiro and Kevin Harada, middle school girls and boys, respectively. The high school girls and boys teachers are Emily Hew and Terrance Arashiro (also serving as interim director), respectively. Assistant to the youth is Jill (Akutagawa) Smith. We are already blessed that some of you have come forward offering to be "hanai" (adopted) parents for our young people, to have their homes open for get-togethers, and to attend activities that our active teens are involved in. Seek if God is calling you to do the same. The goal as we move forward is to reassess where our young people are spiritually, to lead them to a saving faith in Christ, and to draw them into a deeper relationship with Him. Unity within the department and a knowledge of their role within the church are priorities. We are on a timeline, and have a sense of urgency in that our time with them is very short, and their maturing will bring rapid changes and challenges as they come into their own. Pray that God will give us an encouraging word for them and a heart and interest in their lives. As important as their church environment is to their Christian faith, we are also hopeful that God will show us ways to reach and involve parents and families of our youth in their faith building. Many are children of church families, but there are some who are not. There is a wonderful opportunity to place little, glimmering "lights" in households where Jesus is not known. Pray for the families of our youth. Let us be faithful in this ministry together, to be excited about how God will shape each of these young lives, in very specific ways. We trust in Him and "know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28 NIV) Blessings, Terrance Arashiro
A New Backyard Bible Study Beginning Thursday, April 9, we will start a new backyard Bible study starting at the Laa residence (Eric & Jennifer) near UH, every Thursday. The idea is to remove barriers and make the study relevant and engaging as well as real simple and easy to meet the needs of our working age group families - though this is open to ANYONE no matter their age. It will begin at the Laa house, but if we move to rotate to different homes/neighborhoods/communities, then let us move as the Lord leads. Start Arriving / Simple Dinner 5:30pm-6pm A simple dinner provided by the Laa’s, and may rotate or potluck down the line. Worship & Prayer 6:00pm-6:20pm Bring your kids as they may join us for part of the evening, and spending some time worshiping the Lord together. Bible Study 6:20pm—7:20pm Adult bible study & discussions. Older kids will hang out and play (or lead activities) with the younger kids. Scripture for following week 7:20pm-7:30pm Dismissed 7:30pm If you are interested in this study, please contact the church office for more details.
Be A Part Of Our Family
All Are Invited and Welcome
New Women’s Study: A Loving Life 8 Week Study - Monday’s Beginning May 11
6:30pm - 8:00pm at Olivet Multipurpose Room
If you are interested in this study, please con-
tact Emily Hew at 808-729-4796 or the church
office.
Japanese Dept. Schedule
April 05 (Sun) *7:00 a.m. Easter Sunrise Service
*8:00 a.m. Easter Breakfast
*9:15 a.m. Easter Sunday Morning Worship Service
*10:40 a.m. Easter Special Japanese joint Sunday School Class
April 09 (Thu) 7:00 p.m. Japanese Bible Study at First Baptist Church in Wahiawa
April 11 (Sat) 8:30 a.m. Trustees’ Meeting for the Association of Hawaii Japanese Christian Churches at
Makiki Christian Church
April 19 (Sun) 9:15 a.m. Message by Rev. Yuji Nakamura and the worship team
12:30 p.m. Japanese Church Council
April 25 (Sat) 8:30 a.m. Food Pantry
April 26 (Mon) 12:00 p.m. Hope Prayer Meeting
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, 9:15-10:20am
Japanese Sunday School:
10:30am - 11:30am
Midweek Bible Study Wednesday, 9:30am
Happy Easter and Aloha!
“…Today You Will Be In Paradise…”
【TEV】Luke 23:42 And he said to Jesus, "Remember me, Jesus, when
you come as King!"23:43 Jesus said to him, "I promise you that today you will
be in Paradise with Me."
I am grateful that this is the 14th Easter season I have celebrated here at Olivet.
Easter is the foundation of my faith. Without the resurrection of Christ, I would
not have hope for eternal life. As I was reading Luke’s chapter 23, which I posted
above, I found several important clues for us in order to enter into the Kingdom
of God. One of the criminals beside Jesus on the cross asked Him, “Remember me,
Jesus, when you come as King!” Jesus’ response was “I promise you that today
you will be in Paradise with Me.” When we also ask Jesus to remember us in our
prayers, He will surely remember us, too. This criminal on the cross recognized
several crucial points about Jesus and his own salvation.
1. He knew that the reason for his crucifixion was because of his own sin. He recognized that he was a sinner.
2. He recognized that Jesus was God and not a sinner, even though He was on the cross with him.
3. He realized that Jesus was coming back with His authority as the King and had power to save him.
As we trust in Jesus as Christ the King who has power to forgive our sin, we will
be saved and will be able to enter His paradise. I thank God for His resurrection.
Hallelujah Amen!
In Christ’s Love and 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
An Ilikai Ministry Update Notice to those who attend the Ilikai Chapel: Those of us who attend the “Ilikai Chapel” were saddened to hear that Easter Sunday, April 5th, would be our last Sunday to meet at the Ilikai Hotel. The conference room we have rented on Sundays (for the past 50 years) will be converted by the hotel management into commercial space. Olivet Baptist Church Members Carol Oliver & Victor Cabaltera, along with the ministry Leadership team (Nancy Harrison, Ed Jackson) have been unable to work out a solution with the Ilikai for any other space. The team, however, did find available space at the nearby Doubletree by Hilton Alana Waikiki, less than 3 blocks away. We have seen that space and agree that it is the best available option to continue the Olivet Baptist Church ministry that was started way back when it first met at the International Marketplace. Pastor David Chun in his Sunday sermon reminded us that our situation has some similarities to the situation of the ancient Hebrews in the desert (see Exodus 40: and Numbers 4: ). A cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the place… where the cloud stayed, they stayed. When the cloud lifted and moved, they also moved. The ancient Hebrews didn’t know where their God in the cloud would lead them; we at least know where it looks like He is leading us. Our new location at the Doubletree will be in the business center’s roomy conference room, with a pleasant outside view along one wall. We will continue to have our excellent professional musicians, as well as Pastor David Chun’s Biblical and relevant sermons, followed by a social time of fellowship. So remember that come Sunday April 12th at 9:00 am, our beloved ‘Ilikai Chapel’ will meet together, with each other and with our God at a new place. Doubletree by Hilton Alana Waikiki 1956 Ala Moana Blvd. Honolulu, Hawaii 96815 To get there use your map, GPS, or just follow the cloud! Phone no. for inquiries for the Ilikai (808) 255-8124 and/or contact the Olivet Baptist Church office at (808) 946-6505.
Coming Up:
4 5
1 2 3
Holy Week April 2-5
Olivet Baptist Church (see schedule on back
cover)
International Luncheon April 9
9:30am prep—OBC 11am serve lunch—BCM
OBC Business Meeting April 15 6:30pm
OBC Lower Auditorium
Men’s Breakfast 8am OBC Workday 9am
April 18 Olivet Baptist Church
Food Pantry 9am Prayer Walk 10am
April 25 Olivet Baptist Church
Olivet Church Clean Up & Work Day
April 18, 2015
8:00am Men’s Breakfast 9:00am Church Work day Starts 12:30pm Lunch Break Please join us as we spend a Saturday morning cleaning up our education building. We will be throwing out trash and old furniture, cleaning windows and power washing floors, and giving all three floors a thorough cleaning. Lunch will be provided for everyone.
Contact Us Church Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8am-4pm
Phone: 808-946-6505
Fax: 808-946-6507
Address: 1775 S. Beretania St
Honolulu, HI 96826
Web: www.OlivetBaptist.org
Email: [email protected]
JOIN US FOR HOLY WEEK APRIL 2 - 5, 2015
Rebecca McGuire
Preschool Director
Makito Watanabe
Japanese Language Pastor
Jason Hew
Minister of Outreach & Education
Timothy Morita, Senior Pastor
APRIL 2: MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE 6:30PM
APRIL 3: BENTO BLESSINGS 9:30AM
GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE 7PM
APRIL 5: EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE 7AM
EASTER BREAKFAST 8AM
CHILDREN’S EASTER EGG HUNT 8:30AM
SUNDAY SCHOOL 9AM
EASTER SERVICE 10:30AM
THE SHELTER 4PM
