Rocks, boulders, and even manufactured concrete blocks are necessary to hold back topsoil erosion when the heavy rains fall. When I was landscaping my garden, I installed a retaining wall from Home Depot. With no need for cement, you simply pile these blocks on top of each other and with the force of the sliding soil hitting behind them, they become firmly locked together. No landslide would move this wall!

Rocks and stones are natural ways to hold things back. In the East Coast where the land is riddled with rocks, farmers would clear the field for planting and use the rocks to build stone walls to mark each other’s property lines. Even in our modern freeways, the concrete barriers set up to prevent head-on collisions are really “stones” to hold back motorists from hurting each other. Any of these stone barriers are too heavy to move once they are set in.

Another use of rocks and stones is for burial. After Jesus was crucified and died on the cross, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus, wrapped it in linen cloth and laid it in a tomb hewn out of rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. This stone was too heavy for anyone to move. No one thought there would be a need to move it away once it was placed against the door.

Whether we like to admit it or not, there are times in our life when we feel so afraid that we would like to hide behind a large stone wall. When our job is difficult, we hole up in our cubicles. When our home life is troubled, we are afraid to go out the front door. And with the threat of war and possible terrorism knocking outside, we feel no stone wall would ever be strong and impenetrable enough to protect us.

The early disciples also were afraid. Fearful for their own lives since the arrest, trial, and death by crucifixion of their teacher, they huddled together in a house in Jerusalem, the doors securely shut and locked like a stone had been rolled against it. But early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, the women ready to anoint Jesus’ body wondered who would help them to roll away the stone from the door. And when they got there, they discovered with utter amazement that the stone was already rolled back. No stone however big or impenetrable is large enough to hold back the resurrection of Christ!

Jesus Christ is risen! God has rolled away the stone to show us that even death will not hold back God’s power for new life. Believe that the rocks and stones that might be keeping you from knowing God’s love can also be rolled away. Nothing in this world can ever hold back God’s plan for life and reconciliation even when the world seems to be putting up stone barriers. Like the early disciples and the women, let us unlock the doors and roll away the stones of our fears to “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15)

The snow trip on 3/1 was a fun time for the community children and their families. 129 people including 13 leaders attended. We filled three buses. After an almost three hour drive, we stopped at a roadside rest area near Boreal. It was snowing when we first arrived, but gradually cleared up. Many people were so excited because it was the first time they have seen real snow in their lives. After spending about two hours tobogganing and making snowmen, we returned to the church safely at about 5 p.m. We thank Milton and So Be Dong, all the leaders and helpers for their faithful service to make this trip successful and memorable for many community families.

The focus of April is of course the celebration of Easter. This year, Easter Sunday is on 4/20. You may wonder why Easter comes three weeks later than last year. The early church celebrated Easter on the Jewish Passover of Nisan 14, (Nisan, not Nissan, is a Jewish month which falls in March or April in the western calendar) or on the following Sunday. In order to unify the date of Easter, the Council of Nicaea  (325 A.D.) adopted the annual Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox (March 21). Therefore, the date of Easter varies due to the difference between the lunar and western calendars.

Easter reminds us that Jesus Christ came to the world to die for our sins and resurrected on the third day, so that we may live a new life in Christ. Baptism and mission trip are very good ways to express these meanings of Easter. Baptism signifies the dying and raising from the dead with Christ (Romans 6:3-5), and a mission trip is a way to follow Christ’s incarnational model to reach out to the world where there is less opportunity to hear the Gospel. We’ll have three candidates for baptism on Palm Sunday (4/13). Steven Ng, Winnie Guan, Min Ling Yu, and I will join 10 people from the English congregation to go for a week (4/12-19) to serve the Chinese community in Mexicali.

        Easter worship for the Friday Night School students will be held on 4/11, at 8 p.m.

        May we prepare ourselves in this Lenten season by toning up our spiritual lives, so that people will see the joy and power of our risen Lord.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”  Matthew 25:35-36

        This passage is one that is subtitled “The Sheep and the Goats” in many Bibles.  At the end of the age, Jesus will separate people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats and one mark of Jesus’ followers is how they cared for others.  The danger in passages like these is to base our salvation or our sense of self-worth on what we do for the Lord.  But in reality as we have truly received the free gift of eternal life, this life is manifested in a life lived for others.  The righteous in this passage never realized that what they were doing was serving Christ.  May God put the same spirit of service in us.

        This month I would like to highlight our Junior High ministry.  We currently have about 20 junior highers meeting every week on the upper floor of the Christian Education Center on Merchant St..  This rambunctious group is led for one hour by Avery Kwan, Marcus Dong & Brandon Fong, playing games, having fun and learning more about what it means to be a Christian.  Then the second hour, Melvin Fong, Leslie Hirata, Kyle Lessler, Joanne Yee, Justin Louie and Jennifer Tom teach a lesson.  Right now they are going through a curriculum called “Dares from Jesus.”  So far this year’s classes have also gone ice skating, bowling and had a lock in!  Thanks to all our dedicated leaders!  Please continue to be in prayer for them and the junior high ministry.

        Upcoming CE Events:  April 4^th Sports Ministry Committee Meeting…April 5^th Youth CORE training…April  6^th Mission Training Meeting…April 13^th Baptism Sunday Joint Worship…April 20^th Easter Sunday…April 27^th Day Camp Counselor Interviews…

On Thursday, April 17, we will remember the Lord’s Last Supper by our annual Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service of Scripture readings and extinguishing candles at 7:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall. Our new church members will participate in the readings as well as our choirs will be singing.

Good Friday, April 18 will feature two Chinese Christian Union services—Cantonese Worship at the Chinese Methodist Church at 1:00 PM and English Worship at our church at 7:30 PM. Rev. Paul Hom will be preaching and our Say Amen! Gospel Ensemble will be singing. As a part of our Lenten emphasis, we will be inviting you to participate in a 12-hour fast on Good Friday.

On Easter morning, April 20, the day begins with Sunrise Service at Portsmouth Square hosted by the Chinese Congregational Church at 7:00 AM. The annual Chinatown YMCA Pancake Breakfast will be available—tickets can be purchased at the door. (No breakfast will be served at our church on this day.) Three Easter Worship Services at 9:00 English, 10:05 English, and 11:15 Cantonese will proclaim the resurrection of Christ!

We invite you to join your sisters and brothers in Christ as we celebrate new life in the Lord!

One of the foci of this year’s theme is on ‘WORKS – social action’. In order to help the congregation to get more information before deciding how to work out our faith in the community, we will hold a Social Action Fair on 5/18, at 12:30-2 PM. We are inviting social service agencies, such as Self Help for the Elderly, Red Cross, Wu Yee Children Center, San Francisco Food Bank, St. Anthony Foundation, Chinatown Community Development Center, and etc., to come and introduce to us their services and voluntary opportunities.

From time to time, we hear in the news or read from the newspaper that there are leukemia patients who are in desperate need of bone marrow transplant but could not find the right match. Part of the reason is that there is not enough willing donors on record to find the right type of bone marrow. The Asian Bone Marrow Donor Program is established for this purpose. Our church will serve as a station in the community for the Program to create a blood record on 5/18. This is not only a social service work, but also a life saving action.

This year’s gathering of American Baptists will be in Richmond, Virginia, June 27-30. On the theme, “Centered in Christ,” (Colossians 1:15-20), this would be the first time American Baptists will be meeting in the southern region of the country. Over 4000 delegates, visitors, and participants will engage in worship, fellowship, proclamation, and action.

The Asian ABC Caucus will hold its meeting on Friday, June 27 followed with a dinner featuring scheduled US Congressman Mike Honda as the guest speaker. If you are interested in joining Pastor Don in attending the biennial, please speak to him about registration materials.

V        We have received sad news from the East Coast that Dr. Shien-Woo Kung, long-time church member passed on March 8. He was almost 98 years old. Born in China and educated in the U.S. with a Ph.D. from New York University Graduate School of Business, Dr. Kung authored several books on business and Chinese culture. He served in many organizations including CEO of the Bank of Canton of California. A memorial service was held on March 22 at New York City Riverside Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to North Central College, Naperville, IL for the S.W. Kung Scholarship Fund.

V        A new publication from the FCBC Archives Project is a booklet on the ministry of Celia Debbie Allen Dowd (1905-1995). Miss Allen was a missionary teacher, Christian education director, and good friend at our church for 33 years. The booklet contains a report by Miss Allen covering the years of 1937-1954 that traces a significant period of the history of the church from being a missionary supported mission to becoming a fully financially independent church led by church members; a sermon by Rev. Dr. James Chuck appreciating Miss Allen’s ministry in 1970; and a memorial by Roger Tom in 1995. Copies are available by contacting Roger Tom (510) 799-0352 or rtomsf@aol.com.

V        Thanks for those who came out on March 15 for the Trustees Spring Clean-Up Day! They dusted windowsills, removed scotch tap from walls and ceilings, touched-up painted walls, and degreased and scrubbed the much-used church kitchen. We are ready to welcome new friends to our church home for Easter!

V        The Christian Education Board has appointed Rodney Tom as the Director for this year’s Youth Camp on August 3-9 and Jamie Wong as the Director of Day Camp on June 16-July 25. Congratulations to these two very able leaders and continue to pray for these important summer ministries!

V        This year’s 4^th Annual Women’s Retreat on March 7-9 attracted 51 participants to San Damiano Retreat Center in Danville. Rev. Mary Wood, pastor of the Federated Church in Haskins, Ohio was the speaker on the theme, “God is My Palm Pilot.”