July 2024 Newsletterđ
July 3 Wednesday 6:30 to 8 Obon Dance Practice, Vets Memorial,
July 7 Sunday 10:00 Sunday Service
July 7 Sunday 11:00 Meeting
July 10 Wednesday 6:30 to 8 Obon Dance Practice, Vets Memorial
July 14 Sunday 9:30 to 11 Social Sunday July
July 17 Wednesday 6:30 to 8 Obon Dance Practice, Vets Memorial
July 20 Saturday 1 to 3 Obon Dance Practice @ GBC
July 21 Sunday 10:00 Hatsubon/Shotsuki Service
July 21 Sunday 11:00 Otoki
July 21 Sunday 12:00 Board Meeting
July 24 Wednesday 6:30 to 8 Obon Dance Practice, Vets Memorial
July 26 Friday 8:00 Initial Obon Prep
July 27 Saturday 8:00 Obon Food and Set-up Prep
July 28 Sunday 7:00 OBON at Veterans Memorial
July 28 Sunday Festivities start at Noon
July 29 Monday 9:00 Post Obon Cleanup
Donations:
Anonymous, Sunday Service
James Colon, Sunday Service
John/Leslie Hayashi, Furukawa Family
Memorial and Friends
Lee/Frances Humphrey, Sunday Service
Hugh Maenaga, In Memory of Sam Maenaga
Hugh Maenaga, Sunday Service
Alice Maxon, Sunday Service
Sumi Schumacher, Sunday Service
Jim Risinger, Sunday Service
Toshiko Tomooka, In Memory of Masayoshi Tomooka
Dixie Tomooka, In Memory of Toyokuma Tomooka
James Colon, Special
Joyce Dendo, Special
Joan Henretta, Special
Jim/Yoko Furuya, In Memory of Toshiharu Nishino
Lee/Frances Humphrey, Special
Dan Iriyama, Shotsuki
Hugh Maenaga, Special
Jeff/Jenny Maenaga, Special
Alice Maxon, Shotsuki
Rev Naomi Nakano, In Memory of John T. Nakano
Sumi Schumacher, Special
Ray/Jo Anne Nishino Spencer, In Memory of Toshiharu Nishino
Ray/Jo Anne Nishino Spencer, In Memory of Ichimatsu Nishino
Ryan Nishino Spencer, In Memory of Toshiharu Nishino
Esther Trejo, In Memory of Emiko Azama and Nobuko Azama
Dixie Tomooka, In Memory of Toyokuma Tomooka
Sets Tomooka, In Memory of Toyokuma Tomooka
Alice Utsunomiya, Special
Joyce Dendo, In Memory of Shizuka Dobashi
Thank You All for All Your Kind Donations Financial, Materials, and
Labor. It takes us all to carry on the work of our forefathers and keep our church viable.
Social Sundays continue on Sundays we do not have service. The
purpose of Social Sundays is to provide an opportunity for friends
to gather and talk, play games, work puzzles, or as in the last
couple meetings we watched episodes of Shogun and Marco Polo.
Please turn in all tickets and money no later than
Sunday 7/21/2024
Earlier if possible is preferred.
Obon
Tis the season of Obon
Reminder Obon dance practice on Wednesdays 6:30 to 8 at the
Veterans center as indicated in the calendar and on Saturday, July
20 at Guadalupe Buddhist Church at 1 to 3.
Saturday, July 27 starting at 8:00 AM volunteers are needed to
prepare the food for the Obon celebration the following day.
Sunday, July 28, starting at 7 AM the setup for the Obon
celebration will occur. Volunteers are also requested. The
festivities will start at 12 noon.
Monday, July 29, the after-party, Cleanup Starting at 9:00
We are starting Tenzaru (deceased names) tags for $10 per name
which will be written in kanji and hung up in the courtyard.
And if this is not enough Obon magic for you, there is SLOâs Obon
Aug 3 at the SLO Buddhist Church from 12 to 3. Anyone wanting to
help them prepare, Friday Aug 2 is the day for you.
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Message to the Sangha from the Obon Chair~
Are annual Obon Festival is fast approaching! We will be back at the Veteran’s Memorial
Community Center this year, and there are a few updates to provide in anticipation of our
event.
We are also requesting donation of any nice Japanese items,
so we can sell them at the Obon Festival. Please contact Frances or Lee if you want to
coordinate delivery or pickup of donations.
Chicken dinner tickets and raffle books will be distributed to you very soon, if you have not
already received them. Please let Esther know if you didn’t get any, or you need some
more. We ask for your help in making our presale ticket sales a success! Mark your
calendar to turn in your ticket sales money and the raffle ticket stubs all together by July
Shotsuki service, July 21, 2024. And we welcome any “chicken donation” you may be
inclined to give—every bit helps!
Lastly, will be offering tanzaku at our GBC Obon this year! For a $10 donation per name,
you can commemorate the name(s) of your family with a tag that is hung on the lanterns at
Obon We will write them in English unless you can provide your family’s name in kanji. If
you would like to order a tanzaku, contact Esther.
Remember, volunteers are always welcome and appreciated! See you all soon!
In gassho~
Esther
Reverendâs Message
ââŚMay I, along with the entire Sangha,
with sincere heart and mind, rely on that
which can be truly relied on in life â
The Three Treasures.
I rely on the BuddhaâŚ
I rely on the Dharma
I rely on the SanghaâŚâ
~Excerpts of Three Treasures
You have to come or drive by the church. The church looks different
and it is so beautiful! We have a new roof on the office, Boy Scout room
and the church. The churchâs front has had a new âface liftâ and all three
buildings have been painted. It looks like a brand new building. It is the
same structure, but it has been transformed into a âpure landâ for us. to
hear the teachings of the Buddha.
The church may have gone through major renovations, however, it
remains our avenue of peace, quietude, safety and strength. The church
remains our treasure, where we can find a friendship that is more
precious than jewels. We can reminisce with memories that are filled with
tears of happiness and sadness and laughter. It remains open and
welcoming to the ânewbiesâ as well as for those who have been coming
for years. We all come to hear and learn the Buddha Dharma.
These shared experiences and memories are rewards shared by many
generations of Nembutsu followers. Although many have passed from
this earthly realm, it is the family members who have inherited the
familyâs principle of Dana. They gave unselfishly, so we could continue
having the Dharma and never asked for anything in return. We, in turn,
continue their teachings. Whatever we can do to keep the Dharma alive,
to share with others and to be available to those seeking a new path, we
continue to be a church of gathering of like-minded Sangha, socially and
for our own reliance on the Buddha. How fortunate we are to have a Sangha with the ideal of Oneness,
many people working as parts of a machine to accomplish a goal and
working together as One. Our Sangha is strong but more mature.
Although it may take a bit longer to do things and maybe more work, it is
well worth the effort. Guadalupe Buddhist Church (Guadie) is soon
having its Obon. It takes hours of planning, organizing, recruiting,
advertising and hours of volunteerism to put on this affair. We are asked
to buy and sell dinner tickets and raffle tickets. But the food is always
good and the dessert is scrumptious. The profits benefit the church so
that we can remain strong and vital for the Sangha.
It is not always just working the Obon, for we do have fun. Obon is a
time to remember those who have gone before us in sharing our respect
and honor to all who believed in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. We
share with a sincere heart and mind our Nembutsu/Namu Amida Butsu
with gratitude, thankfulness and appreciation for seeing the future so
that we can continue and thrive.
As I said we do have some fun. We dance to âreleaseâ the stress, but
definitely, we dance for our departed loved ones in gratitude and with
compassion. We dance in allowing our true selves to break out of the
shell we hide behind. Truth be told, we are ALL foolish beings. We dance
to break that outer shell and show our true selves, foolish and imperfect.
Even though maturity gets the best of us at times, we can still sit and
move our arms and legs to the music and movement of the dances. Many
times I have heard that it is the fool who watches while the other fools
dance, and being One in being foolish beings, why not dance? We can
âchair dancersâ or be dancing fools, who cares? It is Namu Amida Butsu.
We shall see each other soon, either at Obon or when you are
comfortable returning to church.
Gassho
Rev. Seijo Naomi Nakano
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