The Annual Tenrikyo Hawaii Boys & Girls Association Spring Camp & General Meeting was held last weekend from March 24th through the 27th. A total of 79 participating children plus approximately 30 adult volunteers helped at the highly successful camp.
Our annual Mini Bazaar & Rummage Sale is coming up this Sunday, April 2 from 8am to 12noon. Please come and join us!
The annual BGA Spring Camp is coming up this weekend on Friday – Sunday, March 24-26. Please help out whenever you can.
Our next Mini-bazaar and Rummage Sale is on the following weekend on Sunday, April 2nd from 8am-12noon. We will be needing help on Friday: setup canopies, signage, tables and merchandise, Saturday: Sorting and Pricing; Sunday: 7am help make spam musubi and cone sushi, 8am: cashiering (food and merchandise); help cashier add up purchases, bag or box items, sales (talk to the people, ask them how they heard about the rummage sale, spread aloha and goodwill, answering questions, help people make their purchase); help people carry their purchases to their car, etc.
Please print out flier, pass out to friends.
On March 29th through the 31st, albeit a little mild rain, the Annual Spring Camp and 38th Annual General Meeting was successfully held with a total of 55 children and 5 counselors. Activities such as the Mini Olympics, Adventure Trails, Camp Fire, and traversing the world’s largest maze at the Dole Plantation were all run with the help of members of the Young Men’s Association, Young Women’s Club, and Women’s Association.
This being my first year as a camp coordinator, it was a very challenging task; much more so than I expected. It really made me admire school teachers even more so for their patience and skill at what they do everyday. The children, while cute and fun to play with, are not always going to listen or do what is expected.
Also, being new father, I began to recognize the importance of the camp for our children of the path. Growing up with the camp, I realized that the camp was a unique opportunity for children to interact with others away from their parents for an extended period of time and gain a lot from that experience. They begin to face issues getting along with other children and they cannot exactly run away from it. They have to think a little more independently as opposed to following routines established by their parents or have their parents do things for them. The camp leaders also begin to have responsibility over others. All those small and new experiences with emphasis on the Service, Hinokishin, and helping one another have had a big influence in my life growing up. Being a part of the BGA Camp staff allowed me to be a part of that positive influence on many children and so I now look forward to helping out with the next BGA activity.
Lastly, much thanks to the Bishop and Mrs. Hamada for their many years supporting the camp and judging the “Talent Show” during the Camp Fire activity.
This was also published in the April 2013 Issue of Origins & Makoto.
2. Since this month is Oyasama’s Birthday month (4/18), the MHQ monthly service will be held this Saturday, 4/13 at 9am.
3. Join us in celebrating Oyasama’s Birthday in our monthly service this Sunday, 4/14, at Pearl Church at 10am.
4. The Joy Workshop is an introductory Tenrikyo course designed for people new to the faith. If you know of anyone who’s interested please let them know and email me, but also I would like as many of you older timers to attend just for the experience. This Sunday 4/14 at 1pm – 2:30pm (90 min) after the luncheon in the sanctuary. Please let me know on this so that we may prepare appropriately for the number of people attending.
Sincerely with gratitude,
Rev. Owen Nakao
Before God the Parent, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto, I, Owen Osamu Nakao, Pastor of Tenrikyo Pearl Church, pray with reverence:
God the Parent, April is the month of Oyasama’s birthday. In celebrating Her 214th birthday, we reaffirm Her three main positions: as the shrine of Tsukihi through Whom You revealed the Divine Truth, the Divine Model Who showed us the Way by example and that She is Ever-living working day and night for world salvation. She revealed the truth of the creation in detail, taught the service, showed us free and unlimited blessings, and guided us toward the path of the Joyous Life. We are forever grateful for these blessings and we express our gratitude day and night as we spiritedly apply our efforts toward the path of single-heartedness with God.
Today is the day we are granted to conduct the April monthly service. The service performers will unite their hearts to perform the seated service and Teodori joyously and in high spirits. Please accept our prayers as we brothers and sisters of this Path have looked forward to this day and have gathered before You to sing the Mikagura-uta.
Due to Your blessing, of 80 participants and volunteers, four kids and eleven adult volunteers from Pearl Church attended and helped at the Boys and Girls Association 37th General Meeting and Spring Camp on March 24-26. On March 31st, the Pearl Church Spring Memorial Service was faithfully held on March 31st with five attendees.
Every Friday, Sakura Academy conducted Japanese language class here at Pearl Church with five students and on two days last month, 4 persons did yard work for the elderly and disabled, and maintained neglected sidewalks.
We give thanks to be able to spread the fragrance of the teachings and engage in salvation work. We pray for victims and survivors of disasters around the world that they may have hope and inner strength that will overcome their despair and suffering. Please bless us with the strength and compassion to extend that helping hand.
We hope that our efforts will bring joy to You and peace in this world where all people help one another as one family. With our minds in unity towards the Truth of the Jiba, we would like to spiritedly perform the April Monthly Service today, in this 175th Year of Tenrikyo.
In union with the congregation, I pray for these blessings.
I would like to thank those of you who helped at the recent BGA Spring Camp and General Meeting. Mahalo!
Please join us in remembering those who laid the path for us at the Pearl Church Spring Memorial Service this Saturday, March 31st at 8am. We will be performing the 12 Songs Teodori and a short ritual paying our respects to our ancestors and predecessors of the Path.
Sincerely,
Rev. Owen Nakao
For those available, please help with camp setup hinokishin.
Saturday, March 17, 9;00am
Haul equipment and supplies from MHQ to TCC
Sunday, March 18, 1:00pm
Canopy setup.
Mahalo,
Rev. Owen
Before God the Parent, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto, I, Owen Osamu Nakao, Pastor of Tenrikyo Pearl Church, pray with reverence:
God the Parent, because of Your love for all Your children, You exhaust Your mind in every kind of way (Ofudesaki IV: 63). Out of Your parental love, You laid down the path of world salvation, teaching us the truth of human creation. We are truly grateful for Your protection, for saving us, drawing us to the Path, and allowing us to walk toward the Joyous Life.
The twenty-sixth of this month commemorates the 126th Anniversary since the day when Oyasama shortened Her physical life by twenty-five years because of Her deep parental love that wished for the spiritual growth of Her children.
As we look forward to this New Year, we remember and give thanks for your deep parental love through the blessings of miraculous healings, and the many people who have attended the various church activities. With the pastor of this church serving as chairman of the Boys and Girls Association Hawaii chapter, activities were successfully held without serious accidents. Last year, an average of twenty-one persons attended the Pearl Church monthly service. Twelve persons from Pearl Church participated in the Boys and Girls Association park cleanup and BBQ picnic in January; ten persons helped at the all Tenri Cultural Center Cleanup Hinokishin in February; one child and nine adults attended and helped at the annual Boys & Girls Association Spring Camp and General Meeting; ten persons attended the Boys and Girls Association Oyasama Birthday Activity, twenty-five persons from Pearl Church participated in the All Tenrikyo Hinokishin Day at Honolulu Zoo in April, eleven persons attended the Hawaii Convention 2011 in May of which several held key roles in planning and conducting the convention; seventeen persons attended the annual Tenrikyo Picnic, six persons participated in the Children’s Pilgrimage to Jiba, sixteen persons helped at the Annual Tenrikyo Bazaar in which the pastor served as bazaar chairman, seven persons attended the Young Men’s Association-Women’s Association-Young Women’s Club Joint General Meeting, and three adult leaders helped in the Boy’s & Girl’s Association Leaders Fun Camp. An average of two persons helped with the weekly yard work on neglected sidewalks and yards of the elderly and physically challenged throughout the year, as well as at the Tenri Cultural Center. The Sazuke was administered a total of 435 times in 2011.
Our most successful church garage sale was held on March 6 to raise funds for the Hawaii Convention and on March 11, a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan causing loss of life, severe damage to homes and businesses. It was later decided that half the garage sale proceeds of $730 go to the disaster relief efforts. Later donation collection efforts raised over $1,000 from Pearl Church alone.
The pastor of this church served as the Doctrine Class English Instructor second half and Mrs. Taeko Nakao served as the women’s instruments instructor for the first half of the one-month Hawaii Spiritual Development Course held at Mission Headquarters. Also in September, the pastor of this church served as facilitator at the Lay Minister’s Course in Jiba. Lewis Nakao served as hinokishin staff at the Church Headquarters Overseas Department and Lucas Nakao served as live-in staff at the Mission Headquarters of Hawaii. Former pastor dedicated himself to daily hinokishin at the Tenri Library and Tenri Cultural Center.
We give thanks for this past year’s participation and in gratitude and resolve we look forward toward ever greater joy in this New Year.
The service performers, bearing in mind this precious day the portals were opened will express their appreciation and perform the January Grand Service at this church. We children of the Path have gathered to remember the hardships Oyasama faced and sing the Mikagura-uta. Please accept our sincere prayers.
In looking forward to this new 175th Year of Tenrikyo we church members and yoboku will devote ourselves to mastering the Service as Oyasama taught us, administer the Sazuke, engage in nioigake and salvation work, return to Jiba with as many people as possible and work towards the success of the Mission Headquarters 60th Anniversary and Pearl Church 80th Anniversary in 2014. May You, God the Parent, continue to guide us with Your warm parental heart to allow us to convey the path of the Joyous Life to the people around us.
Together with everyone present, I pray for these blessings.
