Congratulations to missionaries Steven and Joy Sakanashi on the birth of their second son!

I'm so excited to share this update from my friend and former seminarian, Steven Sakanashi. Him and his wife Joy are missionaries over in Japan. I'm praising God for the birth of their second son and I'm so encouraged by their faithfulness and effectiveness on a difficult mission field.

I would highly encourage supporting Steven, Joy and their growing family as well as the incredible work their doing with the Megumi Initiative, church planting and community outreach.

Love these guys!  

Their news letter update is posted below and you can get on their mailing list and follow them at the link below.  

Family Update On May 17th we celebrated the birth of our second son, Shotaro Nolan Sakanashi. We named him after one of my good friends, Nolan Roquet, who passed away from cancer when he was 24. You can learn more about the story here. Naturally, we are in the midst of a tiring season, but we are very grateful for good health and being together as a family. Please pray for us during the next few months as Shotaro grows (especially Joy as she is taking on the greater burden).  My team of Tohoku high school students from the 2016 Global Leadership Academy In Silicon Valley helping Japan's top university startups pitch to venture capital firms Social Entrepreneurship Program A few updates and prayer requests for this summer Sekai Creator:  We will start our next batch of classes in Tokyo during the beginning of October. The focus this summer is on securing funding, building curriculum, and developing Japanese partnerships so that we will be able to increase capacity in Japan. Recently, God has provided many great opportunities for me to serve through local partners in Japan. This spring I was asked to be a leader and mentor for two programs run by the TOMODACHI Initiative — the Global Leadership Academy and the Social Entrepreneurship Program. Next month I will travel to Tohoku, the region where the 2011 disaster struck, to help support local entrepreneurs looking to expand beyond Japan. All of these opportunities have allowed me to serve in meaningful ways and establish partnerships which help Sekai Creator. They have also allowed me to develop valuable relationships and share about my relationship with Christ in personal settings. Prayer Please pray for me to be a good steward of these opportunities and serve in a way that honors Christ. Please pray for me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading so that I can minister effectively within my relationships. And please pray that this summer’s efforts of preparation (funding, curriculum, partnerships) would be fruitful. Our church family photo from Spring 2016 Soma Fuchu Church This summer our church will welcome three new families from the US. In addition to these new families, our church will host a mission team from the Hallows Church in Seattle during the first week of August. We will host an English day camp for local elementary school kids. Overall, it’s been a really encouraging season for our church. We’ve been able to develop meaningful relationships with neighbors as we live everyday life together and try to serve our city. Recently, it seems that more people are being drawn to our church community, and we are also seeing a few people who are open to learning more about Christ. Prayer Please pray for the three families who will be moving to Japan this summer. Please pray for the upcoming English day camp with our volunteers from Seattle. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to open people’s hearts to Christ and to help our church members grow spiritually. Also, please pray for me as I am in the final stages of becoming an elder in our church. Please pray that God would grow me closer to him and enable me to have his heart towards others — my family first, then my church family, and everyone God brings into our lives. One of many summer festivals (Todd Fong Photography) Fundraising Shortly before Shotaro was born I contact a few people about our financial needs and was overwhelmed by the immediate response. We received a few one-time gifts that helped to cover our monthly shortfall until the end of July, and also received some new monthly gifts. During the next 6 weeks I’ll continue to seek out new supporters with the goal of eliminating our current monthly shortfall of $1,500/month (giving link to share with others who may be interested in supporting). Prayer Please pray for God to provide for our needs. Please pray for this to be a season that draws our family closer to God in humble dependence and encourages us as we encounter the love and generosity of others. Please pray that my efforts in contacting people would bring greater joy to people as God grows their heart for Japan and world missions. Thank you for your continued love, prayers, and support! Steve & Joy Sakanashi

Online Giving Link Copyright © 2016 Megumi Initiative, All rights reserved. Thanks for partnering with us to share the love of Christ with the people of Japan. Our mailing address is: Megumi Initiative 1416 NW 46th St Suite 301 Seattle, WA 98107

"LOVE WHERE YOU ARE" sermon series starting April 3rd!

Church is More Than a Building | Jeff Vanderstelt

Compelled to Serve 2 Corinthians 4:1-15 Summit View Church

CG Coaching for Week #4 - 2 Corinthians 4:1-15

Sunday, June 28th  -  Pastor Kyle Van Tine  -  2 Corinthians: A Church Compelled
"Compelled to Serve" (2 Corinthians 4:1-15)

Listen to "Compelled to Serve" here

GROWING DEEPER

Being exposed to God has a compelling transformative power. As Moses’, face was physically transformed to shine when exposed to God’s glory, likewise, our hearts are transformed. For us, though, it is a permanent glory that does not fade. When we accept Christ as Lord our lives are forever changed. Daily, as we think on the gospel, God is doing a heart-work in us, sculpting us and unveiling to us His truth so that we do not lose heart when we see the word of God being distorted and watered down. We must be bold in our faithfulness to the gospel and in our prayers for those whose hearts are veiled to the truth. We must not be tempted to change our message for the hearers. John Calvin clarifies that “the blindness of unbelievers in no way detracts from the clearness of the gospel, for the sun is no less resplendent because the blind do not perceive it.” We must continually point the blind to Christ as the light they need in their lives to rid themselves of their blindness. We are fragile clay vessels that show, from our joy in the face of suffering, the everlasting power of the Creator God who does not abandon us but sustains us with his Word. God’s light grows as our weakness does. It is a strange and magnificent paradox that our weakness invites the strength of God. In our weakness we can reveal God’s light of grace into a dark and perishing world.

Read Revelation 7:9-10

• Paul’s boldness and joy in suffering for the gospel comes from his focus on the future hope of eternity with God. Do you live today with a future hope that sees eternity as our ultimate destination?
• How have the Scriptures come alive and been life changing to you? What might need to change in your life to allow this to happen?
• How have you personally experienced the unique challenges of the Christian life that Paul highlights in verses 8-9?
• How are you being daily transformed by Christ?
• How has your weakness glorified God and displayed his power? (John 12:24-26)
• How have you seen or experienced the spiritual blindness that Paul mentions in verse 4 either in yourself, your family or in the world?

"Compelled to Reflect God to Others" 2 Corinthians 2:13-3:18

2 Corinthians: A Church Compelled 

"Compelled to Reflect God to Others" 2 Corinthians 2:13-3:18

Sunday, June 21st 2015

Listen to "Compelled to Reflect God to Others" here 

Sunday, June 21st Care Group Coaching with Pastor Kyle   

"Compelled to reflect God to others" 2 Corinthians 2:13-3:18

Growing deeper

We are all ministers. True ministry starts when we accept Christ as our Lord. As receivers of the New Covenant, which has been inscribed on our hearts, all believers are equipped to be ministers because God has given us the Holy Spirit who brings us inward joy and guides us to a deeper life in Christ. A new heart, along with a new relationship, a new knowledge and true forgiveness is the promise of the New Covenant (Read Jeremiah 31:31-34). God is not looking for strength, but instead is looking for those weak enough to let him lead. True ministry comes when we die to our self, trust God in all circumstances, remember God is the source of all power and ability and then faithfully carry our message of hope to the people in our lives. Paul’s beautiful visual of aroma is hope-filled for those who carry God’s message of grace into a hostile world. Odors are pervasive. They can travel for miles and cling for days. The “sweet aroma” of our message of hope and the delight we take in Christ should give us boldness and confidence to proclaim our message to the world even if some reject it.

Read Philippians 1:19-21 and Matthew 16:24 -26.

• Think about dying to self. There is a tension between being God’s joyful captive slave being led to our deaths in God’s triumphal procession (2:14) and being alive in Christ (Colossians 2: 13). 
• What does fullness of life in Christ look like as we die to self in our ministry to others, both inside the church and out?
• Do a heart check. What are your motives for ministry (2:17)?
• Paul says that we are the “aroma of Christ to God” (2:15), meaning God delights in us and in our lives. What does knowing that our lives as Christians are a delight to God mean to you?
• What is the aroma of Christ to you? How do you delight in Christ?
• What weaknesses are you hiding behind that you need to release to Christ’s sufficiency to help you minister (3:4-6)?

CG Coaching "Compelled to Reflect God to Others" 2 Cor 2:12-3:18

Finish the Mission!

Tears of the Saints from AsiaLink HistoryMaker on Vimeo.