Compassion Sunday

On April 12, we held Compassion Sunday. The congregation was invited to participate in a variety of volunteer activities after the church service. We had groups making 100 hygiene kits, sorting and folding towels and blankets for the humane society, writing letters to first responders, completing work around the Compassion Workshop, and cleaning up the neighborhood. Additionally, there was a group that met on Saturday at Taylor Street Farm to help with planting and weeding. Thank you to all those who volunteered during our Compassion Sunday event.

Clarissa Johnston-Abril explained what our church’s Compassion Ministry, is all about, its beginnings and the many ways it impacts the lives of our neighbors in need through our church’s outreach and stewardship. As the chair, she oversees the various service programs. A video of a number of our Food Distribution volunteers was shown where they talked about why they serve was shown during service.

Compassion Sunday gave those in our congregation an opportunity to go out and serve. Cleaning up the neighborhood was one such project and boy did they collect a lot of trash and debris on our streets of Japantown. The crew was composed of from left: Ning Bao and Catherine Huang and Jeffrey, Mark Teagle, Bich and Brian Hamilton, and Aton Abril. Not shown were Carl Miya, Brenda Gee and Jeffrey Oldham.

Other projects were creating hygiene kits shown here by Christine Ozawa, Kacie and Kenzie, and Marjorie Peckham. Joel Sakakihara shows off the finished project.

Hikaru Bakoshi and Lindy Lim fold blankets and towels bound for our local Animal Shelter.

Out in our storage bin area, Roger miller, third from left talked about our food distribution program to Elizabeth Chien-Hale, Ed Gibo, Michiko Collins and Derek Miyahara which goes out to our underserved community and his specialty, bags of food and drink that go to the unhoused at St James Park.

Here a group writes thank you letters to first responders with from left: Joanne Miyahara, Karen Miller, Lyn Haberstock, and Mieko Moody