Betsuin Board Bullets
San Jose Betsuin Board of Directors Meeting
January 08, 2015
submitted by Joyce Iwasaki
The intent of the Betsuin Board Bullets is to highlight Board actions, decisions, special events and projects. Please contact the Betsuin board officers, directors or the ministers to for details on any item.
Motions
It was moved/seconded/passed to accept the December 2014 minutes as corrected.
It was moved/seconded/passed to donate one of our incense tables and incense urn to the Monterey Temple.
In accordance with an agreement from the trustees of the Fusaye Nakanishi Estate, it was moved/seconded/passed to direct the $150,000 donation to the Betsuin to Phase II renovation for youth education. The donation is earmarked for the library, and a special space or collection will bear the name of Fusaye Nakanishi.
It was moved/seconded/passed to designate Janice Doi as the second delegate to the February 2015 BCA National Council Meeting.
It was moved/seconded/passed to accept the Human Resources Committee’s recommended pay scale for the office staff.
It was moved/seconded/passed to have the Ministerial Affairs Committee develop an Intellectual Property agreement between the Temple and the ministers.
It was moved/seconded/passed to continue to pay for the ministers’ Social Security taxes for 2014. From 2015 onward, the ministers are responsible to pay for their own Social Security taxes.
It was moved/seconded/passed to allow the Japanese American Museum of San Jose to sell the Japantown History Book at the upcoming New Year’s luncheon with $5 per book donation to the Betsuin.
Property Management Report – Steve Onishi
Boy Scout Community Service
During the annual Troop 611 3-day event held between Christmas and New Year’s, the boys completed several small projects around the church.
Walkway on the second floor of the education building was cleaned
Signage on the side of the education building was secured (however, the entire banner was damaged and subsequently removed after the windy day)
Weeds were pulled all around the 6th st property
Unused bottles stored in the multi-purpose room were prepared for recycling
Gym / Multi-Purpose Room
Small leaks in the roof were reported near the south entrance to the gym and inside the storage closet where Obon supplies and the tables are kept. Patchwork was completed on suspect areas of the roof, but do not currently know effectiveness.
2 additional lights were replaced during the holidays. This is relatively expensive as we need to rent a 30ft lift each time we do this.
Some of the corrugated roof over the storage area at the back of the east parking lot became dislodged during the wind. These were reattached.
A pipe was replaced on the hot water heater outside of the kitchen. We were notified by someone from Filipino center behind the gym that water was spraying onto their lot.
Education Building
Light fixtures were repaired in some upstairs classrooms.
A new gate with sharp projections on top was installed between building and the garage/workshop as an intruder had previously entered the Lotus preschool play area.
Office Building
The hot water heater was fixed.
Church Van
The hose from the gas intake into the gas tank was disconnected and fuel removed. This was repaired and we now park the van behind locked gate on the 6th St. side.
Parsonages
A new refrigerator was ordered and installed in Rinban Fujimoto’s house. The previous old one reached its end of life.
EcoSangha Report – Al Hironaga
Earth Day is scheduled for Sunday April 19, 2015. The guest speaker will be David Mas Masumoto, an organic peach, nectarine, and grape farmer, newspaper columnist, and author whose family has been featured on the late Huell Howser’s “California’s Gold” program.
EcoSangha continues to recycle used and surplus unused OEM inkjet and laser toner printer cartridges, small electronics (cell phones, iPods, mp3 players, digital cameras, video cameras, GPS devices, radar detectors, iPad tablets, eBook readers, PDAs, and video gaming systems/games). Items that are no longer accepted are printer cartridges that are not manufactured by printer companies. Collection boxes are located in the Betsuin Office and near the Lotus Preschool entrance.
Dana Club Report – Al Hironaga
On Wednesday, February 11th fro 6:00 – 8:00 ppm, the Dana Club will be sorting donated food items at the Second Harvest Food Bank. All who are interested in helping, please contact Al Hironaga at [email protected]. Our group is limited to 15 helpers.
In December 15 members of the Dana Club sorted and boxed pomegranates that were donated to the Second harvest Food Bank.
On Saturday, December 6th, Dana Club members helped with the Yu Ai Kai Bonenkai end-of-the-year party by providing cookies, preparing cabbage salad and helping to prepare servings for the luncheon.
Ministerial Affairs Committee (MAC) Report – Al Hironaga
The Ministerial Affairs Committee with advisement from the Budget and Finance Committee presented to the Board findings in discrepancies of the ministers’ total compensation packages. Both committees are working toward eliminating these discrepancies.
The MAC has been following the issue of Intellectual Property as presented to the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) National Board and BCA National Council by the BCA Legal Committee. On accordance to the BCA Legal Committee, all work created or written by the ministers as employees of a temple is ls legally the sole property of the temple. It is up to each temple to decide if it wants to keep ownership of the work(s) or to prepare a contract which grants its minister(s) the right to exclusively own works he/she has ever written/produced while serving at a temple. MAC is seeking approval from the Betsuin Board to prepare such a document granting our ministers the exclusive ownership of their work while serving at our temple without cost, with a license back provision to permit the temple to continue its right to use, republish, or display (but not sell) the minister’s work. Such an agreement will allow the ministers to use their work at future assignments, speaking engagements and in any publication without having to get authorization from our temple. It would also allow our temple to use any work created by the ministers without having to get authorization from the originating minister.
Oseibo Committee Report – Al Hironaga
A total to date of $6515,00 was collected from the sangha for the Oseibo fund. Distribution of the funds is based on donor requests. In cases of receiving no specific direction of donations, the committee decides on the distribution of those funds. These gifts go to active ministers, retired ministers, office staff (including weekend office staff), Special designations are directed to Mrs Hojo, Mrs Tsumura, Fred Okamura, the Dharma Staff and volunteers.
Oseibo committee members are Terry Oshidari, Glenn Kurimoto and Al Hironaga.
Coast District Buddhist Women’s League – Written Report by Joyce Iwasaki
55th Annual CD BWL Conference
Buddhist Women: The Heart of Our Temple
Thursday February 12, 2015
San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin
9:30 am – 4:00 pm
BWA Members, Non Members, Men and Women Are Welcome
Registration by January 14, 2015 $30
Late Registration until January 29, 2015 $45
This year’s conference offers a rare opportunity to hear two renown Buddhist scholars: Professor Tomoyasu Naito, Kangaku (the highest academic rank within the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha), Professor Emeritus of Shinshu Studies at Ryukoku University in Kyoto Japan and Paula Kane Robinson Arai, PhD currently on sabbatical from Louisiana State University as a professor of Buddhism and of Women’s Studies.
Professor Naito is currently a visiting Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS) professor who is on a speaking tour throughout the United States and Canada. His message will be delivered in Japanese.
Dr. Arai is currently on the religious Studies faculty at IBS as the current fellow of the IBS Yuki Foundation Chair and has an extensive list of speaking engagements and presentations, has numerous published works, is the recipient of various grants and scholarships, and has engaged in musical performances in taiko, koto and violin. Dr. Arai’s professional teaching experience began in the early 1990s.
The CD BWL leadership is proud to present two exceptional scholars at the 2015 district conference.
You are welcome to attend. Drop off your registration form and check in the Betsuin Office. You may also mail your form and check to: CD BWL Conference, Attention: Diane Fujioka, c/o San Jose Betsuin, 640 North Fifth Street, San Jose CA 95112.
Please contact Joyce Iwasaki for further information: [email protected] or 650 776 1616.
Current CD BWL Cabinet
Joyce Iwasaki President
Janice Doi Vice President
Diane Fujioka Treasurer
Phyllis Sugimoto Recording Secretary (English)
Hisako Tao Recording Secretary (Japanese)
Sachiko Endo Corresponding Secretary (Japanese)
Open Corresponding Secretary (English)
Open Auditor
Miyuki Fujimoto Advisor
Rinban Fujimoto Advisor
JAN