Summertime Happenings

Summertime Happenings

Successful Obon - The 2008 Betsuin Obon Festival is over and all of the booths, signs and equipment have been put away. I want to thank all Sangha members and their friends who helped to make the Obon a tremendous success. Thanks to the cooperative weather and great community turnout, we surpassed the record that was set last year for the number of Odori dancers. With 1111 dancers on Saturday night, we surpassed last year�s record of 914 by nearly 200 dancers! I remember when Sunday night�s number of 690 dancers used to be a good number for Saturday nights. Moving the game booths from Fifth Street to our Fourth Street property was done just in time to allow room for the additional dancers. Thanks to Jim McClure, �Mr. Obon�, who not only is the Obon Committee Chairman and came up with the idea of moving the booths, but also did a lot of the sweat labor in demolishing the concrete wall and scout shed. George Hanada, Greg Aso, Mum Arii, Bob Terasaki and Ed Morimoto also spent lots of hours helping Jim in the effort. All of their work helped us to exceed last year�s record gross sales by about $20,000, which will help to balance the books as well as help to build the fund for major capital improvements. Removal of the scout shed and wall also allows for more parking spaces directly accessible from Fifth Street for services and other large gatherings. During the Obon, as I walked around the festival grounds and met the people working in the different booths, I saw many old friends whom I only see at Obon time. Yes it is a lot of work, but it is also a fun time we get to spend time with old and new friends in helping our Betsuin. And isn�t that what the Dharma teaches us about life�s true meaning � sharing life with others. We can also help our friends at other temples by attending their Obon. I enjoy attending Obon festivities at nearby temples to taste their food, view their displays and watch the dancing. Do you enjoy doing that too?

Betsuin Garden - Did you notice the neatly trimmed trees and bushes in the Betsuin garden? The Bonsai Club came out on a hot summer day on June 28 and neatly trimmed and cleaned the garden plants. I noticed many people admiring the garden during the Obon festivities. Thank you to the members of the Bonsai Club who came out to prepare the garden in time for Obon.

Jr. Choir Tribute to Elaine Jones � On July 19, the Jr. Choir surprised ex-Director Elaine Jones with a party in her honor. Many previous and present choir members, their families and special guests gathered in the gymnasium and heard performances by the choir and individual members who dedicated their vocal and instrumental performances to Elaine. Julie Murotsune, a close friend of Elaine, presented her memories of Elaine in an audio-visual presentation. A slide show and several video presentations showed former choir members and their many performances, including ones in Southern California, Hawaii and Japan. Several speakers shared their experiences while in the choir and paid tribute to Elaine. The enjoyable evening culminated in a performance of �Arigato-o� by past and present choir members. Thank you, Elaine, for your many years as Choir Director. We hope to continue to see your smiling face around the Betsuin.

Long Term Care Insurance - The BCA Insurance Committee recently announced that quotes for Long Term Care insurance, which were previously available to only Ministers and their spouses, will now be available to all temple members. This program is being administered by BCA member Susan Nagata Bottari of Heffernan Insurance Brokers. If you are interested in obtaining more information on the coverage, including the one-page Pre-Screening Questionnaire, please inquire at the temple office.

BCA Campaign - Thank you to all members who have responded to the telephone calls by the board members by contributing to the Campaign BCA - The 21st Century. In just four months, the board has called (or attempted to call) approximately 80% of those who have not contributed toward the campaign and approximately 35% of our members have contributed toward this important BCA initiative. Thanks to Tom Nishikawa for leading this important campaign for the future of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in America.

In Gassho,
Al Hironaga