2007 President - Al Hironaga

January 2007

Planning and Building Our Future

We are all challenged with the task of planning for the future - whether it be planning for a new house, car or boat; saving for your children�s higher education; planning a vacation; planning how to care for an elderly parent or disabled family member; or planning when and where to retire. While the future is never certain, we make the best plans that we can based upon the knowledge we have of the present and our vision and expectations of the future. The Betsuin�s Board of Directors must similarly plan for the future of the temple. I�m sure we all agree that we would like the church to be around for our future generations, but what will the membership be like in the future? Larger? Smaller? About the same? What facilities will we need? I would like to see the church membership grow and become more visible in the community, and in doing so, spread the Nembutsu to a larger segment of the community. I would like to see an adult service where there are as many attendees as at the Dharma School service.

Our Sangha, like our families and the Japantown area, is changing. Mixed marriages are common and our membership is becoming more diverse. As I mentioned in my January article, I truly believe that this diversity makes our Sangha stronger and we are truly becoming the American Jodo Shinshu organization that is our destiny. As our line of Buddhism spread from India, to China, to Japan, and then here to the United States, the Dharma was taught in different languages, different interpretations and emphases were applied, and even the image of the Buddha changed. As Buddhists we know that change is inevitable, because nothing is permanent. But while we expect and accept change, what can we do to influence the changes? In his New Year�s Day Dharma talk, Rinban Fujimoto made a resolution for all of us to bring a friend to church service. Yes, that is a great way to help spread the Nembutsu teachings and possibly help the church membership to grow. And when you see these new people in church, be sure to welcome them by talking to them and making them feel comfortable. You will find that you have something in common with every individual for we are truly interconnected. Make the effort to find out what that commonality is.

Another way to influence the future of our church is to make a contribution to Campaign BCA-The 21^st Century. For our temple to grow, we must have a strong and viable national organization that, among other things, provides for the training of ministers for the BCA temples. In his New Year�s Greeting in the Wheel of Dharma, Socho Ogui mentioned that of the 55 ministers in the BCA, nearly half will be reaching retirement age within the next ten years. This means that BCA must attract and train many new ministerial aspirants. The BCA campaign is designed to help solve that problem and help to spread the teachings.

So see you in the Hondo . . . with your friend . . . and don�t forget to send in your contribution to the BCA campaign, and together we will help to spread the Nembutsu teachings.

Al Hironaga

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Meetings

Board of Directors Meetings

The Board of Directors has regular monthly meetings on the first Thursday of every month. These meetings are open to all members of the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin. If you plan to attend a Board meeting, please be in the Board Room by 7:10pm so as not to disrupt the opening service or the meeting.

When: First Thursday of each Month
Time: 7:15 pm Service 7:30 pm Meeting
Where: Board Room - Second Floor of Administration (Office) Building
Agenda: Variable

Agenda for February 1, 2007

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2007 Cabinet

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Board of Directors

Note: The year noted below is the year that the director's 3-year term expires. Per the by-laws, there are 16 slots open every year.

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Komon

The Komon is a group of advisors appointed by the Rinban and President of the Board of Directors and ratified by the Board of Directors. In most cases, once appointment, Komon members serve for life. The Komon members are generally very long standing members f the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin. Their role is to advise the Ministers and the Board of Directors.

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