M E M O R A N D U M

 

 

Date:                September 16, 2018

To:                   Sally Idemoto

From                Joyce Iwasaki

Re:                   Board Bullets

 

Dear Sally ~

 

Please post the following September Board Bullets for the October dharma newsletter.

 

Thank you!

 

Joyce

 

 

Betsuin Board Bullets

San Jose Betsuin Board of Directors Meeting

September 06, 2018

 

submitted by Joyce Iwasaki

 

 

Mission Statement

 

The mission of the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin is to learn and to share the Jodo Shinshu understanding of the Three Treasures

Buddha, Dharma and Sangha

 

 

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 for details on any item.

 

 

 

  • Motions

 

      It was moved, seconded and passed to approve the July 2018 meeting minutes as corrected.

 

It was moved, seconded and passed to allocate funds to purchase robes for the new Rinban.

 

It was moved, seconded and passed to accept the Human Resources Committee’s recommendation of a 2018 hourly wage increase for each office staff position.

 

It was moved, seconded and passed to approve the Hawaiian Island Creations (HIC) annex rental request for November 02 – 03, 2018.

 

 

  • Ministers’ Report – Rinban Sakamoto

 

The transition of the responsibilities of the Rinban’s office is going well. The Fujimotos continue to          prepare for their move to their new home in Manteca.

 

Beginning in the second week of October, a rotating schedule of lay speakers and sutra chanting leaders will help to fulfill service needs.

 

The Betsuin’s Ohigan service is scheduled for September 30th. The guest speaker is Reverend Dean         Koyama of the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple.

 

Rinban and Mrs Sakamoto met with the Komon Group on September 2nd. Included in the discussion       were Generations Phase II and Assistant Ministers Program.

 

Japanese language services will continue as it has been in the past until a change is necessary.

 

The Tuesday Night Study Class will continue with the first session of this year is on September 11th.

 

  • Special Events – Emi Tsutsumi

Rinban and Mrs Fujimoto’s Retirement Party was successfully held on Sunday August 26th in the annex. Thank you to Betsuin organizations and groups, to the office staff, to the Board of Directors, the youth    who staffed the event (under the supervision of Todd Tsudama), and the Retirement Party Committee          for working on this event. Appreciation goes to Lillian Kanzaki who donated bottles of wine for this event.           Estimated attendance of 450 people which included members of the Fujimoto family, Betsuin Sangha members, organizations in Japantown including Wesley United Methodist Church, and previous BCA temples the Fujimotos served. This event was fun, exciting and high energy which gave us the    opportunity to express

our appreciation to the Fujimotos for being part of our Betsuin for twelve years.

This year’s Keiro Kai is set for September 30th and the theme is Polynesian. Those honored are people    born in 1938 and before whose meals will be of no charge. Other meals will be $15 per person. This will         take place in the annex from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm.

  • EcoSangha Club – Al Hironaga

The EcoSangha Club continues to collect gently used shoes, inkjet and laser printer cartridges and white styrofoam for recycling.  Recycling boxes are located in the office, the annex lobby and in front of Lotus    Preschool. the next EcoSangha meeting is set for Tuesday October 2nd at 7:00 pm.

  • Dana Club Report – Al Hironaga

      On Saturday October 27th from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, the Dana Club will be helping the Rebuilding           Together organization to work on repairs on the home of a family in the local community. During this      biannual Rebuilding Day, many organizations will be working on improvements for many homes       throughout the nation. If you are interested in helping with this project, contact Al Hironaga at ahironaga@hotmail.com.

  • Garden Committee Report – Al Hironaga

      Volunteers in the Garden: Thank you to all volunteers who clean, water and maintain the Betsuin          gardens. These include Shelley Hatakeyama, Sus and Sadako Ikeda, Stan Kawamoto, Dave Pascual, the Rast family and Lotus Preschool.

Water Problem in the Garden:  Dave Pascual found that there is water overflowing from the pond         beneath the waterfall in the garden. The waterfall was turned off sue to the drought, but water appears to be continuing to flow into the pond from the makeup supply, which is supposed to add water to   replace water that evaporates from the system.

  • Research and Planning Committee Report – Janice Doi

Some issues the Research and Planning Committee is working are include revamping the Betsuin            website, researching database software, establishing a committee to oversee financial tracking, projections and recommendations, and establishing a comprehensive mechanism of tracking and     implementing current and future member trends.

  • Membership Report – Dina Nakano and Rajan Saigusa

Matt Ogawa held a fun event at a brewery and invited people in the 24 – 35 age range. The goal was to   socialize and have a great time.  As a result of this event, 17 people became members of the Betsuin.

  • Property Management Report – Steve Onishi

Annex:
A defective transformer cause an unpleasant humming noise in the loudspeakers.  A replacement part in on order.

The operations manual for the iPad has been updated.

One of the kitchen sinks suffered damage either during or right after Obon.  the stainless steel sink         became detached from the stainless steel countertop. A temporary fix was implemented to allow usage    of the sink until this is resolved.

The drain connections were replumed in the outdoor kitchen to connect the outdoor washing machine to           the sewer. This allows us to use the washing machine/dryer to clean and dry the kitchen towels on site.

Hondo:

      We are moving forward to upgrade the control of the new HD video camera in the Hondo to an iPad to   be located in the Hondo. Currently, we can only control the camera from the annex. the upgrade will include a video recorder and processor that will allow us to stream the video onto the internet if desired. The installation is currently being scheduled but will most likely occur in October.

      New Shelving:

      The Japanese American Museum of San Jose offered the Betsuin new shelving materials which are very   large and heavy duty. Final locations are to be determined with possibilities of using them in the BBQ      shed, obon dry storage area, and the little cottage garage.

  • For the Sake of the Children – Documentary Screening – Joyce Iwasaki

The screening of the film, For the Sake of the Children, is scheduled to be shown in the Betsuin annex on            Sunday October 28th from 4:00 pm, followed by a panel discussion and a reception. The film explores the           Japanese American incarceration, its impact on current generations who are descendants of families who     were incarcerated and the complex interplay of culture, racial prejudice, history and intergenerational          differences. Rich and poignant interviews of women who were imprisoned and the impact that has had     on their children as well as future generations are bought forth in this film. These individuals reflect a        cross section of society such as artists, politicians, preservationists, journalists, activists and young    students.

Sponsors of this event are Poston Community Alliance, Midori Kai, Inc., Japanese American Museum of   San Jose and the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin.

There is no admission fee but donations are welcome and will be divided amongst the four sponsoring    nonprofit organizations. RSVP is requested for venue capacity regulations as well as an anticipated count          for the reception. RSVP by texting the number of attendees: 925 596 1770. For more information, please       contact Joyce Iwasaki at j.iwasaki@yahoo.com.