Weekly Update Archive

Dear Church Family, an update of Thanksgiving to the Lord…

Thank you to Pastor George Toda for sharing his personal testimony from 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and Philippians 4:6-7, in a message entitled, “A Journey Unexpected.”  Giving a timeline of events beginning on 1/1/11 of having a shortness of breath, followed by several doctor visits to going into the emergency room on 1/17 to be admitted to be checked out for any possible heart condition, then came the diagnosis of stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Burkitt’s Lymphoma. By the 21^st, his kidneys stopped functioning, and as his family gathered around him, the Lord gave them the grace to say their goodbyes. He was told he had a 10% chance of making it through the rigorous chemotherapy treatments. This journey allowed him to observe and process many of the Bible scriptures that he once preached on, but now was living through them. God’s grace was evidenced in so many ways: in saying their goodbyes; the side effects of the chemo were not as difficult as expected; his physician was the best qualified for this kind of cancer, and so much more. Pastor George proclaimed, “It is so much better to go through the darkest of times with God, rather than have the best of times without Him.”

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Dear San Lo Community, an update for the week of November 13, 2011…

Thank you to Pastor Eric Yata for the message from Acts 11:1-18, “A Fresh Start”. It is amazing to see what God did and how God can do the same things in our church. A major merger takes place in Acts 10-11, there is a new beginning and fresh start. Maybe you are seeking a fresh start in life. God desires for us to understand and to see that through the gospel, He is always creating, moving, and acting to bring about new beginnings and vibrancy in our lives and in our church. To experience God’s design, let’s address one main question: How does the gospel create new beginnings in the church?

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Dear San Lo Community, update for the week of Nov. 6, 2011,

Thank you to Pastor Brian for bringing us the message, “Game Changer” from Acts 10. Just as the presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal was a historical moment that will be shared for generations to come, we have been recalling the history of the church in our study of Acts. Key Verse: Acts 10:34 “Opening his mouth, Peter said, “I most certainly understand that God is not one to show partiality.” Acts is a historical narrative, a story of the beginnings of the Christian church from which we can learn valuable lessons about God and ourselves as we seek to glorify Him.

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Dear SanLo Community, an update for the week of October 23, 2011…

Thank you to Pastor Rod Yee for the message from Acts 8:9-13, “Person to Person.” There are many things that can distract us from our most valuable relationship, being person to person with Jesus Christ. As we continue in the book of Acts, Stephen is martyred, as Saul continues to ravage the church. Philip was also one of the seven deacons, yet knowing what happened to Stephen, instead of going into hiding, he is focused as he goes about spreading the gospel of Jesus. Where is your own focus in life?

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Dear San Lo Community, an update for the week of October 9, 2011…

Thank you to Pastor Brian Tekawa for the message from Acts 5:17-6:7, “Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities.” There is an old saying, “Adversity is the mother of invention.” This is a good thought to remember this when facing hardships. The well known Bible teacher Howard Hendricks (former Bible teacher and chaplain for the Dallas Cowboys football team) says in his book, Taking a Stand, “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insolvable problems.” How does God change obstacles to opportunities?

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Dear San Lo Community, an update for the week of October 2, 2011…

Thank you to Pastor Eric Yata for the message from Act 5:1-11, “The Enemy’s Game Plan”. In the recreational setting of playing laser tag, one can get all caught up in the strategies of taking out the opponent. In life we have an adversary, Satan, whose game plan is to knock us off through difficulties in family relationships, destroying our marriages, tempting us with moral compromises, letting us think everything is going so well that we let our guard down, or by any means to steer us off course from following Jesus. What affect does sin have on the church?

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Dear San Lo Community, an update for the week of September 25, 2011…

Thank you to Pastor Scott Shimada for the message from Acts 4:1-31, “Facing Your Challenges.” In this portion of scripture, we find Peter and John being questioned before the rulers, elders and scribes in Jerusalem about the miraculous healing of the man who was lame from birth. They were asked, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Sometimes we may be faced with a question about our faith. What should we do when we face challenges to our faith?

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Dear San Lo Community, an update for the week of September 18, 2011…

Thank you to Pastor Rod Yee for the message from Acts 3:1-10, “Begging for Attention”. Pets often do amazing things in order to get attention from their owners. In this portion of scripture, we find a lame beggar calling out for attention. How do you approach God?

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Dear San Lo Community, an update for the week of September 11, 2011…

Thank you to Pastor Eric Yata for the message from Acts 2:42-47, “The Day That Changed How We Live.” With the ten year anniversary of 9/11, we pause to pray, praising God that He alone is our refuge, strength, rock, redeemer and hope, and we ask for His hand of hope to be with those who have suffered as a result of the attack, and for healing for the nation. We see how 9/11 is remembered as a day of change for the U.S., and even as major a change as it is, we see how the Day of Pentecost changed everything for the whole world, forever. What are the affects of the Day of Pentecost?

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Dear Church Family, an update for the week of September 4, 2011…

Thank you to Pastor Brian Tekawa for the message from Acts 1:1-8, “Somebody Is Watching You!” We begin a new series entitled “New Beginnings” which is a twenty-four week exploration through the book of Acts. Our last series was on the character and qualities of the Holy Spirit, now we will observe Him in action. What did Jesus reveal about the Holy Spirit?

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