2.2          Small Groups

                There are numerous groups that carry out regular ministries of the church. For example, the Presbyterian Women (PW) gathers in various configurations for Bible study, for crafts, and in circles. The Senior Task Force provides a ministry to seniors, emphasizing the maintenance of a quality of life through monthly educational workshops and care to seniors. Three home groups meet for prayer, bible study, and socializing, and 17 men and women gather monthly to prepare and deliver hot meals.

2.3          Events

                Our corporate history, the significance of our relationships, the importance of gathering around meals, and our outreach into the community are all embedded in the events of our annual calendar. The monthly potlucks, holiday meals, monthly educational workshops for seniors, and the Spring chicken dinner allow us to be hospitable to ever broadening circles of family and friends. Worship near Memorial Day gives time for names to be read and candles lit in memory of those who have been part of our extended family. The children of the church and neighborhood enjoy the Easter egg hunt. On one summer Sunday we worship and picnic in a nearby park. The 30-Hour Famine (in cooperation with World Vision) has become a regular part of youth ministry. The fall CROP walk not only raises money for hunger alleviation, but it also provides an opportunity to connect with the larger community. The annual rummage sale brings inexpensive items to family and neighbors. Our largest event is the Fall Festival, which celebrates the 1968 move into our present facilities and welcomes the broader Japanese American community and our local neighbors to a day of games, food, fund-raising, and memories. While the net proceeds of the Fall Festival historically have been designated to the building and maintenance fund, this year, in the spirit of sharing God's generosity and provision, 10% of the net proceeds were dedicated to the building of a church in Ethiopia. With other voluntary donations, almost $7,000 was raised which will cover the entire construction costs of that church.

2.4          Denominational Relations 

                First Presbyterian Church, Altadena, decided to become Presbyterian in 1948.  For over 50 years, our laity and clergy have taken a vital interest in the business and concerns of denominational bodies.  In recent years, elders have faithfully attended Presbytery meetings, and some pastors and delegates have served on presbytery committees.  An FPCA elder was elected as a commissioner to General Assembly, and two of our elders serve as Trustees of Monte Vista Grove Homes, a Presbyterian retirement home for pastors, missionaries, and spouses.  We continue to participate generously in regular and special denominationally sponsored missions and projects, and about 7% of our annual budget goes to General Mission.  PCUSA students at Fuller Theological Seminary are often welcomed as interns. Our Presbyterian Women contribute to the San Gabriel Presbytery and have sent representatives to PW’s national gatherings. Also, we were affiliated with and active in the Japanese Presbyterian Conference (JPC) of 18 churches in the US. In the community, we have long been a member of the Ecumenical Council of Pasadena Area Churches, and one of our pastors and two laypersons have been recognized as Church Persons of the Year by ECPAC.

2.5          Missional Activities 

                In additional to events (2.3) and our annual financial involvement (2.4), FPCA has an ongoing relationship with several missionaries (the Boyles in Japan, the Wheeler-Waddells in Japan, and the Kangs in Russia). First Presbyterian Church of Altadena has sent over 20 men and women into ministry and mission. These include positions as pastors, counselors, chaplains, ministers in Christian agencies, denominational executives, and missionaries. Our congregation also has focused fund-raising events for missional causes such as relief in Darfur and a building for a church in Ethiopia.

                Locally and ecumenically, in addition to the CROP walk, we give financially and participate in service with Union Station (a multiservice rehabilitation center); we give financially to several organizations such as the Ecumenical Council of Pasadena Areas Churches (ECPAC) to support their work with needy families (“Friends Indeed”) and IWA (a faith-based ministry focused on Japanese American churches). The PW supports such local organizations as Project Angel (the county hospital’s fund for needy families) and Friends Outside (a prison project). The total annual amount of these commitments is over $8,000.

2.6          Church Purpose Statement

                While we do not have a formal “Purpose Statement,” we offer two other resources concerning our church’s imagination and priorities. In the work of the 2001 MAC Report and in subsequent conversation, we have developed a series of “provocative proposals.” During recent years, the session has engaged study and conversation to discern priorities for our church. A summary of this work is also included below (5.0). The materials from the longer assessment process of 2000-01are provided, below (6.0).

3.0          HISTORICAL DESCRIPTION

3.1          Founding & Development 

                Our church was founded in 1913 as the Pasadena Japanese Union Church.  This year, 2008, we will be celebrating our 95th anniversary.  In 1913, six churches in the Pasadena community formed the Federated Missions Board and began a mission to serve Japanese immigrants who were moving to the community.  The charter membership of this young church consisted of 23 Japanese men who benefited from help with housing, employment, and classes on American ways as well as spiritual nurturing.

                The church grew slowly during the 1920’s, but it was able to buy property through the Federated Missions and build a two-story building with a chapel on the upper level and a social hall in the basement. It also purchased a two-story house, moved it to the church’s site, and used it for a manse, church office, and meeting room. In about eight years, the mortgage incurred in this building program was paid off.

                The growth of the church was abruptly halted with the outbreak of World War II and the forced removal of all Japanese and their dependents from the West Coast military zone. The church reopened in 1945 as members returned to the Pasadena area from Eastern cities to which they relocated, from relocation camps, and from military service.  The church provided these Japanese families with a community identity, a place to worship, and a supportive fellowship to work together during their resettlement. In 1948, the church became the Pasadena Union Presbyterian Church as the congregation called the Rev. Donald Toriumi, who was a Presbyterian minister. During these years, our church was a major center for the Japanese American community – providing leadership, a network of relationships, and a sense of identity. The church’s facilities expanded and the membership grew, peaking around 600 in the 1960’s. The name of the church was changed again to First Presbyterian Church, Altadena, in 1968 when the church moved to its current location.

3.2          Changes & Challenges

                The Japanese American population in Pasadena has remained stable over the past twenty-five years, but church membership has slowly declined. Much of the loss has been from the passing of the Issei and from movement among the Sansei and Yonsei generations. They were no longer restricted by housing covenants as were their parents, and they settled in cities and towns to which they moved after college and marriage. Many also moved to other churches, relocated, or were not regularly involved in church life. Those who have joined other churches cite a variety of reasons – styles of worship and spirituality, differences in theology, stable pastoral leadership for youth and young families, and generational differences in leadership.  Perhaps these and other factors have made it difficult to form a cohesive core among the next generation of members. 

                More recently, there has been an influx of younger families – some with family ties and others from the area. It is noteworthy that many newcomers have ethnically blended families, and others are simply attracted to the cultural diversity of the church. The church leaders have responded to these diverse needs by hiring a part-time director of children, youth, and family ministry. 

4.0          COMMUNITY AND REGION

4.1          Local community

                First Presbyterian Church, Altadena is located on the west end of Altadena, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles that hugs the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains immediately north of Pasadena. About half of the church’s members reside in Altadena and Pasadena.

                These census figures are mainly from the 2000 census, except as noted in some 2006 Pasadena estimates. (Through this report, the numbers and percentages have been rounded.) Geography and the current trend to not increase density have limited growth in Altadena. The population has been stable at approximately 40,000 for the past 40 years. In contrast, Pasadena has nearly doubled (81,000 to 133,000) during the same time period. Both communities have distinctly wealthy and low-income areas. First Presbyterian Church is located in the lower income area of West Altadena.

                In the 2000 census, this chart compares a 2.5 radius from the church with a 5-mile radius: 

Asian/Pacific 6% – 9%

White 24% – 53%

Black 35% – 17%

Latino 35% – 21%

                In Altadena, the ethnic make-up in the 2000 census is as follows:

White      52%

African American 34%

Latino 28%

Asian American   6%

                Altadena has about 2000 Asian Americans. (Japanese American statistics are not available on Altadena.) The most significant economic change in Pasadena concerns new economic development and regentrification, with affordable housing being lost as high-end new construction and increasing prices for homes makes ownership and renting very difficult for middle-class families. Near the church, significant economic/mixed-use development is appearing along Lincoln Avenue.

                Comparing the 2006 estimates for Pasadena with the 2000, the 144,000 population is about (percentages exceed 100% because dual categories and statistical errors).

White 50% – down from 53%

Latino 28% – up from 21%

Asian/Pacific 14% – up from 9%

Black 12% – down from 17%

                In the 2000 census for Pasadena, the Asian American population of about 9% included 2300 Japanese American. Updated census estimates are not available for Altadena, but indications are that Black percentages are decreasing, Latino and Asian percentages are stable or increasing, and White percentages are increasing.

4.2          Region

                In the San Gabriel Valley, some of the fastest growth is among Latinos, Chinese, Indians, and Vietnamese. Throughout the larger Los Angeles region, while the Japanese percentage declined by 9% during the 1990s, the actual number was slightly up at 111,000 (with overall regional population increase and Japanese 'out marriage' creating the statistical loss in percentage). The Japanese American population in the west San Gabriel Valley where the church is located has also remained flat.

4.3          LA region Japanese churches

                Our church’s roots are in the network of Japanese American churches, including the now disbanded “Japanese Presbyterian Churches” coalition (JPC). While some members of our church have continuing relationships in these networks, many members are not connected. The appendix has a list of Japanese American churches throughout the Los Angeles area.

4.4          Church’s Relationship to the data (updated by PNC, June 2008)

                The church has ministered to the Japanese American community for over 90 years. There was once a concentration of Japanese Americans living in the immediate vicinity of the church, and many of the older members still live relatively close. Many offspring of Japanese American church members have since dispersed to other parts of Altadena, Pasadena, the San Gabriel Valley, and beyond. Recent newcomers at the church have included a number of people who are bicultural, biracial, culturally blended, or from other cultures. Some of these have come from the neighborhood surrounding the church. Others are extended family members of those already active at the church. Many share varying degrees of Asian ancestry, not necessarily Japanese.

                The demographics of our active members: 86% Asian, 9% Caucasian, 3% African American, and 2% Hispanic.

                The ethnic percentages for worship: 55% Japanese,  24% Caucasian, 8% Hapa, 5% Chinese, 4% African American, 4% Hispanic/Native American.

5.0          MINISTRY PRIORITIES: A SUMMARY OF SESSION DISCUSSIONS 

                Our primary purpose as a congregation is to call people to a deeper “YES” to Jesus Christ. Two pictures guide our understanding of our primary purpose:

                A circle of hands, each reaching into the center, Jesus Christ. The center is aflame with the Holy Spirit. Something dark is dripping away from the center, being burned away and cleansed. The opposite hand of every person in the circle is reaching out beyond the circle to welcome and draw others in.

                Our congregation is one of the unique squares in a colorful quilt that is the church of Jesus Christ. It is a quilt of many colors, patterns, and shapes spreading far and wide and covering the earth. It provides a warm, welcome, safe blanket for all who are under its covering.

We call people to a deeper “YES” to Jesus through three primary ministry priorities: “worship,” “hospitality,” and “unity, reconciliation, & peacemaking.”

                WORSHIP invites us to a deeper “YES” to Jesus. We are growing in the ways we seek God with all our heart (Jeremiah 29.13). We will not settle for anything less than the giving of our total, whole, complete selves to God, because he first loved us. Our worship increasingly focuses on the proclamation of the Gospel and of the Cross. It is where we understand more deeply the good news that God is good. We look for new and innovative ways to celebrate and respond to our relationship with Jesus. This includes a deeper exploration of the liturgical calendar/church holidays, and the stewardship of God’s creation. Evangelism and outreach are important in our proclamation.

                Our worship is a living demonstration of our unity and hospitality in Christ. We imagine worship as the work of the whole people of God, not just a few leaders. More of our people are offering testimonies of their deeper “yeses” to Jesus. We are taking steps toward deeper intimacy with Jesus, through retreats as individuals, as church groups, and the church as a whole body. Since memorial services hold great meaning and importance in our congregation, we consider how to deepen their impact and service to the community. A group actively imagines more deeply the junction of worship and justice. We are growing in our practice of spiritual disciplines and practices. We subordinate our own wills to Jesus alone through deeper confession, self-examination. We are becoming a praying church—not just a few praying, but everyone understanding the importance of praying, and engaged in prayer themselves.

                HOSPITALITY is more than a warm welcome. Hospitality is the key to evangelism and outreach. Hospitality invites people into a deeper “YES” to Jesus, to seek him with all their heart. We are learning to give attention to people outside the church through our natural spheres of influence, and personal relational networks, and invite them into our hospitality. Hospitality creates a community and environment where the living God is experienced and the love of God is lived out. This loving community is a safe and dynamic place for people to wrestle with the questions of life, hear the gospel, come to know Jesus, and grow in faith. Through hospitality, people experience the integrity of Word and deed. In this hospitable community, we fulfill the Great Commission of making disciples for Christ. We engage in significant conversations about discipleship. We confess that such hospitality is a growing edge for our church. We must share our stories and experiences of evangelism, and come to terms with our different worldviews on evangelism, and the discomforts and pains we have experienced in the past with evangelism.

                We are growing in our practices of hospitality. We look to deepen and strengthen existing groups and practices of hospitality, fellowship, and care giving, such as Caring Cooks, etc. We are giving special attention to the flock system of care giving. More attention is given to shut-ins and those on the fringes, and visitors to worship. Care is given to not only persons in need but their families as well. We are more consistent in writing and sending cards in many care giving opportunities.

                We have created a Hospitality Team to help people mix, mingle, and feel at home. Our congregation has committed to not have church “business” meetings on Sundays so we are as available and open as possible to time spent with newcomers and visitors. We encourage families to get together for lunch after church, and invite a newcomer to church that Sunday. We continue to build a culture of Sabbath on Sundays, so people relax at potlucks and events and do not rush to clean up right away.

                UNITY, RECONCILIATION and PEACEMAKING. First Presbyterian Church of Altadena increasingly is a place of welcome for people of many races, ethnicities, and generations. We are committed to speaking the truth in love. We are exploring and practicing how this is expressed in this diverse and changing church community with a Japanese and Japanese American heritage.  We are bridge-builders between diverse peoples. People with deep wounds find welcome and healing, restoration and wholeness here. Old wounds and conflicts in our congregation are being unearthed, acknowledged, repented, and healed. We engage together in meaningful work that deepens our relationships with one another and our love for one another. We are growing into a holistic understanding of salvation. Romans 12.1-2 is our guiding Scripture: our congregation is a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is our spiritual act of worship. We do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but we are transformed by the renewing of our mind. Then we will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

                We are growing in our practices of unity, reconciliation, and peacemaking. We discover and use peacemaking resources. We grow in our ability to listen to one another and enter into honest conversations about our hurts and fears. We commit not to run away when the going gets tough, because “Being church” is not optional, and stability for relationships is essential. This congregation is gathering together our whole story as a community, the story of how we have been peacemakers and peace-breakers.  We are learning to follow through with healing action.  We submit to one another out of reverence for Christ by moving ahead with patience, sensitivity, and consideration for other people’s views.  Out spiritual practices for unity, reconciliation, and peace making, include taking Lent seriously; creating regular prayer partnerships; and visiting Mater Dolorosa Monastery in Sierra Madre and walking the Stations of the Cross together.

                Our life together is characterized by growing relationships. We spend more relational time with one another. Our members and friends go places together, meet in each other’s homes, and share with each other our favorite/comfort foods. We are deepening opportunities for youth and adults to study, disciple, serve, and play together. One unique idea offered: Trade-a-CD-weeks—exchange music CDs for a week and carefully listen to them with a desire to understand the other person’s heart.

6.0          CONGREGATIONAL LIFE & FUTURES

6.1          Research Methodology

                In 2001, the Mission Assessment Committee reviewed Presbytery materials, a MAC report from 1990, and a variety of materials on congregational research. In that report, they rote, “We were especially aware that (1) our church faces some major transitions over the next decade; (2) previous MAC reports tended to provide information for the Pastor Nominating Committee but were not used beyond that task; and (3) we want to draw on the stories and strengths of the congregation as a whole.” They chose to use Appreciative Inquiry as a method for gathering and interpreting the data to gain insights on our congregation’s life and ministry. In addition to the summaries here, a more complete account is available in the book, Memories, Hopes, and Conversations by Mark Lau Branson (Alban, 2004).

                After forming our questions and deciding whom to interview (see sociological descriptions, below), MAC explained the research and enlisted the active participation of elders, conducted 40 interviews, met with elders to review and begin interpreting the data, and then completed the report. We believe this is still important research for our church. The interpretive work is featured here in two major sections: first, in 5.2, we provide brief interpretive paragraphs on topics that the MAC and elders believed to be most revealing; secondly, in 5.3 we provide the resulting “provocative proposals” that are based on the data. Subsequent to the 2001 report, several groups conducted additional AI research, and those results have been added in section 5.4.

                In preparation for the interviews, the church’s history was analyzed for sociological indicators. In order to provide data that represented the church’s major groups of persons, generational relationships, time of joining, and other factors were used. They decided to specify seven groups: (1) Japanese speaking; (2) “Source,” or those who were involved in the move to Altadena; (3) the children of Source persons, since they retain unique relational ties; (4) “Extended,” or those who joined after the move in 1968; (5) “Recent,” or those who came after the mid-80s; (6) high schoolers and college youth; (7) “Special” or those with unique personal situations. 

6.2          Research Interpretation

6.2.1       Historical Formation

                As detailed in the historical notes (especially 3.1) there are pivotal historical markers that carry meanings for our church: our founding as a Japanese American mission by several Pasadena churches; internment; return and reestablishment; becoming Presbyterian; the move to Altadena; and the more recent emergence of intercultural life. An ecumenical cluster of Caucasian churches not only provided for our founding, but they also helped protect our property during the internment, spoke out forcefully against this government action, brought supplies to us at camps, and helped our return by assisting us with housing and employment (sometimes at great personal sacrifice). Our current participation in local ecumenical missions is rooted in this history.

                Further, the internment itself has shaped us: some of us were children in camp, and we remember the playfulness and the relationships, while others of us have carried years of sorrow, shame, and anger over that unjust action. This has made us more aware of the misunderstandings, discrimination, and injustices many others suffer, and it has created the long years of unique mutual caring and support not only among church members but throughout the larger Japanese community.

                We became Presbyterian when we decided to call Rev. Don Toriumi to be our pastor, and he made this affiliation part of his acceptance. As a result, we have been shaped by the structures, relationships, and theology of this denomination. The move to Altadena, forced upon us when we lost land to the freeway construction, is remembered as a time of great generosity in our extended networks and the highly energetic time of designing and building our current facilities. That accomplishment is remembered by the Nisei as a time of unique success. More recently, as out-marriage increased and as the neighborhood demographics changed, we have begun to incorporate persons of other cultures. While many in the church experiences sorrow (especially over not having a larger Sansei and Yonsei membership) we are also growing in our capacity to express hospitality and even mutuality as we become more multicultural.

6.2.2.      Japanese Ethnicity & Relationships

                An island culture, in which relationships are more permanent, creates norms for assumed meanings, harmony, and unity. Japanese immigrants brought those traits to church. On one hand, our churches are part of a minority ethnic group in its community and in the US. On the other hand, because our church actually came to include a fairly large percentage of local Japanese – especially when membership exceeded 600 – we also have the history and identity of having a significant role in this community. Church members were community leaders; community events were church events; civic organizations were church sponsored; the church newsletter provided news and connections for the larger Japanese community. This intermingling of church life and community life means that immediate family, extended family, church family, and regional identity fused. The events of the extended ethnic family (birthdays and weddings, funerals and reunions) overlap the church’s schedule and met personal needs for fellowship.

                Characteristics of Japanese culture are evident in the church’s modes of relating, organizing, and decision making, communicating, valuing, and believing. No one should have any need to explain responsibilities and values because they are assumed, carried forth in a communal set of implicit beliefs and obligations. These ways of life have provided a deeply significant web of relationships and meanings, but they also provide unique challenges for new comers to gain understanding, voice and belonging. Those who enter the network of relationships through marriage, friendship or as visitors easily experience ongoing missteps, confusion, and lostness, and their own contributions easily cause similar experiences among the long-term members of the church. However, the wisdom provided by the experiences of an ethnic minority congregation, the biblical values of hospitality, the richness of intercultural life, and the more culturally mixed generation of the church’s children all call us forth to new ways to embody both our 'Japaneseness' and our 'multiculturalness.'

6.2.3.      Event and Activity Orientation

                The research data indicate the importance of regularly scheduled events in congregational life. The flow of the year is most evident in these regular events (see paragraph 2.3). The “meanings” of such events vary – some have historic significance, others provide missional outreach, others maintain extensive networks of relationships. To a great extent, “belonging” to this church is defined by participation in these events: working alongside each other to serve others (quarterly at Union Station), raising money for hunger alleviation (annual CROP walk), or celebrating the church’s extended ethnic ties, having fun, and raising money for the facilities (Fall Festival). All of these events allow for side-by-side relationships; that is, we share stories and ideas and concerns while we work on a common task. These events also demonstrate a rather amazing congregational talent for planning and effectuating fairly large, complicated events with notable efficiency. Because these events have been repeated for so long (monthly potluck, holiday common meals, annual events) the knowledge about tasks and timetables is part of a corporate memory – to a new comer it seems like everything just happens and everyone knows one’s role. So these events that are powerfully formative for the church, and which provide a relational style for cooperative service, can be somewhat confusing for new comers. Unless one receives an invitation, some explanations, insights into roots and reasons, a freedom to make choices, and a sense of deepening relationships, the future potential of these events remains limited.

6.2.4.      Spiritual Life & Resources

                The complex elements of our common history, the diversity in our beliefs, and the variety of our personal stories lead to differing concepts and priorities in our spiritual lives. The Issei generation was impressed by the lives and service of non-Japanese Christians. They expressed their faith in passionate prayer and worship (sometimes called “boring” by their English-speaking children), in diligent service, and in the development of the congregation’s structures and property. The Nisei children caught the deep faith of their parents, committed themselves to the church’s wellbeing, and expressed that faith in modeling Christian behavior and in serving church and community. However, because of language differences and a reticence in verbalizing faith and beliefs, spirituality among the Nisei was more implicit, more embodied, less articulated. After WWII, our church was not only a place for nurturing Christian life, but many valued the church as a place for social connections with family, clan, and the broader Japanese American community. These different priorities are not easily untangled.

                With the clear memories of the depression, the internment, and the struggles of returning, life took on the priorities of rebuilding economic, family, and social strength, so the more explicit, earlier practices of adult spiritual formation received less attention. As the Sansei generation grew, there was an abundance of Christian resources – conferences, parachuch organizations, Bible and prayer experiences -- and these forms of Christian expression were more like those of the early Issei. Some Sansei members, friends and youth appreciated these resources, and became concerned about the more implicit, institutional, and formal spirituality of the church. Misunderstandings were common – to some Nisei this more verbal faith was not easy to understand (“all they ever want to do is sit around and study the Bible”) while those newly energized by scripture and prayer did not recognize the more implicit faith (“we don’t know what they believe”). Sunday worship, which many saw as the center of conflicting values, was not mentioned in any interviews as a place of spiritual nurture. We have not developed the language or understandings necessary to speak and work toward shared meanings and expressions.

                Currently many adults are in small groups – some characterized by Bible study, others emphasizing the value of relationships. Our children’s program has just adopted a Montessori approach to Bible learning. The importance of intergenerational and intercultural congregational life is receiving new attention. The needs of the elderly, the continuing needs to support parents, and the challenges that our youth face, all serve to refocus us on the resources of scripture, the Reformed tradition, and classic spiritual practices. At times, we benefited from helpful interns from Fuller Seminary; new families joined who encouraged our congregational life; pastors had their own priorities and expressions – and our congregation currently shows the strengths and strains of the diverse forms of spiritual experiences, faith practices, and ministry priorities rooted in this history.

6.2.5       A Poly-Centered Congregation

                [Note: This is an interpretive reflection, based on the research data as a whole, and attempts to summarize some major discoveries.] Our church can be described sociologically as the overlapping of three groups. These three groups all express important characteristics that were present in a more holistic and cohesive way in the early years of the church's life. These three groups will be referred to by terms that give some focus to each group’s sense of church: "organization," "clan," and "spiritual fellowship." Members tend to gravitate toward the behaviors, language and meanings of one of these groups. Those who tend to understand the church as an organization define belonging and expectations along the lines of service or work. The goal that takes the most attention is organizational viability. Those who see the church as a clan or extended family express their belonging by occasional worship and by participating in various annual events. They have goals of connecting with traditions and with each other. Those who tend to see church as spiritual fellowship find their common life in the activities and conversations around Bible study and prayer. The goal of church life is primarily expressed in terms of spiritual vitality. All three emphasize some aspects of biblical and reformed faith.

                Our research shows that in the decades since the church’s founding, various forces and priorities have pulled the groups apart. There have been times of significant misunderstanding, stress, and loss of unity. Resulting wounds have affected relationships, leadership, and the atmosphere of the congregation. Most encouraging and notable in the research is that a growing number of persons are embodying and using the language of all three motifs. We believe this indicates the Holy Spirit’s work among us to create more commonness, more unity, and the basis for the future.

6.3          Futures 

6.3.1       Method

                The Mission Assessment Committee, following the evenings with elders (see 5.1), crafted “Provocative Proposals” to engage the church’s imaginations in possible futures. Provocative Proposals built on the Appreciative Inquiry data as well as other historic and descriptive information. We had several overlapping goals: to bridge the best of “what is” toward “what might be”; to stretch the status quo; to practice using our own sanctified imaginations; to challenge assumptions and routines; and to point to real desired possibilities.

                We followed specified steps: choose an area of the church’s life and mission; locate peak examples and wishes; analyze factors that contributed to the faithfulness / goodness of the church’s life and mission in that specific area; extrapolate from “best of what is/was” to envision “what might be”, and construct proposition of what is possible as if it is already true. In each case, we held out a key question: What are our best examples of congregational life and mission, and how do these examples, along with stated wishes, provide values and imaginative futures that lead us toward an enriched life together and faithfulness in ministry?

                We are not recommending programs; we appreciate that significant work on relationships, meanings and implementation are required as we move into the future. These are stated as if they are already true – and are best read as if they are statements of our members and leaders in perhaps 2005. After the original provocative proposals were crafted in 2000, the church continued to pursue additional Appreciative Inquiry projects and proposals. This later work is follows in section 6.4

6.3.2       The Nisei

                With a wealth of experience, a network of relationships, and a tradition of faithfulness, the Nisei of our church continue to embody primary characteristics of the church in lives of worship, hospitality, and service. Younger families, especially children, benefit from shared meals and times for stories. The wider community enjoys the annual events, initiated and still served by the Nisei, as times for reconnecting and encouraging each other. The church gives special attention to the needs of seniors -- our own church members as well as our network of friends. With the encouragement and equipping of pastoral and health care professionals, a team of members offer visitation, transportation, meals, assessments, and other resources that are practical, spiritual and relational. Nisei from throughout the community know that First Presbyterian Church Altadena is a place of welcome, care, encouragement and meaningful relationships.

6.3.3       Spiritual Life & Resources

                Our living Lord meets us in worship -- in word and sacrament, in praise and prayer – and that Sabbath encounter spills out into our daily lives. In shared meals, friendship, service and play we enjoy the goodness of life as a gift from God. We come together often to immerse ourselves in study and prayer, to be transformed toward honesty and holiness by the Holy Spirit, to have our lives and relationships healed, reformed, and renewed. We are learning the traditional practices of personal silence and meditation and of corporate interpretation and discernment, and in this our hearts and minds, our ministry and mission become redefined and energized by God. This is the basis of the hospitality and generosity we embody as we reach out into our community and world as agents of God’s love.

6.3.4       Families & Youth

                The youth and young families of First Presbyterian Church of Altadena embrace their Christian faith in and outside of the church walls through discipleship and mission. Our church is a great resource for parents, nurturing healthy marriages and fostering conversations and classes that support parenting. Church activities are intentionally formed for intergenerational life, helping elders, youth, younger and older parents learn from each other, study scriptures together, celebrate worship, and reach out into our world. The youth and young families of our church bring together those with deep roots in the congregation’s history with the culturally varied experiences of newer members

6.3.5       Japaneseness & Intercultural Life

                We are a congregation of growing diversity whose roots are deep in Japanese American soil. Our diversity was not initially planned – family members married those of other cultures and races, non-Japanese friends joined us, and neighbors arrived. Sometimes we welcomed and enjoyed this adventure; sometimes we were less appreciative. Because we know we are becoming a church together, we acknowledge the call to understand our cultures – the unique strengths and weaknesses, the special opportunities and wounds that we all have. We have also begun re-reading scripture, noting the role of cultures and cross-cultural bridging in these stories of God constantly outreaching love. We have a special interest in how the stories, values and connections of our Japanese American members shape our life and mission. We are also seeing how the encounter with the stories, values and connections of other cultures enriches our life and mission. We celebrate this intercultural life – not as a way to diminish the richness of our cultures, but as a way to enjoy and benefit from what we believe to be both a gift and a task from God.

6.3.6 Events & Meanings

                Our worship, relationships, recreation and mission are woven together in our annual rhythms of holy days, meals, festivities and missional outreach. We have studied the Jewish calendar of community festivals, the Christian sequence of holy seasons, and our church’s events that are rooted in our Japanese culture and in our own congregation’s history. We have relearned meanings, set some events aside, and brought new significance and new forms to many events. It is this weaving of traditions, cultures, and biblical teachings that give us meaning, hope and direction. Sometimes these communal activities lead us to anticipate, meditate, and prepare; sometimes we invest ourselves in hospitality, service and outreach; and at other times, we simply enjoy our relationships and stories, God’s creation and salvation, and our living Lord’s presence in our midst.

6.4          Recent Appreciative Inquiry work & Provocative Proposals

6.4.1       Nisei Futures

                Following the church’s overall work, a group interested in following up on the initial Nisei provocative proposal conducted additional interviews and spends time discussing the data and writing new provocative proposals. These have been active since December 2003. The Senior Task Force is especially involved in this work.

Forming Christian Community: Our congregation, led by the Nisei, reflects the passionate faith and sacrificial love of the Issei. We have known God’s faithfulness in this church – among these families and friends – as we have been shaped by a history of immigration, war, internment, racism, and also by the blessings of raising families, growing a church, and serving together as God formed in us his own characteristics of loyalty, trust, generosity, and perseverance. Now, in our multicultural, intergenerational faith community, we spend time together to listen, serve, pray, laugh, eat, encourage, cry, and give voice to our hope. In sanctuary and homes, through worship and work, by story-telling and study, during special gatherings for festivals, funerals, and feasts, we are becoming more aware of God’s presence, more able to listen to the Spirit, more expressive of Jesus’ love.

Daily Life: We are a congregation blessed by Nisei -- a generation that has gained wisdom and grace through years of service and friendships. We have been inspired to move beyond our Japanese hesitancy and have learned that it is honorable not only to serve others and to give gifts but also to understand our own needs and to work together to form an interdependent congregation. We are continually encouraged and equipped by our pastoral staff and other skilled professionals to assess our needs and resources. We are inspired to reach beyond our congregation into our circles of friendships and the neighborhood around us, believing God is the author of our relationships. First Presbyterian Church, Altadena, is rooted in networks of holistic care, and the Nisei lead our intergenerational congregation in these joyful and innovative ways of meeting day-to-day needs such as healthcare, house maintenance, transportation, money management, shopping, and nutrition. We are grateful that in our daily words and work, in giving and receiving, that God enlarges our lives and forms us as a caring and generous people.

Learning Together: We Nisei are always learners – and the church provides a context in which we participate alongside others to learn about faith, cultures, and life-skills. As seniors, we are learning how to grow old in God’s grace, with the strength of a faith community, aware of the resources that give us wisdom and hope. Some of our education is practical – concerning medical resources, finances, product and service providers, nutrition, mental health, legal matters, residence, and funeral planning. In our own families and among our church friends we are learning how to “grandparent” the younger generation as our own children learn how to walk with us in our later years. Through seminars, small groups, story-telling, field trips, and retreats, we learn about cultures, gain skills with crafts, and explore more deeply our own Christian faith. We are in the midst of years that are full of unique joys and sorrows, giving us new spiritual opportunities to learn of Jesus, the hope that overcomes our fears, the love he offers that embraces us and shapes us to embrace others, and the life we gain in his death and resurrection.

6.4.2       Youth

                Youth and their parents have used Appreciative Inquiry questions in conversations with each other, and then met for extended conversations on what was learned. Although no provocative proposals have yet been shaped, several important themes emerged. These imaginations were primarily about spending time with church adults (including those who are not parents of this group), finding some significant missional opportunities, and deepening our learning about discipleship. These have led to intergenerational summer recreation in the mountains as well as a very significant week of mission in Los Angeles.

6.4.3       Adult Discipleship

                The AI interviews confirmed a number of priorities – notably that we learn in the midst of doing/serving, that we want a variety of ways to learn in intergenerational settings, and that we need a variety of venues and styles. Many expressed appreciation for the attention given to Bible studies (like the year of teaching the overall Bible narrative) and for home groups. Many see a value in a variety of short-term (4-8 weeks) series, perhaps in homes.

6.4.4       Stewards

                When we revised our bylaws and re-envisioned the former trustees as “stewards,” we began a longer process of sharing autobiographies and studying selected scriptures. This provocative proposal was adopted in the fall of 2007:  As Stewards, shaped by stories and traditions, we are privileged to work with each other and our whole church to celebrate the resources that God has provided, to be responsible and creative leaders, to be people of generosity and hospitality, and to serve by wisely managing property and finances. We are grateful for the stories of our church - the sacrifices of Japanese immigrants, the missional hospitality of other churches, the generosity of members and friends, the imagination and planning of leaders, the skills, and hard work of many.  These stories illustrate the traditions of our Christian faith - including our beliefs concerning God as Creator, Jesus as Redeemer, Teacher, and Lord, and the Holy Spirit as the one who gifts us and motivates us to live responsibly, hospitable, generously, missionally, and thankfully.  Through our prayers, work, imaginations, and words we give careful attention to nurturing generous hearts and faithful stewardship throughout the congregation.  We foster care for creation, manage investments in service of justice and peace and wellbeing, and provide oversight of our property so that it is well maintained for the mission of our church.  We carry out our work, committed to good communication with the church's leaders, members, and friends, with a deep sense of gratefulness and an ongoing commitment to being disciples of the gospel.

7.0          PASTORAL LEADERSHIP

7.1          Spheres of pastoral work 

                We discussed three areas in which we need pastoral leadership. The pastor’s work in these areas needs to be interrelated – so that there is continuity between how we are being formed in each of these areas.

                Relational: this concerns relationship among persons and among groups: personal health in marriage and other relationships; able to strengthen the relationships within the congregation; able to help form good relationships among groups of people. The intergenerational and intercultural aspects are especially important to our future. This includes all aspects of trust-building, respect, perceiving and learning what to do with differences, deepening our listening, and creative management of conflict.

                Interpretive: able to form the congregation into a “community of interpreters” that gain skills at understanding scripture, understanding our cultural context, understanding ourselves, and understanding our own mission. This includes the areas of Bible teaching and preaching, studying and forming missional vision and directions, and the skills of corporate discernment (listening for the Holy Spirit’s guidance).

                Implemental: able to lead the church in putting things into motion – including structures, programs, funding, and new relational partnerships. Every church is constantly making decisions about foregoing some activities and creating new ones; this is the work of managing those changes in very pragmatic terms. This is also the work of equipping, training, and deploying others, because this is the main way to get the work done.

7.2          Values for leadership (updated by PNC, June 2008)

·          Deep love of God, God’s people, & the world into which Jesus sends

·          A life of personal disciplines, self-starter, self-reflective, healthy integration of personal & professional life

·          Gifted & having demonstrated abilities in multicultural situations; at ease relationally, & perceptive concerning variations in worldviews & other culturally-defined variables; experience among Japanese Americans

·          Intelligent, learns in many modes, motivates others to study, thoughtfulness

·          Skillful interpreter & articulate concerning scripture, our context/world, Christian praxis, inspires/motivates others in faithfulness; skilled preacher/teacher

·          Experienced in listening/responding to the Spirit’s guidance personally & in helping a church hear & respond; nourishes & guides our spiritual lives

·          Attentive to the gifts & capacities of others; builds trust, shapes teams, coaches ministry, discerns appropriate methods, goals, evaluation

·          Tolerant of ambiguity, able to take & encourage risks, not conflict-avoiding

·          Conversant with current discussions concerning the missional church, the whole people of God in discipleship & mission, the diffusion of leadership

7.3          CIF Primary Skills List (updated by PNC, June 2008)

                The Church Information Form provides a checklist. The following items were noted as especially important by the MAC members. We made selections based on the definitions in the CIF.

Congregational development / transformation

Congregational home visitation

Congregational fellowship

Corporate worship / sacraments

Cultural proficiency/Cross cultural collaboration

Evangelism

Preaching

Spiritual Development

Teaching

Urban ministry