Welcome to SFVHC

Come worship with us!

We at San Fernando Valley Holiness Church welcome you! We are a multi-generational church located in Pacoima, California and would be honored to have you worship with us. Founded by Japanese-American farmers in the early 20th century, we have since grown into an ethnically diverse community of believers.

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Please be in prayer for the following:

• Vacation Bible School
  • SFVHC. Thank you for your prayers for our VBS this week. Over 90 children are enjoying a fun and meaningful time in Jesus. A number of kids have raised their hands to receive Jesus! Pray for the staff to finish well and for the parents (especially any who do not yet know Jesus) coming to tomorrow’s closing day festivities.
  • Also, thank you to EVERYONE who came out to help with Set Construction last week! It was so awesome to serve alongside our faithful brothers & sisters all week and to enjoy eating meals together. Some nights we had up to 50 people!! Thank you to everyone who prepared dinner for us each night. We could not have made it through without your meals prepared with love. And finally, thank you to every person who participated in our supply drive. What a HUGE blessing it was to not have to run around purchasing everything we need. Thank you, thank you to all who touched Set Construction!
• Okinawa, Japan. Our church supports Roy and Nancy Toma, missionaries with Campus Crusade for Christ in Okinawa. Their church will have VBS next week. Pray for the Spirit to work mightily during that time and for His protection on those serving and those being served, and for the gospel to be planted in the hearts of the hearers.
• Chino, Japan. Continue pray for our missions team as they finalize preparations for their version of VBS, “English Experience Camp”. It is a blessing as well as a challenge that more children have signed up than was originally planned for. Pray that God would give them the creativity and resourcefulness to effectively share the gospel with all who participate. Pray also, for the preparations for the other events too. (More on Chino team below.)
• Sunday Worship Service. Pastor Raynold will preach from 1 Corinthians 8:1-6 and will lead us in communion. On this post-VBS Sunday it is fitting that it is Family Worship. All Kid Venture children and staff will join “Big Church” for the beginning of worship service.
• Chino Team. It was a blessing and joy to commission our team last Sunday. They will leave on August 5 (12:40 p.m. flight, Delta, #283 – Terminal 5). Pray for team members (Yumiko Chen, Andy Clark, Diane Date, Stan Date, Yuki Funakoshi, Don Hori, Don Kobayashi, Willie Nakada, and Monica Nishida), for their spiritual and practical preparations as partner in ministry with Chino Christ Church. The team will not be departing from the Bradley International terminal where we have traditionally gathered to visit with and pray for the team before departure. Instead, we will have a send-off and prayer time at church at 8:00 a.m. on August 5. Join us and show your support.
• Godswilla. We regret that this year’s Godswilla retreat had to be cancelled, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Stay tuned. Another activity for the youth will be planned.

Posted: July 29th, 2010 Read entry

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

• Please join us this Sunday when Pastor Aki brings us the morning message on principles for the unmarried (1 Cor. 7: 25-40). We will also be commissioning the Chino Team during the 11:15 service in Howe Hall. Our Nichigo brothers and sisters will join us for the commissioning and then return to the Sanctuary for their worship service. Pastor Raynold will bring the message for our Nichigo service.
• Deadline for Godswilla registration is this Sunday, July 25.
• Pray for VBS. As we wind down our final preparations for VBS, please keep the kids & parents who will be attending, the staff who will be serving and all the people who are helping with the preparations for VBS, in your prayers.
• ALL STAFF VBS meeting this coming Sunday directly after 2nd service. Very brief meeting to prepare our hearts for the week and go over a few reminders and announcements.
• Flight Schedule for the 2010 Chino Mission Team:
  • *** Departure ***
    Thurs. Aug 5 Leaving Los Angeles 12:40 P DELTA 283 Terminal 5
    Aug 6 Arriving Tokyo-Narita 4:20 P
  • *** Return ***
    Wed. Aug 18 Leaving Tokyo-Narita 3:30 P DELTA 284
    Wed. Aug 18 Arriving Los Angeles 9:45 A Terminal 5
  • We will be meeting at church at 8:00 AM on Aug. 5th for prayer send-off. We’ll leave church at 8:30 to head to the airport.

Posted: July 23rd, 2010 Read entry

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

• This Sunday, we will be blessed to have our brother, Dave Lee, bring us the morning message, “Contentment: To LIve As You Are Called”, (1 Cor. 7: 17-24). We hope you will join us.
• Pre-VBS Workday: This Saturday, we will have a workday from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m., here at church. Most of the work will be loading “stuff” into a dumpster and moving things around. Our objective is to make our campus safe, comfortable, and attractive for those attending VBS and others that we hope to draw into our ministry. Come join us! More hands will make the work go faster.
• Thank you to everyone for their support of the Chino mission through your participation in the Food/Bake Sale this past Sunday. Your generosity overwhelmed us! We appreciate your prayers and financial support for missions.
• Machida Mission: We will be sending a team to Machida, Japan this winter to work with Joy Tani and Evergreen Chapel from November 30 – December 13, 2010. We invite you to attend an information meeting on Sunday, July 18, at 10:30 a.m. in Modular 1B (nursery) to find out more about what we will be doing and how you can be a part of this exciting ministry! Questions? Contact Diane Date.
• VBS Set Construction: Like to help? Like to fellowship? Come help out at VBS Set Construction July 19 – 25, and help turn our church into an awesome Hero Headquarters! We will begin at 6:00 each night and dinner will be provided.

Posted: July 15th, 2010 Read entry

Dear friends,

I was very excited to return for a short time to Tanzania, visiting the Lion of Judah Academy and the Faraja Orphans Rescue Mission. I helped both of these ministries with computer hardware and software. I was able to visit friends, teachers, the secondary students and the little ones.

Kurt

This little girl is as charming as her smile. She visited me frequently last year at my house to play and draw pictures. I was delighted when she came to the house this week and asked me for “ream paper”, meaning that she wants some white computer paper to draw pictures. The branches are for sweeping the dirt around the school yard. In the background you see the secondary school buildings.

This is the first chapel meeting of the term and not all students have returned to school yet. The chapel takes place under the mango tree which you cannot see here. However, a brand new chapel building is under construction. But I prefer the mango tree chapel, even when it rains.

Abia just returned from a year in America living with a family that supports the Lion of Judah school. She attended high school as a junior in Pennsylvania. This is the first time this has happened and was exciting for everyone.

Wonderful playground equipment was constructed by local workers. Part of the money for this came from SFVHC.

Ghati, Glory and Emma are some of the terrific teachers who care about the education and spiritual life of the children. Ghati has returned to school and wants to become a professor of Kiswahili language and literature. Glory teaches math and science. Emma is a teacher but is also an “evangelist” of the Africa Inland Church. He asked me if I could find support for him to get certain Bible study materials to help him in his pastoral role.

This is a scary picture because these are the Awali kids and I am their teacher. I was asked to substitute teach for them because their regular teacher had to attend an annual family reunion/business meeting. I think that not much learning took place. Because they are little, they do not know much English yet. And I don’t know much Kiswahili yet so we are even. The cute kids don’t care. I got assistance from one precocious child who kept whispering in my ear to correct me and make suggestions about what to teach.

These are three village children who I got to know last year and they remembered me when they saw me walking on the path toward the Bible college.

This is Sheila Dilworth and two of her children. Sheila and her husband started the Nassa Theological College. Her husband passed away suddenly a few years ago and she continues the work to train Tanzanian pastors. All of Sheila’s four children are involved in front-line mission work.

This is the Awali boy who helped me teach. His father is John Sweya, a vice president of NTC. Among other ministries, John helps the widows of Bulima to learn how to make a living under difficult circumstances. He was also involved in starting a church at the beach for the local fishermen.

This village girl was shy and did not speak any English, so I do not know what is in the bucket. I imagine she sits on the stool while selling her merchandise. I wonder if she attends school and if her family life is secure.

Hartford and Lynn Inlow started the Lion of Judah School and I stayed with them during this trip. Robert is a college student from Michigan. Among other complicated things, he helped the Inlows to plan and implement a necessary water pumping system to meet the growing needs of the school. There is a plan to continue the school to Form 5 and Form 6, the equivalent of junior college.

Children caring for children are everywhere.

Samuel and his wife founded the Faraja Orphans Rescue Mission. They have begun building on donated land. This will be classrooms for grades 1 and 2. If you look closely you can see two women who are carrying water (on their heads of course) for brick making. They must walk a long distance to get the water for the site.

At the paved road to Mwanza and at the bus stops the women try to sell fruit and vegetables to the passing travellers. The sign says “Assistance with toilet and washing and charging phone”. As he walks quickly, the man is balancing on his head an assortment of trinkets to sell.

These boxes are filled with one day old live chicks.

When a motorcycle is not available (or when you want to save money) it is fun to ride on the soft seat provided by these bicycle drivers. You must place your feet on the small pipe welded to the axle.

The secondary students began a garden and have shaped the plants into certain phrases. This says “God Is Good”.

These are a few of the Form 4 students soon to be the first graduates of the secondary school of Lion of Judah Academy. They must all pass the intense government tests in October. They did not have a summer break so that they could continue to prepare for the tests.

This is the new dorm to house the secondary students. Currently the secondary boys have to sleep in the school library.

Please remember Tanzania in your prayers. Thank you for praying for me and the Lion of Judah Academy and the Faraja Orphans Rescue Mission.

Posted: July 12th, 2010 Read entry

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

• Please Pray for those attending General Conference this week (July 8-10) in San Diego. The pastors began their meeting today. The conference proper will begin meeting from Friday morning through Saturday afternoon. Our delegates: Stan Date, Mabel Takimoto, Sets Tomita. Bryce Yokomizo will be an alternate. As Pastors. Aki and Roland will leave the conference early, Pr. Raynold will hold our congregation’s pastoral vote. Tsujimoto-Sensei and Noriko Killey will represent our Nichigo congregation
• Join Us this Sunday when Pastor Roland’s message will be “Marriage, Divorce & Remarriage” (1 Corinthians 7: 8-16).
• Food/Bake Sale Fundraiser will be held this Sunday, at 10:00 a.m. and after the 11:15 service. All proceeds will go toward short-term missions. We would appreciate any donations for the sale. If you’d like to bring some food items (ie. spam musubi, sandwiches, snacks, etc.), please package them in small serving size. Thank you!
• Pre-VBS Workday: We will have a workday on Saturday, July 17, from 9:00 a.m. – noon, here at church, to clean up clutter and junk, in preparation for VBS. Come join us! More hands will make the work go faster.
• Machida Mission: We will be sending a team to Machida, Japan this winter to work with Joy Tani and Evergreen Chapel from November 30 – December 13, 2010. We invite you to attend an information meeting on Sunday, July 18, at 10:30 a.m. in Modular 1A to find out more about what we will be doing and how you can be a part of this exciting ministry! Questions? Contact Diane Date.

Posted: July 8th, 2010 Read entry

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