Dear Friends,
From the name of our church, some people assume that everyone who attends JBC is of Japanese heritage.  It’s no secret that we proudly celebrate the church’s Japanese-American history and emphasize its culture in many ways.  Offering weekly worship services in Japanese as well as in English is an essential part of our ministry.  All that is true—but it’s also true that those who call JBC their church home are definitely a diverse group.  At present, about 2/3 of the congregation is of Japanese ancestry, 1/6 is of other Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry, and the remaining1/6 is mostly Caucasian but includes African Americans as well. 
      Most of those who attend JBC are American-born and speak English as their first language.  Some speak little or no Japanese.  On the other hand, JBC’s Japanese-language ministry does indeed attract students and business people from Japan who come to the Seattle area.  It also attracts non-Japanese spouses and individuals who have studied, worked, or lived in Japan—or would like to do so!—for a variety of reasons.  It’s not at all unusual to overhear a group of people here speaking Japanese though none of them is Japanese!  Others who don’t speak Japanese at all come to our English services because of proximity to the church or friendship with church members. All quickly find that “everyone is welcome” at JBC, just as our worship bulletins and other materials say.
A recent example of JBC’s diversity and its outreach was seen at the recent Men’s Retreat held at Camp Burton.  JBC’s delegation included ten men, including myself.  (I enjoy the fact that I often have to explain that I’m an Italian-American, despite a surname that is often taken as Japanese in these parts).  The nine others in our group were three men of Korean ancestry (including our new Minister of Outreach Woun Kim), two Chins from Burma who regularly worship at JBC, two Karens from Burma who worship in Kent, one Taiwanese-American—and only one Japanese!  Some of the members of this delegation were new to the others at the beginning of the retreat, but they quickly bonded by praying—and playing—together.  (Incidentally, another interesting thing concerning our group was that our average age was about 30—even with me raising that average considerably at more than twice that age!  What a blessing it is for JBC to have a core of young men active in the life of the church.) Having mentioned Woun Kim, let me add with great joy that he is actively engaged in ministry at JBC—and already involved in the three suggested areas of outreach that we listed when we authorized his position: work with college students, providing assistance to refugees, and reaching out to the community surrounding the church.  It’s wonderful to have Woun back, working with us in the Lord’s service. 
Please do join us at JBC, where everyone is welcome!
Yours sincerely,          Paul D. Aita