Quoting the Wisdom of Rev. Dr. David Matsumoto on His Retirement
“Today is a Great Day
Today is a Wonderful Day
Why?
Today is Today”
— Rev. Dr. David Matsumoto, BCA Minister Emeritus and IBS President Emeritus
Days in July are all great days! Summer is resplendent because of the warm (hot) weather; evenings that are long and sun filled to be outside to share in activities and summer festivals. School is on recess with summer vacations and many traveling abroad creating memorable life experiences and connections. We must remember with gratitude that these are great days.
Each and every day is a wonderful day. We are so thankful to be able to awaken every morning to yet another day. Our Shin Buddhist values allow each and every one of us to live each wonderful day with appreciation for being present in this moment — being here to experience a today that is a wonderful day.
Why is it great and wonderful? Because it is today. And it was this saying that Rev. Dr. David Matsumoto left to all of us on his recent retirement on June 30.
A giant among BCA’s giants, Rev. Dr. David Matsumoto has made a lasting impact on the BCA and the Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS).
The Retirement Celebration held on June 15 at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple was a fitting tribute to his many achievements and successes that he brought to the many he touched in his BCA ministerial career and the leadership and academic achievements that he brought to IBS.
Everyone was so happy that on that day he was able to receive the accolades he so deserved; and that his preferred retirement party that was to be just “beer and chips” was turned into an occasion more befitting of a party where he could be honored.
Many came together to organize the event led by Richard Stambul, IBS Board of Trustees; Terri Omori, past BCA President, Judy Kono, Center for Buddhist Education; and the many members of the Mountain View Buddhist Temple.
Offering their congratulatory remarks were close friends from Rev. Dr. Matsumoto’s including his cohorts from his student days, Rev. Jerry Hirano, Rev. Dennis Shinseki and Professor Mitsuya Dake from Ryukoku University, who traveled from Kyoto to be in attendance; his IBS colleagues, Dr. Richard Payne, Dr. Scott Mitchell and members of IBS Board of Trustees led by Dr. Leroy Morishita; and finally Sangha members from the temples he served as Resident Minister: the Buddhist Church of Stockton (Debbie Nakade, President) and the Berkeley Buddhist Temple (Emiko Katsumoto, Board member).
June National Board Meeting Highlights
June started with a bang. June 1 was the 2024 June National Board Meeting (NBM). Held virtually, but with the Executive Committee meeting in-person at the Jodo Shinshu Center (JSC), it brought together Board members from each of the eight districts of the BCA, the nine Directors-at-Large, presidents of the Affiliated Organizations: Federation of Dharma School Teachers League (FDSTL) and the Federation of Buddhist Women’s Association (FBWA), representatives from IBS, the BCA Endowment Foundation (BCAEF), Jodo Shinshu International Office (JSIO), the BCA committee chairs and BCA staff.
The meeting was highly informative and reinforced my perspective that great things are happening across the BCA. Highlights of the meeting included:
The Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS) had its largest graduating class in the history of the Institute with 28 individuals receiving their MA or M.Divinity degrees and/or certificates in Shin Buddhist Studies, Theravada Buddhist Studies, Soto Zen Buddhist Studies, and Buddhist Chaplaincy. With Rev. Dr. David Matsumoto’s retirement on June 30, Dr. Scott Mitchell will be the new president of IBS.
Acknowledgement of Bishop Harada’s position on the editorial board of Lion’s Roar magazine and as reported in this issue of the Wheel of Dharma, his presence at the White House Vesak celebration.
Update by Kevin Kujiraoka, representing the Sr. YBA, reported on the successful efforts to move forward to official Affiliated Organization status for a vote at the December 2024 NBM.
Changes to fundraising were announced, transitioning the Joint Committee on Development (JCoD) to the Development Steering Committee (DSC) that will streamline and focus discussions on development between BCA, IBS and BCAEF.
Approval of a new BCA Committee: BCA Committee on Development (BCoD) to provide direction and focus on fundraising to meet BCA needs to ensure a sound financial footing into the future. BCoD will work with the new DSC to coordinate activities across BCAEF and IBS.
The Dharma Forward campaign has reached a milestone of $10.4 million as of May 31, 2024, representing nearly 70% of its goal.
Approved committee charters for two recent committees: BCArt and AdHoc Committee on Film and Videography. Both committees are focused on using art and media to express Shin Buddhism and how it shows up in our everyday lives.
Vetted the work of the Vision and Strategic Plan Committee with interactive breakout rooms validating and providing comment on current updated mission and vision statements and initiatives to move forward.
Strategic Plan Update
It has been nearly two decades since the BCA approved its current strategic plan.
Today, the BCA is in a very different place and is faced with addressing a society that is dramatically different than 2005. It is with this in mind that the Vision and Strategic Planning Committee (VSPC), in conjunction with the Executive Committee, came together in a retreat held before and after the June National Board Meeting to arrive at the next steps in the strategic plan update process.
Working late into the evenings on both Friday and Saturday, the members held very important discussions that moved the process forward. The following mission and vision statements were presented at the NBM.
In breakout rooms, NBM participants provided comments and their views on how these statements would manifest in strategic initiatives and goals to guide the BCA’s efforts going forward.
Mission: To share the Shin Buddhist teachings of wisdom and compassion for everyone to have a meaningful and fulfilled life of gratitude.
Vision: Aspirationally, BCA efforts have made Shin Buddhism a flourishing tradition that shares the teachings through an engaging ministry where inclusive communities cultivate peace, understanding, and compassion for everyone.
The retreat culminated with the identification of four areas for the plan to focus on to fulfill the vision statement. These areas are still under discussion to be fine-tuned but represent the framework beginnings of the next effort in the strategic planning process. The four areas are: (1) Propagation; (2) Sangha Development; (3) Financial Capability; (3) Ministerial Development, (4) Organizational Development.
Spreading the Message of the BCA
If you haven’t noticed, the work of the editorial staff led by Jon Kawamoto has been producing phenomenal articles about the many things that are interest to readers of the Wheel of Dharma.
It is a travesty that this work only reaches individuals that the temples have provided address information, and that has been historically limited to “paid” members of temples.
The Executive Committee is seeking to change this and broaden the ability for the BCA to message a wider audience of everyone who is connected with and is interested in Shin Buddhism.
We are particularly interested in the digital communications opportunity and seek to have a database of emails of interested individuals — paid members and beyond.
We will be working with temples to provide contact information, updating mail addresses, but more important, providing email addresses for members and non-members alike who wish to opt-in to receiving information from the BCA.
If you are a reader of the Wheel of Dharma but not receiving it by “snail mail,” we encourage you to go to the BCA website homepage and scroll down to the very bottom and leave your contact information at: https://www.buddhistchurchesofamerica.org/
We will also include you on the list for the monthly BCA Connect email that highlights stories from the Wheel of Dharma.
Stay tuned for more information on this initiative to broaden our audience.
In ending, I would like to pass along a story that reminds us of why “Today is Great, why Today is Wonderful.”
It was at a moment in time that a kind and compassionate Sangha member came to offer support for another who was challenged with a difficult situation. Her kindness and her ability to step forward was what was needed.
Ms. Pati Futaba, daughter of the late Rev. Hiroshi Futaba, is that compassionate and kind individual whose actions went unannounced. It is in these kind and compassionate acts that happen within our Sanghas and that happen because we choose to be mindful of being present in the moment. It makes why “Today is so great” and why “Today is so wonderful.”
Thank you to Rev. Dr. David Matsumoto for reminding us why … because “Today is Today.”
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