September 2025

We’ve been very busy.

Since the last bulletin, Obon has come and gone. The yagura was built, the lanterns were hung, the cemetery was cleaned, services and Odori were held, and then it was all torn down and stowed away for next year. Thank you to everyone who helped, and especially Helene Nakamura for being Odori chair again.

Baking for the sweet shop has already begun. Just a reminder, all baked goods must be made in our church kitchen. We cannot accept home baked goods for resale. Manju will be made in the coming weeks. See elsewhere in this bulletin for those details.

A group of us met with Rev. Yuki to plan the 2026 calendar. With so many groups and organizations, advance planning is crucial, especially with our two ministers having to split their time between Sacramento and Placer. The 2026 calendar will be posted on the PBC website.

The Northern California District Council (NCDC) met in hybrid format. The NCDC consists of representatives from the Sacramento Betsuin, plus the affiliated temples in Stockton, Lodi, Walnut Grove, Florin, Placer, and Marysville. We are hoping to reactivate district-wide activities that were canceled during the pandemic, such as a cooking “throwdown,” family conference, and more.

Sacramento held their one-day bazaar on Saturday, August 9th, and Placer had a great contingent of helpers. There has always been a strong bond between our two temples, and now that we are sharing ministers, that bond has grown stronger. Sacramento will again be helping at our bazaar the last weekend of September and we are very grateful for their help.

Carole Kawamoto and I have been busy meeting with the Penryn community group. I am happy to announce that the Placer Citizens for Neighborhood Rights (PCNR) is now a legal entity, which means we can accept financial donations. Please note that donations are NOT tax deductible. PCNR members have been busy organizing, attending public meetings and hearings,

and spreading the word.

PCNR will be holding another Town Hall meeting on Sunday, September 7th, noon-ish, to provide more information on what and how we can defend our church and community from inappropriate development. Please see the article in this bulletin for more info on this important meeting.

On SATURDAY, September 13th, we will be having a special service with guest speaker Dr. Kenneth Tanaka. Dr. Tanaka will conduct a Buddhist education session after the service. We encourage everyone’s attendance.

Of course, the weekend of September 27-28 is our annual bazaar. The bazaar committee has been meeting every couple of weeks to plan everything out. It’s a lot of work, but also a lot of fun, and good food too. This has become an institution for the Loomis/Penryn community.

Save the date of Saturday, October 25th, for our Wine Tasting event. This event has grown every year and is a lot of fun. We know that not everybody enjoys wine, and we are trying to hold an event that appeals to a wider audience. There will plenty of food and prizes too.

On SATURDAY, November 8th, we will have another guest speaker, Rev. Harry Bridge of the Oakland Buddhist Church. Many of us know Rev. Bridge from his time in Lodi. The reason for these Saturday services is that Rev. Yuki has secured the speakers to speak on Sunday in Sacramento, so we are the beneficiary of their presence in the Sacramento area.

Following the service, we will be holding a special fundraiser lunch for our fence and landscaping project. This will be our “Golf Dinner without the Golf.” We will be serving teriyaki ribeye steak and grilled salmon. More information on this event will be available soon.

These are a lot of events in a short amount of time. Thank you to all who can help put these events on. They all contribute to making our Placer sangha special.

In Gassho, 

David Unruhe, President