Who we are

A traditional Japanese stone lantern in a suburban front yard, surrounded by bushes, trees, and a sidewalk.

Buena Vista United Methodist Church is a welcoming, multi-generational community of faith open to all who seek spiritual growth and healing, regardless of age, abilities, physical condition, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or socio-economic class.

Inspired by the vision of “beloved community” popularized by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—a vision in which all people share equitably in opportunity and resources—we are committed to building loving relationships locally and globally through prayer, service, and mutually transforming social justice work.

Drawing on a legacy of radical hospitality to Japanese immigrants in a segregated Alameda in the late 1800s, the church has continually birthed new justice and healing ministries, including campaigns for broader racial equity, affordable housing and tenants’ rights, disability advocacy, LGBTQIA+ inclusivity and support, Philippine and Palestinian solidarity, Asian prisoner re-entry support, and immigrant rights. As a sanctuary church, we also partner with the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity to support Central American immigrants and refugees by providing transitional housing and other assistance.

Our mission is to be a spiritual and healing place for individuals to develop and deepen a growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ; nurture loving ties within the congregation that embraces family, heritage and diversity; live out our Christian faith to our local and global communities through prayer, service and social justice.

Children and adults dressed in costumes around a table set with bread and wine, participating in a religious reenactment or ceremony, with a stained glass window and a screen displaying religious text in the background.

We believe:

  • God’s hope, love, justice and healing are embodied in the life of Jesus.

  • Our faith, deepened and shared through life’s experiences, guides us.

  • Within each person and all of creation, God can be known through many traditions.

  • God calls us to welcome all people on their journey of faith regardless of age, abilities, physical condition, race, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic class.

  • God has worked in our and in the unique experiences of oppressed communities. God continues to call forth new roles for the ministry of Buena Vista UMC as we encounter new realities and reflect on our legacies.

  • As a prophetic voice for justice, we will be an example and influence in our local community.

Buena Vista Church is a Reconciling Congregation; we welcome all persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, to fully participate in its congregational life.

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Reconciling Ministries Network

rmnetwork.org

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Buena Vista Church is part of The United Methodist Church (specifically, within the Alameda-Oakland Circuit of the Bay District of The California-Nevada Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church). We are also a member of the National Japanese American United Methodist Caucus.

United Methodists affirm, "The ministry of all Christians consists of service for the mission of God in the world" (United Methodist Book of Discipline 2016, ¶133).

We seek to live lovingly and justly as servants of Jesus Christ by healing the sick, feeding the hungry, caring for the stranger, freeing the oppressed, being a compassionate presence, and working to develop social structures that are consistent with the gospel.

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Groups and Ministries

Buena Vista Church’s active programs, ministries, and groups include:

Learn more at buenavistachurch.com/events

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 A History of Buena Vista Church 

In 1898, the roots of Buena Vista UMC were planted in Alameda when two missionaries, Ms. Della Dibble & Ms. Pearl Sanderfer, began teaching with Japanese immigrants. Dibble and Sanderfer, wives of pastors, established a night school that expanded to include employment and housing.  This mission was formalized as a Methodist congregation on October 20, 1898.

A black and white photo of ten people outdoors, around a picnic table and near an early 20th-century automobile. Some are sitting on logs or the ground, eating or drinking, while others stand.
“In 1907 the Woman’s Home Mission Society purchased 2311 Buena Vista Avenue in Alameda, where the church is located to this day. The building was named Mary Helm Hall and it served as a place of worship, a “cooperative home,” a night school, and a kindergarten”
— Written by Ann Hotta, "Buena Vista United Methodist Church," Densho Encyclopedia, Densho.org
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Following the Anti-Asian Exclusion Act of 1924, first- generation Issei leaders built a new permanent home— the social hall – in 1927. Through their hard work, dedication and faith, they have given us a rich legacy of hospitality, fellowship, and gratitude that remains today. 

Projection screen displaying instructions for persons of Japanese ancestry in a church or community hall with stained glass windows in the background.

Executive Order 9066, issued when the US entered WWII in 1942, ordered the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans.  The church stored belongings of the evacuees.  When the war ended and families were allowed to return to Alameda, the church became the center of the community as a refuge and sanctuary, offering housing to displaced families. 

Two people standing on a porch in front of a greenhouse or glass-paneled building.
“Hyakutaro Towata’s family recalled that the FBI took him away with just the clothes on his back, saying that they were taking him to Oakland, “Just overnight.”
...
Norichika Akamatsu was the first church member to return. He prepared the church so that it could serve as a hostel for returnees. Four families lived in the church for an extended period of time. Church members who owned homes in Alameda opened them to others, housing as many as twenty-four people or as many as five families.”
— Ann Hotta
A large group photo taken in front of a historic house, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Japanese Methodist Church of Alameda on October 9-10, 1943. The group includes men, women, and children in formal attire, with some seated in the front row and others standing behind on the steps and porch of the house.

In the years that followed the Incarceration, the Nisei (second generation) took on church leadership, and birthed a new generation of "Sansei” (third generation). New arrivals from Japan joined the Issei (first generation). In 1959, the church reaffirmed its cultural identity by celebrating "Hinamatsuri” or “Girls' Day," which became our annual Bazaar held every May. 

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The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 apologized to Japanese Americans for wartime civil rights violations.  This marked a time of new beginnings when returning Sansei and newcomers rebuilt church life with children’s ministries, including a renewed basketball program.  This also opened a new period of church-based community organizing.

Children and adults on a basketball court, with children wearing White Sox t-shirts and adults in blue jackets, standing in a line for a group photo before a game.

Deepening our understanding of faith, the church began to address critical issues impacting our identity in the years that followed.  In 2006, we became a Reconciling Congregation affirming the spiritual wholeness of LGBTQIA+ persons.  In 2008, we began to explore ministry with the village of Wadi Foquin in the West Bank.

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Thanks to the strong and cherished legacy of our Issei and Nisei forbearers, Buena Vista Church continues to follow Jesus, thrive in community, and work towards the healing of the world through vibrant Sunday worship services, Sunday School programs, a Ukulele Fellowship, Youth Basketball teams, and community partnerships.

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Please visit densho.org to learn more and to support Japanese-American History

We welcome and invite you to join us for worship this coming Sunday and the next!

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Pastors Who Have Served Buena Vista Church

Learn more at the following link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J016JCa3hzdKeUOhTavF2vV13xHssQRWjxwx8zA0DZM/edit?usp=sharing
Learn more at the following link: Learn more at the following link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J016JCa3hzdKeUOhTavF2vV13xHssQRWjxwx8zA0DZM/edit?usp=sharing

Buena Vista Church in “Snapshots of Thriving”

In January 2025, we were featured in an article by the California-Nevada Conference of the United Methodist Church written by Hanna Widlund, as part of the Snapshots of Thriving series.

“When Rev. Vathanak Heang was appointed to Buena Vista UMC in July of 2024, he knew that he was stepping into big shoes. Following both Rev. Myrna Bernadel-Huey, who served from 2020 to 2024 and Rev. Michael Yoshii, who served from 1988 to 2020, would be no easy task. What has arisen out of this new appointment is a unique community of pastoral leaders, all working together to support the congregation and ministry of Buena Vista UMC.”

Click the following button or the link below to read on!

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