West Tokyo Union Church Weekly - Sunday, March 6, 2016 worship 

Pastor:  Rev. Teresa Thompson Sherrill     wtucrev@gmail.com

10:40 AM – Choir practice for the choir that will sing Beneath the Cross of Jesus during the Youth and friends led worship on 3/13. The choir will practice again next Sunday morning before the worship – everyone is invited to participate = )

11:00 AM –  Pastor Teresa will bring the sermon, Reconciliation from 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. Ruth Ingulsrud will bring the Children`s message. Communion will be served. Kazuko Sacon will lead us on the organ. Our delightful robust fellowship time will be after the service.

a Lenten prayer for reconciliation –

Reconciling Christ, bless our efforts to bring about reconciliation.

Give us the strength to persevere without counting the hurts,

and to find within ourselves the capacity to keep on loving.

Give us the grace to be able to stand in the middle of situations,

and to be a conduit for the deep listening

which can lead to healing and forgiveness.

Help us to conduct ourselves with dignity,

giving and expecting respect, moving from prayer to action,

and from action back again into prayer.

Grant that we may be so grounded in your love,

that our security is not threatened if we change our minds,

or begin to see a better way to act.

Bless those who are called to reconcile on a large-scale –

politicians, world leaders, leaders of business,

and those who stand in the midst of bitter conflict.

Reconciling Christ, bless us and bless all who engage

in the sacred work of envisioning new wholeness,

and bringing people and nations together.  Amen.

~ Ann Siddall, Stillpoint Spirituality Centre.  http://stillpoint.unitingchurchsa.org.au/

***

Upcoming Preaching Ministry and Community Events

March 6th – Choir practice from 10:40am of “Beneath the Cross of Jesus” for the March 13th service. Lent 4 Worship, Pastor Teresa preaching, Communion will be served. Organ: Kazuko Sacon.

March 13th – 9:30am Adult Sunday School and Multigenerational Sunday School, 10:40am Choir practice of “Beneath the Cross of Jesus”, Lent 5 Worship, Charles McJilton of Second Harvest Japan preaching, Youth and friends leading Worship.

March 20th – Lent 6 Palm Sunday Worship, Rev. Dr. Jim Sack preaching, March of the Palms, Communion will be served. Organ: Kazuko Sacon.

March 25th – Good Friday Service at 6:30pm, in the sanctuary.

March 27th – EASTER, Pastor Teresa preaching, Easter Egg Hunt, Robust Easter Fellowship.

***

GATHERING GIFTS FOR March 27th EASTER SUNDAY

Looking for musicians, thespians for a skit, liturgist, flowers to decorate the altar, folks to prepare the Easter Eggs, and those to hide and manage the Easter Egg Hunt. We are asking all to prepare yummies for our robust EGG-CITING Easter Fellowship Time. Please bring a finger food of something eggy, yummy or Eastery to share = ) Please let Pastor Teresa wtucrev@gmail.com know of your gifts and interest.

***

Little Kidz: Please go with Heather to learn about The Lost Sheep/Coin.

Confirmation Class: March 21st at the Bennett`s home – Supper from 6:30. Class from 7pm.

ES/MS Youth: March 18th ES/MS Swim night – 5:30-7:30 at ASIJ; Hosted by the Loveman family.

HS Youth: Gathering cloth to continue with quilting projects, please give your usable material to one of the Youth. Youth and friends leading Worship March 13th.

***

MULTIGENERATIONAL SUNDAY SCHOOL!! ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL!! 

We have Multigenerational Sunday School from 9:30AM in the cafeteria the second and fourth Sundays of the month. Who is welcome? All ages. We  will be creating, discussing, playing games, acting out bible stories and more. At the same time, the Sacks host the Adult Sunday School, also at 9:30AM in their living room. The method used is the, “Swedish Bible study method,” interacting with the texts for the service through our own life experiences. Their home is right across the Lutheran Campus from our sanctuary. Best coffee in town = ) Come and enjoy! (At times Adult Sunday School is held in the Upper Room, hosted by Dr. Toshi Sasao, on the 2nd floor above the Sanctuary.) All are welcome. Need more information, contact wtucrev@gmail.com any time = ) Next Sunday Schools – March 13th – Easter Egg hunt on March 27th! All friends invited!

***

WTUC  Announcements:  *Questions or concerns?  Feel free to email wtucrev@gmail.com anytime *Please enjoy and refer our website https://wtuc.net/ and FB page (West Tokyo Union Church) to others. Please make any suggestions for additions to the Pastor Teresa and/or Steering Committee. If you’d like to be added to the WTUC church email list, are interested in baptism or membership, please contact Pastor Teresa *If interested in joining the WTUC Prayer Chain, let Pastor Teresa or Prayer Chain Coordinator, Kayo Ozawa, know of your interest. Please submit prayers to wtucrev@gmail.com or Kayo. *Sign up for snacks for fellowship time with Ann or Jill. We appreciate your contributions to our community life!

***

Text for the sermon – 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 (NRSV)

16From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way.17So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.