The Rev. Dr. Alice Knotts is a United Methodist minister from San Diego, California.  She studied at ICU as an exchange student in 1964 and attended WTUC at that time.  She returns to visit the Sacon family and see how things have changed.  She reflects on history, religion, and cultural changes in books she has written.  With a passion for justice, she has been in ministry and mission with small congregations, marginalized groups and campus ministry in Oregon, Colorado, Montana, and California.

Acts 1:21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” 23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed,“Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.” 

May 27th   10:55 Worship,  Rev. Susan and Rev. Teresa preaching. PENTECOST! Bring red and orange finger foods to share during fellowship time. Wear red, orange or blue to celebrate the Holy Spirit.

June 3rd   10:55 Worship, Rev. Susan preaching. Communion. Church School Celebration. Congregational meeting.

June 10th   10:55 Worship, Rev. Susan preaching.

June 17th   10:55 Worship, Rev. Teresa preaching.  Communion.

June 24th   10:55 Worship, Rev. Teresa preaching.

During July and August WTUC breaks for the summer.  A list of nearby churches is available from the pastors.  WTUC services will resume on September 2, 2012.

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can, in all the places you can,
at all the times you can, to all the people you can, 
as long as ever you can.

…John Wesley

This Sunday:  Pastor Teresa looks at Jesus` simple yet profound commandment ”Love one another as I have loved you.”  Text John 15:9-17  

We are doing a “spring fling” bible study for adults.  Two weeks looking at Romans 12:2: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect.  Last week, we considered the ways in which we find ourselves conforming, this 2nd week we will look at the ways we are being transformed. Even if you were not able to attend the !st week, you are welcome to attend this week`s.  It will be held in the Sack`s garden (next to Trinity Hall on the Lutheran College Campus) with their delicious coffee to boot!

May 13th   9:40 Adult Sunday School on Romans 12:2 – Transformation;
10:55 Worship, Rev. Teresa preaching.  Mother’s Day.

May 20th   10:55 Worship,  Rev. Dr. Alice Knotts preaching.  Ascension Sunday.

May 27th   10:55 Worship,  Rev. Susan and Rev. Teresa preaching. PENTECOST! Bring red and orange finger foods to share during fellowship time. Wear red, orange or blue to celebrate the Holy Spirit.

June 3rd   10:55 Worship, Rev. Susan preaching.  Church School Celebration. Congregational meeting.

We are doing a “spring fling” bible study for adults.  Two weeks looking at Romans 12:2: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect.  This week, we’ll consider the ways in which we find ourselves conforming.

May 13th   9:40 Adult Sunday School on Romans 12:2 – Transformation;
10:55 Worship, Rev. Teresa preaching.  Mother’s Day.

May 20th   10:55 Worship,  Rev. Dr. Alice Knotts preaching.  Ascension Sunday.

May 27th   10:55 Worship,  Rev. Susan and Rev. Teresa preaching. PENTECOST! Bring red and orange finger foods to share during fellowship time. Wear red, orange or blue to celebrate the Holy Spirit.

The Morning-Watch
O joys! infinite sweetness! with what flow’rs
And shoots of glory my soul breaks and buds!

All the long hours
Of night, and rest,
Through the still shrouds
Of sleep, and clouds,
This dew fell on my breast;
Oh, how it bloods

And spirits all my earth! Hark! In what rings
And hymning circulations the quick world

Awakes and sings;
The rising winds
And falling springs,
Birds, beasts, all things
Adore him in their kinds.
Thus all is hurl’

In sacred hymns and order, the great chime
And symphony of nature. Prayer is

The world in tune,
A spirit voice,
And vocal joys
Whose echo is heav’n’s bliss.
O let me climb

When I lie down! The pious soul by night
Is like a clouded star whose beams, though said

To shed their light
Under some cloud,
Yet are above,
And shine and move
Beyond that misty shroud.
So in my bed,

That curtain’d grave, though sleep, like ashes, hide
My lamp and life, both shall in thee abide.

BY HENRY VAUGHAN 1621–1695, Welsh poet

This Sunday:  Let`s look with Pastor Teresa at Psalm 23 and receive encouragement that God`s Presence is a balm in the midst of our daily lives.  

Enjoy this version of Psalm 23 for the urban dweller by Toki Miyashiro.

The Lord is my pace-setter: I shall not rush.
He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals
He provides me with images of stillness
which restore my serenity.

He leads me in the way of efficiency through calmness of mind
and his guidance is peace.
Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day,
I will not fret, for His presence is here.

His timelessness, His all-importance will keep me in balance.
He prepares me refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity
by anointing my mind with the oil of tranquility
My cup of joyous energy overflows.

Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruit of my hours,
for I shall walk in the pace of  my Lord and dwell in His house forever.

*****THE WTUC FACEBOOK PAGE IS UP*****LIKE US*****POST THERE*****
********Pastor Susan and Pastor Teresa will be monitoring all activity ********

May 6th     9:40 Adult Sunday School on Romans 12:2 – Conformity;                                                        　　　　10:55 Worship,  Rev. Susan preaching.  Communion.

May 13th   9:40 Adult Sunday School on Romans 12:2 – Transformation;
                  10:55 Worship, Rev. Teresa preaching.  Mother`s Day.

May 20th   10:55 Worship,  Rev. Dr. Alice Knotts preaching.  Ascension Sunday.

May 27th   10:55 Worship,  Rev. Susan and Rev. Teresa preaching. PENTECOST! Bring red and orange finger foods to share during fellowship time. Wear red, orange or blue to celebrate the Holy Spirit.

Email address for Rev. Susan Townsley and Rev. Teresa Sherrill:
wtucrev@gmail.com

This Sunday:  Please come and support our High School Age youth, as they lead us in worship this week! 

Steering Committee Following Worship

April 29th   10:55 Worship, Rev. Teresa preaching
May 6th       10:55 Worship, Rev. Susan preaching

“Optimism hopes for the best without any guarantee of its arriving and is often no more than whistling in the dark. Christian hope, by contrast, is faith looking ahead to the fulfillment of the promises of God, as when the Anglican burial service inters the corpse ‘in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Optimism is a wish without warrant; Christian hope is a certainty, guaranteed by God himself. Optimism reflects ignorance as to whether good things will ever actually come. Christian hope expresses knowledge that every day of his life, and every moment beyond it, the believer can say with truth, on the basis of God’s own commitment, that the best is yet to come.”

― J.I. Packer, (born July 22, 1926) is a British-born Canadian Christian theologian in the low church Anglican and Reformed traditions. He currently serves as the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Email address for Rev. Susan Townsley and Rev. Teresa Sherrill:  wtucrev@gmail.com

This Sunday:  We focus on the lovely Psalm 133.  Why is Christian community evidence of the resurrection?

The youth will be rehearsing for youth Sunday following worship.

 Did you know that Easter is a 7 week season, starting with Easter Sunday and Ending with Pentecost?  During this season, many of our scripture lessons will feature stories about how the followers of Jesus  experienced the resurrection, and what it means for us today.

April 22nd   10:55 Worship, YOUTH SUNDAY! Steering Committee Following Worship

April 29th    10:55 Worship, Rev. Teresa preaching 

May 6th       10:55 Worship, Rev. Susan preaching

I Am Going To Start Living Like A Mystic
by Edward Hirsch, from Lay Back the Darkness, 2003

Today I am pulling on a green wool sweater
and walking across the park in a dusty snowfall.

The trees stand like twenty-seven prophets in a field,
each a station in a pilgrimage – silent, pondering.

Blue flakes of light falling across their bodies
are the ciphers of a secret, an occultation.

I will examine their leaves as pages in a text
and consider the bookish pigeons, students of winter.

I will kneel on the track of a vanquished squirrel
and stare into a blank pond for the figure of Sophia. 

I shall begin scouring the sky for signs
as if my whole future were constellated upon it. 

I will walk home alone with the deep alone,
a disciple of shadows, in praise of the mysteries.

Email address for Rev. Susan Townsley and Rev. Teresa Sherrill: wtucrev@gmail.com

9:30 Egg Easter Hunt—Please Bring a basket or bag for your eggs

10:00 Easter Brunch—Please bring your table settings and food to share:  Suggestions include Fruit, Cheese, Bread, Crackers, Sweet Rolls, Ham, Sausage, Egg Dish, Covered dish, Vegetables, Juice

Consider bringing one or two extra table settings so we can show Christian Hospitality to guests who may show up to be with us.

10:55 EASTER service, Rev. Susan Preaching, Puppets, Middle School Choir, Dedication of Alyvia Bennett

April 15th           

10:55 Worship, Rev. Susan preaching

April 22nd          

10:55 Worship, YOUTH SUNDAY!

April 29th           

10:55 Worship, Rev. Teresa preaching

 The following is from the Still Speaking Daily Devotionals, http://www.ucc.org/feed-your-spirit/daily-devotional/

Philippians 2:6-7



”He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in human likeness. . . and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.”



Written by Talitha Arnold

I can’t imagine a more God-forsaken scene than Jesus on his desolate journey to Calvary. Not only did Jesus empty himself of any claim to power—human or divine—but he entered into the cruel emptiness of human fear and hatred. The hours between the last supper and the crucifixion seem devoid of human pity, much less love or hope. They are filled instead with betrayal, denial, cowardice and violence. The Psalmist describes it best: “He was cut off from the land of the living.” 

And yet. . . . 

Even in that desolation, there were moments of grace and people whose compassion overcame their fear. Simon who carried his cross. The women who bore witness. The disciple who cared for his mother.  

If such mercy was present in that barren time, then surely God was, too. As the ancient Christian chant Ubi caritas affirms, “where caring and love are, there is God.” 

When life gets barren and hard, we can become more aware of the small kindnesses – the friends who help us bear our grief; the colleague who stands by us; the church member who writes a note or shows up with a casserole. Simple acts of mercy and care that remind us that even in such emptiness, we are not alone. 

”He emptied himself,” Paul writes of Jesus, and he entered into the emptiness of human life. Because he did, we can, too, for we know that even in the hard and empty times of our lives, God is there.



Prayer  

Help us not to be afraid of the empty places within us, O God, but give us the courage to open our lives to you, and in that emptiness to find your abundant love – to find you. Amen.

Email address for Rev. Susan Townsley and Rev. Teresa Sherrill:  wtucrev@gmail.com

 to reflect on the taking up of the cross by Jesus

join us for simple soup and worship

Friday April 6th, 2012

at the Fosters

contact wtucrev@gmail.com for directions

Soup: 5:30pm

(bring soup, bread, fruit, salad to share)

Service: 6:30pm

Scripture, Liturgy and Song

CHILDREN ARE VERY WELCOME

sponsored by West Tokyo Union Church

EASTER ACTIVITIES  April 8th, 2012

9:30 Easter Egg Hunt followed by a Brunch

(please bring dishes to share as well as your table service – suggestions: ham and sausage, fruit, eggs or egg-related dish, vegetables, cheese, bread, cereal and milk, juice, pastries)

10:55 Sunday morning worship

@Lutheran Seminary and College ( Lutaru Shingako Daigaku)

3-10-20 Osawa  Mitaka-shi, Tokyo

Special treat!  Rev. Joe Ozawa guest preaches this Sunday, talking about the good Samaritan and his particular ministry.  Text:  Luke 30-37