Sunday, May 8th – 2nd Sunday after Easter

West Tokyo Union Church

Sunday, May 8, 2011 – 2nd Sunday after Easter

There will be a Congregational Meeting next Sunday, May 15th after church.

No Elementary or Middle Sunday School this week.

Adult Intro to Bible Study:  Meets upstairs at 9:45.

Worship: 10:55

Elementary School Children Sing:  “Praise Ye the Lord”

Old Testament:  Exodus 19 : 1-6; Deuteronomy 32 : 7-14

Gospel:  Matthew 23 : 27

Sermon:  “God’s Wings of Love” – Rev. Claudia

The Real Mother’s Day

Julia Ward Howe wrote the hymn called the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” (“My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord…” UMC hymnal  #717) She saw the results of Lincoln’s war, and founded Mother’s Day for international peace. Here is her great 1870 Mother’s Day Proclamation:

 “The little document which I drew up in the heat of my enthusiasms implored women, all the world over, to awake to the knowledge of the sacred right vested in them as mothers to protect the human life which costs them so many pangs.”

 Arise, then, women of this day,
Arise all women who have hearts,
whether your baptism be that of water or of fears!
Say firmly: “We will not have great questions
decided by irrelevant agencies,
“Our husbands shall not come to us reeking with carnage,
for caresses and applause.
“Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy, and patience.
“We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.”
From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice
goes up with our own.  It says, “Disarm, Disarm!”
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice!
Blood does not wipe out dishonor
nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all
that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women,
to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other
as the means whereby the great human family can live in peace,
And each bearing after her own time the sacred impress,
not of Caesar, but of God.

Service to our congregation and community

Church Directory – Updated published directory is now available. Please get a copy from Toshi Sasao.

WTUC supports Second Harvest Japan where WTUC member, Ruby Sakuma, works as the Food Pantry Coordinator. Second Harvest Japan welcomes volunteers on Fridays and Saturdays to help with the preparation and distribution of food to the homeless.  Those who are interested may see Ruby  or go to the Second Harvest Japan website (2hj.org) to sign up.

Music at WTUC:  If you have favorite songs that you would like to sing, please send Carrie Bennett your requests.  bennettinkuwait@hotmail.com

Carrie is going to help coordinate music at WTUC.  Anyone interested in committing their vocal and musical talents TWICE a month email or see Carrie.

Interested in being a liturgist? Contact Betsy Terada.

Interested in joining the prayer chain? See Pastor Claudia or Kayo Ozawa, prayer chain coordinator.

Interested in becoming a Lay Eucharistic Minister? Contact Pastor Claudia.

Other

 Prayer requests – send to Pastor Claudia or Prayer Chain Coordinator Kayo Ozawa; kayo@ta2.so-net.ne.jp

 Website – www.wtuc.net

Church contacts:

Pastor:  Rev. Claudia Genung-Yamamoto; RevClaudia@aol.com

Steering Committee chairperson: Karen Seevers; kseevers@asij.ac.jp

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