Sunday February 24th, 11am we will celebrate the 2nd Sunday of Lent.  Pastor Teresa preaches from Philippians 3 looking at Paul`s encouragement keep our “eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus.”  Let look forward to enjoying a festive fellowship time as well.

******************************************************What a wonderful way to start off our Lenten journey.  We had a delicious soup supper followed by lovely reflective Ash Wednesday service.  It was wonderful to experience the youth attendance outnumbering that of the adults = ) 

Over 20,000 yen was raised for Second Harvest Japan during the amazing Youth Game Night on Friday the 15th – good times were had by the about 30 who attended!

http://www.2hj.org/index.php/eng_home

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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CORNER 

Little Kids Sunday School (ages 1-5) during the service

Grades 1-4 Sunday School, Confirmation class, Adult Sunday School: NEXT classes are all on March 3rd from 9:30am

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR OUR CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CLASSES.

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WTUC  Announcements

*Any questions or concerns?  Feel free to email wtucrev@gmail.com anytime.*If you’d like to be added to the WTUC church email list, please contact Gene Witt ewitt@asij.ac.jp *If interested in joining the WTUC Prayer Chain, let one of the Pastors or Prayer Chain Coordinator, Kayo Ozawa, know of your interest. Please submit prayers to wtucrev@gmail.com or Kayo Ozawa. *Please enjoy and refer our website to others.  Please make any suggestions for additions to the Pastors and/or Steering Committee. https://wtuc.net/ *Facebook page is up!  Add thoughts, pictures – ENJOY!  Pastor Susan and Pastor Teresa will be monitoring the page. – Tell your friends!

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Philippians 3 (the Message)

1 And that’s about it, friends. Be glad in God!  I don’t mind repeating what I have written in earlier letters, and I hope you don’t mind hearing it again. Better safe than sorry—so here goes.

2-6 Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they’re interested in is appearances—knife-happy circumcisers, I call them. The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ’s praise as we do it. We couldn’t carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book.

7-9 The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.

10-11 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

12-14 I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

15-16 So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.

17-19 Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I’ve warned you of them many times; sadly, I’m having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ’s Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.

20-21 But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.