9:30 AM – MULTIGENERATIONAL and ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL

11:00 AM – PENTECOST WORSHIP

FELLOWSHIP TIME: after the service

Sunday, May 24th – MULTIGENERATIONAL and ADULT Sunday School from 9:30-10:30 AM. During the 11 AM worship, Rev. Dr. Jim Sack, will preach from Acts 2 and John 15-6 bringing a sermon titled,“On the Breath of God.” A robust fellowship time celebrating Pentecost will follow the worship – everyone as able please bring red, orange, yellow finger foods to symbolize fire or blue finger foods, to symbolize the Spirit – invite your friends!

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about the preacher – Jim and Carol Sack have been long term missionaries in Japan with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Japan since 1982. Jim teaches clinical psychology classes in the undergraduate and graduate school as well as pastoral counseling classes in the seminary. Carol is director of “Lyra Precaria,” a ministry that provides harp music and voice at the bedside of the dying. 

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We are looking for someone desiring to serve WTUC next year (2015-6) printing bulletins, posting to the website, and sending out the emailing – if you are interested, please talk with Pastor Teresa, wtucrev@gmail.com

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Upcoming Preaching Ministry and Community Events

May 24th     MULTIGENERATIONAL and ADULT Sunday School, PENTECOST worship – bring red, orange yellow or blue finger foods to share during fellowship hour, Rev. Dr. Jim Sack, Professor at the Lutheran College and Seminary preaching.

May 31st       HS Youth Sunday with testimonies and songs, celebrating our seniors, Brandon, Elsa, Max and Niki (6/15), and Keita (3/16); the youth will provide our refreshments.

June 7th        ES Youth Sunday, SS Teacher thank yous, Communion will be served.

June 14th      MULTIGENERATIONAL and ADULT Sunday School, Rev. Christian Zebley preaching.

June 21st     Rev. Dr. Jim Sack, Professor at the Lutheran College and Seminary preaching.

June 28th      MULTIGENERATIONAL and ADULT Sunday School, Pastor Teresa preaching. This will be the last Sunday of the 2014-5 church year. Next service will be Sunday, September 6th, a list of local churches to visit is on the back table.

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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CORNER (we value your prayers & involvement in this vital ministry)  Any questions, please contact Pastor Teresa at wtucrev@gmail.com, or Julie Rogers for HS; Amy Harbaugh and Steve Bennett for Upper ES and Lower MS, grades 4-7; and Carrie Bennett for Lower ES, grades K-3.

Little Kids: All are welcome to go with Sammie and have fun learning about “A New World.”

ES – June 3rd 5:00 pm Nogawa Park play and planning meeting for the ES Youth Sunday June 7th.

MS/HS — Sunday, May 24th at 10:00 am (planning meeting for Youth Sunday); Sunday May 31st HS Youth Sunday with testimonies, puppets and songs.

MULTIGENERATIONAL and ADULT Sunday School – 9:30 am Sunday, May 24th; June 14th and June 28th.

 

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MULTIGENERATIONAL SUNDAY SCHOOL!! ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL!! We have Multigenerational Sunday School from 9:30 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 9:30 am 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, on the 2nd floor above the Sanctuary.) All are welcome. Need more information, contact wtucrev@gmail.com any time = ) Sunday School schedule: 5/24, 6/14 and 6/28.

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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, please contact Gene Witt ewitt@asij.ac.jp

*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 Ozawa.

*Sign up for snacks for fellowship time with Ann or Jill. We appreciate your contributions to our community life!

*Interested in baptism or membership, please contact Pastor Teresa.

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Passages for the sermon –

Acts 2:1-21 (from NRSV) 1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 “In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

John 15:26-27 (from NRSV) 26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27 You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

16:4b-15 (from NRSV) 4 But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.