Sunday, November 15, 2015

West Tokyo Union Church Weekly - Sunday, November 15, 2015    

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

11:00 AM – WORSHIP

FELLOWSHIP TIME: Thanksgiving Feast after the service.

Sunday, November 15th – During the 11AM worship service Julie Rogers, will bring the sermon “Giving Thanks” from Luke 17.  Communion will be served. Kazuko Sacon will provide the organ worship music. A special Thanksgiving offering will be taken for the ministry of Asian Rural Institute. Following our worship will be our Thanksgiving Feast in the Cafeteria.

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GATHERING ALL THANKSGIVING YUMMIES: November 15th we will have our annual Thanksgiving Feast. Everyone please bring a harvest food to share – turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, veggies, fruits or a luscious dessert – all yummies are welcome! Please also bring a place setting and one to share with a friend. Please see or contact Ann, Jill or Pastor Teresa for more details and to sign up for what you will be bringing.

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about the preacher – Julie and Aaron Rogers arrived in Tokyo 16 years ago with 2 little kids. Julie is a high school math teacher and Aaron is a middle school PE and health teacher at ASIJ.  Lots has happened since their arrival in 1999 and their oldest, Brandon, is now a freshman at Marymount University in Virginia while Allie is a junior and Oliver is a freshman at ASIJ. The Rogers spend their summers in Minnesota working on their lake house.  They are so thankful for the opportunity to worship each Sunday at WTUC.  

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About the Thanksgiving Special Offering – Asian Rural Institute (ARI) http://www.ari-edu.org/en/about-us/ is a leadership training center welcoming about 30 rural leaders to its campus each year who along with volunteers and staff members, forming a community that seeks to live out it’s motto, That We May Live Together.  Focusing on servant leadership and learning sustainable organic farming as well as community building skills; graduates finish the program in December of each year to go back home to serve their communities in their home countries.  In 3/11, ARI was damaged and its campus was impacted by the fallout of radiation. Through working with churches throughout Japan and the world as well as connecting with local organizations in Tochigi; ARI has been able to rebuild its campus and continues to ameliorate the condition of its soil. Through trial and error, with much hard work we have brought the level of radioactive cesium down to levels we are comfortable with and can consume almost 100% of the food we grow. We have also finished our rebuilding projects, including restoring an old traditional farm house to be a community center and worship sanctuary.

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Socks and gifts for the children of “Nozomi No Ie,” an orphanage in Mitaka.

The tradition of collecting socks and gifts for the children residing at Nozomi No Ie goes back well over 20 years. Members of WTUC are asked to select a child (or children) and buy them both some socks and a present for Christmas. This year please feel free to accept more than one child. We ask each giver to sign up for a child by writing their name on a master list. The names of the children are also placed on a slip of paper that is given to the gift giver. It lists the name of the child, their sex, their age and sock size. The slips of paper have been color coded in case you forget their sex, with boys being blue and girls being red. If you happen to lose the piece of paper, ( which I am sure will never happen) you can call me or email wtucrev@gmail.com to be reminded of who it is you are buying for.

Presents should not cost more than \2,000. We want to get them something that is meaningful but we don’t want this to become a contest between children. Nozomi No Ie has asked that coupons, money and gift cards NOT be given. The orphanage would like each child to be able to open the gift and immediately be able to make use of it. If the socks and the gift are wrapped separately that gives each child the opportunity to open up two things. Please make sure the name of the child is SECURELY attached to each gift. If the name comes apart from the gift it is difficult to know who should receive the gift. The name of the giver may or may not be written on the gifts. That is up to each individual to decide.

They can be placed under the Christmas tree at the church. I take the gifts home each Sunday and put them in a secure place until they can be delivered to the orphanage by Christmas Eve.

This project continues to be a very concrete example of sharing the love of Christ during the Christmas season. Thank you to all who support this ministry.

Jim Sack

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Little Kidz: All are welcome to go with Sara and have fun learning about “The Fruit of the Spirit.”

ES: Youth gathering for November, this Friday the 13th from 6pm-8pm at the Montogomery/Shimokawa home on the ICU campus. Devotional, an activity, dinner and roasting some marshmallows outside. Friends are welcome!

Confirmation Class: Monday November 30th, 6:30-8:00pm at the Bennett`s home, Pastor Teresa is teaching. Pizza provided this month by the Montgomery/Shimokawa family.

HS Youth: Meeting Sunday, November 15 at the Rogers’ house starting at 5:00 pm. Pizza, Bible Study and Quilt making. Youth are still gathering cloth to continue with quilting projects – quilts are being created to give to refugees – please give your usable material to one of the Youth. 

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

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Upcoming Preaching Ministry and Community Events

November 15th Julie Rogers preaching, Communion will be served, Organ: Kazuko Sacon. Thanksgiving Feast after service – friends are welcome! Special offering will be given to Asian Rural Institute.

November 20th-22nd – a wide variety of musical and evangelistic opportunities (Friday 6:30PM, Saturday 10:00AM and 5:30PM, and Sunday 3PM sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Organisation at the Budokan – http://celebrationoflove.tokyo/en/ Pastor Teresa has tickets for each of the events throughout the weekend, Rev. Christian Zebley is one of the volunteer laborers organisers – if you would like to help – please contact him or wtucrev@gmail.com

November 22nd  Adult and Multigenerational Sunday School, Rev. Claudia Genung-Yamamoto preaching, organ: Kazuko Sacon, Celebration of Love (including a mass gospel choir that Pastor Teresa and Sophia are singing in) at the Budokan from 3pm.

November 29th  Advent I – Rev. Dr. Jim Sack preaching, Organ: Kazuko Sacon, Senzoku Music Conservatory will offer pieces in the worship and will have an Advent Concert from 12:45pm. Invite your friends to this delightful afternoon.

December 6th   Advent 2 – Christmas Pageant Practice from 9:30am, Rev. Christian Zebley preaching, Communion will be served, organ: Kazuko Sacon.

December 13th Advent 3 – Christmas Pageant Practice, Pageant during Worship, Christmas Caroling at local orphanages and Christmas treats at the Sacks` home.

December 20th  Advent 4 – Rev. Dr. Jim Sack preaching, Communion will be served, organ: Gene Witt.

December 24th  Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols, 6:30pm followed by Christmas treats fellowship, organ: Kazuko Sacon.

December 27th (Sunday School will resume in January), Pastor Teresa preaching, organ: Kazuko Sacon.

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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, hosted by Dr. Toshi Sasao, on the 2nd floor above the Sanctuary.) All are welcome. Need more information, contact wtucrev@gmail.com any time= ) 2015 Sunday School schedule:  11/22, 12/6 (pageant practice for kids); 12/13 (pageant practice and pageant during worship)

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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 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 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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Sermon text – John 17 – Jesus Heals Ten

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”

And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?

18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”

19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

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