West Tokyo Union Church Weekly - Sunday, January 10, 2016 worship 

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

9:30 AM – ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL in the Sacks` home

9:30 AM – MULTIGENERATIONAL SUNDAY in the cafeteria with Pastor Teresa

11:00 AM –  Rev. Sabine Kluger will bring the sermon Become a Mentsh, from John 1. FELLOWSHIP Time: after the service.

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our sending song will be from the theme of John 1,

Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light –

enjoy this rendition of this lovely anthem –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51jBz8wIgYY

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About the preacher – “My name is Sabine Kluger. German-born and raised, I worked in my country as a parish pastor for many years. After 3/11, Evangelical Mission in Solidarity, an international fellowship of 28 churches and missions in about 10 countries (including United Church of Christ in Japan), decided to send an Ecumenical Coworker to Japan in order to work together with Japanese Church institutions and the people tackled by the disaster. So I came to work at National Christian Council in Japan, mainly in projects of YWCA Japan in Fukushima City but also other places in the radiation and tsunami hit area. As my contract will be finished by the end of February, I am going to prepare my return to Germany where I probably will do the same work as before. Besides other things, I will miss the international Christian community in Japan very much, which I am really fond of.”

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“Composition of a Lifetime“ The 2016 Women’s Conference https://woconjapan.wordpress.com/ will be held January 29~31 at Amagi Sanso. Have you ever wondered about the meaning of life? Have you wondered about the meaning of your life? Do you admire great artists, writers, architects, and composers — and envy their genius (even just a little)? We forget that even the great geniuses who produced masterpieces had their dark moments, too. We don’t always know what goes into great compositions, but more importantly, we forget that we are great compositions! Maybe we don’t have that one thing to show for our lives. Except we do! It takes every major and minor part to compose an entire life! We have much to celebrate because we are each fearfully and wonderfully made.

Special Guest Presenter: Tomoko Arakawa, Director of Asia Rural Institute (ARI)

Join us for a celebratory weekend of rest, relaxation, restoration, and fun as we explore the wonderful compositions of our lives! Registration is open. Click here to register – https://woconjapan.wordpress.com/about-3/registration-2009/

Enjoy a short shareable promotional video http://youtu.be/egrWIelgD9E

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Little Kidz: Please enjoy books and coloring materials during the worship. Kidz upstairs will resume January 17th.

Little Kidz, ES, MS, HS and friends: Thank you everyone for your marvelous participation in the pageant! 

Confirmation Class: Monday January 18th, 6:30-8:00pm at the Bennett`s home, Pastor Teresa is teaching. Meal will be prepared by the Ochero family.

HS Youth: 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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Upcoming Preaching Ministry and Community Events

January 10th – Rev. Sabine Kluger preaching, organ: Kazuko Sacon.

January 17th – Paster Teresa preaching, Communion will be served, worship music: Youth and friends.

January 24th – Rev. Matsumoto preaching (Deaf pastor of Yamagata Deaf Church, board chair of the Japanese Sign Language Bible translation project and also of the Asia Pacific Sign Language Development Association) and Mark Penner (WorldVenture missionary who has worked in the Japanese Deaf community for 32 years) translating, organ: Kazuko Sacon.

January 31st – Rev. Dr. Jim Sack preaching, organ: Kazuko Sacon.

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MULTIGENERATIONAL SUNDAY SCHOOL!! ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL!! 

We have Multigenerational Sunday School from 9:30AM 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 9:30AM 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 = )  Next Sunday Schools – January 10th and 24th!

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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, are interested in baptism or membership, 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. *Sign up for snacks for fellowship time with Ann or Jill. We appreciate your contributions to our community life!

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Texts for the sermon – John 1:1-18 (NRSV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2  He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life,[a] and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.[b] 10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own,[c] and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son,[d] full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son,[e] who is close to the Father’s heart,[f] who has made him known.