Annual Meeting

Sunday, 29 January 2006
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Room 208

Election of officers.
Reports for 2004-2005.
Financial status.
Constitutional changes.
Proposals for the long-term.
Refreshments.

All members are urged to attend, to speak out, and to vote.

Sunday, Feb. 12th, immediately after worship in the lounge, please join us in welcoming Pastor Tom & Adrienne Going back to our congregation.

Again!

They were our interim pastoral couple from 1998-2000, and most recently visited us in early December 2005.

Thanks to the Goings, we were able to add many new members, reach out to those who had not known the Lord, and to strengthen our congregation. We look forward to their arrival on Feb. 9th for a 2-month stay.

For more details on this event, please contact Nancy T. or Martha H.

    Our special Santa and friends at the annual Christmas party on Dec. 10th at the JELA Mission Hall in Ebisu. (photo courtesy of Colin & Emi R.)

Dear Friends in Christ,

    Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and a very happy new year to you all! The Lord certainly blessed us with a wonderful holiday season at St. Paul's. We had many visitors and old friends join us in worship and celebration and for that we give Him thanks. And to the many dedicated members who put in extra time and effort for our congregation to make sure everything ran smoothly this past month, I want to say "otsukaresama". And thank you. Because of you and your faith in our mission, we can joyfully continue His work into this new year.

    While in the church office the other day, I found something interesting--
"I read an interesting comparison between the phrase "Today is the first day of the rest of your life," and that author's phrase "Today is the last day of your past." As I remember the article, the writer said there was a difference. The first meant, "Get your life going the way you want it to go." The second meant, "Let go of the past with all its failures and things that hold you back."
    For the Christian, both phrases are true. Christ will help you get on with life as it is meant to be (phrase 1) by forgiving you of your past (phrase 2). Anyway you look at it, Christ is Lord of all of life--past, present and future." (Scott Purdum, Willard, Ohio)

    Our congregation experienced an upheaval this past summer and fall and yet, we celebrated the beginning of our 40th year as a congregation here in Tokyo on Reformation Sunday. Every year, the new Church Year begins with the Advent Season and this year that was on Nov. 27th. How appropriate for us that we held our Commitment Dinner of Thanksgiving on that day, in a sense, celebrating the beginning of a New Year for our congregation as well. The holidays passed in a whirl, and here we are in 2006, another new year for us to celebrate.

    In February, Pastor Tom and Adrienne Going will be arriving in Tokyo. For 10 weeks, with their help, advice and guidance, we can begin looking at and planning for the future of our congregation. God has blessed us with these special friends and we thank Him for this wonderful opportunity to move forward as a congregation, together in Christ. HE is our Rock and our Redeemer -- past, present and future.

    With joy in the Lord,

                                         Marcia K.

Annual Meeting 2006: Proposals, Plans, Reports and Officers

    You've been hearing about our upcoming annual meeting for several months now. The purpose of our annual meeting is to report on the past year, make proposals for constitutional and other changes, and to elect new officers onto the council and the board of elders. Everyone in the congregation is welcome to attend, and all who have become members may vote, may present proposals, and may serve as elected officers.

    Our annual meeting is actually two meetings: one for our Tokyo congregation, and a brief one afterwards for the Friends of St. Paul International Lutheran Church, which is the legal entity for our US dollar accounts. The first meeting will last about 2 hours, while the second will only last a few minutes.

    This year, we will be looking at long-term plans for our future, If you have never attended a meeting at St. Paulfs before, you will learn about some of our basics by attending our annual meeting this month.

    Any proposals or nominations may be submitted before the meeting to the president, elders, or council members.

St. Paul International
Lutheran Church

1-2-32 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo, JAPAN 102-0071

Phone :    03-3261-3740
FAX :    03-3261-2390
E-mail :
Homepage :

InkLink Editor : Nancy R. I.
InkLink-online Editor :

Sunday worship
9:30 am, Iidabashi NRK
Lutheran Center

Church season: Epiphany
Colors: White, Green

Festivals:
Jan. 1 The Name of Jesus
Jan. 8 The Baptism of Our Lord
Jan. 15 Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jan. 19 Henry of Uppsala
Jan. 26 Timothy, Titus, Silas
Jan. 27 Lydia, Dorcas, Phoebe

January Rotation
Jan. 1 ... Service of the Word, Fellowship
Jan. 8 ... Christian Education
Jan. 15 ... Council Meeting
Jan. 22 ... Christian Education
Jan. 29 ... Annual Assembly-Voters' meeting

We Welcome Our Visitors

Pastor Steve L., LCMS, en route to Hong Kong from Grand Park, IL.
Former members Pat & Bill A. of Atlanta, GA.
Yukari U. & Nozomi N. of Adachi-ku, Tokyo.
Mototeru & Masako K. from the JELC in Fujigaoka, Kawasaki City.
Lonnie R. & Takami S. of the LMSC, now in Yokosuka, Kanagawa-ken.
Tara & Krista S. from Minami Urawa, Saitama.
Michael K. of D'Salaam, Tanzania.
Matt R. & Andy E. of SONY, from Calvary Chapel, San Diego, CA.
Many friends and relatives of Eric M. from Tanzania and Japan on January 1st for his confirmation. (See photo on page 1.)
And the Goings of Indiana! Pastor Tom led our worship on Dec. 4th.

Library Benevolence

    Reading materials is sought for the Seventh Day Adventist hospital in Ogikubo. Children's/adults' Christian books/magazines which are non-denominational and in good condition will comfort those who are ill. Mark the books for the relevant library, adult or children's.

Send the donations to:

Rev. Tadashi Ino, Chaplain.
Seventh Day Adventist Hospital (Eisei Byoin)
3-17-3 Amanuma, Suginami-ku
Tokyo 167-0032

Or bring them to our church office.

Thanks to Gillian Heintze for this Benevolence idea!