Ash Wednesday

The season of Lent will begin for our congregation with a special Ash Wednesday service of Repentance begining at 7 p.m., at the Lutheran Center. Please join us for this time of prayer and reflection.

Wednesday March 1, 7 p.m.

What Is Ash Wednesday?

    Do you know the symbolism of the day?
      1. From ancient times, ashes have been used as a symbol of mourning, penitence, grief and humiliation. In his pain and sorrow, Job "sat among the ashes" (Job 2:8). The Old Testament book of Numbers and the New Testament book of Hebrews indicate that ashes were also used for purification (Numbers 19:17 and Hebrews 9:13).
      2. Christians have had an old tradition of using ashes made from the palm branches used on the last Palm Sunday. Priests and ministers have often used the ashes to make the sign of the cross on a believer's forehead as part of the Ash Wednesday ceremony.
      3. The ashes symbolize the Christian's intent to repent of sins, to accept purification from the Lord, and to make a public witness of one's faith in Christ as Lord and Savior.
      4. Since Ash Wednesday begins Lent, the ashes symbolize one's intention to deepen his or her spiritual life. Lent is a time for spiritual renewal and growth in dedication and service.

LENT AGAIN?

    Yes, again! Lent, the 40 day period before Easter, has been observed in the Lutheran Church for hundreds of years. It begins on March 1st, Ash Wednesday. It is a special time of focusing on all Jesus did to make it possible for us to enter the "Kingdom of God."

    In Mark 4: 26-27 we read Jesus' Words: "This is what the Kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. He sleeps at night, is up and about during the day, and all the while the seeds are sprouting and growing. Yet, he does not know how it happens." Through His WORD, (the Seed), God transforms us, that is, He makes us more and more to be and act like Jesus. It happens so silently that often we are unaware how God is at work in our lives.

    Lent is one of those special times of the year when our Lord is at work to cause us to "sprout and grow" spiritually. I encourage you to take extra time to read through the Gospels to learn and relearn how much your God and Savior loves you and longs to strengthen His kind and gracious reign in your life.

    Lent again? Yes, and our living Lord is here to quietly build His Kingdom in and through you. It all sounds quite exciting to me. If not before, I hope to see you Ash Wednesday or on Sunday next.

    With my love and prayers,

                                Pastor Tom

Dear Friends in Christ,

    In late January, our congregation held its Annual Voters' Assembly, an important time every year for us to reflect, discuss, and plan. During the meeting that was held in the upstairs classroom, we briefly discussed the various events of 2005, all of which were recorded and submitted in a report from our Board of Elders. We then eagerly turned our hearts and minds to the future.

    The first order of business included electing a new Board of Elders and Church Council. These are: Sumiko K., Takashi I., Ron F. (Bd. of Elders); Nancy R.I. (secretary), Eugene Y. (treasurer), Marcia K. (president), Takashi I. & Henitsoa R. (worship), Ron R. (Ch. Education), Nancy T. & Martha H. (fellowship) and Yoshi N. & Marcia K. (outreach).

    The group then spent the remainder of the meeting discussing the future of St. Pauls and what each one of us can do to encourage one another, to support the work of the congregation as a whole, and to reach out to those in the community who do not know the Lord. It was here that Sumiko encouraged us to make PRAYER the foundation of St. Pauls International Lutheran Church. In everything we plan, in everything we try and in everything we do -- we first begin with prayer.

    With this in mind, from this month in each newsletter we will place an "Agenda for Prayer". In your own prayers each day we ask that you remember these petitions in your talks with the Lord. Just today I was reminded "The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and save them. The Lord preserves all who love Him." (Ps. 145:14,18,19,20)

    If you have a prayer request to add to this "agenda", please let one of the elders know or drop us an email at the newsletter address listed. During this season of Lent, as we reflect and repent, let us keep our eyes on the Lord. He is our true source of strength and hope. He is always near!

                                         Marcia K.

    Building Up the Family of God through the Power of Prayer! Please join us as we turn to the Lord in Prayer. Each month our Elders will be selecting a theme or themes for our members to remember in their daily prayers. Together in prayer we can daily lift our concerns, joys, or sorrows to the Lord, taking the opportunity to ask God to bless, to unleash the power of the Holy Spirit and to lead in the way of righteousness. Please contact the elders with any prayers you would like to add.

    In the month of MARCH .....
    We pray for the SPIRITUAL GROWTH of our congregation, that together in Christ we can move forward, boldly procliaming His Word.
    We pray for the CHILDREN of our world. It is a dangerous place for our littlest ones.
    We pray that THOSE AFFECTED by the recent disaster in the Philippines will receive help as well as a sense of hope. We pray for the groups and individuals who are seeking to assist those who have been so adversely affected.

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 : Marcia K.
InkLink-online Editor :

Sunday worship
9:30 am, Iidabashi NRK
Lutheran Center

March Rotation
Mar. 5 ... Christian Ed.
Mar. 12 ... Council Meeting
Mar. 19 ... Christian Ed.
Mar. 26 ... Fellowship

Church season: Lent, Easter
Colors: Purple, White

Festivals:
Mar. 1 Ash Weds. (Lenten Season)
Mar. 2 the Wesley bros., 1788, musicians (Wales)
Mar. 5 First Sunday in Lent
Mar. 17 Patrick, bishop, 461 (Ireland)
Mar. 19 Joseph, guardian of Our Lord
Mar. 24 Oscar Afnulfo Romero, 1980 (El Salvador)
Mar. 25 The Annunciation

We Welcome Our Visitors

    First time (and some repeat) visitors in January and February have included:
    Jason B. (VYM) and Pastor Steve Lange (LCMS), Heather S. (J-3, who brought us the message for the day on Sunday Jan. 29, thank you Heather!), Takashi's friends Hiroko N. and Mochizukio-san, Holly R., Becky R., Hide K., Steve F., Pastor Tom & Adrienne's Indiana connection friends, Minoru M. and Yuka S., Jim D. and his two friends from New York, Tom & Debi G. and their friends, the musical Andoh family, Chieko M., church neighbor Linda S. and friend Beth M., and Mariya from China, two Finnish gentlemen and two ladies from England en route to Australia. We are an international church!

    Thank you to Nancy R.I. and Yo F. for keeping our attendance and visitor records!

Thank You to Our Volunteers

    Every Sunday we have so many dedicated volunteers that help with all the little tasks that need to be done ... we THANK YOU!
    Because of your faithfulness to our congregation and its mission, we continue to thrive and grow. God has richly blessed us.
    If you, too, would like to help out please speak to one of our volunteers. There are many opportunities for you to serve, to grow in discipleship and to share your faith. You are invited to share your gifts in ministry at St Pauls.

    Lent is the 40 day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Traditionally, it has been a time when Christians re-examine their spiritual life and try to discern the quality of their relationship with God. There are many individual approaches to strengthening the spiritual life, including: choosing to fast, praying more often, reading the Bible and devotional literature, engaging more often in public worship, serving God more intensely in the world.
    We miss the mark if we focus only on our desires. Lent ought to be a time of deeper dedication to God and seeking ways in which we can help to further God's kingdom on Earth.

In March, our Fellowship activities will include a Pancake Event to be held at the parsonage. Details have yet to be worked out so check in on our website for date and times.

Looking ahead to Holy Week we will be having a joint Good Friday worship service with the Center congregation on April 14th, at 7:00pm. The service will be conducted in both Japanese and English. Sunday April 16th, we will celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord with an Easter Service of Holy Communion beginning at 9:30am. Please join us for this event of praise and rejoicing.

Please Note -- The "Music Box" time of singing currently held every 2nd Sunday evening at Urawa Lutheran Church and led by Tom & Debi G. and Fumi-san, is going to be taking a break.

The Goings are here

    Pastor Tom and Adrienne Going arrived safely here in Tokyo on February 9th! Thanks to Nancy R. I. and Mia for meeting them at the airport and heading them into the city. And for Takashi I. and Yoshi N. for making sure they were settled into the parsonage. Thank you to Sumiko for the flowers awaiting their arrival and for the computer she has loaned for their use. So many others have helped stock the cupboards and filled the frig. Thank you one and all.

    During the 10 weeks the Goings will be with us, Pastor Tom will be leading our worship services each Sunday, in addition to conducting our Ash Wednesday and Good Friday services. We will also be having a bible study during the fellowship/christian education hour each Sunday morning, led by Pastor Tom. He will be in the church office most mornings during the week, so feel free to give him a call and say "hi"!

    We give thanks to the Lord for these dedicated servants of the Kingdom of God! We are blessed with their enthusiasm, their leadership and their faithfulness. Thank you, PT and Adrienne for being here for us!