Pastor's Corner
 IS NOTHING FREE, OR DOES ST. PAUL'S HAVE A MISSION?
What do we teach children? It seems to me that we tend to teach them that they get what they deserve. How they study in school produces the grades they deserve. If they study hard in school they will get good grades and will deserve them. If they approach a sport or a skill haphazardly, they will get the results they deserve. And as adults we ourselves accept the standards that indicate people get what they deserve. If someone doesn't perform well on the job they don't deserve to be promoted. Society seems to teach that there is nothing in life that is worth anything that is free. So we have sayings like, "The key to success is constant preparation." Or, "There is no such thing," as the old saying goes, "as a free lunch."
But there is grace and it is free! If parents and people of faith do not teach "grace" to children they may never learn who God is or what Christ is all about. Martin Luther, whose "Protestant Reformation" we will celebrate the end of October, realized from reading scripture that God is a God of grace. And that in Christ Jesus that grace is realized in our lives - free! Among the things Luther wrote, preached and taught were three keys to the Christian life: "Sola Fide - Sola Gratia - Sola Scriptura" "By faith alone; By Divine Grace alone; By Scripture alone."
"Grace" is more than a woman's name and it is more than our short prayers of thanks before a meal. We do not hear of "grace" much in our daily language but it is critical for life. "Grace" describes what is constantly happening to us. Without deserving it people unknown to us are gracious to us, blessing us with goods and services for our use and comfort. People love us even though we have ignored them. Our pet dog accepts us unconditionally even though we forgot to put out food or forgot to refill the water dish. It is by grace that we were born we weren't born because we deserved our parents' love, we were born of something of their love in each other. By grace we were given life.
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One author defines "grace" as follows: "Grace is something you cannot deserve. It is given not because we deserve it, but because the giver wants to give it. The gift does not depend on anything you are, or anything you do, or anything you deserve. It depends solely on the character of the giver."
"Grace" is God holding us, each of us, in his hand. "Grace" is Jesus the Christ emptying himself to love us, even though we do not deserve that love. "Grace" is what all children need to experience. Each child needs to know that he or she is loved, always, and that nothing will ever take away God's love in Christ. Children who grow knowing their lives are "graced" will be children of faith and love, peace and compassion, joy and kindness, courage and maturity. The people of faith at St. Paul have a mission: to help teach "Sola Gratia" to the children of Tokyo. By "grace alone" we are forgiven, loved now and to eternity. Please join us for worship and Sunday School and helping children grow. We have a mission to spread free grace in Christ.
Pastor Phil Hasknecht, Rev. Ph.D.
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WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY
We welcome you to this study each Wednesday at the church, from 7:00 - 8:30 PM. On Wednesday, September 19, we begin the study of "The Letter of Paul to the Philippians." This letter is perhaps Paul's most joyful letter. It is full of famous quotes and speaks often of the "mind of Christ." It includes the "kenosis" passage about Christ emptying himself for our sake. e letter concludes on the positive note that all things are possible in Christ. Pastor Phil leads the study and discussion.
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SUNDAY ADULT FORUM & MEMBERSHIP ON REFORMATION SUNDAY
"What is our worship?" will be the five week topic of the Sunday Adult Forum from September 23 through October 21. Pastor Phil will lead an interactive discussion of major aspects of worship. "How our Sunday Liturgy Comes from the Bible." "The Lutheran Understanding of Holy Communion: Christ's Real Presence." "How Other Churches Understand Communion."  "Lay Leadership in Worship: Reading, Drama, Music and Prayer." "Holy Play for Children in Worship." Bring your questions and join in.
This series of classes will also be preparation for persons wishing to join St. Paul International Lutheran Church. NEW MEMBER SUNDAY will be celebrated October 28 as we remember the Protestant Reformation of Dr. Martin Luther.
The Sunday Adult Forum meets each Sunday from 11:00 AM to 12 Noon in the lounge. If you would like to join St. Paul's or have questions, please contact Pastor Phil via email: alleluia@gol.com or phone 03-3261-3740.
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Agenda for Prayer
 Whenever we become too anxious about our own difficulties, we often cannot see things beyond these situations.
However, God is always watching us and He will show us how to conquer these problems. "But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it." Romans 8:25 He always extends His helping hand to us. Last month we prayed about being honest and bringing our complaints to God. This month let us pray for patience; patience so that we may persevere and overcome our difficulties. God knows just how much and for how long we can be patient! And it is often not much! So He is asking for more. Why? He is nurturing us. In every direction, in faith, hope and love, He wants us to grow. For inspiration, please read Colossians 1: 9-12. (Prayer thoughts from Sumiko K., Board of Elders)
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"To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." --Martin Luther
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A Day of Theological School
"JAPAN LUTHERAN COLLEGE & SEMINARY: 'A Day of Theological School' On Monday, September 24, there will be a day of open classes around three themes: Theology, Social Welfare, and Clinical/Palliative Psychology. Although classes will be in Japanese there will be opportunity to see the seminary and speak with faculty and students in English. Begin with worship at 9:45 AM and conclude with worship at 3:30 PM. Lunch will be available to purchase. The afternoon program also includes performances by the student music circle. There is no charge (but donations to the seminary are welcome). The Japan Lutheran Seminary is supported by the JELC (ELCA background) and the NRK (LCMS background) - the only Lutheran seminary with a joint faculty and curriculum in the world. The seminary is located 8 minutes from Musashisakae Station (JR Chuo Line) via Odakyu Buses #01 or #91 or #93. The college and seminary are located next to International Christian University."
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Sunday School
Sunday School classes for our children ages 4 to 10, are a joint effort with the Center Church Sunday School and open to all children in the neighborhood. Meeting in the 2nd floor classroom, this class begins at 10:40am, with the Japanese portion of the session. From 11:10am, the class continues with a bilingual time of singing, craft activities, and Bible story readings. The latter half of the hour will be conducted in English. If you would like to help with this class, please speak to Marcia K.
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St. Paul International
Lutheran Church
Tokyo Lutheran Center Building
1-2-32 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo, JAPAN 102-0071
Phone : 03-3261-3740
E-mail : 
Homepage :
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Sunday Worship
9:30 am Holy Communion
10:40 am Fellowship Time
11:10 am Sunday School and Adult Forum
Wednesday Bible Study
7:00pm Pastor H's office
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Upcoming Events
PIPE ORGAN RECITAL
St. Alban's Church (Anglican, 03-3431-3518) announces a "Pipe Organ Recital" by Delbert Kern on their new organ. The concert is Sunday, September 30 from 2:30 PM, with doors open from 2:00 PM. Admission is free. Works to be performed include those by J. Pachebelle, J.S. Bach, F. Mendelssohn, M. Dupre and others. The church is located near Kamiyacho Station on the Hibiya Line.
57TH CHRISTIAN EDUCATION WEEK
The National Christian Council in Japan has declared October 21 - 28 Japan's 57th Christian Education Week. The theme "Here is the Hope" is taken from Psalm 46:1-3a, "God is or refuge and strength,...Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam..." As part of the emphasis, support is encouraged for children still in danger from the disaster in
Chernobyl and also for Christian education in Asia. For more information or to subscribe to the "Japan Christian Activity News", contact the NCC at Tel. 03-3203-0372, or visit the NCC website.
140 YEARS OF SUNDAY SCHOOL IN JAPAN
The National Christian Council in Japan celebrates 140 years of Sunday School in Japan during the week of October 1 - 6, concluding with a special symposium on Saturday, October 6. This event will be held from 10 AM to 12 Noon in the auditorium of Seiwa University Auditorium.
Admission is free. For more information, call 0798-52-0724. The event recognizes the six periods of Sunday School development in Japan:
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1) 1864-1906, the beginnings
of the Sunday School movement; 2) 1907-1930, developing religious education; 3) 1931-1945, war and Sunday School; 4) 1946-1949, the re-development of Church School; 5) 1970 - 1992, reassessing Christian education; 6) 1993- , hopes for the new century and its themes.
News and Notes from here............
 This month we say a great big congratulations to our own Andre R., who received a special medal and citation for his many years of distinguished service from the government of Madagascar. A reception in Andre's honor held at the embassy in late June, was attended by several members of the congregation. Following the invocation given by Pastor Phil, a special presentation ceremony lead off an evening of joyous celebration that included song, dance, and delicious food.  Andre said at the same time back in Madagascar, his wife and daughter were also celebrating his award. Olga has been there these many months awaiting the birth of their grandchild, Johan, who finally arrived July 19th. With Nomena heading off to France the end of August to start school, it has certainly been an exciting, busy summer for the family! We pray God's richest blessings for these dear friends............We received greetings from our many friends who attend West Tokyo Union Church out at the seminary, via their pastor, Rev. Claudia Genung-Yamamoto. Pastor Claudia lead our worship service on August 26th, and brought us a message on the power of prayer in our lives.
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.........and from abroad............
In our inbox over the summer we received some exciting news from former member Brian K, who writes, "I'm engaged! My fiance's name is Karyn and we met at church. She works as a consultant though will be going to nursing school soon. We dated for about 5 and a half months before I popped the question!  Definitely an awesome blessing as we're so excited about the wedding on Nov 10th! It's about time that I settled down at age 33 with such a nice girl. Praise God! I'll definitely bring Karyn by to St. Paul's sometime and show her the wonderful church that I was part of for 3 years." Congratulations Brian and Karyn!........Best wishes go out to Rick S., who wrote and told us he has moved to San Francisco after living 15 years in Japan. Good luck with your new job, Rick!.........And it was good to see and spend time with former member, Gillian H., who was here in August enjoying the "warm" summer temperatures. Gillian is now back in Australia where Spring is just around the corner . Come back soon, Gillian. page 3 of 4
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 From our President
Dear Friends,
The end of summer has come and with it the cooler weather. A blessed relief! And as this fall season approaches, I can't help but think back to another September, two years ago, when our congregation was facing some very difficult days. Its hard to believe that so much time has passed! But not hard to believe that we are still here! Early in October of 2005, when the church council took over the leadership role for our congregation, we decided on a very simple strategy: take our time to heal both spiritually and financially; pray that the Lord would bring us a pastor suited to our international ministry needs; and then little by little begin to rebuild our ministry foundation strong and sure so that the future of our congregation would never again be in jeopardy.
Every Sunday since that time I have prayed a prayer of thanksgiving for our dedicated members (and especially for our church council leaders) who persevered and remained faithful to this plan. With the abundant help of our partner churches, the JELC and NRK, we were able to continue our weekly worship services and even various parts of our ministry on a rotation basis. It has been a challenge at times, but we took strength from each other's efforts and joy in our Christian fellowship. The Lord blessed us abundantly and we were able to heal spiritually and to stabilize financially.
And when He felt we were ready and in need, our Lord brought us a pastor to lead our congregation and share our burdens. We were excited and eager to get going! However, like everything else so far, this too had its complications. As many of you know, one of the main concerns for the church council over the summer has been seeking ways to secure a longer term visa for Pastor Phil. It was frustrating. But now, I am delighted to report that we have done just that and -- we get to keep him! Officially, for two years and more! Thank you all for keeping this effort in your prayers and for supporting our council as we made our way through all the paperwork required by the Japanese government.
And so, with those hurdles accomplished (stabilizing our congregational life and finding a pastor to lead us), we can now move boldly forward in our plan to strengthen our congregation's foundation by concentrating on each of the essential parts of our ministry: Worship, Christian Education, Outreach & Benevolence, Stewardship, and Christian Fellowship. In the last newsletter, we highlighted our new members and gave thanks for the many volunteers who helped maintain our ministry throughout the summer. This time we can read about the many upcoming Christian Education and Fellowship opportunities. Thanks to the efforts of Pastor Phil and Chris H., we have a new brochure and map to help introduce our congregation to others. (Make sure you take one and give it to a friend!) Pastor Phil has many exciting ideas about how we can enrich our Worship experience. (So please make sure to let him know if you are interested in helping in any way!) And looking ahead to November, the church council is preparing a Stewardship campaign that will be both interesting and challenging for us all. We have hit the ground running!
This month, our congregation begins our 43rd year of international ministry in Tokyo. Praise the Lord! May He continue to hold our hand and guide our steps as we march forward together in His service.
Marcia K, council president
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* * Mission Statement * *
St. Paul International Lutheran Church brings together people of diverse backgrounds who are deepening and sharing their Christian faith through English language worship, fellowship, education, and community outreach.page 4 of 4
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