 From our President
Dear Friends,
Greetings to you from a cold and snowy Tochigi. On Jan. 27, our congregation held the Annual Votersf Assembly for 2008. Thank you to all who stayed and participated in this important event. I would like to share with you here my report on our ministry. It is very long, however I feel it is important to share as much information as possible. If you have any questions, please let me know. Only if we discuss, question and decide together, will we be able to move forward and grow as a congregation. With joy in the Lordfs many blessings, Marcia K., council president.
It is with joy in the Lordfs graciousness that I report on the activities of our congregational leadership, this time for the year 2007.
As president of the church council, I continue to be grateful and humbled by the dedicated, faithful efforts of our members, old and new. In addition, I remain encouraged and reassured by the ongoing generous support of our ministry by the Japan Lutheran Church (NRK) and the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church (JELC). By allowing their pastors and missionaries to help us in leading our worship services from October 2005 to April 2007, these partners in the faith encouraged us to remain strong as a congregation, even in the absence of our own pastoral leadership.
Before I begin, I would like to take a moment and point out three key elements to remember when discussing the current situation of our congregation.
St. Paul International Lutheran Church is an independent congregation recognized by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America [ELCA] and the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod [LCMS]. We are also recognized by their partner churches in Japan: the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church [JELC] and the Japan Lutheran Church [NRK].
First, independence and recognition. We are recognized as a congregation by these Church bodies, however, we are not members of their organizations. We are independent.
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.
Second, we should remember that, as an international congregation, we all share three things in common: our Christian faith, our daily life here in Japan, and our use of English as our tool of communication. While we recognize our ministry as Lutheran, it is our core emphasis on Worship, Fellowship, Christian Education, and Community Outreach that binds us together in our Lordfs call to service.
And third, as I stated in my report for 2006, that with a firm understanding of the foundation of our ministry and having decided as a congregation united to maintain our independence, the church council, at the end of 2006, began focusing their energies on creatively seeking ways of HOW to turn our ongoing, struggling situation into our ongoing hope/vision/idea for the future, that being: St. Paulfs as a thriving, independent, Lutheran congregation, free of distracting financial worries, located in the Lutheran Center in Iidabashi, led by a full-time pastor who will head up our internationally-focused ministry. (.....Continued on page 5) page 2 of 6
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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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Lenten Devotional Readings and Prayers
Lent begins with our Ash Wednesday Service of Confession, Repentance and Holy Communion from 7:00 PM on February 6. Please join us for this spiritual experience. Invite family, friends and neighbors to come with you to begin this season of renewed emphasis on faith and living in Christ.
And, for an ongoing daily devotional experience, church member Irene has done an extensive search of materials that are available through the internet for our daily spiritual growth.
For example, for the series titled "Uncustomary Love" produced by "Lutheran Hour Ministries," Irene indicates that we can link to the devotional and print copies from the Trinity Lutheran Church and School (Houston, Texas) website at: http://www.trinitydt.org/index.php?pgid=6&subid=39 Or, we can go to http://www.lentendevotions.net/ and select "Printable Files for Your Church" on the left hand side and print copies. All that is required to print copies is an email address, name and a few questions to answer the first time you "login". There are other choices along the left hand side if we go to http://www.lentendevotions.net/ . We can sign up for the devotions to be emailed, we can listen to them or we can subscribe to LHM podcasts to be played later. To subscribe to podcasts an ipod or any other player is unnecessary, downloading podcasting software is required (iTunes is free as are many others) in order to play the podcast on the computer.
Irene also located links to other daily devotions, from mostly Lutheran sources. Most offer the devotional online as well as email or podcast options.
Lutheran Hour Daily Devotion
http://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions.asp
Luther Seminary (ELCA) Daily Devotion
http://www.luthersem.edu/godpause/daily_view.asp
ELCA Daily Bible Reading
http://www.elca.org/scriptLib/CO/bible/tbrBibleView.asp
Portals of Prayer from Concordia Publishing House
http://www.cph.org/cphstore/pages/forms/portals.asp
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Our Daily Bread
http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb.shtml
And, there is a link to "The Upper Room" in the Links of the St. Paul website as well as ELCA and LCMS websites.
May the Lord guide us deeper into faith and discipleship as we meditate daily on the law and gospel of scripture. Daily devotions will also lead us deeper into prayer and service in Christ. Perhaps you would also care to share which devotionals are most meaningful to you. Please send your comments to the church at alleluia@gol.com .
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Agenda for Prayer
 In our prayers this month, let us continue to pray for our congregation. Together in faith, let us grow through worship, service, learning, witness, fellowship, and stewardship. Please pray for all of our ministry needs and for guidance in all we do at St. Pauls.
And it is with joy and thanksgiving that we remember Hiromi W. On January, 27th, during the morning worship, Hiromi was baptized into the fellowship of faith in Jesus Christ. We welcome Hiromi into our congregation and pray the Lord's many blessings on her. Congratulations, Hiromi!
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New Member Sunday: Palm/Passion Sunday, March 16
If you are interested in becoming a member of St. Paul International Lutheran Church, Tokyo, please see Pastor Phil. He will be glad to meet with you about the basics of the Christian faith, the theology and practice of the Lutheran Church, and the means of grace ? Baptism and Holy Communion.
Lutherans emphasize the priesthood of all believers, the freedom of the Christian in Christ, and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The Church (the universal/catholic Church) is where we learn to witness and serve in Christ's love.
New members will next be received on March 16. Membership means both rights and commitments in the Christian faith. Commitments include regular worship with the people of God, participating in the Holy Communion, witness to Christ in word and deed, serving in Christ, living for justice and peace among all people, and support of the ministries of the congregation.
Contact Pastor Phil, or a member of the Church Council, at allelulia@gol.com or phone at 03-3261-3274. May your prayerful consideration lead you to membership commitment.
This Saturday, February 9th, the next Kids' Day lead by the LLI teachers will begin at 10:00am at the church. The theme this time is "LOVE", focusing on God's love for each of us. I called you by name; you are mine." Isaiah 43:1b. Children age 4 to 12 are welcome to join us for a morning of games, song, and crafts. Pastor Phil and Pastor Saito will also be there along with members from the Center and St. Paul congregations. Everything will be in both English and Japanese. If you have any questions, please contact the church office.
Looking ahead to Holy Week........
Following Palm Sunday (March 16) and Good Friday (March 21) Worship services, we will celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord with music and song on Sunday, March 23. Beginning at 9:30am, a number of our members will be contributing their gift of music to this special Easter Festival celebration. Immediately following the service, the Sunday School teachers of our congregation together with those of the Center Church, are preparing a special event for the children that will include craft making, Easter egg decorating, snacks, games, music and an Easter Egg Hunt. And of course, while the kids are busy doing their thing, the adults will be having a special time of Fellowship in the Lounge. Bring a friend and join in this joyous day of celebration!
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Why Ash Wednesday?
Traditionally, the Christian church has observed the seven weeks before Easter as a time of penitence and spiritual self-examination. Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, derives its name from the ancient practice of marking the foreheads of worshipers with ashes from the unused palm branches of the previous year. Ashes historically have had a dual significance.
First, they are Old Testament symbols of sadness and humility. Job, in the midst of all his troubles, cried out to God from the ash heap. The second symbolic meaning of ashes is as a reminder of our mortality. Each of us faces the inevitability of physical death. Our bodies and material possessions eventually will turn to dust and ashes. This is a reminder that we dare not trust in things that crumble. But Lent does not leave us on the ash heap. It begins with Ash Wednesday, but ends with Easter. And Easter proclaims that, through Christ, God resurrects us from our dust and ashes, makes us new creatures and brings life out of death! page 4 of 6
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(.....Continued from page 2)
At the start of 2007, the ideas we were considering to deal with our many problems included:@renting/selling the Homat condo (our parsonage) to fund the ministry; calling a pastor who would be willing to participate in a "tent-making" ministry; hiring an office assistant; exploring the concepts of a deacon ministry and lay person ministry; seeking a retired pastor for an interim-call; and exploring the possibility of becoming a nonprofit organization recognized by the Japanese government.
Realizing that changes and circumstances beginning to occur within our partner church organizations could have a negative effect on our own ministry, the church council felt it was time to begin searching for our own pastor. Not being confident yet of calling a full-time pastor, we began searching for an interim pastor. Through a friend of a friend, Pastor Phil Hausknecht became aware of our situation and expressed an interest in learning more about our ministry. For several weeks the church council communicated with Pastor Phil via email and conducted a phone interview as well. A decision was then made to recommend to the congregation at our annual meeting that Pastor Phil be asked to join us here in Tokyo as our interim pastor. This is a portion of the letter written to Pastor Phil following last yearfs annual meetingc.
ccFollowing much discussion of the direction our ministry needs to take in the future and how your many years of experience in so many different aspects of ministry would greatly enhance our own ministry, it was the recommendation of the Church Council that we as a congregation invite you to be our interim pastor. This recommendation was unanimously supported and approved by those present.
Therefore, as soon as the details can be arranged, we would like you to join us here in Tokyo for the next 18 to 24 months as our interim (part-time contract) pastor. It is our prayer that you will lead our weekly Sunday (and special) worship services, help us with our Sunday School/confirmation/early communion instruction efforts, guide and encourage our outreach ministry, and advise our church council as we work toward strengthening our ministry administratively. Your background experience of living in Japan and dealing with the culture and Japanese language is a gift to our international ministry that we feel will not only bring us stability but will put us on an upward spiral of growth and expansionc...
Pastor Phil arrived in Japan in May. I will not go into details, but after reading Pastorfs report of his work in 2007 on behalf of our congregation, Ifm sure you will agree he has been busy! We have been truly blessed by his enthusiastic embracing of our ministry.
With Pastor Philfs encouragement and support, in June, the church council met for the second time with Rev. M. Ando of the NRK and Rev. T. Tokuhiro of the JELC (the first meeting occurred informally in mid-2006). At this joint meeting, we were able to discuss our situation with and seek the advice of these experienced leaders in the Japanese Church. We presented them with the following plan for our congregationfs gFive Year Goalh:
1. Evangelize the English-speaking community in the Greater Tokyo area, numbering in the tens of thousands among a population of 35,000,000.
2. Serve the needs of this community.
3. Call an ordained English-speaking Lutheran pastor.
4. Provide regular Lutheran worship in English for the community above at our present location.
5. Work towards shuukyoo hoojin @‹³–@l(legal religious entity) status.
At the close of this meeting, Pastors Ando and Tokuhiro strongly encouraged us to follow the path that would lead to our obtaining shuukyoo hoojin status.
Soon after, in an effort to begin working on these agreed upon gfive year goalsh, the church council instituted plans to gGrowh our congregation. The first step was to raise the profile of our congregation among the English speaking community, hoping visitors would be able to find us more easily. To do this, we have concentrated our efforts on updating our website, map, and brochures. At the same time, Pastor Phil has been working very hard to build up the other areas of our ministry as a whole. With various members of the congregation, he has been working to enrich and expand our worship experience. We have once again established a regular schedule of weekly Christian Education: an Adult Forum class, a Sunday School Class for small children, and a Wednesday Night Bible Study Class lead by Pastor Phil. Our Fellowship time is warm and welcoming (as always!) and a Young Adultsf group is in the beginning stages of forming. Their focus is going to be on participating in service projects in the community.
In addition to working to strengthen these various parts of our ministry, the church council has been focusing on the administrative side of our congregationfs structure. Last fall, the church council asked Pastor Phil to attend a conference on how interested congregations can obtain this legal religious entity status, shuukyoo hoojin. (His lengthy report on what he learned at this conference is available on file in the church office.) As a result of his efforts, we have a better understanding of the process involved in obtaining this status for our congregation.
So, how have we done so far this year? At the close of 2007: our membership is up, visitors are regularly attending our worship services, our Christian Education classes are slowly growing, we have a pastor who is enthusiastic and encouraging,
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our finances are holding steady for having the added expense of a pastorfs salary, and our fellowship times are as fun and warm as ever. I will acknowledge that it was a year of transition and as such, it was not without its own bumpy spots. As we all know, not everyone is comfortable with change or with new or different ways of doing things. I, too, sometimes prefer to cling to the geasier wayh or the gold waysh. You will laugh, but all my life I have sat on the right side of whatever church I have attended. My parents always sat a few rows from the front, on the right side. My mother still does! Of course, when I started attending St. Pauls in 1983, I sat on the right side (toward the
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Chalice and Cross
The chalice is a symbol of Holy Communion. The pointed cross is known as the Passion Cross, Agony Cross or Cross of Suffering. Together these symbols represent the agony of Christ's passion and his obedient suffering.
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middle; I was shy at first.) But in the last couple of months, I have moved to the left side. Can you guess why? One of the newer members took over my spot! And he doesnft even know it!
And I am thrilled, because with this very small act, the Lord has made me realize that our church is growing. He has shown me that I do not need to forget old habits or be afraid of change in my routine. What I do need to be is willing to move over, to share, to teach, to learn. Adding on gnew waysh to my old has given me a different perspective ?and not just of the front of the church!
As we move into a new era in the life of our congregation, my prayer is that, more than anything, we Grow Together in Faith. The decisions we will be called on to make in the coming year are going to be difficult, complicated and far-reaching. In all we do, we must keep our eyes on Him and trust in His unending love for us. Let us continue to pray together and to move forward as a congregation: strong in our purpose and faithful to the mission of sharing the Good News of our Lordfs resurrection; holding steadfast to one another, sharing not only the joys of our ministry but also the burdens. We are one in the Christ who says, "I am the vine, you are the branches" (John 15:5)
Respectfully submitted, Marcia K.
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2008 Pledging Continues
 Dear members of St. Paul, we thank you for your prayerfully considered pledge of time and talents. Our pledge goal for ministry in 2008 is Yen 6,500,000 ($60,000) for worship, witness, service, learning, fellowship, and stewardship of administration. If you have not yet made your pledge, envelopes with pledge forms are on the usher table. Complete your pledge and turn it in with your offering. (We are not at our total yet so please remember to turn in your pledge soon.) We give to God in gratitude for the gift of Jesus, the one who saves. Thank you for your faithful participation in our ministry together.
And once again, thank you to those members and friends abroad who continue to support the ministry of St. Paul with your gifts and prayers. We are blessed! If your are in the US and wish to share your gift, you can send a US check made out to "Friends of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church" (that's the old name of the congregation that's still on the 501(c)(3) account!) and post it in care of Mr. Yagi, St. Paul Int'l Lutheran Church, 1-2-3 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-0071, JAPAN. Our Yen accounts are in the Mitsubishi Tokyo UFJ Bank, Jinbocho Branch, under our katakana name Sentoporu Luteru Kyoukai #1253004
When making up our minds about our gifts of time and talent, we remember that "when St. Paul was seeking to encourage the church members of Corinth to participate in a church offering, he wrote: 'Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly, or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver' (2 Corinthians 9:7). Where the stewardship of giving is concerned, each must make up his mind freely and approach the matter with a cheerful attitude. It is prayer and commitment that lead us to the mindset we should have about the matter."
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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 6 of 6
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And Spring means growth and change. The traditional faith disciplines of Lent are prayer, fasting and works of service in love. We begin with self-reflection on Ash Wednesday. Then, with these disciplines, the Church hopes to nurture people in faith growth.
Lent is growth and change in prayer. There are many insights into prayer, but for me one is especially meaningful: if something is significant enough to pray about, it means it is important enough to give my life for. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that last night for God's will to be done. And he followed through for all of us on the cross. Whatever we honestly pray for means that we are available for God to use to bring the answer. It means growing into the answer, even if the cross is required.
