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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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(.....Continued from page 1)
Instead, the Gospel of Christ declares, "It's Friday" and "Sunday's a'comin!" Sunday is the day of the promise of resurrection in Christ for our lives. Resurrection means that God in Christ has rescued us and now calls us to lives of faith, forgiving love, peacemaking, living for the justice of God's kingdom - with the assurance that we are first loved and forgiven in Christ through his cross. We invite you to join us for that experience of resurrection - Easter, the Celebration of Resurrection in Christ - March 23, from 9:30 AM, with Word and Sacrament.
And, so that we can really appreciate Easter Sunday, please also worship with us on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday.
"It's Friday, but Sunday's a'comin!" Thanks be to God for Sunday that always will come.
Peace in Christ, Pastor Phil Hausknecht
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First Communion Preparation
First Communion will be celebrated the Second Sunday of Easter, March 30, 2008. We invite children grades two through six who have not received Holy Communion, to attend two preparatory classes with a parent. Classes will be held on Saturday, March 15 and March 22, from 11:00 AM for an hour with Pastor Phil.
We leave the decision up to parents as to whether or not a child is ready to participate in Holy Communion. The two preparatory classes will focus on:
a review of the meaning of the Sacrament of Baptism,
belonging to family and the family of faith,
an introduction of the Sacrament of Holy Communion,
prayer and reading of Scripture.
We ask that a parent accompany each child to assist with this teaching and learning experience. We know that children from this age group become excited about being able to participate in Holy Communion with their family. These classes of preparation are meant to help them also become excited about participating in the life of the family of faith, the Church.
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Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Meet at the church for our English study of the Gospel of Matthew: the Sermon on the Mount, the story of Jesus and his meaning for out lives. Bring your own Bible or borrow one at church. We pray, study, discuss, laugh, cry, sing and grow in faith together. We welcome you to participate. Meet in the church office, the first floor of the Lutheran Center. Bring your questions for us to discuss. Our discussion is confidential and we ask all who participate to keep the confidentiality. We welcome persons of faith and those seeking to understand the Christ.
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Sunday Study of Genesis
The Sunday Adult Forum, weekly from 11:00 - 11:55 AM, following worship and fellowship time, will start a six week study of the Book of Genesis from March 30. Many have raised questions about this work that begins the Bible. How does it's message relate to our faith in Christ? How does its message relate to science and our modern world? How does Genesis point us to the rest of scripture?
The basic resource will be the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, though comparisons with other versions of scripture will be helpful. Pastor Phil will lead this study, though he cannot promise satisfactory answers to all questions, and will distribute some materials class by class.
This study and discussion will be in English and requires no fee. We invite all who are interested to worship with us on Sundays and then join us for the study.
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New Members To Be Received on March 30, 9:30 AM
On Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday, St. Paul International Lutheran Church, Tokyo will receive new members in the name of Christ. If you are interested, please notify Pastor Phil and arrange a conference with him prior to March 30.
Membership in the congregation also means belonging to the whole body of Christ, the Church. We are received into membership via Baptism or the renewal of Baptism - transferring membership from another congregation or committing to become active from inactive status. Please call the office or contact Pastor Phil to receive a Membership Request Form.
St. Paul's has Full and Associate Member status. Full membership includes those who wish to have their main membership at St. Paul's and who wish to be eligible for membership on the Church Council which represents the congregation in the process of visioning and leading in faith and action. Associate Member status indicates that while you will also be a voting member, you wish to retain membership in a former congregation, perhaps while you reside and work or study in Tokyo.
In either case, membership means committing to faith and mission in Christ Jesus. This is expressed concretely in the public promises you will make with the congregation when joining. These promises include professing faith in Christ and stating your intent:
- to live among God's faithful people, growing in fellowship;
- to hear God's Word and share in the sacrament of Holy Communion on a regular basis;
- to proclaim the good news of God, the gospel of Jesus the Christ, through your witness of words and deeds;
- to commit to Christian service, to serve all people, following the example of our Lord Jesus;
- and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth, to seek first the kingdom of God.
And, of course our Christian life is one of continuing to become and grow in all of these areas since we are all imperfect and need God's grace and love. In fact, the church is about involving all of us together in growing in these areas of discipleship.
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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 3 of 3
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"It's Friday, but Sunday's a'comin!" are the words I remember from a youth event over twenty years ago where Baptist Preacher Tony Compollo spoke. "It's Friday, but Sunday's a'comin!"
Followed by Easter Fellowship and
