Outreach and Service

    Each month on this page we will highlight some of the events held by organizations our congregeation supports through our OUTREACH and SERVICE efforts. Please join with us in this support by attending, participating or donating your time or talents. If you are unable to attend any of these events, but would like to give a gift of support, you can do so through our congregation.


Service Project: Second Harvest Japan

    Thanks be to God for those who volunteer with us the first Saturday of every month at 2nd Harvest Japan. Donated food is prepared at the 2nd Harvest Warehouse/Office and on the street in front of the premises as there isn't adequate space inside. In the past few months, our volunteers have helped prepare individual packets of food, helped cook rice, prepared the salads, the bread and cut tomatoes. We have then meet more of our volunteers who can only help in the afternoon over at Ueno Park to help serve the lunch to over 600 hungry persons. All those who ate were grateful for the meal.
    Please join us the first Saturday of every month for this very important service project. To volunteer and get information for the morning preparation shift at the 2nd Harvest Japan warehouse and/or the afternoon serving shift at Ueno Park, please contact Nozomi at: gwssproject@gmail.com  As Jesus said, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35) and fed the multitudes out of pure goodness and grace, we pray that we might be of help to those who are tired and hungry in the Tokyo area.



Supporting the World's Children - Charity Events

Theme: Helping Children in Need
Sponsors: Japan Evangelical Lutheran Assosiation (JELA) and the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church (JELC)



Tokyo English Lifeline (TELL)

Tokyo English Life Line provides telephone counseling, face-to-face counseling, and other support services such as workshops and training for the international community in Japan. Since TELL's foundation in 1973, volunteer counselors have dealt with a steadily rising volume of calls (now numbering well over 10,000/year).

Volunteer Opportunities with TELL include:

  TELL Life Line --
TELL offers 12-week training programs every Spring and Fall, to help build those special skills needed to listen and provide support.

  Fundraising Events & Committees --
Volunteers are also needed to carry out many of the other functions and tasks at TELL. Annual fundraising events such as the Connoisseurs Auction and TELL Runathon need volunteers with a wide variety of skills. Other committees comprised of volunteers include the Corporate Council, the Handbook Committee, the External Communication Committee and IT Committees. Check out the latest volunteer opportunities on the TELL website!

Telephone  03-5774-0992
Hours 9:00am-11:00pm Daily
  Troubled? Need someone to listen or help find resources? TELL's trained telephone counselors are ready to provide non-judgemental emotional support as well as practical information and referrals. This service is completely free and confidential.



These are some of the organizations our congregation also supports:

* Japan Lutheran Seminary
    "Japan Lutheran Theological Seminary (JLTS) has a long tradition, as shown by the fact that it will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding in 2009. JLTS provides a four year course of instruction towards pastors and professional church workers. Students are admitted into JLTS following their completion of two years at Japan Lutheran College (JLC). The founding bodies of the school are the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church (JELC) and Japan Lutheran Church (NRK), both representatives of mainstream Protestant churches. The program of theological education grew out of a private school established by both churches to offer training for professional church workers and pastors. At present, JLTS, located within the pleasant greenery of the Musashino plain in Western Tokyo, is under the auspices of Japan Lutheran College, Inc., which also operates Japan Lutheran College (College of Liberal Arts, Departments of Theology and Social Work). JLC in four years, and also JLTS in its first two years provide basic training in Theology, and thus JLTS provides an integrated four-year program of study that fosters faith, academic competence, and professional skills for spiritual leaders in the church."

    Visit the Seminary and College on September 23 for an all day event "Seminary Day"

* Asian Rural Institute (ARI)
    "ARI invites about 25 to 30 rural grassroots leaders from Asian and African countries every year, and trains them as rural leaders for nine months at the ARI campus in Nishinasuno, Tochigi prefecture, JAPAN. On campus, participants, staff and volunteers live together and work together aiming towards self-sufficiency based on organic farming and forming a just and peaceful community."

* Inochi no Denwa (Japanese "Life Line" Telephone Counseling)

* HELP (Housing in Emergency of Love and Peace) Asian Women's Shelter in Tokyo
    This organization "provides emergency housing relief and support to approximately two hundred needy recipients annually.... As well as providing food and shelter, HELP is also able to aid its residents with legal, medical and nationality problems...."
    You too can HELP. The organization is in constant need of donations of staple foods and women's clothes in good condition. Especially lacking at present are tinned or dried foods, rice, tea and coffee. New baby wraps for carrying children, unused plain white T-shirts for making batik shirts to sell, single-bed blankets, rice cookers, soap and cleaning products could also be used. For more information on donations, HELP publications or general inquiries please call 3368-8855 or fax 3368-9791. A telephone counseling service is available at the same number from Monday to Saturday, 9:30am to 5:30pm.