When St. Paul International Lutheran Church, Tokyo came to my attention in terms of ministry, what caught my eye were the words "International Lutheran...Tokyo." Our family had lived in Japan several decades ago, our children attending Japanese public elementary schools, and from that life and work experience I felt my life had something of the flavor of becoming an "international Lutheran" Christian.
Invited now to serve and minister with you at St. Paul International Lutheran Church, Tokyo, I have become even more aware of the "international" quality of the congregation's mission. The mission statement indicates that the congregation is to minister in English to people of diverse roots and backgrounds, in other words, be an "international" ministry of the Christian faith, in the greater Tokyo area. Thus, while blessed with participants from around the globe, the ongoing challenge for the congregation is how to be "international" in all the aspects of ministry: worship, learning, outreach and service, fellowship, stewardship and administration.
With such thoughts in mind, I recall that the lessons from scripture for several Sundays earlier this year were from Galatians - the epistle that tells us the Gospel of Christ had gone "international." Paul argued that the gospel was for the foreigner, the gentile, as well as the people Jesus ministered to directly. In fact, in one of the key verses of Galatians, 3:28, Paul writes, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." So the namesake of the Apostle Paul, St. Paul International Lutheran Church, Tokyo is right on target - an "international" Lutheran ministry.
But the congregation of St. Paul is doubly unique. While international, we are also involved in the local community. Located in the Lutheran Center of the Nihon Ruuteru Kyookai (NRK), we cooperate with this church and also the Nihon Fukuin Ruuteru Kyookai (JELC) - the two national Japanese Lutheran Church bodies. Our Sunday School shares the gospel time with the children of the Japanese congregation at the Center - and lessons are presented in both English and Japanese. There is opportunity to always learn something more of Japanese Christianity and culture through English in worship, Bible studies and the Sunday Adult Forum. Members of the congregation perform service in the local community - among refugees, in a children's orphanage, assisting in international children's day activities a few times each year. And, we pray we may be able to reach out to serve in other ways as well.
If you would like to connect to an "international" Christian faith ministry of many flavors with a local connection, we invite you to join us . We invite you to help us continue to grow as part of the worldwide _expression of the love of Christ in the greater Tokyo area envisioned by Paul when he wrote Galatians.
Our foundational schedule for ministry in English is:
Sundays:
9:30 AM Service of Holy Communion
- worship of praise, confession and absolution, Word, Eucharist - with a diverse international community. Come, join us, have your heart be blessed, your mind and life both accepted and challenged by God in Christ through the Holy Spirit.
10:40 AM Refreshments and Fellowship
- time to meet and get to know one another, develop friendships.
11:10 AM - Noon
- Children's Sunday School
- Adult Forum: study and discussion now starting is "The Kingdom of God," led by Rev. Dr. Phil Hausknecht.
Wednesdays:
7:00 PM
- English Bible Study and discussion: "Galatians," led by Rev. Dr. Phil Hausknecht.
We look forward to being able to collaborate with you in the ministry of sharing Christ's love in Tokyo. May this Christ of love bless you in your life, your family, school and work.
Pax,
Pastor Phil
Rev. Phillip Hausknecht, Ph.D., is a retired ELCA pastor from the Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, area who has a long history of involvement with the Japanese language and culture. Pastor and Mrs. Ryoko Hausknecht have a son and two daughters living in the Los Angeles and Phoenix areas, and they have six grandchildren! Pastor Haus has been ordained since 1963, with his first twelve years of ministry in service as a missionary of the LCA under the guidance of the JELC in Japan. He continued his ministry in the U.S. serving as associate pastor of a very large congregation in Tucson, Arizona. He was the developer and pastor of a congregation in the Las Vegas area, which grew from zero to over seven hundred members before his retirement from full time ministry there in 2000.