Where in Japan are Bob & Chris

Worship at Tokyo Lutheran Church

October 19th found Bob & Chris in worship at Tokyo Lutheran Church; a worshipping community, one of the largest in the JELC. This church will celebrate 100 years in 2012. Bob & Chris worshipped at the Children's Service 9:30 am, the English Service 10:00 am and the Regular Service 11:00 am. The current building is clearly new and beautiful. It was build in 1996 to respond to needs to replace the prior stucture with something better able to withstand the challenges of earthquake stresses. Each service style this Sunday was what folks back in South Carolina would recognize as traditional. The children's service used a liturgy of the Word. The other two services were Word and Sacrament. Though the 11:00 am service was the largest, all were well attended. Included in the staff of three ordained pastors is Rev. Eric Hanson. Rev. Hanson's first call is to Tokyo Lutheran. Though he conducted the English service on October 19th he has already given his first sermon in Japanese. Bob & Chris heard of it in complimentary terms from one of Rev. Hanson's former teachers at the Lutheran Language Institute where he studied to learn Japanese after arriving in Japan. This week Bob & Chris actually understood and even sang a few words in Japanese at the 9:30 am and 11:00 am service. But most of all they experienced the love of God communicated in smiling faces and warm bows and handshakes exchanged with the their brothers and sisters at Tokyo Lutheran.

Keep praying,

Zen Ben