Spring is in the air.
“Spring is the air” as they say. I, for one, am looking forward to warmer weather although I have to take allergy meds!
Here are a couple of updates for your information and calendar.
Lent began on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 17th)
Because MCIC has Christians from a variety of backgrounds let me take just a moment to review. Lent is a forty-day period before Easter, (although in counting Sunday’s are skipped because Sundays commemorate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ).
The season of Lent is observed in a variety of ways. Some Christians do not like to observe Lent because it is associated with high church liturgical worship. Whereas other Christians incorporate Lent into daily practice.
Lent has traditionally been marked by more frequent prayer, periods of fasting, and increased giving. Some churches today still observe a rigid schedule of fasting on certain days during Lent, especially the giving up of meat, alcohol, sweets, and other types of food. Other Christians do not place as great an emphasis on fasting, but focus on charity, especially helping those in need with food and clothing, or simply the giving of money. From my experience, in general the Christian churches that observe Lent, all focus on Lent as a time of prayer, with a focus on sin as a reminder on the need for God’s grace.
How ever you follow the season of Lent remember it is really a preparation to celebrate God’s marvelous redemption at Easter, and the resurrected life that we live, and hope for, as Christians.
Calendar Updates for our English worship:
Every Wednesday in Lent from February 24th to March 24th we will have a light Soup and Sandwich meal from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. At 7:00 pm we will have a short worship service. Sign up for soup is on the bulletin board in the entry. Besides our regular worship at 5:00 pm remember these important dates:
March 28th Palm (Passion) Sunday Worship (No Adult Bible Study or Sunday School)
April 2nd Good Friday Worship – 7:00 pm
April 4th Easter Worship – Potluck after worship (No Adult Bible Study or Sunday School)
June 6th Worship – Last Day of Sunday School until the Fall
June 13th Worship – “Summer” potluck after worship
June 27th Worship. Last Worship with Pastor C (Pastor C and family will be returning to the US)
Spring as I mentioned is around the corner and that means good strawberries are ripe for the picking! We are planning a strawberry picking excursion on the last Sunday of February and all that are interested in joining can come along! If you’ve never been strawberry picking in Japan, it is quite an experience. It is a bit different from back home where it is usual to pick the berries and and take them home, here in Japan you pick and eat to your heart’s content! Here are the details:
Date: Sunday, February 28
Location: Near to Lake Hamanako, Shizuoka Prefecture
Meet: 8:45am at Meito Church. We will leave at 9am.
Cost: 2,000 yen/adult 1400 yen/per child 3-12 years old
We will likely stop by a service area to grab a light lunch before gorging ourselves on strawberries! We may also stop at a temple to view plum blossoms if time permits. We aim to be back to the church close to 3pm. Yusaku, Erin and Maya will go in their minivan and have space for more people. For those who can drive, we will form a “caravan.” If you have space in your car for non-drivers, please let Erin Sakakibara know. Continue Reading »
