This week at St.
Alban's
Today (Sunday 4 May)
Holy Eucharist in Church, 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. in Church
Ukranian Orthodox Service at 12:30 p.m. in the Church (1st & 3rd Sundays of each month)
Diocesan Joint Confirmation service in the Cathedral at 3:00 p.m.
Mon
Rakugo (Storytelling) event in St. Andrew's Catheral at 6:00p.m.
Tue
AA meets in Upper Room, 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
AA meets in hall from 7:30 p.m. -
Wed
Wednesday Eucharist at Noon
Wednesday Night Bible Studay - 5th week of 6 week series on 'Jacob's Blessing' (Genesis 25-33), in Upper Room at 7:00 p.m.
Thur
AA meets in Upper Room, 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Sat
ACA meets in Upper Room, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Forthcoming Events
May 10 & 17 - Rice Patrol in Franciscan Chapel, Roppongi, at 4.30 p.m. (the 2nd & 3rd Saturday of the month)
May 11 - Baptism Preparation Group at 9:15 a.m. in the Upper Room
May 11 - Peace Service at 4:00 p.m., Speaker: Fr. Joseph O'Leary
May 17 - Kapatiran Charity Concert in St. Andrew's Church at 3:00 p.m.
May 18 - Vestry meets at 9:30 a.m. in the Upper Room
May 18 - Ukrainian Orthodox Church Service 12:30 - 3:00 pm. in Church (the 1st & 3rd Sunday of the Month)
May 31 - Diocesan Festival Liaison Person Meeting in St. Andrw's Hall, 2:00 p.m.
June 21 - "Big Wing Jazz Orchestra" Concert in St. Andrew's Church, 6:00 p.m.
St. Albanfs News and
Announcements
1) No Sunday School today because of Golden Week holidays. Sunday school will be back next Sunday and then will run on until the summer.
2) Confirmation Today - Zachary McAfee, who attends St Albanfs, will be confirmed this afternoon during the Joint Confirmation service in St Andrewfs Cathedral at 3:00 p.m. Steve Jablonski is Zachfs sponsor. Please remember Zach in your prayers this afternoon.
3) Wednesday Night Bible Study at 7:00 p.m. in the Upper Room. This Wednesday is the 5th of a series on Genesis 25-33 ('Jacob's Blessing'). The sessions involve both study of the Biblical text for the evening, as well as personal sharing. For more information, please talk to Nick Wren or Atsuko Utsue.
4) Traditional Comic Storytelling (Rakugo) at St. Andrew's Cathedral, supported by the Society of A Grain of Wheat in the evening of Monday 5 May, from 6pm in St. Andrew's Church. Fr. Andrew Ohata will be telling a traditional Japanese comic story. There will be three more comic stories by professional comic story-tellers, as well. The event will be in Japanese. The collection money will be donated to support gBudo-no-ieh and gBaan Sabaay in Thailandh. Tickets will be available with 2,000 yen at the door. Thank you. Mie Takaki.
5) St Alban's Peace Service - To be held on Sunday, 11 May (Pentecost Sunday) at 4:00 p.m. The speaker will be Fr Joseph O'Leary, Professor of English Literature at Sophia University. Please join us for a service of music and prayer, to nurture the increase of peace in our hearts, our community and our world.
6) St Alban's Web Page - The Vestry are looking for a professional web-designer who can give the church website a comprehensive overhaul. If you, or someone you know, could do this work, and the church will pay the going rate, please let a Vestry member know, or contact the Parish Office.
7) Kapatiran Charity Concert - to be held in St Andrew' Cathedral on Saturday, 17 May at 3:00 p.m. Tickets \ 2,500 (elementary school \ 1,500). There will be music and story reading (in Japanese). See noticeboard for details.
8) Symphony of Peace Prayers - to be held on Sunday, May 18, from 10:00 a.m. at Fuji Sanctuary, Shizuoka. This is an annual multi-faith peace event, drawing together people from a wide range of cultures and spiritual traditions. See the noticeboard for details, or visit http://www. byakkoblog.typepad.com. Flyers are also available.
9) Financial Support for Jordan Conference - The Diocese is seeking financial support to enable participants from Gaza and the West Bank to attend a conference for women's empowerment in August. Tokyo Diocese has been exchanging visits with Jerusalem Diocese since 2004, and praying with them for peace in the Middle East. Jerusalem Diocese consists of Israel, Palestine (Gaza, West Bank), Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. One of the evangelical aims of the new Bishop, Suheil Dawani, is to empower women to take their rightful place in church and society. This August from 15th to 22nd, Tokyo Diocese will share a conference with Palestinians who are living in extremely difficult conditions, learning about their daily hardships and seeking God's love and justice with them. The conference is called 'Jerusalem and Tokyo Dioceses' Women's Conference for Empowerment`Being Together Makes Difference`'. It will be held in Amman, Jordan. It will, however, be very difficult for those who live in Gaza and the West Bank just to get out of these areas because of legal regulations and financial difficulties. Tokyo Diocese has launched a campaign to raise money for those who are planning to participate in the conference. Five members from St. Alban's will take part in it as interpreters, an organizer and a secretary. We hope you will understand and support this good cause. You can send money through Tokyo Diocese's Postal Service (0130-8-17483), or please place your donation in an envelope parked 'Jordan Conference' and place it in the offering basket on any Sunday. If you have any questions, please ask Sarah Yoshimatsu.
10) Stewardship - St Alban's is the only church in Tokyo Diocese that does not rely, at least in part, on diocesan subsidy. But this means that we are largely dependant on the willingness of the congregation to support the work of the church. By making a pledge you assist the Vestry in their task of overseeing the ministry and mission of St Alban's. Pledge envelopes are available at the church entrance.
11) Rice Patrol - takes place the 2nd and 3rd Saturday of each month (4:30-6:00 p.m), when members of St. Alban's gather to make "onigiri" rice cakes at the Franciscan Chapel Centre (FCC) in Roppongi for distribution to some of Tokyo's homeless people. Volunteers are needed! No special skills needed. It takes only about an hour if we have enough people. Please contact Hatsue Sato if you can help.
12) Fairtrade Coffee is used during coffee time each Sunday. Fairtrade guarantees producer organisations a fair and stable price for their products that covers their costs and enables them to support their families. This small step by St Albans helps to support the principle that people are entitled to a just and stable income. The same Fair Trade coffee is also for sale every Sunday. If you would like to buy some, please speak to Roslyn Hayman, Nick Wren or Rachel Burdett. The price is \1,000 for a 200g bag.
13) Distribution of Outreach Funds for 2007 - Ten per cent of all our income is distributed to a number of organizations and charities in Japan and other parts of the Asian region. Last year, \ 3,484,200 was distributed out of St Alban's funds, and an additional \ 1,282,740 was raised through special donations and collections.
Please send Church Office <stalbans@gol.com> a draft of announcement by Wednesday morning for the following Sundayfs Announcement Sheet. Thank you very much for your cooperation.