Last Month AICF’s gathering place, Fellowship Hall, was opened and the first sermon
was “Nest”. A nest which birds make is made from broken branches, feathers, dirt, which
seem useless and trash, but they craftly make their nests, and in Psalm 84:3 introduce it is
what represents the alter of the Lord, as AICF is a house of the Lord that people who are
hurt and broken are chosen and led by God and crafted together. Both nest and a house is
a place of living and not just a place for rest, but where children are born, grown and
becoming adult and will leave, such as a place of making and sending the next new
generations!

Last week I went to JR Shin-Osaka station to pick Brother S. What I saw was a surprise,
he came out pushing a large baggage of woods (which was heavy like over 20kg and I
couldn’t believe he brought this out from the Shinkansen). We managed to bring it to my
car. And when he completed the pulpit at Fellowship Hall, I was amazed. The new pulpit
that he made was in the limited space of the Hall perfectly fit as it was slim. What I had
requested to him half a month ago was to just try and make something when you had a
time and material, not need to rush. But from that day, he gathered the unused woods from his workplace (if we buy them, it will be very expensive) and crafted according to his image that he held and completed, and even he made the cart for bringing the pulpit! By faith he has completed something creative and wonderful things as a part of the church. His effort was something like a sparrow making its nest yet it was very precious service as if like dedicating the alter to the cross of Jesus.

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This is something that makes me realize that AICF is being transformed and renewed.
Yes, even the effort like sparrow, yet when we do by faith, God blesses it, so we grow
together in His grace!

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Pastor Takeshi