Sunday, September 3, 2017

Follow me to church

Currently, I am attending Tokyo Union Church (TUC) in Shibuya.  It generally takes me about an hour to travel from my door to the church's door.  Sometimes the I get there less than an hour and sometimes it's a little over an hour, it depends on the trains I take. During the summer months, TUC has only one 10 am service.  During the rest of the year, they have two services one at 8:30 am and one at 11:00 am.
This morning, I went to the 8:30 am service because I signed up to usher.  I would rather usher at 8:30 am instead of 11:00 am.  It's a bit less intense with fewer people attending the 8:30 am service.  It gives me a chance to build relationships with those who I am ushering.
Down the street in my neighborhood (I apologize for the blurriness, my first picture taken from a moving bicycle.)

Down Keyaki Dori


Coming up to the Kiyose Station

Going down the stairs to the bicycle parking garage.
I caught the 7:14 am train to Shin-Kiba.
Local Train to Shin-Kiba

 I have to switch trains at Kotake-Mukaihara to a train heading to Motomachi-Chukagai.
Me standing at the door in the Motomachi-Chukagai train


Ticket wickets at the Meijijingu-mae Station.

Going up the escalator

Going up the stairs to Omotesando

Big Lantern on Omotesando

It's not busy at 7:50 am on a Sunday morning. 

Our neighbor Louis Vuitton

Our neighbor on the other side, Burberry

Entrance to Tokyo Union Church

My fellow ushers, Chie and Koshi

That's me with Koshi
 The 8:30 am service has communion each week.  Today was the first Sunday of the month and both services have communion.  At TUC, we go up to the front to get our wafer and dip it in the grape juice.  We call that intinction.
Getting ready to serve communion
I did go to Starbucks for a coffee after worship.
This is the street that goes toward Shibuya station

A little busier now at about 11:00 am.

Waiting on the side of the sidewalk to go into Ice Monster
 Sometimes I catch the train at Meijijingu-Mae for my return trip home, but the train that goes on the Fukutoshin and Seibu line only leaves once every 30 minutes and I just missed the train so I went to Harajuku to the Yamanote line to Ikebukuro and then catch the Seibu-Ikebukuro train to Kiyose.
Entrance to the Harajuku station

Waiting on the platform - looking south

Looking North

Many of the train stations have barriers on the platforms

Ikebukuro station



People buying tickets

Going to Platform 3 to catch the Semi-Express to Tokorozawa

 I took some pictures as we were riding to Kiyose.  This part of the ride is above ground.




Getting off the train in Kiyose

Getting ready to get through the ticket wickets

My bicycle in the bicycle parking garage
So there you have it, my trip to church and back.  I hope and pray you had an opportunity to gather with fellow believers and worship today.