Monthly Service Prayer September 2012

Before God the Parent, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto, I, Owen Osamu Nakao, Pastor of Tenrikyo Pearl Church, pray with reverence:

God the Parent, as we receive Your overflowing grace and blessings, which grants us the free use our bodies, we advance toward the realization of the joyous life world as you guide us in our spiritual development. We are forever grateful for these blessings and we express our gratitude day and night as we apply our effort in sprinkling the fragrance of the teachings and salvation work.

Today is the day we are granted to conduct the September monthly service at Pearl Church. The service performers will now unite their hearts to perform the seated service and Teodori joyously and in high spirits. As you observe the brothers and sisters of the path who have looked forward to this day singing the songs of the service in unison with hearts filled with gratitude for Your parental love, we hope that You can be spirited as well.

Through your blessing nineteen persons from Pearl Church helped at the annual Tenrikyo Bazaar held on August 26th, setting up the judo hall, canopy tents, making ohagi, cooking yakisoba, helping with the parking and shuttle van service, and the after cleanup. The pastor of this church served as bazaar chair for the 6th year.

The all Tenrikyo Nioigake Day was held on Labor Day, September 3 with eighty persons in attendance including eighteen persons from Pearl Church. An average of three persons served the community by doing yard work for the elderly for two days in August. We thank you deeply for these blessings as we strive to convey the teachings to as many people as possible and experience the joy and hope of many people attending the various activities.

Today, we are honored and give thanks for the presence of Mrs. Masayo Hamada, chairwoman of the Hawaii Woman’s Association and Mission Headquarters staff Sakagami family.

In this ninth month of the 175th Year of Tenrikyo we vow to continue to work together engaging in hinokishin and salvation work with a unity of mind and encourage as much people as possible to return to Jiba. We pray for the victims and survivors of conflicts and disasters in the world; that they may have faith and resolve to overcome their grief and suffering.

With the Shinbashira as the core we vow to make sincere efforts in our daily lives to truly follow the Divine Model of Oyasama.

We pray that Your guidance will strengthen us into worthy Yoboku, striving with a single heart for the salvation of others. We hope that our efforts will bring joy to You and peace in this world where we all help one another as brothers and sisters. With our minds in unity towards the Truth of the Jiba, we would like to spiritedly perform the September Monthly Service.

In union with the congregation, I pray for these blessings.