In January 2011, Iai Gakuin celebrated its 137th anniversary, making it the oldest girls’ junior high and senior high school in Hokkaido. The first missionaries to work here were Merriman Colbert Harris and his wife Flora Lydia Best Harris. They were sent by the American Methodist Episcopal Church and arrived in Hakodate on January 26, 1874. Flora Harris quickly gathered a group of young girls together and began Hibi Gakko (Day School) where she taught English, the Bible, sewing, and manners. There were only five girls at first, but this group was an unforgettable source of joy to Harris.
The students at Day School continued to study at Aiiku School, which was started somewhat later, but Harris felt teaching only daily life skills was inadequate and desired to start a formal school for girls that would include a dormitory. She prayed and wrote an article about it in the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society’s (WFMS) magazine Heathen Woman’s Friend.
After reading the article, a woman named Caroline R. Wright, who had just lost her daughter to illness, was deeply moved. She had been living in Germany as wife of the American Legate to Germany, but she was informed that her daughter, who had been left back in the US, had become seriously ill and was in a critical state. She went back to the States in hopes of nursing her child for even one day. Meanwhile, her daughter, who was lying ill in bed, prayed that she could see her mother again. The prayers were answered. She was able to nurse her daughter and to embrace her with a thankful heart as her daughter was called to heaven.
Wright wanted to express her deeply felt gratitude to God by being of service in some way, and when she read Harris’ article and saw that girls the same age as her deceased daughter were learning in another country, she felt a call to contribute to that mission. She contributed to the school in Hakodate the savings she had set aside for her daughter’s education, money raised from selling knitted and embroidered items sold at church bazaars, and money she raised by calling upon friends. In total amounted to $1,800.
In October 1878, Mary A. Priest was sent to Hakodate as an educational missionary. In 1879 the school was formally opened with an enrollment of 12 students, but on December 6 of the same year, the school and the adjacent church were both destroyed in a great fire. Priest continued to teach, using her bedroom as a classroom, but perhaps the shock of the great fire had overwhelmed her. By 1880 she was having health problems and left Japan to return home.
However, once again prayers were answered, and in February 1882, the school was officially recognized by the Ministry of Education and formally incorporated as the Caroline Wright Memorial School. The first principal was Kate Woodworth. The school began with an enrollment of 6 students, but by September of that year there was a total of 16 girls living in the dormitory as well as several others who commuted to school each day.
Although the initial name of the school had been Caroline Wright Memorial School, because resistance to using the alphabet at the time was negatively affecting enrollment, the school changed its name to Iai Girls’ School in its third year. Iai means “a remembrance of love.”
The first principal, Kate Woodsworth, left after only one year to get married and was replaced by Mary S. Hampton. Hampton had been like a mother to the students, embracing them with her kindness, but when she became principal, she had to struggle to improve the facilities and to increase enrollment. She went from door to door in Hakodate and even went as far as Hirosaki in northern Honshu. She was kept very busy and when she asked for assistance from the U.S., a missionary by the name of Florence N. Hamisfar, who was also a medical doctor, was sent to the school in 1883. Hamisfar was the first female doctor in Hokkaido. She saw patients in Hakodate from 6 a.m., taught at Iai in between and also taught an English class for one hour each day at Hakodate Teachers’ School. In part due to Hampton’s efforts, by 1887 enrollment was up to 94 students. In this year, Ella J.Hewett became the third principal of the school and Hampton returned temporarily to the U.S. Returning to Japan in 1888, she was assigned to Hirosaki Iai Girls’ School for a brief time before finally returning to Iai Girls; School in Hakodate. She assisted the fourth principal, Augusta Dickerson, and together they worked to acquire the present campus and to improve the school and kindergarten buildings. In total, Hampton gave 34 years of her life to education at Iai.
More than any other person, it was the missionary named Dickerson who laid the foundation for the education carried out at Iai and who nurtured a tradition of service. She became principal in 1890, began a preparatory school in 1891, and in the following year, a kindergarten program. A sister school named Raitoku was established in Hirosaki, and Hampton and Dickerson were sent there to teach from May 1889 to March 1991. Dickerson was principal for 35 years, and she was the one who made “Faith, Sacrifice, Service” the motto for Iai. For girls living in the dormitory, she established a “Princess Group” and, with the young girls, engaged in a number of social service activities. They helped out at church school, provided assistance for people living in poverty, visited the sick, and taught young children.
In 1918 they took flowers to the sick in hospital, and they sent money earned by selling knitted and embroidered items to children in Siberia who were suffering during the state of confusion that followed the Russian Revolution. In 1923, at the time of the Great Kanto Earthquake, both teachers and students made and sent clothing, along with financial contributions, for people in the affected areas, and when there was serious flooding in the Korean Peninsula in 1925, they sent clothing and accessories.
Dickerson was also closely associated with the Hakodate School for the Blind and Deaf. The predecessor to the school had been established in 1895 by Charlotte Pinkney-Draper of the Methodist Church, and Dickerson had supported this school both financially and by assisting with the instruction. For a short time Iai even took over the management of the school, and graduates were hired by the school as staff.
Iai Gakuin now has 23,591 graduates, and the spirit of the first missionaries who gave us the motto “Faith, Sacrifice, Service” remains the sure and firm foundation of Iai’s educational philosophy. (Tr. RW)
—Fukushima Mototeru, principal of Iai Gakuin
Hakodate, Hokkaido
遺愛学院創設期の宣教師達
遺愛は2011年１月に創基１３７周年を迎えた北海道で最も長い伝統をもつ女子中学高校である。創基に関わったＭＣハリス夫妻が米国メ ソジスト監督教会から伝道のために日本に派遣され、函館に到着したのが1874年1月26日であった。ハリス夫人はすぐに子女を集め『日々学校』を始 め、英語や聖書、裁縫、作法などを教えた。最初の生徒は５人であったが、ハリス夫人にとってはこの５人の生徒を得たことは生涯忘れる ことのできない歓びの一つだった。
『日々学校』の生徒達は、その後、ＭＣハリスの開いた私塾『愛育学校』で学んだ。ハリス夫人は平常教育は行っていたも のの不十分と考え、寮つきの正式な女学校を作りたいと願い、祈り、アメリカメソジスト監督教会の婦人外国宣教協会（WFMS）の『Heathen Woman’s Friend』という機関誌に寄稿した。
その文章が当時、愛娘を病気で失い悲しみのなかにあったカロライン・ライト夫人の心を動かした。夫人はドイツ駐在アメ リカ公使夫人としてドイツに住んでいたが、アメリカに残してきた子どもの1人が重病になり、危篤の知らせを受けた。驚いた夫人はせめて、1日でも看病したいと祈りつつ帰国した。病床にあった娘も、母に 一目会いたいと祈っていた。この祈りがかなえられ数日看病することができ、母の手のなかで感謝しつつ召された。
ライト夫人は主の深い恩寵に応えるために、何か奉仕をしたいと考えていた時に、ハリス夫人の一文を読み、娘と同じ年齢 で教育を受けられないでいる異国の少女のために尽くすことこそ、その使命であると考えた。それまで蓄えていた愛娘のための教育資金と 編み物や刺繍をおこない教会バザーで販売した益金、信仰の友への呼びかけで集まった献金をあわせて1800ドルを、函館の女子教育のために献げた。
1878年10月教育宣教師としてプリーストが函館に派遣された。1879年12名の生徒で学校を開設するが、同年12月6日の大火で教会と校舎が焼失した。プリーストは自分の寝室で授業を継続したが、大火のショックが大きかったのだろうか、 健康をそこない1880年春に帰国した。
しかしついに祈りがかなえられ、1882年2月1日に文部省認可の女学校「カロライン・ライト・メモリアルスクール」が設立された。初代 の校長はウッズワースであった。最初の入学生は6名であったが、9月には寄宿生16名と数人の通学生を数えるようになった。
当初、学校名は『カロライン・ライト・メモリアル・スクール』だったが、当時は横文字が受け入れられにくく生徒が集ま らないので開校3年目に、『遺愛女学校』と校名変更をした。
初代校長のウッドワースが結婚のために1年で日本を離れたため、代わりに第2代校長にハンプトンが就任した。ハンプトンは在校生にとっては優しく包み込む母親のような存在であったが、校長になった 当時、学校の整備に生徒募集に相当苦労をした。函館の一般家庭を回ったり、弘前にも出かけていった。とても忙しく、助け手をアメリカ に求めたところ、1883年にハミスファー宣教師（医師でもあった）が派遣された。ハミスファーは北海道で最初の女医であり、朝6時から函館の人々のために診療をし、合間に遺愛の生徒に教え、函館師範学校でも毎日1時間英語を教えた。1887年にはハンプトンの努力のかいもあり、生徒数は94名になった。この年、ヒューエットが第3代校長となり、ハンプトンは一時帰米するが、1888年に再来日し弘前遺愛女学校に赴任するが、また遺愛に復帰する。その後、第4代校長デカルソンを助けながら、現在のキャンパス、遺愛の校舎および元町幼稚園の整備に貢献し、34年間、遺愛の教育に身を捧げた。
遺愛の教育の基盤をつくり、奉仕の伝統をつくったのは第4代校長のオーガスタ・デカルソンといっていいであろう。デカル ソンは1890年（明治23年）に校長に就任し、1891年予備科、翌年に小学校をつくり、1895年に幼稚園を併設した。また弘前に姉妹校の「来徳女学校」がで き、出張し指導にあたっていた。遺愛では35年間校長職を務め、『信仰・犠牲・奉仕』を遺愛の校訓として位置づけたのはデカルソンであった。デカルソンは寮生を中心 に王女会を組織し、教会の日曜学校を手助けするとともに、貧民救済、病人慰問、幼児教育のために生徒とともに奉仕をしていた。
1918年には、草花をもって病院訪問、編み物、袋物、刺繍細工などで 得たお金をロシア革命の混乱のなかにあったシベリアの子供のために送金していた。1923年の関東大震災にあたっては、教職員・生徒の働きで衣類・肌着などを製作・寄贈し、献金を送り、また1925年には朝鮮半島の水害に衣類と附属品を送っていた。
デカルソンについては、函館盲学校・聾学校との関わりについて注目される。函館盲学校・聾学校の前身である訓盲院は1895年にメソジスト教会のシャーロッテ・ピンクニー・ドレーパーが設立したが、デカルソンは設立当初より財政的な支 援、授業も担当し、訓盲院を支えた。一時期は遺愛がその経営母体になった時期があり、遺愛の卒業生が教師になっていた。
現在、卒業生を2万3591人輩出しているが、『信仰・犠牲・奉仕』を身をもって示した初期の宣教師達の精神が、今も確かに継承されている。(遺愛 学院 校長 福島基輝）
by Sagara Masahiko, Kyodan missionary pastor
I was sent to New York to work in Japanese Ministry for three years, from the spring of 2008 to 2011. I served as program director of the Special Ministries to the Japanese and as the pastor of the Union Japanese Church of Westchester. SMJ is an outreach program for Japanese families and people with care and love in Christ. SMJ has been supported in the Tri-State Area by the Kyodan, the Reformed Church in America, and the United Methodist Church for over 30 years. Programs and services have been supported by such individual churches as, in New York, the Japanese American United Church in Manhattan as well as the Union Japanese Church of Westchester and Hitchcock Presbyterian Church, both in Scarsdale; in Connecticut, Long Hill UMC in Long Hill and Golden Hill UMC in Bridgeport; and in New Jersey, the Church of the Good Shepherd in Bergenfield and Tenafly Presbyterian Church in Tenafly. There have always been prayers and support for the outreach of this Japanese ministry.
As one of the main SMJ programs, a two-week bilingual summer camp is held every year at Camp Quinipet, Long Island, in the UMC’s New York Annual Conference. As a result of the summer camp, a youth Bible gathering in Tenafly and the Bergen County area in New Jersey was begun to help nurture the growth of the junior counselors who attended the summer camp. There are several cultural programs, such as Japanese classical art performances and lectures about U.S. history and religion, which hopefully will serve as a bridge between the two cultures in U.S. and Japanese society.
SMJ’s summer camp is named “the Discovery Camp.” We hope that the campers will discover or find something important for them. But the truth is that each of them are found and embraced by our Lord there. We have the good news for all people to tell, live out, and share–that is, the gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord. As we gathered amongst our own uniqueness and special talents for helping each other, we became one family before the Lord. During the camp, we experienced cooperating and complementing each other with our abilities as well as with our inabilities. From there, we experienced praising and worshipping the Lord every moment in our camp. The camp is a good opportunity to be nurtured and grow in the presence of the Lord, especially for the parents and family of the campers but also for the counselors and the campers. For those who have not heard the good news, the camp is an experience of Christian fellowship full of joy and the richness in living our daily lives as praise and worship before the Lord. This photo was taken in the dining hall during the 2009 camp. Even in the midst of the noisy lunchtime preparations, this camper was intensely reading the New Testament. It was the first time he had ever held a Bible in his hands. The Word of God had been given to him. The encounter with Jesus Christ in our daily lives has surely started here at this wonderful place.
According to the mission statement of the Union Japanese Church of Westchester (founded in 1989 out of an SMJ worship group), where I served as pastor, the church was at first a particular congregation of the Presbyterian Church, the Reformed Church in America, and the United Methodist Church. The purposes of this church are to worship God, to help Japanese-speaking people study the Bible, and to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people around us. To this end the church aims to be joined firmly together with Christ as our sole head, to be one in prayer, to love our God, and to serve our neighbors. Also, as a church planted in the U.S., the church strongly desires to have Christian fellowship with its brothers and sisters here and to serve our neighbors in the U.S.
The programs held at UJCW include a weekly Japanese prayer meeting and a monthly English book club that is intended to help and to support young mothers with small children by introducing good books for them to read to their children, as well as by introducing life in the U.S., such as enjoying the change of seasons and festivals.
There are also programs and meetings held outside the church building. In New York City, there is a home worship service in Manhattan, with a communion service for members in need, another home meeting at a parsonage in the Bronx. In Connecticut there is a multi-lingual worship service in Ansonia, a home meeting in Greenwich, a home gathering and prayer meetings in Trumbull, and as requested by members of the Trumbull meeting, a family Bible gathering was started at Bridgeport with the cooperation of Golden Hill UMC.
We are given a different and unique faith as we are all unique in the eyes of the Lord. What we need to see in each of us is whether our faith in the Lord is alive in us. The important and blessed truth within us is that when we truly love our Lord and God, we can understand that our faith is sufficiently genuine before the Lord. That love makes us people of worship and one family of God. We want to continue to hold worship services and to celebrate the Lord’s Day here because of this love. We pray that we may love our Lord more as we continue to walk in the Lord’s presence and as we experience the grace of our Lord day-by-day.
“So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” Luke 15:1-7
As long as there are people waiting for the Good news of the Lord, our ministry continues there. After my return to Tokyo this Spring, Rev. Takako Terrino serves SMJ as program director and Rev. Yoko Asada serves again as UJCW pastor.
The coastal area of Fukushima along the Pacific Ocean, called hamadori, is reeling from the triple disasters of the Great East Japan Earthquake, a tsunami, and nuclear radiation from the damaged nuclear power plant. Staff of the Kyodan’s monthly magazine Shinto no Tomo (Believers’ Friend) visited the eight churches located near the power plant and shared with their readers the following testimonies of two of those churches.
Odaka Church and Kindergarten, located within the 20-kilometer radius of the Fukushima nuclear power plant
When the earthquake struck on March 11, five kindergarten children working on their yearbook album and their parents and ten other children were in the church and kindergarten buildings. As soon as the shaking stopped and all were confirmed safe, everyone evacuated the area. Seeing that conditions were beginning to stabilize, all agreed to return again the following Monday. However, the next day a hydrogen explosion occurred at the nuclear power plant, and an evacuation recommendation was issued.
“Almost everyone expected to return home quickly. People had gone to a variety of places of refuge, and many had not taken their cell phones. At first, there was no way to contact church members or related people. While I was out in a car, searching for people, one member spotted my car by chance in Iwaki City. We were then able to connect with others, one by one. Now I have a list of where our members are located,” reports Oshimo Masato, pastor of Odaka Church.
Because, like the kindergarten staff, the kindergarten children and their families were all widely scattered and it was no longer possible to continue administration of the kindergarten, Oshimo himself also returned to his parents’ home in Chiba until he received communication from Seifu Kindergarten in Iwaki City, a sister kindergarten under the same license, which is part of the same Christian kindergarten association. Regretfully, from May 1 the staff had to be dismissed. However, one of the teachers was employed by Seifu Kindergarten in Iwaki City.
Regarding the church, requests for transfer of membership have come from some of the members. “We really need to call a congregational meeting, but that is now impossible with our members so widely scattered. Our thought is to convene an emergency meeting with our subdistrict and district moderators and as many members of the church board who can attend. The real desire of our members and myself is to return to Odaka and reopen the church and kindergarten, but we are stuck in a position of uncertainty, not being able to foresee our future. For Odaka, time has stopped since the earthquake. We are unable to do anything. To be honest, when people say, ‘Just keep trying,’ I think, ‘What can I do to keep going?’ Still, when I am stuck in this mood I am thankful for prayer. Somehow, keep praying with us. In this situation of not knowing what to do or how to do it, I can only try to see God’s purpose in all of this,” says Oshimo.
Iwaki Church, damaged by the tsunami
According to a later report, things have quieted down, but people are still not able to look ahead. In the disaster, Iwaki City sustained damage from the tsunami that left sunken fishing vessels in the harbor and homes washed away. Also, the ground under the city has liquefied, or changed in other ways. The ground under the parsonage of Iwaki Church is tilting. The new pastor, Uetake Yuko, was called to the church from Kanagawa Prefecture in April. Despite changes in the level of the ground in Iwaki City, the restoration of electric and water supply was relatively fast. However, here too, the radiation from the damaged nuclear power plants has caused widespread anxiety among citizens, especially those raising small children, and many families have evacuated. It is the same with church members. Fortunately, the city, being south of the power plants, has experienced relatively low levels of radiation, so people are becoming calmer, and from April some began to return. In a later report at the beginning of June, most of the church members had returned. Still, their feelings about the radiation issue are varied, especially for families with small children, and the decision to stay or evacuate is complicated. Some are staying and others are leaving. A few children are attending church school, but the church kindergarten teachers are in a state of anxiety about reopening, reports Uetake.
Later, Seifu Kindergarten, adjoining Iwaki Church, was able to accept children and on May 9 began its new school year. The building was damaged by the earthquake, but repairs are being made. Also, to ease the concerns of the staff about radiation, all the top soil of the kindergarten playground was removed, and now the whole kindergarten grounds are lower.
Because Seifu Kindergarten and Odaka Church Kindergarten share the same license and are part of the same Soso (soh-soh) Christian Kindergarten Association, Seifu Kindergarten is supporting Odaka Kindergarten and is offering free admission to children younger than kindergarten age whose families had evacuated from Odaka to Iwaki and remained close enough for them to attend. There were some cancellations of enrollment for the new school year, but not as many as was feared.
So Uetake is gratefully welcomed for accepting a call to the disaster area. “My own regret is that I was not present during the crisis immediately after the disaster. Among those members who have evacuated and those who have remained, I sense an ambivalent feeling,” she mentioned. “Now, members of Odaka Church and Pastor Oshimo are worshipping together with Iwaki Church. The spirits of all are reviving, with some now able to look ahead while others still see no way forward. The heavy responsibility of bringing God’s word to these people in this difficult situation continues.” (Tr. GM)
From Shinto no Tomo (Believers’ Friend)
東日本大震災 被災教会の今
福島・原発周辺で生きる教会（現地取材）
福島県の太平洋岸（浜通り）は地震・津波に加えて、原子力発電所の 事故によって放射能の不安に揺れています。そんな原発周辺の教会を訪ねました。８つの教会のうち、二つの教会の声を届けます。
原発二十キロ圏内で避難した小高伝道所と幼稚園の今
三月十一日の地震の時、伝道所・幼稚園には、卒園アルバムを作る ために園児五名とその保護者、ほかに預かり保育の子どもたち十名がいた。揺れが収まった直後に全員の無事を確認してただちに避難。状 況が落ち着いたのを見て、「また月曜日に会いましょう」と言ってその日は別れたという。しかし翌日、原発が水素爆発を起こし、避難勧 告が出た。
「ほとんどの人はすぐに帰るつもりで避難しました。施設に入所し ていた人は施設ごと避難しましたし、携帯を持たずに出た人もいて、当初は会員・関係者との連絡がとれませんでした。ある会員とは、私 が車であちこち探していた時にいわき市で偶然車を見つけて再会できました。あとは人づてに連絡をとり、今は全員どこにいるかを把握し ています」と大下正人（おおしもまさと）牧師。
牧師自身も一時は千葉の実家に帰ったが、いわき市の清風（せいふ う）幼稚園（小高教会幼稚園と同じ学校法人である相双（そうそう）キリスト教学園に属する）から声がかかり、今はいわき市で小高教会 幼稚園の園長として事務をしている。とはいえ、会員同様、幼稚園児の家族も散り散りになったために幼稚園の事業継続は不可能となり、 やむをえず五月一日付で職員を解雇した。ただ、今春採用予定だった保育士一名を清風幼稚園が採用してくれた。
伝道所のほうはすでに何人かの会員からは転会願いが出ていて、今 後のことを考えるために総会を開かなければならないが、会員が各地に散っていてそれもままならない。近々、教区議長、区長、大下牧師 に加えて役員の何名かに出席してもらい、臨時役員会を開きたいと思っている。
「会員も私も、本音を言うと小高に戻りたい、幼稚園を再開したい のです。でもその未来が見えない不安の中にずっと置かれています。小高は地震から時間が止まってしまいました。何も手つかずです。正 直、『がんばってください』と言われるたびに、『どうがんばったらいいんだろう』と思うのです。でも、そんな中でやはり思いを寄せ続 け、祈ってくださるのがありがたい。どうか今後も祈ってください。何をどうしたらいいかわからない今の状況の中で、神さまのなさる業 を感じ取っていくしかないと思っています」と大下牧師。
――――――――――――――――――
落ち着きを取り戻したが、まだ前向きになれない人も
震災によりいわき市も津波の被害を受けており、取材時、沿岸の漁 港内にはまだ船が沈み、家が流されたままだった。また市域全体に液状化を伴う地盤の変動があり、磐城（いわき）教会の牧師館の地盤も 傾いている。その教会に、四月に上竹裕子（うえたけゆうこ）牧師が神奈川県から赴任した。
いわき市は地域差はあるが、電気・水道の復旧は比較的早かった。 しかしここでも原発事故による不安が市民に広がり、特に子どもを抱える家族を中心に多くの人が一時避難した。教会員も同様だった。
幸い、原発の南に位置する同市は放射線量が比較的低レベルにとど まったことから人々も次第に落ち着きを取り戻し、四月に入ると徐々に戻り始めた。取材した六月上旬の段階では、ほとんどの会員が戻っ て来ているとのことだった。
ただ、放射能に対する対応は人によってまちまちだという。「特に 子どもを持っている家族の思いは複雑で、ここにとどまる方もいれば避難される方もいます。教会学校には数名の子どもがいましたが、保 護者の方が心配して今は開催が不安定な状況です」と上竹牧師は語る。
会堂に隣接する清風（せいふう）幼稚園では五月九日から子どもを 受け入れて新年度を始めた。地震による建て物の被害があったが補修をすませている。また、保護者の不安を取り除くために園庭の土を 削っており、庭全体が一段低くなっていた。
清風幼稚園は小高教会幼稚園と同じ学校法人の相双キリスト教学園 に属しているため、小高教会幼稚園を支援している。また被災地より避難してきた家族の幼児を無料で受け入れている。新年度、入園キャ ンセルもあったが、心配していたほどの数ではなかったそうだ。
こうした被災地の教会に赴任した上竹牧師は、「よく赴任してくだ さったと歓迎されました。でも、私は震災直後の一番大変なときにはここにおらず、教会員の中でも避難せずにとどまった方や避難された 方、それぞれに複雑な思いを持っていると感じます。今は小高伝道所の教会員や大下先生と共に礼拝を捧げています。元気を取り戻してい く人がいる一方、まだ前向きになれない人もおり、こうした方々にみ言葉を語る重責があります」とその難しさを語る。
(信徒の友より)
by Jonathan McCurley, UMC missionary
Asian Rural Institute
Nasu-shiobara, Tochigi Prefecture
As we move into Advent and the Christmas season, we are reminded of the new things that God promises in the incarnation. The promises of God being with us, of a new way of life, and of new birth is not only something that happened 2,000 years ago but also has been the experience this past year for us here at Asian Rural Institute. We thank all of you who have supported us with your words, prayers, and financial help through this difficult year.
As many of you already know, we were hit rather hard by the earthquake that happened on March 11 of this year and continue to be affected by the radiation fallout that came in the aftermath of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster. The destruction from the earthquake, while affecting the entire campus, severely damaged our two most central buildings to the school, Koinonia House and the Main Building. Koinonia House is where fellowship, or koinonia, happens in our community as we cook, eat, worship, sing, dance, and converse with one another about life. The Main Building has held our offices, library, and classrooms since the inception of ARI. Both of these became very unstable after the earthquake, and quickly we realized that one floor of Koinonia would no longer be usable. The Main building also became increasingly dangerous, so much so that we were recommended to rebuild as soon as possible as the aftershocks would further weaken both buildings. Cracks, falling ceilings, broken glass, dangerous walls were found in those buildings and throughout the campus. Yet in contrast to the chaos around us, on the evening of March 11, in the cold, without electricity or gas and with busted water pipes, we gathered to eat, sing, pray, and comfort each other and our neighbors. Looking back, I can say that we understood the incarnation to be real, and although much had happened that day, this experience of the incarnation was the real experience of the evening.
From March until now, I must say that this has continued to be our witness. We have watched as so many people have lent their strength and time as they volunteered with us, given us their finances, and have given us their minds and hearts as they have continued to share about and pray for us. However, it was a struggle for us even to decide to continue with the training program this year. At the time we needed to make a decision, we did not know very much about how safe our structures really were nor the effects of the radioactive fallout from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. So, as we struggled and discussed about our future at the end of March, it was very difficult to make any decision because of so many unknown factors. Yet through the intervention of the Holy Spirit, we were given a vision, and soon we were able to decide to begin our training, making an extraordinary request to begin our training at the Theological Seminary for Rural Mission located in Machida, west of Tokyo. This step would bring us the courage to go forward but also sent us into a frenzy as we continued cleanup and research in Tochigi and prepared in Machida for the incoming class of 2011, which would represent 14 countries from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Caribbean.
Being in Machida for the first three months of the training brought many challenges as well as fresh blessings. How to communicate smoothly between campuses, the reduced area for the campus and vegetable fields, and the lack of space for livestock—all these made it necessary to be creative and flexible in the training. Yet there were fewer participants in comparison to previous years, which meant that we were able to create a close-knit community very quickly. This would prove to be another blessing as we dealt with so many unknowns throughout the year. Soon, people began to open up about their lives and their fears of not knowing enough about radiation and what effects there might be. This led both the staff and participants to study, talk, and struggle together about our future and to seek guidance for the right decision to make for our training. Through many prayers and words of encouragement I believe that God then guided us to make the decision to return to the Tochigi campus at the end of July, taking a new step in the training.
Returning to Tochigi took weeks to get used to as the community now readjusted to all of the changes around us. Because half of the staff had remained at the Tochigi campus and the other half had been in Machida with the participants, this now was a time of getting to know one another again and of learning a new daily schedule as we had many fields, livestock, and upkeep to do. It was also at this time that the reality of the situation at ARI in Tochigi became more understood by all. We knew now that while our buildings were unsafe for continual use, they would get us through the year. Learning to use more limited space also created opportunities for learning patience throughout the community. As months had passed since the disaster, we also had much more understanding about the effects of radiation on campus. We learned that we were in a low contamination area, which meant that there had been fall-out from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, but it was not something that would prevent us from continuing on with our lives. We do need to take caution as we plow, plant, and harvest, but life could and would continue.
This reality also created a new opportunity for us to face the challenges in front of us. Would we ignore what was happening and wish it would go away, or would we actively work toward seeing transformation take place not only at ARI but also in the community where we live. We decided the latter, joining with local citizens in the Kibou no Toride project to measure and work at cleaning up our land and making our area literally a “fortress of hope.” In that strain, this year we have decided to take extraordinary precautions to keep contamination risks to a minimum. I believe this shows how much ARI values the mission God has given us to help create a healthy, just, and peaceful world. By “government standards,” ARI is considered a safe area for growing food–food that could be sold in any supermarket throughout Japan. Yet the commitment of ARI to fulfilling the mission that God has given us means that we believe we have a responsibility to create healthy food and a healthy environment. This is how we are witnessing to our desire to fulfill the call God has given us. So what came to us as a challenge, we are seeking to turn into a blessing.
What has been the highlight of the year so far has been the holding of the 39th Harvest Thanksgiving Festival (HTC) this past October. HTC is an event that we have held every year since ARI was founded and is a time we set aside each year to give thanks to God for the harvest, to witness to our faith and mission, and to welcome our supporters and the surrounding community to celebrate with us the life and community of ARI. This is a busy but joyous time and, as part of the curriculum, is the largest event that the participants lead, prepare, and create during their training. Although after the earthquake, and even at the early parts of the training, we thought it would be impossible to hold this event, the grace of God gave us courage to go forward and to celebrate. Through the voices of our community we learned that this year would not only be a celebration and time of thanksgiving for the harvest. It would partly be that, but it would also be a time to proclaim the grace of God that helped us to overcome our challenges and calls us to be transformed. It would also be a time to demonstrate our thankfulness to our many supporters who have worked so hard and given so much to our community.
This year we invited Dr. Joseph Ozawa to come and give the opening address. and his words would set the stage for the rest of the weekend. He spoke to us of the good world that God had created and how that contrasts to the many difficulties and evil things around us. Yet in the middle of it, we are called to keep going to the end, knowing that God has promised to bring us through into a new and transformed future. We were to continue in our pursuit, saigo made (to the last minute). These words of encouragement gave us strength as we sang and danced, ate, and celebrated with many people. Over that weekend we could see the unity of our community, as we came together as one, choosing to fulfill the 2011 HTC theme, which is “Color the world with love, care, and harmony in difference.”
So here we are, coming to the end of another training program when 19 new graduates will be sent into the world, back to their communities, to help create the healthy, just, and peaceful world that we are called to create. While ARI continues to face challenges, we move forward, knowing what Emmanuel means that God really is with us. Understanding that, we continue to try to reach the seemingly unreachable goal of 500 million yen for reconstruction and are giving thanks as support comes in little by little. At the same time, we are patiently working, waiting, and praying that God will touch hearts to bring in the full amount so that we can be about what we have been called to do.
Finally we continue in our present daily struggle. As we train leaders for the creation of a healthy world, we at ARI continue to work for the decontamination of our soil, so that we can with confidence create healthy food for the sustenance for our communities, and through this action, give witness to the whole world of what is possible when God is with us.
アドベントとクリスマスの季節を迎えるにあったって、神様の『受肉』という約束が思い出されます。神様が私たちと共にいてくださる約束は人生の新しい道で す。新しい命の約束は、2000年前に起こっただけでは なく、今年一年の中で、アジア学院にいる私たちも体験しました。励ましの言葉や祈り、経済的な支援などで、この困難な年を支えてくだ さった皆様に心から感謝を申し上げます。
多くの方がご存知のように、3月11日の地震でアジア学院は 大変大きな被害を受けました。そして、福島第一原子力発電所からの放射能の影響もあり、それは今でも続いています。地震による壊滅的 な被害は、敷地全体に及んでいます。特に中心的な建物であるコイノニアハウスと本館の被害が一番大きなものでした。コイノニアハウス はアジア学院の共同体にとって交わりの場所です。ここは、共に料理をし、食べ、礼拝をし、歌い、踊り、互いの人生を分かち合う場所で す。
本館はアジア学院が始まったときからある建物で、職員室があり、 図書室、教室があります。この二つの建物が震災後、不安定な状態になり、コイノニアハウスの下の階は使えなくなりました。使用するの が危険な場所も増え、余震が続いたこともあって、できるだけ早く建て直した方がいいということになりました。ひびが入り、天井は落 ち、窓が割れ、この二つの建物と敷地内の他のところにも使用するのが危険な壁も見つかりました。
しかし、その大変な状況とは対照的に、その3月11日の夜は、寒くて、電気 もガスもなく、水道管は破裂した状態でしたが、その中で私たちは集まり、近所の方々とも一緒に食事をし、歌い、祈り、互いに慰めあい ました。今になると、イエス様がこの世に来られ『受肉』されたということを、その日に現実として体験したように思います。
3月から今まで、そのことはずっと続いていると思います。多くの方 がボランティアとして来られて力を貸してくださり、金銭的な援助や、アジア学院を思って祈ってくださっているのを見てきました。
建物や、福島第1原 子力発電所からの放射能の影響のこともあって、安全かどうかもわからなかったので、今年度の研修プログラム を続けるかどうか、非常に悩みました。未知なことばかりで、3月末頃に今年度の方向性を決めるのは非常に困難でした。
しかし、聖霊様の導きでビジョンが与え られ、驚くべきことに、東京都の西側の町田市にある農村伝道神学校で今年度の研修プログラムを始められることになりました。この一歩 は、私たちに前進する勇気を与え進み出しましたが、震災後のキャンパス内の片付け、放射能対策、町田での研修プログラム、アフリカ・ アジア・太平洋諸島・中米から14カ 国の学生が参加する新学期の準備などで、状況は急展開し慌ただしくなりました。
初めの3ヶ 月を町田で過ごすことで、多くのチャレンジもありました。どのようにしてうまく連絡を取り合うのか、野菜を育てるための畑の敷地も限 られていて、家畜を育てる場所もなかったので、研修内容も柔軟に変更せざるを得ませんでした。
しかし、例年に比べ研修生の人数が少な いこともあって親密になるのが早かったというのは今までにない祝福であり、今年の未知だったことの一つでもあります。 放射能というよくわからないものに対する恐れやどのように影響するのか、などを話し始めました。
職員も研修生も共にそのことを学び、話 し合い、将来のことや研修として何をするべきなのかを考えました。そして多くの祈りと励ましの言葉によって、神様の導きで、研修の新 たな一歩を踏み出すために、栃木のキャンパスに7月 末に戻ってくることができました。
栃木に戻って、また違う新しい環境にな れるためには、何週間かかかりました。町田にいる間は半分の職員が町田で研修生と共にいて、半分の職員は、畑の管理や家畜の世話等も あるため、栃木のアジア学院に残りました。そのため、研修生は新しい人々になれること、新しい一日のスケジュール、多くの畑仕事や畜 産の世話など、毎日いろいろなことがあるからです。しかしそれは普段のアジア学院の状況であると少しずつ理解し始めました。
アジア学院の建物は続けて使うことはで きませんが、今年の研修が終わるまで、限られた期間だけなら使用してもよい、と言う状態だそうです。震災以降、放射能のキャンパスに 与える影響についての知識も増えました。福島第1原 子力発電所の事故の低被害地域であるとのことです。それは、ここは生活できない場所ではないということです。植えることや収穫物にも 気をつけなければいけませんが、生活を続けることはできます。
このような現実は、新しい機会を生み出 したり、時には困難な状況に直面することもあります。その出来事を無視したり逃げたりするべきでしょうか？または、状況を変えるため に行動を起こすべきでしょうか？私たちはその後者を選びました。地域の人々と共に、『希望の砦プロジェクト』というものに参加して、 放射能の数値を測り、除染作業などをして、その地域が本当に『希望の砦』になるように働いています。
こうして、汚染被害を最低限に抑え、神 様がアジア学院に与えてくださった使命である、健全な義と平和の世界を創ることを示していると、私は信じています。
政府の基準によると、アジア学院は食物 を育てるのも安全な場所で、その食物は日本中どこのスーパーでも売ることができるほどだそうです。アジア学院は、健康な食物を作り、 健全な環境を維持する責任があることを証しし、神様に与えられた使命を果たそうとしています。目の前にあるチャレンジなことを祝福に 変えようとしています。
この一年で一番よかったのは、39回目の収穫感謝祭を10月 に祝えたことです。収穫感謝祭は、アジア学院の創立以来続けているイベントです。この時を通して、神様に収穫の感謝をし、私たちの信 仰や使命を証しし、支援してくださっている方、周りの地域の方々を歓迎し共に祝います。研修生にとっては、楽しい学びの一つでもあ り、指導し、準備し、研修の中でも一番大きなイベントです。
震災後、また研修プログラムが始まって からでも最初の頃は、今年はこのイベントができないのではないかと思っていました。しかし神様の恵みで、前進する勇気と祝う時が与え られました。そして今回は、私たちの中で多くの意見がでたこともあって、収穫に感謝して祝うだけではなく、私たちの復興のために労し てくださっている支援者の方々にも、私たちが困難を乗り越えるために助けを与えてくださる神様の恵みを分かち合うことにしました。
今年は収穫感謝祭の礼拝の説教者に、 ジョセフ・オザワ師を招きました。彼は、神様は良い世界を創られたが、私たちの周りには多くの困難と悪いことがあるように見えると言 いました。しかし私たちは最後まで前進し続けるように召されている、神様が私たちに将来を新しく創りかえる約束を与えて く ださったことを知って、最後まであきらめずに感謝して進み続けることが大切だと語りました。この励ましの言葉は私たちに力を与え、た くさんの人々と一緒に歌って踊って食事し、祝いの時を過ごしました。共同体が一つになり、今年の選ばれたテーマでもある、『愛と思い やりと調和で色とりどりの世界に』を果たすことができたと思います。
もうすぐ今年度の研修プログラムは終わろうとしています。19人の研修生達は世界に遣わされていきます。自分の地域に戻 り、健全な義と平和の世界を創る手助けをします。アジア学院は困難な状況が続く時に、『インマヌエル』本当に神様が私たちと共にいて くださるのだということを知ることができます。それを知って、達成不可能に見える5億円という再建設資金の目標をあきらめずに、前進していま す。同時に、神様に祈り、支援してくださる方に感謝し、私たちの使命を果たすために、目標が達成できると信じています。最後に、私た ちも日々の葛藤があります。健全な世界を作るために指導者養成をしているように、アジア学院は土の除染作業を続け、自身を持って健康 な食物を作り続け、世界中に『神様が共にいてくださるときにすべてが可能』だということを証ししていきたいと思います。
The Kyodan’s Disaster Relief Planning Headquarters hosted a symposium at Ginza Church, Aug.29-30, on the theme “Christianity and the Crisis in Present-day Japan–Issues Raised by the Great East Japan Earthquake,” which was attended by 440 participants. Four speakers–a pastor, a theologian, a Christian educator, and a Christian social worker–made presentations from their individual perspectives, and Oki Hideo, president of the postgraduate school of Seigakuin University, gave a special lecture.
The substance of this symposium was extremely valuable, so a report will be published in the future. I will introduce here only the main points of Oki Hideo’s lecture, as space is limited. The theme, “Christ’s Saturday,” is filled with deep and penetrating insights.
The Great East Japan Earthquake caused a massive tsunami, and with “a shaking movement of the earth’s foundation” attacked human society with enormous strength, plundering many lives, destroying many towns, and giving birth to a piteous situation that we can hardly bear to see. Moreover, this earthquake caused a nuclear accident, which led to radioactive contamination, and revealed various contradictions in modern society. The superficiality of politics and its deceitful nature made clear the shallow base of education. And not only that, has it not exposed the weakness of faith within the Protestant Christian church in present-day Japan? Neglecting the proclamation of the gospel of the cross and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, regarding as sufficient mere statements like “Follow Our Lord Jesus who was kind to people,” such as humanists would say—these weaknesses of the church has been shattered by this great earthquake.
About the desolate scene of mountains of thoroughly devastated debris spreading out before him, one Buddhist scholar reportedly said, “sai no kawara” [referring to the hopeless state of a child]. Truly only darkness, uncertainty, and a Hades that must be resigned to are there.
However, in that Hades, Christ is reclining. As clearly confessed in the Apostle’s Creed, “[Jesus Christ]… was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell….” That is to say, Christ who died on the cross on Friday descended into Hades and lay Himself down there on Saturday, the day before the Sunday when he was resurrected. Why? It was in order that he might fulfill the role of a bridge crossing over from Hades to the eternal Kingdom, not remaining in Hades, which the Buddhist scholar called sai no kawara.
Ezekiel, the prophet during a period of destruction who saw a similar scene of sai no kawara in a vision (Ezekiel 37:1-14), spoke of how “dry bones in the valley” were raised from the death. The true God puts new breath in the dry bones, resurrects them, and gives them new life. Japan is now in “the valley of dry bones.” That is, we are in the dark Hades of Saturday. It appears as if there is hopelessness, darkness, and only sadness, pain, and tears. But Christ lies down in the Hades of Saturday, and furthermore, He speaks powerfully to those who are in utter despair. “Cross over me, as you would go across a bridge, and receive a new spirit!’
Christ in the Hades of Saturday is the Christ of the resurrection of Sunday. Speaking strongly about this is the mission of the present-day Protestant church. (Tr. SM)
—Naito Tomeyuki, general secretary
今回は教団の『東日本大震災救援対策本部』が主催したシンポジウム について記します。
8月29日 （月）～30（火）銀座教会を会場にして開催されました。テー マ：『現代日本の危機とキリスト教―東日本大震災によって問われたことー』。発題者は4名。教会牧師の立場から、神学者の立場から、キリスト教学校教育者の立場から、キリスト教社会福祉者の立場からそ れぞれ発題されました。そして最後に大木英夫氏（聖学院大学大学院長）による特別講演がなされました。このシンポジウムは内容の濃い 会でした。後日報告書として出版される予定。出席者は440名ほどでした。
このたびは、紙面に限りがありますので、大木英夫氏の講演の要点 のみを紹介します。題は『土曜日のキリスト』。深く鋭い洞察に満ちた内容でした。
このたびの東日本大震災は大津波を引き起こし、「地の基ふるい動 く」凄まじい力で人間社会を襲い、多くの生命を奪い、多くの町並みを破壊し、目を覆いたくなるような綱領惨憺たる状況を生み出した。 また、この大地震は原発事故を誘発し、放射能汚染を生み出して現代社会のさまざまな矛盾を暴き出した。政治の軽さや欺瞞性を審き、教 育の底の浅さを明らかにした。それだけではなく、現在の日本のプロテスタントキリスト教会の信仰の虚弱さをあばいたのではないか。十 字架と復活の主キリストの福音を語ることを疎かにし、単に「人に優しくされた主イエスに倣おう」などとヒューマニストと余りかわらな いことを語ってよしとしている教会のひ弱さをこの大地震は打ち壊したのである。
ある仏教学者が、徹底的に崩壊した瓦礫の山の拡がる荒涼たる光景 を前にして「賽の河原だ」と言ったという。そこはまさに暗闇であり、無常であり、諦めしかない陰府だというわけである。
しかしながら、その陰府にキリストが横たわっている。「十字架に かかり、死にて葬られ、陰府に下り」and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, 「was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; 」the third dayと使徒信条に、はっきり告白されているとおりである。即ち、金曜日 に十字架に死なれたキリストは、日曜日に復活される前日の土曜日に位陰府に下り、そこに横たわられた。何のために？それは仏教学者が 「賽の河原だ」といわれた陰府に止まらずに、陰府を越えて永遠のみ国へと渡っていく橋の役割を果たされるためだったのである。
「賽の河原」と同じような光景を幻としてみた崩壊期の預言者エゼ キエルは「枯れた骨の谷」の復活する様を語っている（37章1～14）。 真の神は新しい霊を吹き込み、枯れた骨を復活させ、新しい生命を与えられる。今日本は「枯れた骨の谷」にいる。即ち、土曜日の暗い陰 府にいる。そこには希望が無く闇があり、悲しみと痛みと涙のみがあるように見える。しかし、土曜日の陰府にはキリストが横たわってお られ、しかも絶望の渕にある者に力強く語られる。「わたしの上を、橋を渡るように渡って行け、そして新しい霊を受けよ！！」とー。
この土曜日の陰府のキリストこそ、日曜日の復活のキリストであ る。このことを力強く語ることこそ、現代のプロテスタント教会の使命なのである。
内藤留幸 総幹事
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