教区規則 大幅に変更 兵庫
5月17日（日）～18日（月）、第63回／「合同」後40回兵庫教区定期総会が行われた。今総会の開催は、神戸市における新型インフルエンザの発生と重なり、入り口には消毒薬が置かれ、マスクが配布される中で行われた。
新型インフルエンザの流行を懸念して出席を控える議員もいる中、正議員212名中、133名の出席が確認され、開会が宣言された。
阪神大震災によって、三役・常置委員選挙等が1年ずれ込んだままになっているため、今年は一切選挙が行われない総会となった。
今回の総会で教区規則が改定された。これは、2004年に明らかになったクリスチャン・センター会計不正流用問題をふまえて設立された「調査委員会」より管理・運営体制の問題点が指摘されたことを受けたものである。以後、協議会や教区総会での議論を経て、教区の運営や任務について新たな規定を設けることとなった。今回その流れを受けセンターを含め教区の運営や任務について教区規則上、別に定めると規定し、その取り組みが次期総会に向けてなされることとなった。
常設委員会・特設委員会の終止・改訂に関する議案もあわせて可決された。
今総会、最も時間を割いて議されたのは議案12号「『合同のとらえなおし』に関する件」だった。兵庫教区は昨年10月に開催された第36回教団総会に「日本伝道150年記念行事を中止する件」を提出したが、審議未了廃案となった。このことを受け、再び「『合同のとらえなおし』の視点から、「『日本伝道150年記念行事』及び記念することそのものへの異議を表明し、同時に自らの歴史認識を問い直し、問題性を掘り下げることを内容とする集会を今年度中に開催する」としたものである。これに関しては1日目に関田寛雄氏（神奈川教区巡回教師）による「『合同教会としての教団の成熟』-御霊の賜う一致をめざし-」と題する基調講演も行われており、戦責告白との関連など様々な観点から、意見が出された。「歴史認識は主観的なものであり、多様性があっても良いのではないか」「検証された資料に従って、教区も丁寧に検証すべき」との声が聞かれ、歴史認識を一つに統一しようとすることの危険性も指摘される一方で、「教団執行部だけではなく、他教団に対しても記念行事の中止を求める」ことについても言及があった。これについては議長から「すでに他教団にも記念行事の中止を求める書面を送っている」との返答があった。教団からの問安使に対しても、この質問が寄せられた。この議案12号は賛成多数で可決された。
また、総会の中で度々触れられたのは、教区の未収金問題についてであった。宣教理解の違いから、教区負担金を納めていない教会に対して「違いを超えて対話をするためには、まず負担金を納めるべき」との見解が示された。
今総会の中で准允式、按手礼式が行われ、8名の准允式と、3名の按手礼式が行われた。式に先立って「2006年教区総会の議題19号（按手無き按手問題）」の投げかけた課題が議長から提示され、「二種教職制の抱える問題や、按手は権威によるものではない」という議論がなされた上で、式が執行された。
他に可決された議案は次の通り。「『日本基督教団兵庫教区セクシュアル・ハラスメント防止委員会規則』の改訂に関する件」「被災者生活支援・長田センターの働きの継続に関する件」
（辻順子報）
聖礼典執行の問題が前面に
各教区で微妙に優勢順位や所要時間に相違があるものの、殆どの教区で大きな関心事・議論になっていることは、聖礼典の執行に関する事柄であり、二重教職制度の問題、補教師による祝祷のこと、更には、「合同のとらえなおし」も、聖礼典執行のことと、切り離して論ずることは出来なくなっている。「合同のとらえなおし」はまた、信仰告白、沿革の加筆、伝道150年記念事業、更に各種の差別問題と別途に論ずることは出来ない。長い時を経てますますもつれた糸、解きほぐす力は、何処に。
On the 17th of March, 2009, I attended the dedication service of the Togi Mission Church–one of the churches whose buildings were destroyed by the Noto Peninsula earthquake. This mission church is an outlying mission point of the Hakui Church and is a place of unforgettable memories for me.
For 20 years I was the former pastor of a church in Kanazawa, Hokuriku area’s major city. During that time, I was closely related to the churches scattered along Noto Peninsula, which lies in that same area; and took part enthusiastically in their evangelistic activities. The building used by Togi mission at that time was an ordinary Japanese house, and the members of the small congregation sat on zabuton (cushions) on the tatami (straw mat) floor during the worship services.
This was just after World War II had ended; and Togi, which became the location of the mission, was a seacoast town rich with the beauty of nature. The gospel was preached there, and the small church was founded. But recently, the condition of the town has deteriorated; the church members are aging; and in addition, the population of the town is rapidly decreasing. Just as concern about the future was deepening, the Noto Peninsula Earthquake struck, and the old building was so greatly damaged that there was no alternative but to demolish it. Rebuilding seemed to be impossible.
However, the Kyodan immediately set up a special committee, the Committee on Aid for Reconstruction of Churches Damaged in the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, and appealed to all the Kyodan churches nationwide to send donations to an emergency aid fund, setting a goal of 150 million yen (about US$1,500,000). The response was wonderful. Contributions were received at a rate that exceeded all expectations, and it became clear that achievement of the goal was assured. By means of these offerings, prayerfully given, Togi Church’s new sanctuary was built, and a completely new era of mission work has begun.
As I attended the dedication ceremony, two scripture verses came to mind. One is Ecclesiastes 3:11: God “has made everything beautiful in its time.” (RSV) The other verse is Isaiah 43: 19: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”
God lives. God rewarded the labor of those who went before, and who so long and persistently bore the burden of evangelism in difficult circumstances, and gave them a lovely new sanctuary as a gift. Already some of the town’s people have asked to hold their weddings ceremonies in the new sanctuary. I earnestly hope that with prayer and with thankful hearts, the church will continue and expand evangelism in this area. (Tr. RB)
–Naito Tomeyuki
Kyodan General Secretary
by Nathan and Nozomi Brownell, missionaries
Yokohama, Kanagawa District
True to the meaning of its name, we purpose the “Green House” to be a safe place for youth to be nurtured and to grow. No matter how inhospitable the climate outside, a greenhouse is a place to set the atmosphere and environment for vegetation to grow and blossom or produce fruit. Those who observe modern Japanese culture and society note a certain unfortunate hardening of the hearts among a surprising number of youth. In too many cases, this can lead to crime or even suicide. We purpose the Green House to be a place for youth to experience a sense of wholeness and life through Christ. The facility actually is a green house, but we vision it to be an actual greenhouse for the hearts of the youth.
The “Green House” is the former home of Yokohama Union Church. Several years ago, the Reformed Church in America helped support the building of the new church building next door. The RCA then designated this facility to become a Christian youth center. At that time, a missionary of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Christian Zebley, in cooperation with the short-term missionary English teachers who were serving in the area’s Christian schools, began gathering junior and senior high school students to participate in an after-school program. The program was centered on fellowship, with Bible reading and testimony time. After Zebley’s return to the United States in 2007, we (Nathan and Naomi Brownell) were sent by the Reformed Church in America to lead the Green House efforts. We come with the experience of an eight-year pastorate at the Japanese American United Church in Manhattan, New York.
As a youth center, we are planning and actually reaching out to a range of persons, all the way from infants to young parents. In the wider sense, we are also planning to support those who are serving the next generation.
Children and Worship program
In recent years, the C&W program, which began in North America, has successfully been spreading across many denominations and even around the world. We have established a C&W center at the Green House, with all the materials and wooden figures necessary to hold and offer the program. The C&W program, which was originally inspired by the Montessori method and interpreted into the Protestant way of worship, offers a chance for children to experience God in worship rather than teaching them about God. The Bible stories are told with materials, such as three-dimensional wooden figures, following the church calendar and lectionary. In this way, the children can also experience and journey with us through the Bible stories.
Presently, once a week, we hold chapel time for the children of the neighboring Yokohama Union Church preschool. We also hold seminars and training sessions, introducing Christian kindergarten, elementary, and Sunday school teachers to this valuable program. We are pleased to announce that the Japanese version of the “Young Children in Worship” textbook is being translated and will be available soon. We hope this will help share this precious worship experience with more and more children. Having completed her degree in Religious Education and having been certified as a Children and Worship trainer in the United States, Nozomi now comes eager to help the team, which has already been hard at work here in Japan, to share this program with the churches. We are also planning to help support a drama and puppetry ministry in the future.
English fellowship for junior, senior high school students
We have been working to provide consistency and continuity for the junior and senior high school students’ after-school program. Approximately eight short-term missionaries, who are serving as English teachers in area schools, pray and whole-heartedly serve the students. Depending on the season, the gathering can reach several dozen students. The program begins with refreshments, games or interesting activities, followed by singing hymns or praise songs and listening to a Bible message or a testimony by one of the foreign teachers. Sometimes we have a brief time to pray for a student’s request. We have seen tears well up in the eyes of some students as we pray for their heartfelt concerns. To say it another way, we seek to help water the seeds that have been planted during the students’ life at the Christian schools.
Returnees’ fellowship
We want to respond to the heartfelt needs of those returning to Japan from overseas. Unfortunately, it is said that as many as 80 percent of those who come to Christian faith during their time as international students, or living abroad, do not connect with the churches here upon their return. While there are several reasons for this phenomenon, we believe that by gathering these individuals and providing a place and time for each to share his or her Christian experience, we can encourage one another to find a church home here in Japan. We believe that this will not only benefit the returnees but also the Japanese church.
Coffee Hour: young parents’ program
Two days a week, from morning to early afternoon, we are opening the Green House. This program is primarily for parents of children attending the preschool of Yokohama Union Church. (Others are welcome). We want to respond to the heartfelt needs of these young parents. One such practical need is for a safe place for parents and other small children during the Pre-K (pre-kindergarten) time. We offer cooking, crafts, and intercultural activities. We also recognize that many of the parents need support. Two times a month we plan special activities, with a firm Christian foundation, which are focused on nurturing these couples and families.
The purpose of the Green House is to support the youth outreach of the Kyodan. We are all aware of demographics and the aging of Japan and of the churches. We are keen to help the churches welcome the youth and to pass on this precious inheritance of our faith to the next generation. We want to become a window through which youth can glimpse the church or, better yet, become a bridge over which they can eventually walk into the Christian life in a local congregation. This is our sincere hope for the Green House.
by Ibaraki Kimiko, member
Ageo Godo Church, Kanto District
The World Day of Prayer has been observed in Japan for 70 years, with the exception of the years 1941 to 1946, due to the Second World War. This year, gatherings sponsored by the National Christian Council in Japan’s Women’s Committee were held in various areas and places under the theme prepared by church women in Papua New Guinea: “Though we be many, we are one body in Christ.” Over ten thousand persons across denominational lines gathered at the prayer meetings held in more than 200 places throughout Japan.
In Saitama Prefecture, the area in which I participated, meetings were held at three separate places. The two churches central to the preparation of these meetings were Ageo Godo Church (Kyodan) and Omiya Seiai Anglican Church, which facilitated the gathering of 125 people from the Kyodan, the Church of Christ in Japan, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Church in Japan. During the time of hymns and prayers, our hearts were quickened by the “voices” and “prayers” in the liturgy provided by the women of Papua New Guinea.
While looking over the liturgy, the unexpressed human pain and sadness that I sensed in the words of the written prayers and “voices” of the Papua New Guinea women brought to remembrance past events in Japan. These emotions are not unrelated to the experience of the people and country of Japan, so I was able to hear the cries of their hearts in relation to new situations that have developed. I have heard that during the time of the World War II invasions, the Japanese military maintained so-called “comfort women” [enslaved prostitutes]. In recent years, as an economic super power, Japan has engaged in the exploitation and destruction of the country through the activities of its businesses, although this cannot be said to be the policy of Papua New Guinea itself.
We read the prepared liturgy’s Prayers of Praise, Prayers of Thanksgiving, Prayers of Repentance, and Prayers of Assurance of Forgiveness. Following the sermon, while listening to the prayer of the fourth “voice,” which prayed for other people, we realized that this is a voice we must not ignore. The voice said: “We pray for the restoration of the natural environment and natural resources that have been exploited by other persons. That destruction has become the reason for our painful battle to continue to live. Please free people from poverty, and especially free people from the kind of greed that will even sacrifice others because of its own great wants.” Referring to the mistakes of the past and present, the final prayer, “Please help us to be your good creation and to be good stewards,” echoed deeply and strongly in our hearts.
The women responsible for creating the liturgy included in it the problems and issues that couples in Papua New Guinea are facing. The “voices” and prayers expressing pain and sadness were not at all those of unrelated persons because we were consciously aware that it is our own mistakes that is causing them.
This time, the NCCJ Women’s Committee created and distributed a pamphlet to deepen understanding of the World Day of Prayer and to make it better known. In the section entitled “From knowledge to prayer; from prayer to action,” is the following statement: “Through the World Day of Prayer, women realize that prayer and action are not to be separated. We affirm the fact that this day has a great influence on the world.” The explanation given of the World Day of Prayer is clear and easy to understand.
Through the World Day of Prayer we can find meaning in learning one another’s perspectives on race, culture, and tradition, as well as in coming to know and understand each other. Through sharing the trials inflicted on the couples of Papua New Guinea as well as their benefits, hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, and through bearing their burdens together, our faith in Jesus Christ was deepened to enable us to seek understanding and peace.
While reading together the prayers of the Papua New Guinea women, our hearts were centered on the issue of “how we can become one body in Christ.” I am praying that this will be realized through the leading of the Lord as we earnestly hear and obey God’s Word. (Tr. RT)
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