Kyodan missionaries around the world have reported the following effects of and response to Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic as of March 19, 2020.
North America: The United States
As of March 16, Kyodan missionaries sent to New York and to the San Francisco and Silicon Valley areas in California are facing shelter-in-place orders.
Japanese Churches in Californi……
Our hearts go out to the families of those who have lost loved ones to the COVID-19 virus. We lift our prayers for God’s healing of those who are infected with the virus and for God’s protection of the medical staff and researchers who are doing everything possible to combat this pandemic. We pray that the many people whose lives are affected by this situation and who face anxiety and difficulties……
On Monday, Oct. 14, 2019, the Second National Convention of Kyodan Laity convened at Fujimicho Church, with 155 ministers and lay members in attendance. It was a celebration of the 160th Year of Protestant Evangelism in Japan.
In the first part of the celebration worship service, Kyodan Moderator Ishibashi Hideo gave a sermon on the theme “The Restoration of the Life and Power of Evangelism,” s……
This year, the annual Beginning of the Year Enrichment Gathering, an important event of Hokkai District, was welcomed for the 69th time. It was held Jan. 13-14 at Hanabishi Hotel in Hakodate, with 270 participants, including about 20 children. Miyajima Yuko, the featured lecturer, spoke on the theme, “The Starting Step Opens the Road,” by sharing steps in the life of Christian author Miura Ayako, ……
Founded in 2010, the “Ring no Kai” is mainly a lay work group in Dohoku Subdistrict of the Kyodan’s Hokkai District whose goal is “service and fellowship.” It includes all the church members in the subdistrict. Dohoku Subdistrict encompasses 270 kilometers from north to south and 180 kilometers from east to west and has ten churches. We experience great joy as we work together and support one anot……
On Saturday, Oct. 19, the 3rd EcuPro (Ecumenical Project) event was held, joining the voices of our staff and participants at the Tokyo Lutheran Church, Japan.
The overarching theme of our work is "Let Christian unity begin from the youth!” The many young people who joined in the planning and management were from various church backgrounds, including Roman Catholic, Kyodan, and Anglican/Episcop……
While Japan was occupied by the Allied forces following its World War II defeat in 1945, an effort was made to change Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture from a site of military prominence to a city of cultural prominence. This effort was led by Yokosuka Naval Base’s new commander, Captain Benton Weaver Decker. After being assigned to Yokosuka in 1946, Captain Decker, who was a Christian, called toget……
The new corona virus that first appeared in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China has rapidly spread around the world and is now considered to be approaching pandemic status. In Japan, beginning with the more than 3,000 passengers on the cruise ship Diamond Princess and the spread of the virus in Hokkaido, there are now increasing numbers of cases outside of these clusters where the source of the virus i……
Fall 2019 typhoon damage to Kyodan churches in Tohoku and Kanagawa districts as well as in Tokyo District’s Chiba and Higashi subdistricts was summarized in the Kyodan Shinpo, Issue 4919.
Tokyo District: Chiba Subdistrict
Chiba Prefecture suffered severe damage from three typhoons. The first to hit was Typhoon 15 (Faxai) on Sept. 9, followed by Typhoon 19 (Hagibis) on Oct. 12, and ……
by Kato Makoto, Kyodan executive secretary
From Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, an international conference was held at the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) headquarters located in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on the campus of Payap University (a Christian university). The theme of the conference was "Evangelism and Missional Witness in a Multi-Religious Asia." The conference was co-hosted with The World Council o……
