by Kato Makoto, executive secretary
I attended the 2019 Annual Conference of the Methodist Church in Britain, held at the Hilton Hotel in Birmingham, England’s second largest city, from June 29 through July 4. The program began with Assistant secretary of the Conference Rev. Ruth Gee’s declaration, stating that the conference has been held in the same fashion since 1744. Everybody stood to sing a……
by Watanabe Taeko, chair of Preparatory Committee
50th Anniversary Central Committee Conference
This year’s National Federation of Kyodan Women's Societies’ (NFKWS) National Assembly, held June 7-8, marked the 50th anniversary of the first NFKWS National Assembly. The theme was "Living in Love and Truth: Listening to the Gospel of John." Participants came from locations that ranged from Hokkaido……
by Ishida Shinichiro, executive secretary
The Mission Conference organized by the National Christian Council in Japan (NCCJ) was held at the YMCA’s Asia Youth Center and the Japan Christian Center, July 14-16. In attendance from the Kyodan were General Secretary Akiyama Toru, Executive Secretary Ishida Shinichiro, and Miura Hiroto, a member of Sendai Kita Church. The NCCJ is made up of 30 membe……
by Park, Heon-Wook, member
Kyodan Commission on Ecumenical Ministries
The 36th Conference for Japanese Christians in Europe was held July 25-28 at the Grand Hotel Napoca in Cluj Napoca, the second-largest city in Romania. More than 200 Japanese Christians residing in Europe, together with other constituents of their churches and 30 to 40 of their children, participated in the event. The conferen……
Again this year, the Young Adult Committee of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) sponsored the “I Love Taiwan Mission.” ILT was held from June 26 through July 13 with the theme “Corners of God’s Kingdom.”
Since 2009, the Kyodan has been sending young adults to participate in ILT through the Committee on Taiwanese Church Relations. This year’s participants were Ms. Kosaka Wakana f……
by Ise Nozomi, pastor
Okayama Church, Higashi Chugoku District
Children whose homes were damaged during the floods and landslides that struck western Japan in 2018 were invited to participate in a camp in Taiwan from July 29 to Aug. 3. The camp was organized with the cooperation and collaboration of the Kyodan’s Higashi Chugoku District, and the YMCA Setouchi.
A total of 21 persons ……
by Okawa Tadashi, chancellor
Kyoai Gakuen, Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture
On the Koyahara campus of Kyoai Gakuen there still stands one Western-style building. This is the Former Missionary Residence of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, which has been designated as an Important Cultural Property by Gunma Prefecture. It is now being used to house the archives of Kyoai Gakuen a……
by Rev. Naka Yoshiyuki, Bible Teacher,
Seirei Christopher High School
The 2019 Japan-Germany Youth Mission was held from July 25 to August 3. The eight members from Japan this time ranged from second-year middle school students through first-year college students: three boys, five girls, and two leaders (a man and a woman). The receiving church group in Germany was the Kirchenkreis Wittstock-R……
The Kyodan’s most critical issue these days is that of structural reform. The organizational structure that has been in place since 1968 is facing numerous problematic areas, including the impact of its declining and aging membership, the need for effective evangelization of the younger generation, and the need to maintain financial stability. How can the organizational structure be revamped to fu……
The 2019 Missionary Conference was held at Seisen-ryo in Yamanashi Prefecture March 25-28 and was attended by 25 missionaries serving in Kyodan churches or associated schools, 9 of their family members, and 8 Kyodan staff members.
The Missionary Conference is an annual event offering a chance for Kyodan missionaries to gather, establish mutual support, and experience physical and spir……
