As part of celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, the Kyodan sent participants to an International Youth Conference in Germany, July 24-Aug. 8, as well as to a nearby Boy Scout Camp. Both events were conducted entirely in English so the contents were challenging, but it appears that the youth were all able to participate without difficulty. We hope that after returning to……
by Yamasaki Mutsuko, pastor Ikoma Church, Nara Prefecture,Osaka District
At a time when it was unusual for a girl to study abroad, I studied in the US. Following my return to Japan, I spent my entire career in English education. Along the way, what has really directed my heart is the Morning Prayer Movement (Chotokai) , a nationwide ecumenical organization that meets weekly on Monday mornings f……
by Mitani Takayasu, president J.F. Oberlin University*
J.F. Oberlin Gakuen will soon celebrate its 100th anniversary, as it was founded in 1921. I want to trace the path of Oberlin’s origins by first introducing Shimizu Yasuzo, Oberlin's founder. He was born in 1891 on the western shore of Lake Biwa in Takahama-cho, Shiga Prefecture, as the second son of a comparatively wealthy household engag……
This year's SMJ (Special Ministries to the Japanese) Discovery Camp was held July 23-Aug. 4, 2017 at Camp Quinipet in Shelter Island, New York. There were 9 campers from Japan and 17 local campers, as well as 2 counselors from Japan (myself and Miss Kishi Hikari), and 5 counselors from the US. I feel very blessed to have been given the opportunity to participate in the SMJ Discovery Camp on its 40……
The Executive Council of the 40th General Assembly Period (2016-18) held its second meeting, July 10–11, at the Kyodan headquarters with all 30 members present. First, Kyodan Moderator Ishibashi Hideo gave the report of official observers who had attended the various annual district assemblies. The continuing decline in the overall statistical strength of the Kyodan is a concern that he intends to……
by Kawakami Yasushi and Kawakami Masaki
Brussels, Belgium
We are both ordained pastors, and in April we were sent to the Japanese-language Protestant Church in Brussels, Belgium. At the end of March 2016, after nine years of service, we resigned from Iida Azumacho Church in Nagano Prefecture and moved our base to Tokyo. Then after approximately a year of preparation, we left for Belgium without ……
by George Ndjungu, former assistant director
Student Christian Fellowship, Tokyo
George Ndjungu was born in 1989 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At age 8, due to his parents becoming missionaries, he moved to the US and the following year to Senegal, where his parents were appointed as resident missionaries. He graduated from a high school in Boston and soon after enrolled at the Univer……
Again this year, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan’s Youth Ministries Committee sponsored the “I Love Taiwan” (ILT) mission event, June 28-July 15, under the theme “Thy Name.” PCT General Secretary Rev. Lyim Hong-Tiong was instrumental in setting up this program, which began in 2002 to deepen PCT’s relationship further with overseas churches.
Including the staff, about 120 persons att……
by Okamura Hisashi, pastor, Osaka Church
Chair, Committee on the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation
The first Kyodan event celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation was the Commemorative Service held at Fujimicho Church in Tokyo on June 22. Over 500 people came to this service to share the Lord’s Supper together and to enjoy the blessings of the Word. We have c……
The work of the General Secretariat Office is quite varied, and one important function is its work in relating to church bodies outside the Kyodan. Our relationship with the "Group of Three" Korean Churches [The Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK), The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK), and The Korean Methodist Church (KMC)] together with the Korean Christian Church in Japan (KCCJ……
