by Umesaki Koji, moderator Kyushu District
As the 2016 Christmas season draws near, I would like to share with you some of the unprecedented events I experienced in our district during this year, and about the “light in the darkness” that I saw with my own eyes.
On April 14, at 9:26 pm, the Kumamoto region was stuck by a tremendous earthquake, measuring 7.0 on the intensi……
Churches in the 17 districts of Kyodan utilize substantial funds, received from offerings, to promote cooperative evangelism through “mutual aid” in each district, subdistrict and congregation. Without such a mechanism, small rural churches, as well as churches without full-time pastors (i.e. multiple-charge churches and churches with interim pastors), would not be viable.
For this re……
In 1957, 12 years after the battle of Okinawa, the Okinawa Christian Institute (present-day Okinawa Christian Junior College and Okinawa Christian University) was born out of the desire of Christians in Okinawa who had experienced the misery of war to nurture a new generation of young people who would take on the task of building a peaceful island. It was the second university to be established in……
by Sasaki Ryoko, pastor Cologne-Bonn Japanese Protestant Church
I was sent as a Kyodan missionary to the Japanese Protestant Church in Cologne-Bonn and arrived here in April of this year. In 2015 the church experienced the trial of having no pastor for a year but was able to continue the observance of worship services every week, without fail, because of God’s leading and the help of……
by Matsuda Yoku, teacher Aino Gakuen Agricultural High School
Typically, I don’t have a clear sense of the Holy Spirit. However, I feel it in my work at school. Isn’t it that warmth that wells up in our hearts as we work and pray together when we confront the problems that come our way? Isn’t this the power at work in the hearts of the non-Christian as well as the Christian?
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Komyo-en Kazoku Church is located in a national Hansen’s Disease Sanatorium. Of the 13 national Hansen's Disease Sanatoriums, two are located in Okayama Prefecture – Nagashima Aiseien and Oku Komyo-en. Although Nagashima Aiseien is the more well known of the two, Komyo-en is actually 20 years older.
With only 13 such institutions in the whole nation, one might wonder why two are locat……
Once every four years, the Schweitzer Evangelischer Kirchenbund (SEK), an alliance of Protestant churches in Switzerland, “mission 21” (the branch of SEK in charge of missions), the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK), the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea(PROK), and the Kyodan hold a joint conference referred to as the Trilateral Conference. This year, Switzerland was the host country……
The Quadrennial Conference of The United Methodist Church (UMC) was held in Portland, Oregon from May 10 to 20. I, Akiyama Toru, attended this conference along with the Reverend Takada Teruki, a Commission on Ecumenical Ministries’ staff member. General Secretary Nagasaki Tetsuo was scheduled to attend, but due to his illness and subsequent hospitalization, I attended as his substitute.
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by Kawakami Yoshiko, pastor Okubo Church, Tokyo District
Editor, KNL Editorial Committee
In January of this year, 2016, the Kyodan Newsletter (KNL) reached its 50th anniversary, with a total of 389 issues as of this October newsletter. It is distributed under the auspices of General Secretary Nagasaki Tetsuo, the person responsible for its publication, Executive Secretary for Ecumeni……
The seventh Executive Council meeting of the present two-year (39th) Kyodan General Assembly period was held July 4-5 at the newly renovated Japan Christian Center building, which recently finished its earthquake resistance upgrade. All 30 members were present. In his report, General Secretary Nagasaki Tetsuo reported that as of June 30, a total of 14,557,000 yen had been contributed to the Kumamo……
