Pastor Ishida Motomu is scheduled to be sent as a missionary from April 2020 to Sycamore Congregational Church in El Cerrito, California, which is on the West Coast of the USA. His commissioning service, sponsored by the Commission on Ecumenical Ministries, was held on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019 at Nishinomiya Church in Hyogo District. Commission on Ecumenical Ministries Executive Secretary Kato Makoto……
On Easter Sunday in 1926, Christian young adults desiring to live like Jesus, who washed the feet of His disciples, began a laundry shop called the “Seirei (Holy Servant) Company.” Later they met a young man who was suffering with tuberculosis and were deeply moved. At that time, the Lord entrusted them with the work they are now continuing, and all the related institutions are based on the spirit……
by Tohya Masumi, member
Kobe Tobu Church, Hyogo District
—Compiled by the Shinto no Tomo (Believer’s Friend), Editorial Committee
Crossing denominational lines, missionaries from North America, Germany, Norway, etc., founded Kansai Missionary Language Institute, a school for learning the Japanese language, in Sannomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, in 1979. It moved three years later……
All those who knew Elizabeth Clarke will always cherish the memory of her bright smile and enthusiastic energy for the mission of the Church in Japan. By this, combined with her sharp wit and deep intellectual insights, she left a legacy of commitment to the high calling of Christian witness and service in Japan that extended to other Asian nations as well as to North America.
As the ……
On Sept. 5, 2019, President Osumi Yuichi of Tokyo Union Theological Seminary (TUTS) suddenly passed away due to complications from a subarachnoid hemorrhage. People related to the seminary and many churches that supported the seminary were stunned and saddened to learn of this tragic event, as Osumi was beginning his third year as president and was only 64 years old. A funeral was held on Sept. 9 ……
On Sunday, Nov. 24, Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church held a “Gathering for Peace” at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, and on Monday, Nov. 25, officiated at the “Papal Mass” at Tokyo Dome. Those of us from Protestant churches and representatives from other Japanese religions were invited to these gatherings and given the opportunity to hear the Pope’s message and to participate in the corpor……
by Ootsuka Shinobu, pastor Okayama Church, Higashi-Chugoku District
Merry Christmas!
In the Bible, two of the Gospels report the birth of Jesus. In the Gospel of Matthew, it is the wise men, and in the Gospel of Luke, the shepherds, who make an appearance. Those who appear in each of the Gospels are different, but central in both stories is the existence of ‘light.” The wise men are led by a sta……
by Nobuto Yoshihide, Wake Church and Mitsuishi Church, Higashi Chugoku District
Following the disastrous flooding of the Mabi-cho of Kurashiki, a city in Okayama, due to the extremely heavy rains that occurred in western Japan in July 2018, we set up a relief center in a rented store building, first repairing the damage to the structure. As we desired it to be a place that brought warmth and comf……
The fifth Executive Council meeting of the present 41st General Assembly period was held Oct. 7-8 at the Kyodan headquarters with 29 members in attendance. General Secretary Akiyama Toru gave a report on the damages caused by Typhoon 15 (called Faxai in international media), and Tokyo District Moderator Kishi Toshihiko detailed the damage to Habu Church on one of the Izu Islands, thanking council ……
by Kato Makoto, executive secretary
Typhoons 15 (early September) and 19 (mid-October), referred to in Western media as Faxai and Hagibis, caused damage from Kanagawa District and Tokyo District’s Higashi and Chiba subdistricts to areas northeast and even beyond Tohoku District. I will report on only some of the districts that were affected.
As I had been planning to visit Tohoku on ……
