Japan
Evangelical
Association

Japan Update

Winter 2017 Number 72

Dr. Christopher Wright (left) delivered powerful keynote lectures at JCE6
with Dr. Atsuyoshi Fujiwara, translator.

The Church: Living out the gospeland serving communities in painreflecting on Dr. Christpher Wright’s keynote lectures at JCE6

InsideReflecting on JCE6 keynote
lectures

1-2"Re-VISION"ing mission in
Japan

3

Participants' comments

4

Global Japanese Christian
Forum

5

News and notes

6-7

Prayer/Editorial

8

In September 2016, the Sixth Japan
Congress on Evangelism (JCE6) was heldin Kōbe, a city now remarkably restored
after being devastated 21 years ago by agigantic earthquake. During the conference, I couldn’t help repeatedly asking
myself a few questions:
How much will have been restored in
the depopulated disaster-stricken areas ofTōhoku 16 years from now?
What about the areas suffering from thenuclear power plant accidents?
What should churches that have been
sent to such communities consider to be
their life and work focus?
It has been over five years since the2011 Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster. The Lord has opened our eyes andtaught us much through the support activities we have been involved in throughout
the stricken areas.
Evangelical churches in the coastal regions of Tōhoku—the areas most affectedby the earthquake and tsunami—had very
little contact with each other. However,after the earthquake church relationships
changed dramatically. A strong kizuna(tie) was established both among local
churches and beyond local boundaries

Masaki
Sasaki

Coordinator,
3.11 Iwate Church
Network
Pastor,Kitakami Baptist
Churchwith significant aid from various Christian
support groups, and denominational unityand cooperation at the highest levels.
Such a dynamic change in the relationship among the churches in Tōhoku has
brought us new perspective in our understanding of the church, mission, and thegospel.
At JCE6, we welcomed Dr. Christopher
J. H. Wright as the main speaker. His focus was on how we Christians in Japan
should view “mission” on the 170th anniversary of Protestant missions in thiscountry. Reflecting on Dr. Wright’s four
lectures, I believe he has given historicalsignificance to our disaster relief ministry
and networks, as well as a theological basis, which we have been working throughsince 2011. When considering the “his-http://jeanet.org/

Perspective
torical significance” of our relief ministries, I see it assees a world full of sin and pain and whether he’s reallyrelating to the history of God’s mission itself, rather thanconcerned about human beings.
only the history of the church.
In the third lecture, Dr. Wright’s focus was on the
In his first“world.” He shared how the Bible sees the world in two
l e c t u r e , D r.
contrasting ways—on one hand, as a good world created
Wr i g h t t o o k
by God, but on the other hand, as a sinful world opposedup the story
to God. We learned that we always need to keep this in
o f E l i s h a ’s
mind. Although painful, undesirable things inevitably
young servant,happen, we all live in a world over which God reigns, awhose eyes
world God cares about, and a world God deeply loves.
were opened
Even if our small efforts cannot take away all the pain or
by God whenmeet all the needs people ask for help with, we should
the horses andkeep doing our small part, believing God will continue
chariots of the August 2016: Typhoon damage in Tohoku disaster area
his saving work for the sake of his love, righteousness,
Aramean army surrounded the city of Dothan. He had
and faithfulness.
been terrified, but when he saw the multitude of horses
In our disaster relief, cooperative relationships previand chariots of fire around him, he realized the presence
ously inconceivable have been built beyond the boundarand power of God. Then, rather than killing the Arameies of churches, church groups, and denominations. Thisans, Elisha had a great feast prepared for them and sent
experience made me appreciate the catholicity of thethem back unhurt to their master. Dr. Wright explained
Christian Church deeper and gave me a great joy of thatthat it was God’s will to show the works of his mission,
catholicity. Yet, it is not that easy to maintain the unity
which would bring his righteousness and mercy to theand cooperation of churches—which is easy to practicewhole world through the offspring of Abraham.
in times of
For us in the Tōhoku area, the earthquake/tsunami
emergency
disaster was an eye-opening experience. It was indeed
like thea terrifying event that caused deep sorrow and pain.
Tōhoku caThis experience, however, has changed how we see thetastrophe—
lives of both those who are suffering and the people who
as an ongomake a living in those areas. We have been forced to reing regularconsider why churches are planted in that very area andministry. In
what they should be doing. We Christians tend to seethat sense,“the world” as something opposed to the church. But we“the unity ofneed to see each person in the world as someone God
the church,”
3.11 Iwate Church Network retreat in 2016
loves and cares about. My eyes were opened and I camethe subject of
to know this truth: the church, even though a minority inthe fourth lecture, was in fact the most challenging. No
Japan, has to serve the world and share in the life of thematter how committed we are to the task, we are merely
community to which it has been sent. Its purpose is notforgiven sinners. On many occasions we have found it
limited to “protecting itself” or engaging in evangelism.
difficult to maintain unity and continue our cooperaWhen we first established the 3.11 Iwate Church Nettion with one another. What pierced my heart, however,work after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, we were
was the question of how the church and each Christian,convinced we should make the gospel central to our
entrusted by God with “the gospel of reconciliation,”
operations and any kind of
can preach the gospel to a
The church must get involved with the world divided by sin if we
relief activities, as this wasto be a ministry of churches. world not only in evangelistic matters, but ourselves do not live by that
I am quite sure that was also in reaching out with hands of love— very gospel—and if we, as
what Dr. Wright was re- precisely because we live out the gospel in the sanctified, do not know
ferring to when he talked this wounded world and put the gospel at the blessing and power ofabout the centrality of the
becoming “one.”our very center.
gospel in his second lecture.
As one who has experiThe church must get involved with the world not only inenced the Great East Japan Earthquake and engaged inevangelistic matters, but also in reaching out with hands
the subsequent disaster relief activity, through listeningof love—precisely because we live out the gospel in thisto the lectures of Dr. Christopher Wright at JCE6, I camewounded world and put the gospel at our very center.
to this conclusion: it is essential that the church live out
As our network members organized and began to reachthe gospel in this world, and sustain its life by the gosout to suffering and hurting people, we heard many voicpel. As a church full of hope, let us walk in the gracees saying, “How could God dare to allow such a disaster
filled, real power of the gospel.
as this?” It was not merely the matter of this disaster, nor(translated by Nobue Tachiki)
was it a question of how God sees calamities like this.
Rather, it seems to me people were questioning how God

2

Report

JCE6: "Re-VISION"ing God's mission in Japan
Kenichi Shinagawa, General Secretary, Japan Evangelical Association
The 6th Japan Congress on Evangelism (JCE6) took
place in Kōbe on September 27th to 30th, 2016. Morethan 2,100 (60% pastors/missionaries) gathered fromall over Japan and also from other parts of the world toengage the theme “Re-VISION Toward Regeneration:
The Gospel, the World, and Opportunities” (theme verse
2 Kings 6:17). Through the daily keynote lecture seriesof Dr. Christpher Wright, 15 projects, and 44 workshops,
God encouraged us and gave us a renewed vision of mission in Japan.
The first Japan Congress
on Evangelism(JCE) was heldin Kyoto in 1974
w i t h D r. J o h n
Stott as the keyn o t e s p e a k e r.
Since then, JCE
has served as a
A "koinonia" group at JCE6
milestone eventfor the evangelical church community in Japan—wherechurch leaders come together to cast the vision of mission in Japan for the coming decade. JCE6 was the first
JCE set up on the basis of seven-year recurring cycle
and therefore it was structured differently from previous
JCEs in several important ways.
First, it focused on connecting participants to one
another and building networks of mission cooperation.
In the past, participants sat in auditorium seats, listened
to great messages and were inspired but they remained
isolated and the impact of the congress didn’t last long.
This time, participants were assigned to eight-member
table groups called “koinonia” and discussed various
topics together throughout the whole event. Through thiskind of fellowship, they developed meaningful ministry
relationships as well as encouraging friendships.
Second, it was a project-based congress, which meansthat more importance was placed on advancing the Kingdom of God through the continuous ministry of projects
rather than on the JCE event itself. The congress is justa launching point where we confirm the shared visionand expand our networks. But the real work happens in
between the congresses, through these projects on the
ground. Each participant chose to participate in one of
the 15 JCE6 projects. The “koinonia” was organized byproject selection. So the personal networking in the tablegroups is meant to be carried over to ministry partnerships that continue after the congress.
JCE6 Project List
P1: Pursuing maturity in biblical faithP2: Japanese society and mission
P3: Church and State
P4: Building sustainable society

P5: Disaster ministryP6: Family ministryP7: Diaspora ministry
P8: Business as mission
P9: Church planting
P10: Churches bearing burdens together(Rural Ministry)
P11: Youth ministryP12: Children’s ministry (4-14 Window)
P13: Japan mission 170 to 200(statistical analysis and strategy)
P14: Mission infrastructure building(“Re-VISION”ing JEA’s role)
P15: Calling the church back to HIS(humility, integrity, simplicity)
Instead of Congress statements as in previous JCEs,
we have the Guide Book Toward JCE7 that includes the
purpose and goals of each project, which will serve as theguide to advance together toward JCE7 (2023 in Nagoya).
Third, the concept of “analogia” commission was introduced to enhance actual mission cooperation in local
contexts. In Kōbe, six “analogia” commissions that are
analogous to six JEA commissions (mission, theology,social, relief, women, and youth) were formed. These“analogia” commissions hosted local cross-denominational ministry events to strengthen local churchesin Kōbe. This “analogia” system aims to connect local
churches to JCE6 projects as well as global Evangelical
Alliance networks (WEA and AEA) through JEA.
Fourth and mosti m p o r t a n t l y, w e
incorporated “ReVISION”ing of JEA
itself as one of the
projects (P14). JEA
has matured as thenational alliance ofevangelical churches over the years,
and now we feelMore than 2,100 gathered for JCE6 in Kobe
God is calling us totake more missional initiatives in advancing God’s Kingdom here in Japan. As a part of that “Re-VISION”ing,
we are restructuring the JEA Mission Commission (MC)
into three task forces: 1. Mission Forum—to lead JCE6
projects and host an annual JEA Mission Forum in various locations, 2. Mission Research—to gather and analyze
mission data and to provide a network of MCs among JEA
members), and 3. “Glocal” Ministry (global+local)—to provide a network of Japanese ministries overseas as well aswith various ethnic churches in Japan. Through this new
structure, JEA seeks to serve as a catalyst of God’s mission in connecting wider networks, facilitating greatercollaboration and creating new ministry initiatives.

3

VoicesComments by JCE6 participants
During and immediately following JCE6, Japan Update
interviewed several participants to get their impressions
about the event.
Makihito Kawahara (local layperson):“Michael Oh’s message made a dynamic impact on
me. I absolutely agree with him that mission work
involves both joy and suffering. Evangelism is not a
simple task. I just want to be faithful to what God calls
me to.”
Takayoshi Nakao (pastor in Okinawa)“Chris Wright inspired me through his lectures todeeply appreciate the power and scope of the gospel.
If Christians
truly appreciate the gospel,
I believe they
can make atransforming impact intheir respective social
contexts.”
Masakuni Hotta (seminary student)“At the JCE6 Global Japanese Christian Forum,
Kenichi Shinagawa spoke about a ‘kingdom mindset.’This kingdom mindset is a perspective that sees allthings as people in God’s narrative, with our citizenship sealed in heaven. I was greatly encouraged to bereminded that all must be viewed through the ultimate
reality that the Lord is moving his mission of the gospel forward.”
Daiki Kishimoto (local pastor):“Through God’s mysterious guidance, I came to help
in organizing JCE6. I am thankful for the number offriends I have made during the course of my service,and the valuable experience I have gained.
Eiko Takamizawa (participant from overseas):“I was impressed with the level of passion of the participants. The Koinonia (table group system), enabled
participants to share with each other what they learned
from the speakers on stage, and to have meaningful
fellowship. I believe there could have been more diverse styles of praising God. I felt troubled by the factthat the overwhelming majority of the speakers and4

presenters on stage were men. I attended the meetingof those who are involved in global Japanese ministries. It was an unprecedented and highly valuable opportunity.”
Gary Bauman (missionary in Japan):“It was exciting to hear the clear and precise presentation by Pastor Hari on church planting and church
multiplication during the project explanations in themain session. I was grateful also for the opportunities
provided through the Koinonia groups to meet new
people and network for future ministry. Conferences
like JCE6 play an important part in facilitating connections between people who might not meet otherwise.”
Sumito Sakai (member of the local committee inKōbe):“While preparing Kōbe and the Bible [an e-book], I
revisited the history of Christianity in Kōbe ( 神戸 ).
I realized anew how a door ( 戸 ) was opened in Kōbe
for God’s ( 神 ) blessings to be poured in. I also saw
how the Great Hanshin Earthquake [of 1995] triggeredinterdenominational networking in Kōbe, and solidified networks over the following 20 years. I believethese historical factors contributed to an effective collaborative network among seminaries in the Kōbe area,
which provided a strong force of onsite volunteers.”
Chris Wright (keynote speaker):“I am impressed that JCE6 is very well planned andorganized. The one thing I want to communicate to myaudience is the overall story of the Bible as a whole.”
Ayami Kohatsu (administrative staff member):“A marked difference from
JCE5 is a greate r u s e o f I T.
The administrative office has
become largely
virtual. I appreciate that the
local committee
took the initiative in organizing JCE6. I was pleasantly
surprised by the large number of seminary students
who worked as volunteers.”(translated by Atsuko Tateishi)

Report

The Global Japanese Christian Forum andDiaspora-related gatherings in Kobe
Toshio Nagai, JCE6 “Glocal” Ministry Committee member
The Global Japanese Christian Forum (GJCF) was heldin Kōbe on September 30 and October 1 as a follow-up
program to JCE6. It was organized by JCE6 "Glocal"
Ministry Committee. The term “glocal” is a combinationof the words “global” and “local” and was intentionallycreated by the organizing committee to symbolize thatthe participants were one in Christ. The committee
wanted to be sure that everyone from overseas and fromwithin Japan would come to this forum in one accord.
As the approximately 120 participants gathered forthis very special session, they accepted each other as
uniquely gifted fellow workers whom God had assigned
to do his work. Throughout the relaxed opening meal,
everyone enjoyed listening to stories of how God had
been working in various areas around the world. About
40 of the participants were ministering to Japanesepeople overseas. They had been invited to the welcome
dinner with great appreciation from churches in Japan.
Another 30 had been sent by denominations or mission
agencies. About 10 were independent pastors andmissionaries.
After the meal, the participants were divided into
more than 15 small groups. There they shared both theirblessings and the difficulties they face as they serve intheir varied God-given ministries.
On the second day, five panelists shared their thoughts
and experiences. Group sessions followed. Toward
the end of the forum, several pastors were assigned as
liaisons for different areas of the world to ensure thiskind of gathering would continue. Gathering and meetingwith one another is the first step toward understanding
God’s diversity in missions. We think God is rejoicing
because these relationships have been formed and will
help the participants keep in touch. This was the first stepof a new beginning for “glocal ministries” to network inGod’s way and timing.
One of the projects in the preceding JCE6 program had
focused on diasporas, and about 70 people had gathered
for that session.
Three leadersof the diaspora
project readdifferent articles
from the booklet
S c a t t e r e d To
Gather (available
in both English
and in Japanese).
Regional liaisons of GJCF
Diaspora mission
was discussed through a consideration of three different
aspects: mission to, mission through, and mission beyond
diaspora. Returnees, couples in international marriages,
business people working overseas, and people from othercountries are all defined as diasporas. At JCE4 (2000),

the first diaspora workshop was held. From JCE5 (2009),
diaspora became a project of its own and will continue
to be so for JCE7 (2023). Our hope is that churches
in Japan will understand more about the diversity anduniqueness of diasporas. We thank God that he has madeus aware of people in various diasporas and we want tocontinue to pray for them.
At JCE6, one session focused on foreigners living inJapan. About 45 came to this session. The president of
JCPC (Japan Council of Philippine Churches) shared
their present situation in Japan. His talk opened oureyes and helped us realize that diasporas are crying out
to churches in Japan. According to 2016 statistics from
the Ministry ofInternal Affairs andCommunications,
there are over 2.3
million people
from about 190
countries living
in Japan. This
number exceedsthat of JapanesePanel speakers at GJCF in Kōbe
people living
overseas. There are several ministries in foreign
languages in Japan. Are Japanese local churches awareof their presence? How are we cultivating relationships
with these congregations who want our practical help
and support? Ethnic congregations are growing andwill continue to grow in the future. Their presence andtheir faith can show us new methods and insights. It’s
important to reflect on what God wants us to learn fromthem.
Here is a question: what does God see when viewing
people through the word “Japanese”? When we thinkof “Japanese,” we tend to think of Japanese people inJapan. But God views “Japanese” in a different light.
Of course, he thinks of Japanese people in Japan. In
addition, his heart reaches out to Japanese people
overseas. Finally, he cares for people living in Japan
who are from other countries. Churches working withthese three demographics are facing challenging issues.
However, the problems can be transformed into God’s
blessings if churches will acknowledge each otherand humble themselves to learn from each other. By
partnering and supporting each other, similar issues thateach group faces can be solved together. When we only
think of ourselves, we limit God’s mission. We need tothink globally, and act locally—with God. What kind ofpartnerships does God want to see among us? How can
we glorify him? These are the questions we should beasking as we are called to walk to, through, and beyond
our narrow understandings of “Japanese.”5NEWS and NOTESInternational human rights conventions andmunicipal laws
The alumni association of the Faculty of Theologyof Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU) held an open
campus lecture at the Shibuya campus on September
22, 2016. Dr. Hae Bong Shin, faculty in AGU’s Department of Public Law andan expert in international
human rights law spoke on“Human rights and international society today: therealities and the problems.”(Shin was born and raisedin Japan as a South Korean
resident of Japan. She went
to Aoyama Gakuin HighSchool and University. Herparents told her “mission
schools may have a minimum
amount of discrimination.”)During her lecture, Shinshared, “After the United Nations was founded in
1945, it defined the standards of human rights and established various conventions.” She explained that theUnited Nations Convention for the Elimination of All
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) adopted in1979 had a significant impact on Japan: Nationality
law changes adopted in 1985 following CEDAW provided that Japan’s application of jus sanguinis [a legal
principle in which the nationality of a child is determined by a parent’s nationality rather than by place ofbirth] would allow children born to female Japanesenationals to possess Japanese nationality, even if thehusbands did not.
Since CEDAW also affected the Government Guidelines for Education, Home Economics began to betaught to both male and female students in junior andsenior high schools. In the realm of employment, theEqual Employment Opportunity Law was established.
Shin also explained that the Law on the Eliminationof Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities
which was implemented in April 2016 stems from theUnited Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities (CRPD): “This Act orders society tomake reasonable accommodation for the disabled andto give them more opportunities to get out of the house.”
Concerning the hate speech problem, Shin said, “InJapan, despite counsel from the United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination,municipal laws remained without prohibitions against
hate speech for 20 years. However, the Act on the
Promotion of Efforts to Eliminate Unfair Discriminatory Speech and Behavior against Persons Originatingfrom Outside Japan was adopted in May 2016. This is
not enough but we moved one step forward. . . . Education is fundamental to protecting human rights, buteven university students have never learned about thisarea.”“The right to knowledge is also vital. Although theUnited Nations counseled the Japanese government in2001 (10 years before the Fukushima accident) to provide open information regarding both safety and thepotential dangers of nuclear power generation to local
residents, the advice was ignored and the disaster occurred. This was a serious human rights problem.”(summarized and translated by Tomoko Katō)

Bringing the gospel to Toda City
The second Toda City Mission Forum was held at
Nishikawaguchi Baptist Church (Japan Baptist Convention/Nihon Baputesuto Renmei) on July 31, 2016.
Pastors and church members from four churches in
Toda City, Saitama Prefecture, gathered in the hopethat they can cooperate in evangelizing the city. The
focus at this meeting was to build relationships by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of their churches.
Pastor Shinichirō Saitō from Nishikawaguchi Baptist Church spoke from 1 Corinthians 9:19-22, saying: “Jesus’ mission method was to understand each
person’s life setting and share the gospel accordingly.
. . . Many times we focus too much on how to bringpeople into thechurch so they
can listen to
the sermons.
However,
Jesus’ command was for
us to go out
and share thegospel with all
people.” He also shared about how the book Radical
by David Platt (President of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, USA)
challenged him concerning the amount of money,time, and prayer his church has been dedicating tomission work outside of the church. This spring, Nishikawaguchi Baptist Church started hosting cafésand music concerts during the cherry blossom season,
hoping to reach local residents who come to see thechurch’s row of beautiful cherry trees.
Toda Evangelical Free Church (Nihon Fukuin JiyūKyōkai) hosts various activities so as to build relationships with the local community: yoga classes, cooking
classes, mochi pounding, summer events, and so on.
They also schedule special Sundays to focus on domestic and international mission work. Pastor Makoto
Yokoyama shared how their number has increased
gradually, as they even have welcomed people withoverseas backgrounds from areas such as Korea, Taiwan, and Indonesia.

Articles selected from the Christian Shimbun—October to December 20166

News and Notes
Pastor Tomoko Obara of Toda Christ Church (Japan
Holiness/Nihon Hōrinesu Kyōdan) noted, “In the narrow sense, mission is experiencing the presence of Jesus Christ through worship and the sacraments. In the
broad sense, it is being encouraged through worshipto live as a testimony in all areas of our lives. Mission
proceeds from the narrow to the broad sense. First ofall, we need to prioritize listening to God’s Word atworship services and obeying what it says.”
With church planting as his vision, Pastor Yoshiya
Hari from Keisen Christ Church, Saikyō Hope Chapel(Conservative Baptist Association/Hoshu Baputesuto Dōmei), leads services not only in Toda but also
Saitama, Gyōda, and Yokohama. Cell groups are a big
part of his ministry. Hari stressed the importance ofconsistency in building up the community.
The forum ended with tea fellowship and an open
discussion about “ideal” mission work and the dreamof Toda churches working together both to evangelize
and help solve some of the issues Toda City struggles
with.
(summarized and translated by Hiromi Kiuchi)“What The Pastors!!” celebrates its first year of
broadcastingThirty minutes of laughter, problem-solving, andtears: Casual conversations with pastors
The online talk show “What The Pastors!!” wasstarted in autumn 2015 with the hope that it would“encourage all Christians.” Hosted by Pastor Masaru
Asaoka of Tokumarucho Christ Church, (Japan Alliance Christ Church/Dōmei Kirisuto Kyōdan), andShigenori Ōshima, the general secretary of KGK(Kirisutosha Gakusei Kai), the show is well accepted
due to the variety of guests that join the broadcast.
A special public recording of the show took place on
September 22, 2016 at Ochanomizu Christian Centerto celebrate the completion of one year of broadcasts
since its debut.
The pastors
spoke in unscripted casualconversations,talked about
how they tackle
various issues,
and answeredquestions fromthe audience andlisteners. The
live “at home” atmosphere was held in front of an audience of regular listeners, former guests, and family
members of the pastors.
Pastor Yōichirō Yamamoto of Tajimi Chūō Christ
Church, Japan Alliance Christ Church, was the guest
for this special occasion. Yamamoto has been a friendof Asaoka since childhood. He spoke about personal
issues such as a time when he was distant from God,
his childhood, his worries while in Bible college, andstruggles he encounters while pastoring. Yamamoto
also performed a number of songs he has composed.
The public recording was broadcast in three segments,
on October 7, 17, and 27, 2016.
The talk show is uploaded on dates ending in thenumber 7 and is accessible on the PBA website,
iTunes, and Google Play. As of January 17, 2017, the30-minute show had recorded 50 episodes filled withlaughter, problem-solving, and tears. The hosts andguests pour their hearts out as listeners hear about thedaily lives of pastors, their personal life experiences,
their relationship with God, and their families andchurches. Some of the listeners are Japanese Christians living abroad who are seeking fellowship inJapanese.
Access online at: https://www.pba-net.com/web/wtp(summarized and translated by Grace Koshino)
Rev. Hideji Paul Ueki of Japan elected as the
Chairman of the Asia Evangelical Alliance (AEA)The AEA General Assembly and Asia Mission Forum was held in Bandung, Indonesia from August
29 to September 1, 2016. More than 130 participantsfrom 15 Asian countries gathered under the theme“Ethical Leadership and Authentic Discipleship”.
At this general assembly, Dr. Sang-Bok David
Kim of South Korea who served 16 years as the
AEA Chairman
stepped down
and Rev. Hideji
Paul Ueki (chairof JEA International Relations
Committee,
Immanuel Kakogawa Church)
was elected as
the new Chairman of AEA for the next four years. As Japan has in
the past invaded many Asian countries, we receive thechairmanship with a humble heart and seek to serve
the AEA.
Despite increasing persecution against Christians invarious areas of Asia, Christ’s gospel is advancing inmany parts of Asia. Asia now has 60% of the world’s
population and is at the frontier of gospel advancement where diverse cultures and many different religions exist. We must recognize that the role of Asia
in world mission is increasing and therefore we needto pray that God will anoint Rev. Ueki with the Holy
Spirit in order to lead the ministry of the AEA.
(written by Kenichi Shinagawa)

Articles selected from the Christian Shimbun—October to December 20167

Please pray for Japan
1. That the impact and enthusiasm of the 6th Japan Congress on
Evangelism (JCE6) will continue to spread throughout churches in Japan so that Christians are encouraged and empoweredby the Holy Spirit to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in
their communities.
2. That the JCE6 projects and “analogia” commissions in local
contexts will be used by God to enhance holistic mission cooperation among churches and mission organizations in orderto make a greater gospel impact on Japanese society.

Japan Update
Winter 2017 - Number 72
English Newsletter of theJapan Evangelical Association (JEA)
Chairman :Takao Nakadai
General Secretary : Kenichi Shinagawa

4. That God will raise up the next generation of Christ-centered,gospel-driven leaders among young Christians in Japan.

Japan Update is pub­lished biannuallyby the JEA. Through Japan Update, the
JEA seeks to communicate how God is
at work in Japan and to foster prayer
and collaborative work for the advancement of God’s kingdom in Japan. Views
expressed by in­di­vi­dual auth­ors do notneces­sarily reflect offi­cial JEA posi­tions.
Japanese names appear in Wes­tern order(sur­name last).

JEA related schedulePer­m is­s ion to reprint is gran­t ed, butplease give cre­dit and send one copy of
any pub­li­ca­tion con­tain­ing reprin­ted material to the edi­tor.

3. That our eyes will be opened to what God is doing among Japanese ministries overseas and various ethnic churches in Japanso that more and more “Kingdom-minded” collaborations will
start and bear fruit.

DATE		

EVENT

PLACE

Feb. 27-Mar. 1

Disaster Chaplaincy Training

Chiba

April 8		

RJC Northwest Conference

SeattleMay 8		JEA Mission Research Consultation Tōkyō

May 29		JEA Youth Leader Summit

Tōkyō

June 5-7

JEA General Assembly

Hamamatsu

Sept. 25-26

JEA Mission Forum in Kōbe

Kōbe

Editorial
I was very much encouraged by the enthusiasm and positive spirit of JCE6 as well as theclear and inspiring message of Dr. Christopher
Wright. As Rev. Masaki Sasaki wrote in the feature article on this issue, Dr. Wright’s message
cast light on our 3.11 Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster experiencein 2011 and connected it to God’s grand narrative in the Bible. It isclear to me now that what we have learned in disaster ministries in
Tōhoku (holistic ministries) should be applied to our local everyday
ministries in our contexts in order to advance the Kingdom of God
here in Japan. Please continue to pray for Japan!
Kenichi Shinagawa, Editor in Chief

http://jeanet.org/

Japan Update Staff
Editor in Chief
Kenichi Shinagawa
Asst. Editor
Atsuko Tateishi
Translation Editor
Gary Bauman
Translation Staff             Tomoko Kato		Grace Koshino		
Hiromi Kiuchi		
Mie Takatsuji
Nobue Tachiki
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