Japan
Evangelical
Association

Japan Update

Spring 2023 Number 84

Participants at Asia 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand (Photo by Christian Shimbun)

Penetrating Asia’s heartlands with the gospel:
A challenge to uninvolved, detached approaches
Yoshiyuki
Billy
Nishioka

Dean, Tokyo Biblical
Seminary

InsidePenetrating Asia's heartlands
with the gospel

1&3

The blessings and struggles
of a Japanese missionary 2
Partnership with the global
church: MENA and Asia

4

A Japanese person in Asia

5News and Notes

6&7

Prayer/Editorial

8

The propositional approach and its
challenges
For a long time, the evangelical church
has held that the verbal proclamation of thegospel is at the heart of its mission. The
gospel is considered absolute universal
truth. Those who have accepted the “worded
gospel” are expected to have left pagan
religious culture, which was deeply tied
to idolatry, and to have moved into a newredeemed Christian group rooted in Westernculture. Western Christian culture has long
been considered more biblical. At the sametime, the godless culture of the recipient
has been deemed more deviant, and newconverts have been implicitly urged to moveaway from it.
Problem 1: The illusion of a “culture-free,pure gospel”
The first problem is the idea that thegospel can be extracted from culture without
being colored by it. When discussing therelationship between the gospel and culture,with this viewpoint a clear distinction ismade between the two. Then, once we think
we have a “universal gospel” divorced
from culture, our remaining mission is to“propositionalize it” and pass it on to othercultures.
Problem 2: Cultural superiority lurking
under reductionist conviction
The gospel expressed as a proposition is
reductionist and fails to capture the richnessof the gospel as a whole. The Enlightenment’s
pursuit of objective and absolute knowledge
distorts the understanding of the gospel andits presentation into excessive rationalism.
This leads evangelists to a sense ofcultural superiority and to a lack of respect
toward other cultures and religions. This
propositional approach to understanding
the gospel concentrates too much on theimportance of the individual—that is,private—sphere, and the public nature of thegospel is lostP ro b l e m 3: T h e w o rd e d g o s p e l b e i n g
detached from life

http://jeanet.org/(continued on page 3)

StoryThe blessings and struggles ofa Japanese missionary in Southeast Asia
A Missionary to Southeast Asia

As far back as I can remember, I
have believed in God the Creatorand that he took on the form of aman to become Jesus our Messiah.
I believed this because this is what
my parents taught me. I experienced
how the Lord worked powerfully in
our lives by watching my parents,
so I didn’t doubt my own faith. I simply accepted myparents’ faith.
But when I entered elementary school, apart from mysiblings there were no other Christians. I started seeing
the difference between my family and other families, andfor the first time, I saw my faith objectively. I thought,“I was brought up in a Christian home, so my parents
taught me that Jesus is God. But had I been born in a
family that believed in another religion, I guess I would
have believed that another god was the real God. I wonder which is real?”
As I pondered this, I thought, “Surely the real God
could save all people. If that is the case:
1. Religions that teach hardship and suffering as conditions for salvation must be false, since the disabled
and elderly wouldn’t be able to do such things.
2. Religions that require money must also be false
since poor people would not get saved.
3. Religions that are limited to a certain region mustalso be false since not all the people of the world
could be saved.”
So even as a child, I remember thinking, “I’m sothankful my parents taught me to believe in Jesus, and I’m
glad I wasn’t wrong about it!”In this world, some people do not have the privilege
to hear about Jesus, depending on the circumstances of
their birth. I myself am a missionary to an unreachedtribe in Southeast Asia. When I was in Japan, I found it
a hurdle to get people to understand the “One and only
true God our Creator” when they believed in Yaoyorozu
no Kami or the multiple gods of Shintoism. But the tribe
I am reaching out to does believe in a Creator God. The
problem is that Jesus is just a prophet to them and not
God. Therefore they struggle to accept Jesus our Messiah who is the Lamb of God. Even though they should
be close to receiving salvation, the “Deceiver” succeeds
in deluding and sowing hostility in them, pushing themto the furthest possible position away from the gospel.
When I carry the title “missionary,” it is difficult to be
accepted by these people, so I currently live among them2

as a Christian teacher with a work visa.
The Unreached Tribes Evangelism Network transcends denominational lines with its vision to “evangelize unreached tribes and see them saved.” Some in thisnetwork are pastors and seminary professors, but many
work in their professions and as good neighbors reachout to share the gospel. People of various occupations,such as doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, restaurant
owners, businessmen, soccer coaches, and even retirees
have gathered to reach out to the unreached tribes here.
Together we pray and work to see people saved.
“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest,
therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”(Matthew 9:37, 38)
These verses are what called me into ministry. But ourcurrent visible harvest is nothing large. Even when weare able to exclaim “Harvest!,” it’s as if we take threesteps forward and two steps back.
But in the midst of this, I think to myself, “This isn’t
the first time something like this has been true. It’s
been true in Japan as well.” Through the hardships ofmany missionaries and the endurance of many Christians, through many tears and many prayers, the gospel
reached even me. I am encouraged when I think of those
who went before me and whom I look up to as role models. The promise found in Psalm 126:5: “Those who sow
with tears will reap with songs of joy” strengthens me
and pushes me forward.
As I have served in this land, some missionaries havementioned to me that they have heard “Japanese Christians may be few, but each is genuine.” When I hear this,I immediately remember the churches in Japan that havesent me and support me. I feel proud that Japan, where
the Christian population is said to be less than 1%, issending missionaries out into the world and that its
churches are playing a part in the Great Commission.
While praying for the salvation of the people of unreached tribes, I also pray for the salvation of my homeland, Japan. The harvest may not be large in either group,
but we “walk by faith,
not by sight.” (2 Cor.
5:7) We m u s t n o t b e
directed by either hopeor despair, but look up
to our Lord who is thetruth, and walk in him.

Feature
Penetrating Asia's heartlands (continued from page 1)

Third, the gospel expressed in propositional terms allows it to be separated from the communicator’s presence. In other words, a neatly worded, conceptualized
gospel can easily be detached from the lives of believers
or evangelists. Rather than living the gospel, the focus ison how effectively the gospel can be communicated.
Problem 4: A conceptualized and unattached gospel
packaged in a foreign narrative
Finally, due to an excessive focus on verbal proselytizing, verbal proclamation without deeds may end up
communicating an entirely different message. The goal
becomes effective transmission of a “culture free” gospel “franchise,” validated by success stories and market
logic. Words and deeds have been separated. Something
has taken place that was not seen in the incarnate Christ.
Namely, the gospel has become detached from life anddeeds.
The social service approach and its challenges
It is not that evangelical mission has totally ignored
the action represented by social service. Nevertheless,in the propositional approach, “proclaiming the truth ofthe correct gospel” is what evangelism is all about. The
propositional approach sees “living the gospel” throughsocial service as meaningless if not preceded by verbal
proclamation. See the table for the characteristics of thesocial service approach to evangelism.
The witness approach and the possibilities
Let us now discuss the importance of witness, comparing it to the two approaches already mentioned (seetable).

The third approach, witness, bears testimony to God’s
work in fellow human beings who have the same weaknesses. It is often accomplished through two-way dialogue. It is not a case of dominant and subordinate, one
up and one down, but both sides standing before the lightof truth as equals (see table). The truth revealed in the incarnate Christ is communicated as it is embodied in testi-

mony and revealed by the Holy Spirit through dialogue,
thereby engaging the receptor in discovering the truth of
the gospel. Let’s look at the invisible power found in thisapproach.
The invisible power of witness
The first invisible power is that of questions. Proclamation-type gospel communication presents the gospel
as the “answer.” However, witness-style communication
draws questions from recipients.
The second is the power of rumor. This dimension
plays a major role in gospel penetration. Michael Green
states that it was the power of rumor that enabled theearly church to spread the gospel with such vigor. Whena person lives in witness mode, one’s presence has thepower to speak without words. This often takes the formof rumors.
The third power is that of shared weakness. It is noble
for the strong to support the weak. But in the Scriptures,
people chosen for witness are quite weak. The disciples
Christ called were “uneducated and untrained” (Acts4:13).
Conclusion
Words without deeds and deeds without words do
not have penetrating power. This is why witness is crucial—in which word is not detached from deed. The
importance of witness does not negate the importance of
proclamation and social service. Rather, witness creates
desire for the proclamation of the Word of God.
The questions raised by witness draw people to the“pulpit table” where the gospel is proclaimed. Witness
does not deny social service. Rather, such service given
by people who love Jesus raises the great questions, “Whydo they do this? What motivates them to do it?” These
questions correspond to, and encourage the quest for, thegospel.
Therefore we need vertical “pulpit tables” where thegospel is proclaimed directly in words, and we needhorizontal “relief tables,” organized to provide relief tomany people at once.
But large “relief tables” still do not provide the intimacy of “sacramental table fellowship.” At these fellowship tables, pain, worry, anxiety, frustration, anger, andsmall expressions of gratitude and joy are shared overdelicious, culturally familiar beverages or food. In an
ongoing horizontal dialogue, people hear together themessage of the gospel of the Lord Jesus from above andare transformed. This is key to the penetrating spread of
the gospel.

3

Feature

Asia 2022: Session 3
Partnership with the global church: MENA and Asia
Hisao Tanabe, Pastor, Immanuel Seisenshingakuin Church

Hisao Tanabe speaking at Asia 2022

Today I want to talk to you about partnership between
two regions of the world: MENA (the Middle East
& North Africa) and Asia. I would like to speak on
this theme using three key terms that I believe arefoundational to MENA and Asia’s work together. These
three terms are persecution, alliance, and diaspora.
Persecution
The Open Doors ministry provides a ranking of the
50 most dangerous countries in which to be a Christian.
Among those 50 countries, 19 are in Asia, 10 are in the
Middle East, and 9 are in North Africa. In total, 38 outof the 50 countries on this list are in Asia or MENA. It isquite obvious that these two regions, Asia and MENA,
have a common problem: persecution. Any partnership
between these two regions must deal with this problem.
What can we do?
First, can we learn together and share information
about what is happening in churches in each region?
Yesterday, we had the privilege to hear about persecution
in Iran and Nepal. After that presentation, I talked witha fellow Japanese pastor and we agreed that we don’tknow much about persecution around the world. We are
ignorant and indifferent about it. And because we don’tknow, we don’t pray enough for the persecuted. If weare the one body of Christ, how can I say as a pastor ofa local church in Japan that we are doing fine when apastor in Iran has been arrested and put in jail?
Second, can we pray for one another and for those whoare persecuted? If we learn, we can pray. “So Peter was
kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to
God for him.” (Acts 12:5) There are always those whoare in prison and under persecution. This is very much a
picture of the church in both regions. “But the church ispraying to God for him.” This is us, too. The church in

4

Asia and MENA should always be praying for those whoare persecuted.
Third, can we help each other by studying together forencouragement? We all need to be educated, and those
who are in persecuted countries also need to be trainedin how to live under persecution. The Asia Evangelical
Alliance has a Religious Freedom Commission. The
Commission provides seminars and workshops todeal with issues related to persecuted Christians:
legal issues, human rights, and so on. This can be one
channel through which to organize seminars or training
sessions for church leaders or Christians who are living
under persecution—so they can receive wisdom andencouragement to stay faithful. I believe persecuted
Christians will be encouraged if they hear stories andtestimonies from fellow believers who are persecuted inother countries.
Alliance
The Asia Evangelical Alliance has 19 national alliancesin its membership. Among those, Mongolia is the newest
member, and it was the Malaysian Alliance (National
Evangelical Christian Fellowship Malaysia) that helped
the Mongolian Evangelical Alliance get established.
Is it possible for both AEA and MENA Evangelical
Alliance to work together to encourage and strengthen
our alliances in each region? Can we work together tohelp any country in Asia or the Middle East or North
Africa where there is yet no national alliance to establish
one?
Diaspora
Currently, there are almost three million foreigners
living and working in Japan. Most of them represent
diasporas from Asian countries. But we also have people
from the Middle East and North Africa. For example,
more than 5000 are from Turkey, 4000 from Iran, 1000
from Syria, 700 from Tunisia, and 500 from Israel.
When it comes to Japanese living in other countries,
there are more than 1400 in Turkey, more than 1200
in Israel—and more than 70,000 in Thailand! Did you
know that Japanese who live in foreign countries havea better chance to come to faith than those who live inJapan? I believe the same is true with people from othercountries. Whether you live in Asia or in the MENA
region, you can share the gospel with a foreigner who
could be a Muslim, a Hindu, or a Buddhist.

Feature

A Japanese person in Asia

Midori Yanagisawa, Catalyst with Friends with the Voiceless International
I was raised in athen-typical Japanese
nuclear family in a
suburb of Tokyo. During
my childhood, myparents used to take us
to hatsumode, a New
Yanagisawa at a village in
Bangradish
Year’s petition at a Shinto
shrine or Buddhist temple. I determined not to go during
my high school years, instead wanting to accomplish
something not by luck, but by my own effort. When I
experienced a major failure despite my all-out effort, I lost
my sense of purpose in life. I wondered about the presenceof the “Transcendent,” who would provide the meaning oflife. Then God intervened in my life through a high school
friend believer. I decided to follow Jesus as Lord with mywhole life. While studying the Bible from a missiologicalperspective, Jesus called me with the commission, “serve
the underprivileged of the world as I cared for them.”
After a few tests of my faith, God opened the door toserve in Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in theworld in 1990.
I’ve learned that loving people as Jesus loved themmeans setting aside my viewpoint and seeing people
as he sees them, gradually finding in them a portion ofGod’s image from which he will restore each person
toward wholeness. Poor women in slums, or motherswith malnourished kids in villages had been those whose
voices were least heard in society. However, when given
the opportunity, they did their best for the sake of theirchildren. My eyes were opened to see that despite theirtorn clothing and outward appearance, inwardly they
were bearers of God’s image, and so creative! These werecrucial opportunities in which I wholeheartedly tried toshow my respect for them just as they were, whether from
Muslim or Hindu families.
During my service at an international Christianorganization, I gradually realized that efficiency was whatdrove management. Impressive reports required numbers.
Though I wanted to spend more time with people so thatthey would discover and apply gradual change to theirlives, efficiency interrupted that desire. This caused me adilemma. This struggle urged me to ask for Him further.
Amazingly, a Muslim female staff with whom I shared aflat happened to observe me having fellowship with the
Lord as I daily read the Bible. A couple of years later I

was told by a senior missionary that this staff member
came to the Lord as she saw my seriousness with the Lord
and the inner peace I had at work. I praised God!
Possibly due to my training in Japanese society, I
was inclined to perfectionism. I wanted to complete aparticular project my way. However, God’s way wasdifferent. During the course of the project, he moved me
to a rural area where the most underprivileged live. They
were an outcast group of Hindus, who were devastatingly
rejected from the public sphere.
Later, following God’s leading in the mid-90s, I was
seconded to a new local organization working among
outcastes. By then I had learned that as a believer
discernment is critical. While praying, God led me to ayoung pastor who had just started a small house church in
his village of outcasts. His passion for Jesus was so vivid.
In my prayers I sensed that I was called to encourage thechurch through prayer, but not with money, since I had
observed many church leaders succumbing to dishonesty.
The pastor faithfully trusted the Lord, and 26 years later
I could see that God had responded to his faithfulness. I
saw the fruit of followers of Jesus, not only in his village,
but in the broader area as well.
During my visit to Bangladesh in October 2022, I saw
one senior leader who said my presence back then was so
encouraging. He later became a cross-cultural evangelist.
He confided that at one point an antagonist had physicallyattacked him and he had almost died. Even so, he isfearlessly committed to Jesus today.
As a tiny community of Japanese believers, we areoften pushed into social situations where we must act
differently from the majority. This has trained us as sober
disciples of Jesus who have had to grapple seriously withhis words in order to discern God’s will. A focus on Jesus
in our lives leads to seeing his works. Without that, we
would wander around in our own weakness and succumb
to distrust. When we are a weak minority, we must be
patient so that we may have more opportunity to see
God’s works. This may be a hidden contribution Japanese
followers of Jesus have to offer followers of Jesus aroundthe world.
Recently I sense that each generation is entrusted withspecific tasks in God’s mission for a particular age. During
my time I was called to serve the underprivileged. Now a
new age is arising as God entrusts a new generation withdifferent tasks in his mission. What shall I do as a Japanese(continued on page 7)

5

News and Notes
Filipino-Japanese collaboration in the
Evangelical Free Church
A Filipino service is held
every Sunday at Ōharu
Evangelical Free Church, aten minute drive from Nagoya station. At the vibrantservice, where the congregation jumps up for praise
and worship, both Tagalog
and English are used. After the service, people take photos and post them on social media. They share the lively
atmosphere with their friends, encouraging them to cometo the services.
Pastor Masamitsu Hattori first came across this formerly independent Filipino congregation in 2009 and has
supported them ever since. The Japanese congregationin Ōharu traditionally held afternoon services, so they let
the Filipino congregation hold their services on Sunday
mornings. Later, under the name Immanuel Christian
Fellowship (ICF), the congregation became a member ofthe Evangelical Free Church of the Philippines (EFCP)
and formed a partnership with the Evangelical Free
Church of Japan, Chubu region.
The main pioneering pastors of the Filipino congregation were Pastor Niño Solito and Pastor Noel Marcelo.
The bond between the Filipino and Japanese congregations tightened after the Great East Japan Earthquake[2011] and Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines [2013]
through involvement in disaster relief efforts in eachcountry. In 2018, Pastor Prisco Allocod (former chairman of the EFCP) joined ICF, forming a strong pastoral
team. The congregation continued services during thecoronavirus pandemic and currently holds eight services
in various locations, mainly in Aichi Prefecture. ICF also
holds a Japanese service, mainly for the Japanese husbands of Filipinas and their children.
At Ōharu Church, three Japanese pastors support ICF
in addition to other regular church activities. Kyōichi
Noguchi attentively takes care of Japanese families.
Tetsuji Hikasa is fluent in Tagalog. Pastor Hattori, although “not good in English and Tagalog,” oversees
overall planning. “Even if we cannot s p e a k f o r e i g nlanguages, when we work as a team, we can evangelize to the world,” he says.
On September 20, 2022, Pastor Hattori spoke at the
JEA Mission Forum on ministry cooperation with foreign language churches in Japan. “In the past, I had
seen ministry in Japan and overseas ministry as separate
things. Now, as more people travel globally, I have come6

to see ministry in a new framework, which transcends
borders.”
Referencing Leviticus 19:34, he said, “The Japanese
Church has the opportunity to start looking outward instead of inward. This starts with showing an interest in
foreign residents in Japan.”
Christian Shimbun, October 9, 2022
Translated by Grace Koshino

Futaba Kibou Christ Church dedication
ceremony

Joy of dedication
October 29, 2022, the long-awaited dedication dayof Futaba Kibou Christ Church*, was blessed with fineweather. About fifty attendees from not only Japan, butalso as far away as Canada and the U.S., gathered to celebrate this joyful day.
During the first part of the ceremony, Rev. Masaru
Asaoka (Board Chair of Japan Alliance Christ Church
and Tokyo Christian Institute) led the service with astrong encouragement from Isaiah 43:19 entitled, “A way
in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (NIV).
In the second part, Rev. Eiji Sumiyoshi reported on thefounding of the church, and missionaries Seong Gwang
Kang and You Young Kim, newly assigned to the church
in April, shared their aspirations for Futaba Kibou Christ
Church. Yukari Sato, music evagelist, led the final worship segment, which was followed by greetings from theguests.
After the dedication ceremony, attendees enjoyed theweather and fresh-from-the-oven pizzas in the church
garden.
Current condition and future of the Futaba district
According to data posted on the internet, only 20% of
the Futaba district’s former residents have returned. The
schedule for the cancellation of evacuation orders andthe resident return rate varies for each town. Some towns
have already welcomed back former residents, while others hope to attract new residents through plans to recruit

News and Notes
companies and workers to their area. The nuclear decommissioning process is expected to take forty to sixty
years. Each locality is working on reconstruction, but the
future will continue to be difficult.
Hope in Christ throughout the Futaba district
The Futaba district suffered immense damage because of the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster on
March 11, 2011. The tsunami destroyed houses, and thearea experienced radioactive contamination, leaving
the residents in deep pain and despair. Some still carry
bitterness and enmity toward Tokyo Electric Power
Company (TEPCO). Festivals and seasonal events havebeen suspended due to the evacuation and dispersion ofresidents, and the challenge for churches is to fit into therestoration process of local communities. Despite thesechallenges, Futaba Kibou Christ Church’s mission is toproclaim the gospel and hope in Christ throughout the
Futaba district.
*The church is located less than 5km from Fukushima
No. II Nuclear Power Plant.
Christian Shimbun November 27, 2022
Translated and summarized by Hiromi Terukina

Under 40 IG:NIGHT
Learning to lead praise and worshipfrom the same perspective
IG:NIGHT*, a conference
for Christians under age
forty, started on September
3 online and ran for three
weeks. Three worship groups,
Ruah Worship, Third PlaceWorship, and Abide in Me, composed of members intheir twenties and thirties, led this cooperative event.
About 200 people registered for the workshops thatwere conducted mainly online through a collaboration
app. The sessions included performance, planning,
songwriting, audio, video, and some interactive events.
On the last day, September 24, a praise gathering washeld in a church in Tokyo. Beginning from in-person
preparation the day before, about 130 people gathered
to learn and interact with one another. They came fromvarious regions around Japan, including Tokyo, Miyagi,
Aichi, Osaka, and Hyogo. Rhythm and arranging,loudspeaker and microphone placement, wiring, lighting,audio and video transitions . . . the participants actively
listened to praise performances and various behind-thescenes details supporting them, asking questions along
the way.
Some of the comments:“I had been trying to find how to stream [video] fora long time, and I was happy to learn about various
methods here.” (man from Kanagawa)“I have been practicing according to my own feelings,
but the workshops taught me how to play and how to
prepare my mind. I enjoyed the fellowship with people
in my age group.” (woman from Osaka)“I understand now how to operate video.” (student from
Miyagi)“The performance level was high and there were somany things to learn! I got interested in streaming.”(man from Saitama Prefecture)
Representative Yoshihisa Nakamura said, “I come froma rural town and in the past have felt it quite difficult
to get to know people deeply at a meeting in Tokyo.
This time I was happy to see that because people had
met online beforehand, some had lunch together before
they came to the conference hall. Those of us involvedin organizing this event became good friends throughvarious past worship gatherings that were arranged byour senior members. They were great role models for us.
This time, I think we can serve the next generation.”
Regarding the workshops, he said, “not as instructors,
but together with the registrants, we created from thesame perspective. We composed new worship songs
together, etc., in this ‘hands-on’ experience.”*IG:NIGHT — Innovation Generation Night, a wordplay
on the term “Ignite!”
Christian Shimbun, October 16, 2022
Translated by Tomoko KatoA Japanese person in Asia (continued from page 5)

believer who has followed Jesus for more than 40 years?
He is revealing that I do not have to impose my way ofthe past on the next generation in Japan or Asia. Rather,
Jesus calls me to encourage others to trust in the Lord as

they grapple with the issues of the current age, just as hehas patiently nurtured me up until now in discerning his
amazing works.

7

Please pray for Japan
1. The Japan Evangelical Association is now preparing for theseventh Japan Congress on Evangelism (JCE) which will beheld in Gifu in September of 2023. Please pray for JCE7.
2. Pray that the Holy Spirit will work through foreigner-friendly
ministries in Japan so that Japanese churches and ethnic
churches in Japan might be united in the bond of love.
3. Pray that more “Kingdom-minded” collaborations will happen among different ethnic churches in Japan and Japanesechurches. There are many opportunities, including ministry tochildren of mixed marriages, and so on.

Japan Update
Spring 2023 - Number 84
English Newsletter of theJapan Evangelical Association (JEA)
Chairman :Toshinori Ishida
General Secretary : Takahito Iwagami

4. Pray for young Christians and pray that God will raise up thenext generation of Christ-centered, gospel-driven leadersamong 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.

DATE		

EVENT

PLACE

April 24

JEA Board MeetingTokyo

May 19-20

AEA D6 Family Conference

OnlineJune 5-7

JEA General Assembly

Kakegawa

July 25-29

Arise Asia 2023

Thailand

Sep. 19-22
			The seventh Japan Congress on
Evangelism

Gifu

The theme of Japan Update #84 is Japanese
Christians among Asian countties. I attended
Asia 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand last October.
It was such a blessing for me to have fellowship with Asian evangelical Christians from44 countries.
I felt Japan and Japanese churches are not isolated but havestrong bond of love with the Asian brothers and sisters. In this issue I would like to share these blessings with you all. It is amazing to know what God has been working and is working in Asian
countries. I believe God is challenging us to open our eyes to
see not only our own country but also Asian countries so that wemight be able to work together to establish the Kingdom of God.
Takahito Iwagami, Editor in Chief

http://jeanet.org/

Japan Update Staff
Editor in Chief
Takahito Iwagami
Asst. Editor
Atsuko Tateishi
Translation Editor
Gary Bauman
Translation Staff             Tomoko Kato		       Grace Koshino
Hiromi Terukina
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