Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-01-28
CHRISTIANS IN
Japan STRUGGLE
AFTER DISASTER
Letter From Episcopal Pas
tor There Tells of Trials.
TO Fir. Mclaughlin.

city has received an interesting letter
from the Rev. Y. Sugiura, a Japanese
clergyman of the Episcopal sect, To-
Gated in Toxic. The attitude of Jap
anese Christian minister is well re-
fected in the following epistle:
Takinogawa Kakuen, Sugamo, Tokyo,
Nov. "a, 1924.
Besides the damages by the great
earthquake and fire of Sept. LIST, 1923,
that may be shown in figures, there is
another kind in my church which re-
yealed itself to be greater and greater
as days passed. My church was located
in the Sc end, of the city before the
fire. but almost all of its members
fled far away from it to seek their
refuge in the western suburbs, and
they have one another begun to set
tie theer never to return again, thus
their new abodes dotting along the
electric railway line for many mile
around the city. They are so scat
tered and so far away from their old
church site, that we can not build a
Temporary church at the former site
and with the people on the other side
of the city at the distance of from
to u miles between. So / was
Obliged to hold our service at TAX
jnogawa Kakuen Chapel as it was
about the center of the widely scat
tered people and more or less con-
yenient to most of them. My people
are all very earnest and trying as
best they can to overcome all sorts
of difficulties in attending church ev-
or since. I must not lose these peo-
pie, | thought, as they are necessary
element for the future development
of nv church. | thought it best to get
new site for the church somewhere
near Shinjuka Ry. Station, and apart
from it to carry on my social work
in the Sc end of the other side OF
the river, yet keeping the two in
close relation. Under such clrcum-
stances, / kept on my work for these
Is months, taking the pastoral care
over so widely dispersed herd and
irving not to miss any opportunity
for mission work through them, as
well as helping the poor in my pre-
quake field in the Sc end of the city.
New Way Opens
All of a sudden, however, there
seems a new way opened now for me
TO make a forward step. Br. Motodo
has a plan to open five new meeting
houses for those who recently moved
to the outside of the city; and he
asked all churches of the city to send
their members who are now living
near these meeting places. 1t Is
very timely plan for the protectlon OF
their faith, as well as for the develop
ment of the church in the held so fer-
tile. And now it so happens that all
these five places are just in the Vlcln-
ity of where my church people are
living now; and there is every nope
that they will grow rapidly into new
parishes, if the people be separated
from their mother churches to join
these
Horrible Sufferings
OF course, / have deep PAIN IN
my heart to part with my people with
whom | went through all the horrible
experiences, helping each other, IN
the great earthquake and fire which
destroyed so many lives four breth-
rem and who had been under my pas
toral care so long. But / must think
for the benefit of their spiritual wei
fare first.
At the same time, however, the cries
for help from the poorer churcn meH-
bers, still remaining in the former
Sc end parish as well as from the
poor people and laborers on the other
side of the river are sounding stronger
and stronger every day as they are
returning to their former quarters
and increasing in number there now.
Theer is really greater need OF my
work for them now than before, and
even the municipal authorities are
asking me to introduce my sreligious
influence into their own social work
around my former church site.
Under such circumstances, my only
course to take is to persuade those
members of my church who are now
living near the new mission houses
to go to those meetings and belong TO
the new chapels, md |, on the otner
hand, to concentrate all the energies
of my declining age to my life's work
in HOBO and F'ukagawa slums and once
more start anew in building of new
and second True Light Church in that
dark quarter.
| firmly believe this is Gods COM
mand to me, at least | strongly reel
so, after waiting one year for His d.
rection since the disaster. l reel tAaC
I am THE MAN that the Lord sent
to those people in that East end" OF
this city. Who else. having no exper-
fence, can do the work? would with
greatest joy obey the will of the Lord,
and most gladly devote my remaining
life to the work have been doing for
more than thirty years now.
Determined Christian
At this time all churches of this
city are assiduously striving to put
themselves on wholesome financlai
basis and realize their hope to make
the diocese independent. But my way
seems to be in the other direction. |
must go forward on the way Coo
points me until I die on my own pat
tlefield, for l firmly believe the LORDS
name must be glorified by the poor,
EI