John will be leaving today with Phil Tsai, short-term worker, to work with a Rengo Disaster Response team in Iwate prefecture from the 15th to the 19th. The eight member team will include Pastor Sasaki, Rengo Board member, Pastor Kurashima of the Masago church, Associate Pastor Yamauchi of the Chuo church, the Wakaos of the Ishikawa Kita church and Pastor Yokota of the Minami Urawa church. This team is loaded with pastors! John and Phil…
Last month John joined a team from the Kokubunji Baptist church that did volunteer work in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture April 17-20. Pastor Nakano from the Crossroad church also joined the team. There has not been time to develop a video yet, but some pictures and video with English are at the church webpage http://homepage2.nifty.com/kbch/new/tohokusupport/tohokusupport.html. The trip was very successful in completing several projects. John and a short termer from America will also be joining a…
I was recently visiting a downtown Machida music school building: POP. Outside was an inventory of what music and instruments they could teach. As expected there was piano, guitar (all kinds), trumpet, trombone, clarinet, cello, electric bass, and drum. Also listed was GOSPEL CHORUS. Since the big hit and subsequent boom in Black Gospel Music after the movie Sister Act, Black Gospel music as become part of the culture. Many churches and ministries have ministry…
Over 9 days Levi and Diane Velasco visited Japan. Levi is the Director of Recruiting for Converge Worldwide and they wanted to sense the needs here so they can better recruit people to come to Japan. This is from their newsletter sent from Japan. What pictures do you conjure when you hear the word “unreached”? In my mind, I see huts, muddy, potholed roads, crowded housing, slums, favelas and civil mayhem. What if I told…
There are always several highlights at the CPI Conference. This time I was able to work it out to train in two sessions for missionaries in their first stages of church planting. Normally running the conference I have no energy or time for this. But God opened some opportunities and I love equipping and training church planters. I had two sessions with 12-15 people each time. They were from nearly everywhere in Japan from Sendai…
Work with us … Develop direct partnerships with Japanese churches to help expand God’s Kingdom in Japan and beyond. EXAMPLE: Just a few months ago a church sent a team from Kent, WA to cooperate in helping one of our Japanese church plants with outreach. There are talks of them returning. Maybe your church can partner with a Japanese church. Come with a team or by yourself to carry on short-term ministry among Japanese. EXAMPLE:…
A pastor interviewed us a few weeks ago and asked, “How can we be involved with your ministry in Japan?” Just a few ideas. Please think of some more and let us know. Connect with us Surf this same website www.gospelrest.com (a well kept secret). Shoot us email. Drop us a note. Visit with us on Facebook. Subscribe to our email news updates at this website. Watch for us on video. We will be producing…
Since the beginning of the year we have been on Home Assignment in the US touring 20 of our partnering churches in the six months from January to June. Home Assignment is always a good time to look back over the years of ministry and to look ahead to the years to come. While visiting one of our partnering churches we were asked how our view of missions had changed over our 23 years of…
Please pray about and consider these urgent needs for short-term English Teachers and children’s workers this fall.1) Church based English Outreach Ministry – Teach English conversation and English Bible studies, conduct camps and seminars through a Japanese church. Length 3 months-2 years. Longer stays will include personal mentoring. The Minami Urawa urgently needs a teacher from late August or early September. Participants must have at least two
The BGC Japan Mission needs one or two children’s workers to provide a children’s’ ministry program for 6 missionary children ages 8-18 during our annual Field Council April 6-9, 2009. Those coming allow the field staff to conduct their annual Field Council without having to worry about also caring for their children. Come and enjoy Mount Fuji and the rest of Japan. For more information contact Mary Lou Ellison at MLTellison@aol.com.