Spring staff meeting participants in front of Bible Home, Minakami, Gumma Prefecture
A gift of God
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me” (2 Corinthians 12:7, NIV).
Thank you for your prayers for our annual spring staff meeting, March 27-29. Our staff of ten missionaries was joined by Don and Lori Doe, pastors of McDowell Mountain Community Church, Scottsdale, Arizona, and Terri Teague, of Vancouver, Washington, parents and aunt of Randee Doe, our SAM (special assignment missionary) in the Kansai central district of Japan. We were so grateful to get out of the big city and into the beauty of Japan’s mountainous Gumma Prefecture, but we were even more appreciative of the three messages Don shared to encourage us in our various assignments.
Among Don’s messages, his comments from 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 were especially challenging. He noted that although, “God, use me,” is an important prayer, “God, keep me useable,” is even more crucial for persons in ministry. And how are we kept useable? It is through God’s gift of thorns—the very same thorns that Satan uses to try to destroy us. But through the thorns, God shows us his power, giving us reasons for rejoicing despite the difficulties. Certainly we were encouraged by a new perspective on thorns!
Some Japanese statistics
If statistics are true indicators, there are a lot of thorns in the Christian church in Japan. Here are some 2006 statistics published recently by Church Information Service:
►There are 7,281 Protestant churches in Japan—18 fewer churches than in 2005.
►60 new Protestant churches were planted in 2006, while 78 churches were closed.
►8,555 people were baptized in these churches in 2006.
►Total church membership is 556,055, but weekly church attendance is only 276,686.
Church of God statistics verify the difficult state of the church. No churches have been planted in more than 20 years, and one congregation usually has a Sunday attendance of 2—the pastor and his wife. In addition, Japanese worship attendance at another CHOG averages 9 people. The average age of CHOG pastors is nearly 60, and two pastors are well into their 70s. The youngest pastors are in their 40s and there are no young people in their teens, 20s, or 30s who are preparing to enter the ministry. (Is it any wonder that Tarumi Church still has no a pastor nearly 4 years after we left Kobe in June 2003?)
How to pray
So, what can be done about this very difficult picture? You can pray, pray, and pray even more. Specifically, pray about the following:
1) That some youth will answer the call to ministry at the upcoming national youth convention, May 3-5, in Okinawa;
2) That God will send a Japanese pastor to Tarumi Church soon. Pray also for us as we encourage the Kobe church by going there one weekend a month for the coming year;
3) That our SAMs will be able to make good contributions to the CHOG in Japan: Zonia Mitchell (Saga Church, Saga); Randee Doe (Tarumi Church, Kobe; Konoike Church and Sakai Church, Osaka); Mike and Makiko Boyle and Mike Wagner (Hagiyama Church, Tokyo); and Rachelle Bargerstock, Alina Croall, and Abby Spear (Nishi Kunitachi Church, Tokyo);
4) For retired missionary to Japan, Ann Smith, as she prepares to speak to the national church at its summer conference, August 3-5, that she may know how to encourage the church towards a new vision as it begins its second hundred years in 2008; and,
5) For revival to come to the church in Japan.
Did you know?
Did you know that the Protestant church in China is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2007? Robert Morrison, born into a Scottish Presbyterian family in 1782, was sent to China in 1807 by the London Missionary Society. At that time, it was against the law for a Chinese to teach their language to a foreigner or for anyone to preach or print books about Christianity in Chinese. Despite these difficulties, Morrison did not give up. He finally had the joy of baptizing the first Chinese Protestant Christian 7 years later. Very interesting was his response when he was asked if he expected to have a spiritual impact on China. “No, sir, but I expect God will,” Morrison answered. He served 27 years in China until his death in 1834.
