Hope for Japan

Visioncasting Members' Meeting

Today felt like a boost to our ministry here in Japan. Now that we have been here for four months, we met with the entire congregation after service to share our vision and how we can work together in ministry. Not sure what the responses would be, we were amazed at the amount of discussion and people coming out of the woodwork to volunteer in the various ministries we plan on starting this next month.

We laid out the theme verse that we hope will guide us as a church for the year. Eph. 4:16 states, “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” We tried to inspire them to become a church that works together, serves, and builds up others in faith and love. As we preach once a month, we shared how we will start a sermon series on “Vital Nutrients for the Body,” which will cover critical elements to a healthy church such as community, using one’s gifts, evangelism, worship, etc.

After talking about the Language Cafe, possible Homestay program to Boston, and Young Adult Ministry, a number of people chimed in with ideas of how they can help, whether babysitting Allie, baking treats for the cafe, decorating the space, making a sign to put outside, etc. There was a sense of excitement and joy in being a part of a new chapter of this church. Several of the people who helped with the Christmas event shared their experience, which came across that those who were not there missed out on something special.

It is an incredible feeling to sense unity in our labor at our church. It is not about us coming as free labor to plan events, start programs, and try to built up the church, but that we might be catalysts for moving the church forward to grow and effectively reach this community. We still have a long road ahead of us this year, but we start on a positive step with the whole church coming together to work towards this vision of growing as a church.