GospelRest

1. Research on Leaders of Reproducing Church in Japan has been in high gear throughout the summer. God has really blessed with some clear information about what and how the church in Japan must change. The project should be wrapped no later than mid-September so continue to pray.
2. Short-term missionary Mas Kobayashi is coming 9/16-11/4 to relieve some weary pastors by preaching and teaching for a few weeks so they can get some rest. Several have challenging health or family problems. He needs many prayers.
3. Thanks for your encouragements and sympathies about John’s travails with computers in July. August has thankfully been uneventful. John will get a new notebook soon and using the “old old” computer until then.
4. Beth began her elementary art teaching position and is doing great. Both she and her unborn baby daughter are doing very well. Tim is doing well but still looking for work. Continue to pray God’s blessing on both of them.
5. Elaine is still struggling with foot pain. This type of problem often has a long recovery time. She is gradually more mobile but has to take special precautions. Pray for complete healing.
6. The yen hit a 15-year high against the dollar just a few days ago. This is affecting our financial support situation and of course the entire Japan mission. Ask God to supply every missionary their support needs during this lean time.
7. September means a busy schedule of travel and meetings. Elaine’s cooking, needlepoint, and Bible studies resume. John will be busy with coaching four pastors, planning the church planters’ BootCamp in November, and handling the role of Field Coordinator. Pray for strength and that we may be good encouragers. Pray too for key decisions made at several meetings.
- Elaine trip to Kansai Christian School Board 9/10-11
- John’s trip to Gifu (coaching) and Nara (mission executive meeting) 9/14-15
- Elaine’s LeadNet meeting 9/17
- Elaine’s Bible Study 9/19
- Key CPI Leadership Team meeting 10/05

1. John had a whirlwind trip to Kyoto and Osaka to help some pastors from a church in California line up partners for church planting ministry in Japan. They were able to meet with some key Japanese pastors in the area which are looking for church planting partnerships. Continue to pray for these. If you are also interested please let us know!
2. In preparation for the November CPI BootCamp we had a great operations team meeting in mid-July. Thanks for praying.
3. John enjoyed an alumni luncheon with fellow graduates from Trinity Evan. Divinity School. One of John’s project readers was also in attendance.
4. John was quite glad when we closed the page on July. He started out with a two-week summer cold. On the same day John lost his hard drive and the hard drive on the new backup computer. Thanks to God crucial research and files were all backed up. Later in the month our refrigerated died.
5. Thank God for the growing ownership of church planting multiplication within the Rengo and especially the leadership at the National Evangelism Department meetings. Last month the mission met with the Rengo to plan to assist more church planters, help churches birth churches, and encourage more evangelism.
6. Thank you for praying for Elaine and her battle with terrible foot pain with Plantar Fasciitis. She has been taking care of herself but recovery is slow; she is about 80% now.
7. Elaine attended the funeral of one of the ladies from her craft class. This has brought a fresh understanding of the urgency to share the Gospel with Japanese.
8. August is hot! Yesterday the discomfort index was 113 degrees. Both of us have to be careful of our health in this environment. This hot season usually ends in the middle of September.
9. Ask God to grant Beth energy, wisdom, and ability as she eases into her elementary art teaching position this month. She and the baby are doing great.

The August cover issue of Time Magazine Asian edition caught my attention: A Clouded Outlook. Over these last few years, we have felt being in Japan that the hope index in Japan has been dangerously eroded. People in Japan are pretty beat down these days. Time observes, “Japan’s political leadership is paralyzed, its corporate elite befuddled, its people agonized about the future.” These are the same people we live and work with everyday.

Decades ago “Japan didn’t need answers; Japan was the answer” as the article said. The Japan which was an envy of the world is not working and becoming loathsome to the Japanese. The global decline in the economy hit Japan twice as hard than the US. Besides the overall economic situation, recently the Prime Minister quit and another one took his place. Last month’s elections proved that people are unhappy with the lack of progress. One of our friends close to some legislators agrees with us that there is not much short of a crisis that will change the situation. Michael Schuman asserts, “And yet no one in Japan is doing very much about it.” In a place with already normal crises of earthquakes and typhoons we are concerned. What will pull Japan out from under this cloud?

The church of Jesus Christ has great opportunities to bring renewed hope to people with the good news. What people are seeking in Japan is the living God that will fill their emptiness and hopelessness. Like us those short-term missionaries that have been recently working in Japan all agree that Japanese are very open right now. What a tremendous time to be in Japan! Not since the end of World War II are the people searching for answers.

Japanese culture is very concerned with saving face and will not quickly advocate risk or the possibility of failure. Radical change and models of church ministry need to be developed. What is even more concerning is that the church in Japan in some areas is equally paralyzed.

Maybe you can be involved in praying, sending, and supporting new church movements throughout Japan. Join us in praying for wisdom that the development of new church movements would be dynamic faith-driven community transforming congregations. These faith-communities can drive the gloomy clouds away and birth new hope and outlook in changed hearts.

For the full Time article see http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2005689,00.html 

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 to the community by developing gospel choruses.  See the other post http://www.gospelrest.com/japanese-drums-meet-black-gospel-music/.  Most of the people who attend are interested in the style and freedom of the music but have no idea behind the words.  This is a great opportunity to explain the truth of the good news of Jesus in the Gospel.

Japanese churches we partner with have been asking for churches to send performance and workshop training teams to Japan.  Pray that God would send these laborers into his harvest field.  If you are interested please consider coming to Japan and help gospel outreach in this area.

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 you that there is an unreached people group where the landscape includes well‐paved roads, skyscrapers, well‐appointed gardens, steel, glass and relative peace and safety? After more than 150 years of evangelical missions, less than 1% of 130 million Japanese claim to be born‐again believers. Yes, Japan. For so long, the Gospel has not been able to gain significant footing in Japan due to the prevailing influences of Shintoism and Buddhism. There are some signs however that point to a season of spiritual searching in Japan. According to John Mehn, Converge Japan Field Coordinator, the lack of economic stability in Japan has led to many societal ills including rising suicidal rates across all age groups, rampant divorce, abortions twice the rate in the U.S., alcoholism, increasing crime rate among seniors and Hikikomori, a tremendous fear of social contact , sometimes lasting over six months at a time. Plainly, the fabric of Japanese society is tearing as its long‐held beliefs and support structures no long provide answers for life’s questions. Japan no longer has the “ideal society” where employment to retirement is but a memory. There are 30,000 suicides committed in Japan annually and 1.2 million Japanese suffer from the effects of Hikikomori. And Japanese are clamoring for someone to save them. They may not know this yet, but there is only one Person who can save them ‐ His name is JESUS. The alarm has been sounded, but is Converge Worldwide up to the challenge of heralding the Good News in Japan, the best news the Japanese will ever hear? Why Japan, you may ask? I can say, because they have the highest literacy rates in the world, or that people are upwardly mobile, or their technology is advanced maybe even compared to the U.S., or because it has the potential of being a major missions sending nation. Why Japan now? BECAUSE JAPANESE NEED JESUS, just as much as other people groups in developing nations all around the world!

JAPAN NEEDS

1) Ministry specialists in sports, worship, youth, children, compassion

2) Mental health trainers

3) Church planting teams

4) Church planting coaches

5) Marketplace disciplers (corporate/ business)

6) Black Gospel choir directors

7) Visual, dance, drama and musical artists

ESL teachers

Ideal service terms: 2‐3 weeks, 3‐6 months, 6‐12 months, 1‐3 years, career

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 several short (1-2 min.) videos each year.  You can check this website for the latest release (07/09).

Pray for us – Key Tasks Ahead in 2009 & Beyond

• Reestablishment of neighborhood outreaches and Bible studies in Machida, Tokyo.  Elaine has aread had one not-yet-Christian join her Bible study!
• Preparations for the CPI National Conference November 3-6 and regional seminars following.  Registration has already begun.
• Develop LEAD teams and LeadNet teams for Japanese leadership development for new churches.
• Completion of John’s field research project on leadership for reproducing churches in Japan.

Work with us (Information at our website)

• Develop direct partnerships with needy Japanese churches to help expand God’s Kingdom in Japan and beyond.
• Come with a team or by yourself to carry on short-term ministry among the unreached Japanese.

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 Read the rest of this entry »

In 2008 we developed two video pieces:

• One on our general ministry

• One on the CPI Ministry

There are other CPI minisry videos by others most to recruit volunteer workers for the CPI Conference.

http://japancpi.com/video.php

Thoughts Along the Way©

Elaine Mehn

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13

Over our 22 years in Japan we have had a number of visitors. Some have come for just a meal and some have stayed overnight(s). Of this latter group some have slept in comfortable beds, some on the floor Japanese style and a few on couches or other less Read the rest of this entry »

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.