Volunteer needed We are looking for a volunteer to work once a week in our Sevenoaks office. If you live in the area and might be able to help we would love to hear from you. The work would suit someone with general office skills. Contact us here for more information.

The Edinburgh Japanese Church is holding a Hanami party in the Japanese garden at Lauriston Castle on Saturday 21 May from 2pm, followed by an evening barbecue. Newcomers are welcome. Please contact us for more information.

The next of our regular gatherings to pray for work amongst Japanese in London will be on Friday 27 May from 12.30-1.15 pm at St Helens Bishopsgate church. Do come and join us! For more information please contact us.

A fundraising concert is being held for vic tims of the March earthquake and tsunami at Sevenoaks School from 7pm on Saturday 4 June. The programme includes a selection of classical and Japanese music and tickets cost £15. Please contact us for more information.

Japan Earthquake – prayer and financial assistance Thank you to the many people who have been in touch following the earthquake and tsunami on 11 March and for all your prayers and offers of practical support. Please continue to pray, and let us know if you would like to be sent JCL prayer news – just contact us here.

If you would like to give in response to the earthquake you may do so using the “Donate online now” button on our Get Involved-Giving page. Please e-mail us to let us know this is for the earthquake relief effort and we will channel it appropriately.
Manga Messiah! We now stock this great new version of the New Testament, a manga Bible, which has had rave reviews from all quarters. Manga are Japanese comic books, read avidly by adults and children alike. The Manga Messiah uses text straight from the gospels, bringing it to life with Japanese-style illustrations – “a fantastic tool for ‘whetting the appetite’ and giving people a taster of how wonderful and exciting the Bible is”, “I cannot tell you how avidly our students are devouring them, they absolutely love them “, “my friend from Japan, seemed to like the manga Bible … the joy on his face was quite evident “. Read more about this and other Japanese Christian literature available from our bookshop here.

Japanese lunchtime prayer and fellowship meetings take place twice a month in Stockport. if you know someone who might like to go please contact us.

Would you like to help make a difference that will last for eternity? By supporting JCL’s work you can help let more Japanese know about the hope that is available to them in Jesus, a hope they so desperately need. See our Giving page for more information.

Can we pray for you? If there is some work you are involved in or situation you would like prayer for do contact us and we will be pleased to pray for you.

Japanese language church services and Bible studies take place in several locations around the UK, including London, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Stockport, Wimbledon and Edinburgh. Please see our list of Japanese church services and Bible studies on our News & Events page for details.

Last night I was thinking how the Lord was moving along the two mini-conferences (half-day), one in Chicago and one in Minneapolis. It is exciting and I am looking forward to being there with them. But my part has been very minimal. It basically has been two conference calls and the promise that I would show up. I won’t be doing a seminar, lead a meeting or even do a powerpoint, just show up.

Then I was thinking about all the other places that we should have half-day conferences, Columbus, OH, Nashville, TN, Michigan, East Coast, Hawaii, etc.  I was getting more tired as I slept. Then I realized in my sleep that I wasn’t the key to doing these things, but just needed to toss out the idea and give a few suggestions. The fact of my actually going probably isn’t as important as just doing some encouragement.

So I am wondering, maybe what we need is a little RJC Academy class on how to plan a mini-conference, a regional conference and an international conference.

Any thoughts?  Anyone want to help?

At the present RJC Academy has one basic course called Japan 101 which we have offered in the spring and fall. The course is on-line and free. It has been helpful for the person just starting out in Japanese ministries, but also beneficial for the veteran missionary living in Japan, and even Japanese themselves.

As of the fall of 2010 we are now testing our second course called Japanese Evangelism 201. This course is also on-line based and free. The sub-title explains the emphasis, Culture Specific Evangelism for Japanese Ministries.

Here are a few thoughts:

1. Since our understanding of God is colored by culture, experience and Biblical understanding, we need to be sensitive and not presume too much when we use the word “God.”  Or in Japanese when we say “kami.”
2.  Even when we are committed to the Biblical teaching, we must be humble to realize that we most likely have 1 to 90% distortion of the true Creator God of the Bible.
3. Even as each person from the Western world brings baggage and distortion to the word “God,” so Japanese bring large differences to their understanding of God or Kami.
4. The word “Kami” or “God” brings very different images which include the nature gods, past hero gods and family ancestor gods.
5. Romans 1:19 and 20 (NIV) says, “…what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” This passage tells us that God has been active in the past and still is active in Japanese hearts, revealing Himself.
6. So perhaps a good place to start talking about God with Japanese is not with a declaration, but a question, something like  “How have you seen the Creator God reveal Himself?”
7. It is helpful to use the Scriptural analogies when we talk about God. Concepts like “Father, “Lover,” “Creator (Maker),” “Shepherd,” etc. will be helpful here.
8. So we have an encouraging truth–God is already active in showing Himself, and a sobering truth–Japanese as well as Westerners continually hide and distort the truth of God.

by Don Wright