Fukushima prefecture is home to various climate and forests cover 70% of the area. Shintoism (Japanese indigenous religion) and Buddhism are deeply rooted in the culture with folk religion ad traditional local customs also playing a major role. A seminary was started in this area in 1880 and the first church in 1885.
Population: 2,116,210- Towns/villages with no church: 51
- Churches/person: 1:15,225
- Churches: 139
- Average church attendance: 19
April 17: Pray that the Lord will give the 139 churches a great vision to reach the whole prefecture with the gospel. The average attendance for the churches here is the lowest in Japan, only 19. Pray for encouragement.
April 18: Pray for Christian camps and retreat centers, and three Christian bookstores in Fukushima. Pray that believers will be strengthened by literature ministries.
April 19: Pray for Christian TV program Life Line (Sat. 6am) and radio broadcast True Salvation (Sat. 5:30am). Gideons have 4 branches in the prefecture and distributed over 14,000 Bibles in 1998. Pray that these “seeds” will grow bring people to Christ.
April 20: Seiko Gakuen High School has daily chapels for their 790 students. Pray for the chapel time today that hearts will respond to His love.
April 21: “You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat (Isaiah 25:4)”. Pray that the people of Fukushima experience the reality of a loving and caring God.
April 22: Pray for the 51 towns and villages that have no churches. Higashi Shirakawa village has only one church for over 40,000, and Kawanuma village close to 40,000. Pray for the city churches that border thse areas, that God will gie them a vision for this great need.
*All information and prayer requests taken from “Operation Japan -Prayer Guide- Third Edition” -Japan Evangelical Missionary Association, 2005. To purchase a copy of “Operation Japan” book or the Interactive CD version, go to: http://www.jema.org/joomla15/index.php?option=com_banners&task=click&bid=10.