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So how exactly do you raise support?

Often I’m asked for the specifics of what we do to raise support. The simplest and truest answer is probably “stumble around trying things and pray God does a miracle.” Support raising is not something I’m naturally gifted in. But that’s fine, even sometimes glorious, because when it works I know it’s not me, but God. It’s a wonderful feeling to succeed in something you know you’re terrible at. I imagine Peter really had a good a time walking on water because he’d never had much of a talent for it till Christ told him to come out and join Him.

The standard support raising strategy we have is to call people up and ask if we can meet with them. If they’re willing we go to their house (or have them come to ours), we talk with them for about an hour, sharing what God’s calling us to do in Japan, and how they can partner with us to do it, and then invite them to support us. We also call churches for about the same reason, except in addition to asking the church to support us we ask if we can speak at a Bible Study, or even the main service. And we’re always trying to meet new people, and ask for referrals.

We’ve got two new things we’re trying. The first is this video that we made into a DVD. It’s a ten minute presentation and our contact information. We’re in the process of sending out about 200 of them. Our hope is that people will watch the DVD, and that God will move them to join us in reaching the Japanese for Christ. We also hope that people will give the DVD away to a friend to watch. Ideally each of the 200 DVDs will be passed around to many people, so that potentially thousands might get a chance to hear about what we’re doing.

The second new idea we have is to hand deliver the DVD and our latest newsletter to people living close by. The reason we came up with this was to save on postage, as it would be expensive to mail 200 DVDs out, we thought it would be good to hand out as many as we could. We’re hoping to spend a few days driving around and delivering them to people ourselves, both to save money, and to say hi. Many of the people on our mailing list are old friends that I haven’t seen in a long time, and many have never met Tomo, so it seemed like a great opportunity to reconnect. If we show up on your door step, now you’ll know why.

Please be praying that God uses this DVD project to call more Christians into a deeper involvement in missions, and ultimately to take the Gospel to Japan and that God will call more Japanese to salvation through Christ.

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Support Raising Lesson #1

Doing is secondary to being. I tend to forget that. Doing what God wants me to do is a good thing, right? It’s obedience, and obedience is simple: “do these things, don’t do these other things.” So I try my hardest to obey, only to fail time and again. The reason I fail is simple: there are many things God wants me to do, that I don’t enjoy doing. I can only force myself to do things that are unpleasant, frightening or just plain boring for so long before I turn to find some comfortable, time wasting, fun distraction. If I focus on doing what God wants me to do without being the person He wants me to be I’m doomed to failure from the start. Who I am determines what I will do. But how can I focus on being something I am not yet? If who I am determines what I do, then there’s nothing I can do to change who I am. Left to my own I am doomed.

Thankfully God does not leave me alone. Only He can transform my heart and my desires so that I long to do the things that He commands. I can’t transform myself any more than I could make myself be born again, but I can go along with the transformation. I can chose not to resist it. I can get rid of the things that might slow it down. I can surrender the things that my flesh desires, and cast off any hope or dream that would distract me from doing what God wants me to do. I can find refreshment and encouragement and wisdom in God’s word. I can come before Him in prayer asking Him to work in my life, begging for a new heart that longs for His glory, and finds the greatest joy in His presence and in obeying His commands. And I can do that every single day, in fact I have to, because “my heart is prone to wander.”

But doesn’t doing all that land me right back where I started: with a focus on my own actions and exercising my own weak will? I don’t think so. In this case it is not about God giving the instructions and me following them. It’s about inviting and trusting that God is in the middle of those actions, giving me the strength to do them, that He is in me and working through me, that He commands, and then gives me the desire and the ability to obey, and for some inexpicable reason rewards me for doing so.

What does all this have to do with support raising? Support raising requires a lot of actions. I have to make phone calls, give presentations, speak at churches, write letters, and do many other things that are incredibly difficult for me. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the task before me, or to equate being a successful fund raiser with being a successful Christian. I presume that any ministry can fall into this same trap.

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Why is Japan so resistant to the Gospel? (VIDEO)

This video was created by two SEND missionaries in Japan. There are many factors that contribute to Japan’s resistance to the gospel; undoubtably there is a spiritual component, which Richard Nakamura discusses during a visit to Asakusa temple.

This video was produced by Nathan Mikoski, a follow SEND missionary currently in Japan. To learn more about his ministry, check out his website here: http://www.telljapan.com/

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Four churches, one Church.

This month we visited  a Free Methodist church, a Lutheran church, a Baptist church and a non-denominational church. Each one was unique, with it’s own atmosphere, traditions, and doctrinal emphasis. From what I’ve read and heard, the church today is getting more liberal, and straying away from the truth of the Word of God. As a general trend I suspect this to be true, however I did not sense this to be the case in any of these churches we had the great privileged of visiting. All were faithful churches, and all had their own distinct flavor.

The Free Methodists were a particularly friendly group. This was very noticeable in the Japanese language service which we attend once a month. My experience with Japanese people is that they are somewhat reserved. But as soon as the time came to greet each other everyone was out of their seats, walking around trying to shake hands with every last person in the place. Coming from a non-denominational church I was impressed by the strong support lent by the denomination to the church. The English speaking service had needed a new Pastor, so the denomination arranged for an interim to come and fill the void, and after a time of careful searching found a perfect match and sent him as a permanent replacement. The transition seems to be going really well.

The Lutheran service we attended was also in Japanese, it was the church my grandma attended before she passed away in February. Their service followed a rich Christian tradition rooted in doctrines cherished since the Reformation. There was much participation by the congregation; responsive readings and prayers, culminating with sharing communion. Communion was probably my favorite part of the service (granted it was again all in Japanese, so I had trouble following the rest of it). Everyone gathered around in a circle, kneeling at the alter while the Pastor brought the bread and the cup to each of us. It was a very intimate moment, kneeling there in a circle with all these believers as we shared in remembering Christ’s sacrifice for us.

The Baptists were perhaps the most conservative  of the churches we visited, and in hindsight I probably should have worn a tie. Yet despite being slightly under dressed, we were immediately welcomed and accepted. What struck me most about this church was their passion to be faithful to God and the truth of His Word. They were painfully aware of the previously noted trend of Churches falling away from the truth and authority of scripture, and determined not to follow suit. Furthermore, missions was something that got these people excited, and we had a great time talking with many of them after the service.

The non-denominational church was more the style I’m used to, except that it was a church probably ten or twenty times larger than my own. The feeling of being lost in the crowd was offset by small groups. We spent the first service in a Bible Study that one of the small groups had. I observed the same closeness and friendship that my small church had among its members in among the members of the small group. And when we all migrated into the main service with hundreds of others, there were lots of people waving, and seeing other friends and mingling on the expansive patio afterwards. And the worship band was pretty amazing.

I went into each of these churches with a sense of apprehension, and left feeling like I had just visited long lost relatives. Despite the differences in styles of worship and traditions and customs, the distinguishing marks of Christians  were present. These people had a love for God, a love for His word and a love for each other, a love which they almost immediately extended towards us. We were, as Paul said, members of one body, connected and drawn together by Christ, who is Lord of us all.

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Pray for Kanto Area

Now we start praying for the prefectures in Kanto area. Kanto area includes the whole Tokyo metropolitan area, and it has 31% of the population.

<Kanto Area>

  • Towns & villages with no churches: 152
  • Churches/person: 1:15,648
  • Average attendance per church: 45

 

May 10: There are now 2,600 churches in the seven prefectures of Kanto. This is 23 less than 6 years ago. Adding the growing population, this means that there was on church per 15,139 in 1999, but now there is only one church for every 15,648. The number of baptisms and children in Sunday School continues to all in the Kanto area. Pray that each church will be revived and filled with His Spirit.

May 11: Pray for the ten cities which have only one church each. Pray for the 152 towns and villages which presently have no churches, and especially for the 19 with populations of over 20,000. There are millions of Japanese in the Kanto area who are living in utter darkness, facing eternal death. Pray that His Word will become a lamp unto millions of feet and a light unto their paths.

<Birth Rates>

Japan’s birthrate has fallen to a new record low of 1,29 during 2004. “The falling birth rate threatens to leave Japan with a labor shortage in decades to come as well as eat away at the country’s tax base. The national pension system, which relies on current workers to support the elderly, will also be strained as the birthrate declines.” (Associated Press, 2004-6-11) Pray that churches in Japan will see this problem as a an opportunity to show God’s love and salvation.

*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.

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Pray for Mass Media ministries in Japan

May 2: Church websites have become one of the primary ways that pre-Christian Japanese find their way to local churches. Over 2,300 churches have their own websites. Some Japanese are going on the internet to find ways to commit suicide. Others are finding life and salvation.

May 3: Pray that through the radio and TV broadcasts, Christians will be strengthened and people will be led to local churches. The Japan New Media Missions Association is actively preparing for a satellite broadcasting ministry.

May 4: Pray for the work of Life Line. It was started by evangelical Christians, and has expanded to become a broader tool for helping people with various needs even suicide prevention. Many of the volunteer staff are Christian.

<A story from Life Line ministry>

“It seemed that I had a good marriage, but it failed. Then as the Japanese economy got worse, so did my life. The man I was living with went bankrupt. He tried to work hard to start his business up again, but instead he died. I lost the home I was living in, and his son disappeared with all the money that was left.

Feeling alone and helpless, I headed for the famous suicide cliffs. I knew that if I jumped into the ocean, my miserable life would end immediately. But I was afraid. As I approached the cliffs, I saw a sign, ‘If you need help, call Life Line‘. I called the number, and soon a Christian pastor arrived and took me to a nearby church. Indeed it was a Life Line. I not only found help for continuing my life here, but I also found eternal life.”

Pray for the many Japanese who contemplate suicide. Pray that churches and progras like Life Line will be used to bring eternal life to those in despair.

May 5: Pray for the work of Friendship Radio, with nationwide 24-hour programming through a cable radio system. Pray that many will be touched by this ministry.

<A story from radio ministry>

“When I was in my twenties, I listened to cable radio all the time. One day I happened to tune into Friendship Radio, and heard a Christian program. Through that program I became interested in Christianity. I wrote in to the station and they introduced me to a church in my city. It was there that I found Christ as my Savior.”

*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.

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Support Raising!

The last month has been the most active and intense period of support raising I’ve been in yet. We’ve been meeting with individuals, pastors and soon speaking at churches as well. God’s been gracious thus far and we’ve seen a lot of our needed support come in. As always I’m excited about going to Japan, but for the first time I feel like I can see it coming up on the horizon.

Our goal is to leave for Japan next summer, in 2011. In order to do that we’ve got to find enough churches and individuals to partner with us by committing to give on a monthly basis and supply our total budget set by SEND which will enable us to live and minister full time in Tokyo.  We also have an outgoing amount that needs to be raised up front to cover moving expenses, the cost of getting set up in Japan and to pay for 2 years of language school for me. Normally however the outgoing amount is largely supplied by the generosity of our monthly financial partners, most of them have already begun supporting us and the money that they send in each month goes straight into our outgoing fund.

We have about 20% of our monthly support committed right now. Our goal is to reach 60% by January. This will allow us to start receiving a salary from SEND so that we can spend the final 6 months doing nothing but support raising and preparing to leave for Japan, in anticipation of being fully supported by July 31 2011.

Right now our strategy is focused almost exclusively on finding the people that God is leading to partner with us in prayer and monthly giving. We’re meeting with individuals and couples, sharing our vision and inviting them to be a part of something spectacular that God is doing. We’re also looking to meet new people, asking for the names of people’s friends that might be interested in hearing from us, and looking to speak at churches and Bible Studies for 5-10 minutes to see if anyone would be interested in meeting with us one on one. Next Sunday, the 25th we’ll be speaking at two Churches, so please keep us in your prayers.

I’m excited that God has called us to be a part of full fulling the great commission, by being a part of His plan to take the gospel to the people of Japan. You can share in this endeavor as well. This is not something that we’re doing on our own. Already dozens of people have partnered with us, and together we are seeking God’s glory, committing our time, our finances, our prayers and our lives to the spread of the gospel.

Reading update

Just finished “What is Reformed Theology?” by R.C. Sproul. Call it Calvanism or Reformed theology,  whatever, my theological understanding has been bent in that direction for awhile now, but I never took the time to actually read a book outlining all it’s beliefs. I wouldn’t say I’m 100% there yet, but I don’t think I know of a better explanation of what the Gospel is all about. Charles Spurgeon once said:

“I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.“

Probably sounds shocking, but I think he’s got it right, because Calvanism (or Reformed Theology) is simply an explanation of God’s plan to bring about the sure and certain salvation of His people.

In my year through the Bible reading program, I’m in Leviticus, Psalms and Proverbs, and up to 1 Timothy in the New Testament. Also I’ve still been spending time in Jeremiah in my devotions, but haven’t been nearly as consistent with that as I need to be.

For fun I’ve been reading Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, and Douglas Adams Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

On the horizon I think I’m going to tackle a biography of Hudson Taylor, and to keep up on the latest heresies, I picked up a copy of Rob Bell’s “Velvet Elvis” for 50 cents at the friends of the library book store. I definitely don’t agree with the beliefs of the “Emerging Church” but I try not to be too critical of something till I’ve examined it first  hand. Once through Jeremiah I’ve got this ambitious (and from what I’ve read so far of Mr. Bell’s book, foolish) idea to try to understand every single verse of one book of the Bible. I think I’ll start smallish with something like Philippians.

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Pray for Fukushima

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.

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Pray for Yamagata

This week we are praying for Yamagata prefecture!

Yamagata is a mountainous prefecture with cold winter and hot summer. And they are famous for cherries and pears! mmm…  People are conservative and possess deep compassion and a firm sense of obligation, which make for strong faith when a person becomes a Christian. However, deep-rooted village culture makes a strong pressure against the Christians.

  • Population: 1,225,990
  • City with no church: 1
  • Towns/villages with no church: 26
  • Churches/person: 1:16,794

 

March 28: Pray that the 4,503 believers in Yamagata will lead their families to Jesus.

March 29: With no access to Christian TV or bookstores, pray that the 75 churches will creatiely evangelize the prefecture. There are two weekly radio broadcasts.

March 30: House of Prayer Toriumi Chapel, built by the Sakata Christ Church; Conservative Baptist Miko Memorial at Yonezawa; Ohira Hotel and Narisawa Pension, both at Zao Hot Springs.

March 31: There are two Christian schools in the prefecture with a total of about 1,000 students. The large majority of the students are pre-Christians. Pray for a spiritual movement that would touch each student.

April 1: There are several ministries for the mentally disabled, and one 50-bed facility for the elderly. Pray that the family members will be impressed by the love of Christ shown in these ministries.

April 2: Obanazawa is the only city in Tohoku area that still lacks a church. Shion Christ Church in nearby Murayama city has had an outreach in Obanazawa, but a church has not yet been established here.

April 3: Higashi Tagawa-gun, Nishi Tagawa-gun, and Akumi-gun have 12 towns and villages and 130,000 people with no churches. Mogami-gun with seven towns and villages and over 50,000 people has only one church. 

*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.

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Pray for Akita

This week we are praying for Akita prefecture.

People of Akita are known to be loyal to their prefecture, and are deeply influenced by temples and shrines. Traditions and customes are also important and these often keep people from becoming a Christian. Protestant evangelism started in this area in 1888, by two missionary couples from the American Disciples.

<Akita prefecture>

  • Population: 1,173,722
  • City with only 1 church: 1
  • Towns/villages with no church: 49
  • Churches/person: 1:19,562

 

March 22: Pray for the development and growth of the 60 Protestant churches in the prefecture. As you read the statistics for Akita, allow the Lord to give you a prayer burden for the many people represented by these numbers.

March 23: Pray that people will respond to the two weekly radio programs in areas where there are no churches.

March 24: Pray that today someone seeking God will find help at the CLC Akita Book Store. The store provides encouragement for Christians and a witness to non-Christians.

March 25: There are several Catholic schools in the prefecture. Pray that Protestant schools would also be started and be used to spread the gospel. There are eight Protestant kindergartens and five day-care centers with 1,148 children.

March 26: Tenno town with a populatio nof over 20,000 and no church, Kazuno city with 38,000 and only one church should be special prayer targets. Seboku-gun, with its four towns and villages, has only one church for oer 56,000. Yuri-gun with 29,000 has no church, and Yamamoto-gun has only one church for 50,000.

*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.