Nonogaki Report Jan 25 ’09

Preachers’ Meeting

Here are two pictures when we had a preachers and missionaries meeting last Monday. In the morning we discussed how to implement evangelism in Japanese society. In the afternoon we discussed various topics. One of them is about Annual Preachers and Missionaries’ Meeting. I am in charge of this meeting this year. I am supposed to organize it and arrange accommodations, and so forth.

At the end of the meeting, I introduced A Community Site of Churches of Christ. It is true we do not have an official site or an official organization above churches. This allows each church to have its own autonomy. That is, I believe, biblically sound. However, we need to have a kind of network to communicate with one another. so that we can be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. I made the community site in which each member can post his or her study on the Scriptures. Or a person can ask for a prayer request. Only members can read those pages

 

Also a person can post pictures too. This can be used to show what we have been doing in School of Evangelism or in various activities like an Area Wide Joint Worship Service..

Preachers can post a sermon too and post an audible message on the site. I bought the space of the hard-disk usage from an US Internet host at the cost of a monthly fee $4.95, which is much cheaper than that of Japanese hosts. I believe this kind of network will be very useful to keep young people in faith and encourage them to study the Scripture. Next few month I will promote this.

Five Minutes Message on the Internet site, intro-bible.info

I try to post a five minute audible message daily if possible on the Intro-Bible site. This is very important and useful in two fold aspects. First, in the Yokota congregation many of the members cannot come to the assembly every Sunday. One lady has a very traditional Japanese husband. Sundays should be his days in their family. Two other people are living very far away; it takes a couple of hours to get here. Another one has a day off every other five Sundays. They have an opportunity to listen to a Bible message daily. One member listens to the message and write me a note about the message daily. This encourages me to do daily.
Second, many people are listening to the message on the site. It has over 200 unique visits daily. My goal is up to 500 hits. I have been on a Japanese community site similar to Facebook. My name is “Let’s read the Bible.” I write a note to everyone who visits me. A couple of days ago, a lady who had received my message wrote me back. She used to attend a church, but not any more because she has been discouraged by miscarriage. I have found out later she is living in Ibaraki and told her about churches in Ibaraki areas because she asked me. I informed her of churches’ phone numbers and email addresses. I hope she will email them.

Meantime, some denomnations notice what I do and invited me to speak for them. I simply declined to do so.

In His name,
Masa Nonogaki

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