This is the twenty-first consecutive year we’ve ministered in Japan. This year was special in that we made two trips (April 24–June 23; August 14-October 11). The purpose of these trips is to share lessons to help build up the church and to encourage Christians and churches.

One of the first things we do upon arriving in Japan is to set up housekeeping and an office. We are taken to Costco to get some food for the time here. This is much less expensive than purchasing smaller quantities at the local grocery store. This is also a time to get back into the Japanese language.

Three days after arriving we participated in the Ochanomizu Bible Camp which is a tradition. This year their theme had to do with preparation for their seventieth anniversary next year. They wanted to reaffirm their vision as a congregation. I shared a lesson on encouragement from Hebrews 10:24-25. “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Vision must be purposeful and deliberate. We encourage each other to fulfill the vision.

For Sunday sermons, I shared the story of the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet and the parable of the two debtors Jesus used to confront Simon (Luke 7:36-50). It is hard to see our true sinfulness which makes it hard to see the vastness of God’s love and forgiveness. The Japanese Interconfessional Translation puts it pretty plainly: “You can tell how much she loves by her actions.” Our appreciation of God’s love is proportional to our understanding of how much we have been forgiven. Paul’s prayer for better understanding of God’s love in Ephesians 3:14-21 is worthy of repeating.

The topic for the Japan School of Evangelism lessons was The Atonement. I had spent a considerable amount of time preparing the lessons in English before coming and then worked to get them into Japanese once here. One brother who is fluent in English has been a tremendous help in checking my Japanese and teaching me some of the nuances of the language.

The format this year’s JSE lessons was to have 6 thirty to forty-five minute lessons shared on three Thursday mornings. This format would allow congregations who do not have preachers to share them in a Sunday morning class or worship assembly. Each was recorded on DVD with PowerPoint slides and a class handout to follow the lesson. Lesson topics were: Sin and Atonement; Old Testament Sacrifices; Suffering Servant; Divine Justice; Redemption; While We Were Helpless (a review and meaning of the cross). Some of these were also shared with the Ochanomizu church on four Wednesday evenings.

We met with the monthly ministers’ meeting for Tokyo-West ministers at Nogeyama, Yokohama. The minister there shared comments about Martin Luther on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of his work.

On the third Sunday in September, I shared a bi-lingual sermon with the Ochanomizu church. This congregation has a joint Japanese-English worship each third Sunday followed by a fellowship meal together. That afternoon Josephine shared a lesson from Jonah about our inner spiritual struggles.

An older minister spoke for the JSE Founding Day Lectureship September 18. He gave some of the history of his work. Following the lectureship, the teachers meet for an overnight planning session. It was encouraging to hear their discussion. The school currently has three students: one is retired and “re-tooling” to work with his home congregation; one is middle aged and is preparing to do what she can in her local congregation; another is younger and soon to be married who is preparing to do what he can in his local congregation.

We’ve worshiped with congregations as far north as Aomori and as far southwest as Shizuoka. Twelve of us met for worship in Hachinohe, Aomori, filling a small room. Eight congregations in the Shizuoka area came together to worship and study on our next to the last day in Japan. Getting to both of these involved several hours of travel.

The Tomobe congregation has a coffee hour once a month. We participated in that, and I shared a devotional on giving thanks. Several non-Christians who are students on English classes the church offers attended. The Tomobe church has an intern working with them at the present who is a big encouragement. Marlin Ray recently had surgery and continues to be hospitalized as he recovers. This surgery was a follow up to a traffic accident in July 2016 when a person ran into him just before he was to share a sermon with the congregation. Jean continues to minister to Marlin and the church. Marlin had permission to leave the hospital in order to attend the worship assembly. He continues to preach once a month.

That’s a quick overview of the past eight weeks. Leaving is always bittersweet. We’re sorry to leave behind people who are being faithful to the Lord in the midst of a dark society. We’re looking forward to reuniting with family and church family. God has promised that every effort put forth to share the Good News is not in vain. Ours is to remain faithful to Him and continue to “spur each other on to love and good deeds” which is a response to the forgiveness we have received in Christ.

— Dwight & Josephine Albright

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As I begin writing this report, we are three days away from leaving. I’ve delayed writing this because of our schedule of activities, but must finally put an account of the last six weeks of activity.

Josephine and I took an overnight trip to Kamakura and Enoshima. This was the location of government in Japan between 1192 and 1333 and also the period when Buddhism spread and particularly Zen Buddhism. It is the home of the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) which was cast in about 1252. Enoshima is an island just off the coast of Kamakura. It has been a resort area for Tokyo and Yokohama for many years

The next day we went to the museum for “Hidden Christians.” Following WWII, Miki Sawada (1901-1980) founded the Elizabeth Saunders Home to help American-Japanese mixed-race children. She fought much prejudice and opposition from the community for her work. This caused her to become interested in the “Hidden Christians” who were persecuted when Christianity was outlawed during the Tokugawa Era (1601-1868). She set about collecting many articles associated with Christianity when it was introduced into Japan in the mid-sixteenth century and later outlawed and persecuted. She would retire to the room where these items were kept for prayer and meditation. Like these earlier persecuted Christians, she gained strength to continue with her work with these children in spite of opposition. She was a member of the Anglican Church.

We worshiped with the Shirosato congregation May 14. This is a small congregation started by Jim and Noriko Holmes. They operate an English school. The next day we met with several ministers at Matsudo. This is always a time of encouragement.

The following Sunday we worshiped with the Haruna church. This congregation was started by Shiro and Rumiko Obata after he retired from his work with the Ochanomizu church in Tokyo. The church is composed mainly of women. The church is involved with the community and has a good reputation for service. The Obatas continue to work with those displaced by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Northeast Japan.

While with the Obatas, we visited the first Protestant church started by Japanese in Annaka, Gunma. Joseph Neesima (Niijima) went secretly to the U.S. in 1864 near the end of the Edo Era. While in the states, he became a Christian as well as graduating from university and seminary. He is the first Japanese to receive a bachelor’s degree. Upon returning to the Annaka area, he converted others, and they formed the Annaka church in 1878. He later moved to Kyoto and in 1875 started what later became Doshisha University.

We were able to attend a house meeting at the home of brother Oh and sister Ryu. He is one of the elders of the Ochanomizu church. Most of the year they host a gathering in their home on the last Saturday of the month. I shared a lesson from Psalms followed by a fellowship meal together.

I took a break from preaching on May 28. We went to worship with the Ochanomizu church. They were surprised to see us. One of the older members took us out for tea that afternoon. It was a beautiful day in Tokyo.

We took brother Nao Fukushima and his wife, Noriko, out for breakfast for his birthday, May 29. They both are wonderful hosts for our times in the Tachikawa church’s dorm. Their apartment is down the hall from us. We rely on them for many things during our stays.

The first two Sundays in June I preached at the Tachikawa Church. The commute is great – from the third floor to the first floor. These lessons were in a series Nao Fukushima is preaching from Chronicles. The first had to do with giving based upon the gift giving for the building of the temple by Solomon. The second was about the new temple of the Holy Spirit, the Christian, based on God’s Spirit filling the temple after it was built and purified.

Most of the weekdays for the previous four weeks were spent in preparation for the All Japan Ministers’ Meeting June 6-8. I was assigned to speak on women’s roles in the church. I began preparations in early February when I received the topic. I finally began to write down my thoughts and study ending up with seventeen typed pages. The next task was to translate that into Japanese so it could be corrected. This was finally completed the day before we left for the retreat. The presentation seemed to accomplish what was wanted. I will now check the Japanese and add footnotes so it can be published as a record of the meeting. Brother Ikeda, who preaches for the Megumi Christian Church in Kobe, also made a presentation discussing trends in the Christian Church.

Upon returning to Tokyo June 8, we met the Fowler family at the Palace Hotel in Tachikawa. They will stay in Japan for two weeks. Rachel lived in Japan from age three to twelve while we were missionaries. Clay and Rachel worked on a Let’s Start Talking effort twenty years ago before they married. Both Anna and Benjamin have had some Japanese language classes in school. This was an opportunity for Rachel to share some of her growing up in Japan with her family. But that’s for another report.

Grace and peace in Him, Dwight

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Worship with Matsudo Church of Christ / Funeral

This past Sunday (May 7) we worshiped with the Matsudo church of Christ. We went by train which took about two hours one way. Since this was the end of Golden Week (three consecutive holidays plus a weekend), the numbers were down. But we gathered around the Lord’s Table together remembering Jesus’ sacrifice that had brought us together as the body of Christ.

  Steve Carrell, a missionary for 35+ years, spoke from Philippians 2. Leslie Taylor, a missionary for 5+ years, led our thoughts before communion from 1 Peter 2:21-25. Both of these will be leaving Japan at the end of June to return to the states. Steve’s wife, Debbie, died in 2015, and he will return to Abilene where his son and family live. Leslie along with Sara and their three children will return to her hometown in New Hampshire to begin a photography business. Photography is Leslie’s hobby. The church at Matsudo will then be without a full-time worker.

  Monday (May 8) we were invited to accompany brothers Obata and Fukushima to attend the funeral service for a faithful member of the Oigawa church in Shizuoka. Brother Hayakawa was 91 and had been a faithful member of the Oigawa church since his baptism in 1958. He had been a school teacher and also served as principal near the end of his teaching career.

  Unlike Buddhist funerals, people could understand what was being sung and said. Usually, the Buddhist priest is the center of the ceremony chanting from the Sutras which no one can understand. The verse brother Kawasaki used as a center of his remarks was John 11:25-26. “And Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Even though the one who believes in me may die, yet he will live.'”

Hitachi Christian Camp – Spring 2017

We returned last Friday night (May 5) after three days and two nights at the Hitachi Christian Camp (HCC). This was its 62nd year of operation. Marlin and Jeanne Ray along with Hideki and Nagisa Ataka have been important in keeping the camp going and making it useful to the churches in Japan.

  Our day started early May 3 as we left Tachikawa to head to Tomobe by train (a three-hour trip). This was Golden Week (three consecutive holidays and a weekend), so the trains were crowded with people getting out of the city. Thankfully we had purchased tickets ahead of time. Jeanne Ray met us at the train station. We stopped by the church building to pick up four middle school students before heading up to HCC.

  Several went to the camp early to set up the kitchen and open cabins. However, the cabins still needed to be cleaned out and bedding aired. A snake was found in one of the cabins. Nishimura-san, camp director, was able to catch it. It was a non-poisonous snake.

  The second morning I went downhill to the cemetery where we began our walk into camp. The cemetery overlooks the city of Hitachi and the Pacific Ocean. I watched the sun come up over a bank of clouds in the distance while reading Psalm 10. The writer wondered why the Lord was so far away. Being surrounded by hundreds of graves was sobering and made me wonder what could be done to help more people hear about the Lord.

  There was work to be done at camp as well. Drains were cleaned out in preparation for the rainy season. I helped a brother put up a railing in our cabin. The rotten floor of another cabin was removed. We raked up at least one if not two years of dropped twigs and limbs. We also studied the Bible together and played together. The meals were delicious and a good time for fellowship.

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First Weekend Spring Trip 2017

Our first weekend in Japan was such a blessing. It began Saturday morning as we loaded into a van with four members of the Tachikawa congregation. The trip from Tachikawa (Tokyo) to Ibaraki Christian University in Omika (Ibaraki) was about 80 miles. It took us about three and a half hours since it was a holiday – “Showa Day,” the birthday of the former Emperor Showa who reigned from 1926 to 1989.

  The weather was beautiful. We arrived a little after the joint worship had started. Brother Ataka was the guest speaker speaking from Philippians 2:1-2 and Acts 16. He encouraged us to make the proclamation of the Gospel and our fellowship together in that effort priority. He mentioned his time with the Park Avenue church. He was impressed with their desire to know the Word (Jesus and the Bible) and their enjoyment of fellowship as they studied together.  He and his wife stayed in Memphis for four months last year as a guest of a grant the Harding School of Theology received and worshiped with the Park Avenue congregation during that time.

  Following the assembly, many of us opened our bento (box lunches) and had additional fellowship together on the campus. The weather could not have been any better. There were so many friends to greet and visit with. Eating was secondary. Outstanding fellowship.

  Sunday we worshiped with the Tomobe church. Over twenty assembled to remember the Lord and praise Him together. The Rays have worked with this congregation for over thirty-five years. They are a bright candle in a very dark city. I shared a lesson with them. Following the assembly, we had curry rice together.