Japan Relief - April 30, 2011
Kessennuma-Daiichi-Church
Dear CB Family,
We sincerely appreciate your support and many prayers. We would like to inform you of the state of things in Japan.
Fifty days have passed from the earthquake. In most parts of Japan, people's lives are going back to normal. People are joyful to live as before, to work, and to go to school. But people have been noticing that we are standing on a fragile foundation.
There are still aftershocks many times every day. Sometimes, they are very strong. The aftershock of April 7th was very big. In some churches, the chapels were damaged again.
The tsunami stricken areas have been slowly clearing the debris. Food is being distributed to areas of need. However, people are in shelters and do not have a place to sleep in peace. They have already spent a month living in the gymnasium. They could move away from their towns and find safe housing, but most people do not want to move from their own town.
According to a report on April 27th, 14,508 people are dead and 11,452 people are missing. At long last, the number of dead is now greater than the number of missing persons. Many are buried in the sand or swept away by the tsunami and we are not able to find their bodies.
The Kesennuma church’s chapel was carried away by the tsunami so they began to worship at a member’s house. Volunteers cleaning up the debris set up a cross on the site. The cross stands over the ruin of the land and brings hope. However, we still cannot worship at that location. Under Japanese law, until the new town plan is decided, we have to wait to make a new building in the disaster area. Perhaps the city will be rebuilt further up the hill. The pastor stated that once a decision is made on the location of the town a permit would be issued approximately two years later. Chapels are not typically welcome in Japanese culture. The plan will be to rebuild the home then the church. So rebuilding of the chapel of the Church of Kesennuma is going to take a while.
The Fukushima Daiichi Church has been forced to evacuate by the nuclear accident The pastor and 50 members moved to a Christian camp in suburban Tokyo. They are protected by a quiet, peaceful life and the children started going to school nearby. But there are more than 200 church members of Fukushima. Many people are beginning a new life in another town. Some people rely on relatives and other people are finding jobs in another cities. For now, they do not know whether or not to return to their original towns. The church is located just about two kilometers from the nuclear power plants. We have been told that the effects of radiation are said to have long-term effects. The church was going great prior to the earthquake, the future of that area is not very clear.
We are giving financial support to the churches in the affected areas. In the tsunami stricken areas, members have lost jobs. Lack of donations needed for church activities is inevitable. So, for one year at least, we are going to be providing funding.
It is our desire to assist the churches as they attempt repair and rebuild. Here are some examples of the damage.
- The Shiogama church foundation may need to be repaired. The six branches of the church were destroyed by the tsunami.
- There is a problem with uneven ground at the Izumi church. Restructuring may be necessary.
- There is also a problem with the ground at the Kooriyama church.
- The Oohunato church was hit by the tsunami. It’s sturdy walls and pillars remained upright. It is being restored and cleaned by volunteers.
- The Furukawa church walls came down on one of the houses.
- The Midorino church ceiling fell in and the light fixtures were destroyed.
- The partition wall is broken at the Utsunomiya church and pipes are broken.
- The Kesennuma church was completely destroyed.
We would like to support these churches as much as possible.
There are a lot of volunteers in the disaster area. They are helping clean up people's homes. Free emergency meals have also been provided. Some people sing at the shelters. People are hungry for music. Their hearts are in need of comfort. Some people are supporting children. It is hard for adults, but the young minds of children are hurt more severely. Such activities as drawing together, playing games, and studying are helpful. We will continue to support such activities.
The affected areas need heart specialists. We are able to listen to the words of the victims, and to cry together. It is a very important effort. However, in order to rescue the hearts that fell into a deep hole, we need experts. By summer, we will be able to send experts to the disaster area.
There are many children who have lost a parent. How we, the churches in Japan, can respond to this major issue, I do not yet know. But we pray desperately for the answer.
Despite a variety of relief efforts, there is one core mission of the church to the affected areas. It is to give people hope in Christ. There are various ways: care of children, the programs encouraging parents, traveling music teams, and acceptance of the pain of the people, and so on. In such activities, we can show that there is strength and hope of the gospel of Christ.
Reconstruction efforts are just getting started. Cleanup and reconstruction hard and discouraging, but we do not lose courage. We are overwhelmed by the greatness of the need. But we do not lose hope because we believe “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”(Matthew 19:26)
In three weeks, we will hold the general meeting of Japan CBA. Because pastors struggle for earthquake disaster reconstruction, there is not much surplus energy. The means for transportation are still unstable, as well. Nonetheless, we longed to hold a general meeting. We will gather together, praise God and pray. We feel that it is necessary to do so. It is necessary to cry together. However, we believe it that drained tears become the foundation of the faith, if there are people loving each other there.
Please continue to pray. We thank everyone sincerely for your support.
God bless you.
Keiichi Mori
Chairman of Japan Conservative Baptist Association
The photograph on the front page of the major newspaper (May 02)