Japan Assemblies of God 2011 Tohoku Earthquake Initiative

日本語ブログへのリンク(Link to Japanese Edition)

　This is the planned initiative of relief by the Japan Assemblies of God to the areas affected by the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake.

　Stage 1: Support effected JAG churches and their members
　Stage 2: Equipping affected churches to be regional relief centers
　Stage 3: Continued support of disaster areas from the regional relief centers (churches)

　At the moment, in order to concurrently initiate all stages of the above plan we will make use of both the material and human resources of all JAG churches, as well as outside AG support teams; actively moving the plan forward.
　This blog will communicate one part of the Japan Assemblies of God’s relief efforts. We truly appreciate your understanding and support of our activities.

Link to Online Donation with PayPal

Fraudulent Email and Phone Call Notice:

Recently there has been a fraudulent impersonation of Rev. Makoto Hosoi, General Superintendent of the Japan Assemblies of God, through spam email and phone calls internationally.  In the impersonating phone calls and emails there has been a request for money or help of some kind.  If you receive an email or phone call purporting to be from Rev. Makoto Hosoi, please contact the Japan Assemblies of God to verify the request.

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (5/9/2013)

Praise the Lord!

　Thank you all for your consistent and loving prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center.

　After the concert on Saturday the fourth the team stayed at the center, then they were a part of the special worship service on Sunday the fifth and then finally they observed the local disaster areas. Following all of this Kadena Assemblies' “Glory Mates Choir” members, their guardians, pastor Atsuko Ikehara, pastor Kamiyama and choir director Mr. Yamada; all 32 people made it safely back to Okinawa.
　On Monday the sixth at about 8:30 in the morning we had a brief goodbye ceremony for the choir as they prepared to return to Okinawa. At that parting we were blessed to have the local ward officers, Mr. and Mrs. Shiroma, who are also new attendees to our worship services, come and give a word of thanks for the choir's help in the relief work. Since Mr. Shiroma himself is originally from Okinawa, he was exceedingly thankful to the pastor and team that came and even invited them to his house for a home cooked meal. Seeing the large number of young people come up from Okinawa filled his heart with thanks. Mr. and Mrs. Shiroma took the chance to share their disaster experience and I am sure that their harrowing tale was indelibly engraved upon the team member's hearts.
　Even though the team spent three days and two nights packed into the center like sardines, each child and adult joyfully said goodbye and made their way onto the bus heading home. On their way to Sendai airport the bus stopped and observed the disaster area of Omagari port which is five minutes away from the center, then they got on the highway at the Ishinomaki Port on-ramp and took the road straight to the airport. I am so thankful to the Lord that through the special worship service and concert of the “Glory Mates Choir”, many disaster victims clearly saw the comfort, healing and saving work of God.

　I praise the Lord who has made His glory known through our ministry and kept each day safe in His hand.

All the glory belongs to God.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

      

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (5/8/2013 Part 2)

This is the scene at the May fourth's GW☆Glory Mates Choir Concert ＆ 37th Meal Distribution". The clear voices of the choir rangout over the disaster area, healing the hearts of each disaster victim. I am so thankful that they came up from Okinawa.

 

To view more pictures of this event, click this link and scroll to the bottom of the blog entry.

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (5/8/2013 Part 1)

Praise the Lord!

　Thank you all for your consistent and loving prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center.
　At the center on Sunday the fifth, starting at 11AM, we held Sunday worship with Kadena AG's preschool's graduate choir, “Glory Mates Choir”. The attendees consisted of the church's pastor's wife, pastor Atsuko Ikehara, assistant pastor Kamiyama, choir member and guardians all totaling 32 people, plus 9 people from the center's staff and Izumi church's members, plus 17 people from the local area.
　Many of those who attend our Sunday afternoon worship services held on the second and fourth Sunday of the month and who also attended the previous day's support center concert came out for our first ever Sunday morning worship service.
　It was a blessed worship service as pastor Atsuko Ikehara led the worship, the “Glory Mates Choir” offered a special song and pastor Kamiyama shared the Word.

　After worship, all of the "Glory Mates Choir" members went to the Higashi Matsushima disaster areas of Ishinomaki, Minami-sanriku and Onngawa to observe these tsunami stricken towns. I wonder how this scene of destruction seemed to this Okinawan children? I am sure that it was an unforgettable landscape and after they return to Okinawa I want them to tell their family and friends about the things that they saw and heard and above all I want them to continue to pray for the healing and salvation of the disaster victims.
All the glory belongs to God.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

      

 

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (5/7/2013)

Praise the Lord!

　Thank you all for your consistent and loving prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center. Here at the center on Saturday the 4th of May, starting at 2pm we held the "GW☆Glory Mates Choir Concert ＆ 37th Meal Distribution". 

　This was an open air concert held in the parking lot in front of the support center. All along the coastal region there were strong wind advisories but even still we were blessed with clear, beautiful weather and so many locals turned out.

　The "Glory Mates Choir" is a choir made up of graduates from the preschool that is run by Kadena Assembly of God (senior pastor Nobunori Ikehara) in Okinawa. Thirty two people including the pastor's wife, pastor Atsuko Ikehara, the newly installed assistant pastor, pastor Kamiyama, the choir leader Mr. Yamada as well as many parents and students came for three days and two nights of relief work at the Amazing Grace Support Center.
　The team went from Okinawa to Tokyo on the third of May, stayed the night at the JAG headquarters lodge and then came up to Sendai by bullet train on the fourth. From Sendai station they took a chartered bus along the Sendai eastern then the Sanriku highway and arrived safely at the center one hour before the start of the concert.

　Immediately upon arrival the team began their preparations and without even a rehearsal run they began the concert on schedule.
　The choir received thunderous applause as they took to the stage dressed in traditional kimono and they began by singing a number of beautiful and fun Okinawan songs followed by a baritone solo from the choir director Mr. Yamada.
　Then, after his solo, the choir returned to the stage dressed in their choir T-shirts and sang and danced many delightful children's songs such as "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Ponyo" to everyone's unending applause.
　At the end of the that first portion of the concert the director of the nearby Ishinomaki preschool and the director's grandchild gave Mrs. Ikehara, who they have been close with for sometime, a gift of flowers and everyone gave a great round of applause. Both the director and their grandchild are disaster victims who lost many loved ones in the tsunami. I truly believe that they found emotional comfort and healing through this concert.
　During the intermission we began the meal distribution time. On the menu was yakisoba, hotdogs, sausages, shaved ice, popcorn and cotton candy for the children. In addition we passed out bags of bread that are always being sent to us by pastor Funatsu of the Kanazawa church who receives them as donations from the Yokohama Costco.
　After finishing the main portion of passing out the food the second part of the concert began as people ate their yakisoba and shaved ice and the choir, choir director Mr. Yamada and some ladies from the Kadena church shared classical songs.
　Lastly the choir sang the “Hallelujah Chorus” in English to everyone's overwhelming appluase and calls for an encore. After the wonderful encore song Mrs. Ikehara closed the concert with a prayer asking for the compassionate healing of the Lord to be over the disaster victims.
　In all there were 16 songs, each was moving, leading to both smiles and tears. Then some of the local children who had been getting to know the choir members were brought up on stage and sang and danced together for an enjoyable experience. It was truly a concert and meal distribution blessed by God.
　Ministering for this event were the center staff, members of the Izumi church, Mr. Shiroma from the Soka church as well as a number of locals cooperating with us. Thank you to all of you.
　The entire choir spent that night at the support center and two of the center staff members also spent the night at the center to be of help to the group.
　The following day, Sunday the fifth, they minnistered at the center's first ever Sunday worship held on Sunday morning as opposed to Sunday afternoon. The report of that ministry will be in an upcoming blog post.
All the glory belongs to God.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

To view more pictures of this event, click this link and scroll to the bottom of the blog entry.

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (5/6/2013)

　Thank you all for your consistent and loving prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center.
　On Tuesday the 30th we held the third "New! Word and Tea" event. The missionaries Mr. and Mrs. Boehme led the meeting while each table was manned by a center staff member or Izumi church member who also had the study book to teach from.
　The meeting fell on a long holiday so the number of attendees was a little down but still everyone present passionately studied the Bible together. Please pray that through this Bible study each person will be drawn closer to the Lord and that the work of salvation will be done.
           All the glory belongs to God.

                            Thank you all for your prayers and support.

     

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (5/2/2013)

Praise the Lord!

　Thank you all for your consistent and loving prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center.
　Here are some additional pictures from the twenty first Sunday service.
　We had a number of locals turnout for this event and after the sermon many stayed around to drink tea and fellowship. They also participated in a time of discussion and preparation for the "Amazing Grace Support Center Festival" scheduled to be held on Saturday the first of June. We are hoping to put on this year's event with the help of many locals.
　　Thank you for your prayers.
To view more pictures of this event, click this link and scroll to the bottom of the blog entry.

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (4/30/2013)

Praise the Lord!

　Thank you all for your consistent and loving prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center.
　Here at the center on Sunday the 28th we held our twenty first Sunday worship and Sunday school.
　After worship and prayer we showed some wedding pictures from the newly wed center staff member, Mr. Furuhashi and his wife Atsuko, who is a member of the Izumi church. Following that we all celebrated with them as they shared their testimonies and talked about how they met. About 16 people connected with the support center were able to attend the ceremony at Izumi but I am thankful that at this worship service everyone was able to join together to bless them in their new marriage.
　For this worship service pastor Satoshi Morita of the Izu Nida church, who shared at Friday the 26th's seminar themed "Healing of the Heart", preached a message of healing and comfort from Matthew 11:28, sharing from the perspective of the disaster victims.
　This Sunday we had 32 locals as well as the center staff and Izumi church members gather for worship. The Sunday school kids were also blessed by God and enjoyed a snack time of making takoyaki.
　On Tuesday the 30th of this week we will hold the third "New! Word and Tea" event. Then on Saturday the 4th the "Glory Mates", the youth choir from Kadena AG, will come and hold a concert as well as mini meal distribution for which we are expecting a large turnout.
           All the glory belongs to God.

                            Thank you all for your prayers and support.

      

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (4/27/2013 Part 2)

Praise the Lord!

　Thank you all for your consistent and loving prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center.
　Nearly everyday the center's craft club meets and passionately works making small pouches, tissue pack covers and various styles of Bible covers.
　So far their products have been extremely popular and are selling very well at Christian book stores and churches around the country.
　Currently they are focusing their efforts on making the craft club’s mascot which is an owl (pictured above).
　They are working hard to be ready by July to sell these items at three upcoming events: May 4th's concert by the "Glory Mates" from the Kadena church, the "Amazing Festival" which will be held at the center on Saturday June the 1st as well as a festival in July which will be held at Ishinomaki's San Juan theme park.
　Currently there are seven members in the club and all of them are new Christians attending our Sunday worship services. I ask that you would pray that each of them would, by the grace of God, continue working at crafting these items and that all of it would be used for the glory of God.
           All the glory belongs to God.

                            Thank you all for your prayers and support.

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (4/27/2013 Part 1)

Praise the Lord!

　Thank you all for your consistent and loving prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center.
　Here at the support center on Friday the 26th we held our second ever seminar event. The theme of this event was "Healing of the Heart." The person who ministered as the speaker for the event was emotional care specialist pastor Satoshi Morita of the Izu Nida church.
　After a time of worship and prayer we heard a moving and powerful testimony of salvation from long time volunteer Ms. Oshita who originally came to us from the Takatsuki church.
　With pastor Morita's skillful and easy to understand presentation, people laughed and cried and before we knew it the two hours had passed. Also, the "self analysis" study that he had each person participate in allowed everyone to face themselves in a way that they normally would not. So in the end, all the attendees left for home with joyful and refreshed hearts.
　What's more, pastor Morita will kindly offer himself for private counseling on Saturday the 27th.
And he will also share the message during the worship service at the center on Sunday the 28th.
           All the glory belongs to God.

                            Thank you all for your prayers and support.

To view more pictures of this event, click this link and scroll to the bottom of the blog entry.