On Wednesday I met with the Japanese pastor of the church a few stops down the train line from us in Nakatsugawa. He actually has a Masters in Theology from Calvin Seminary. He also served as a missionary for ten years in Indonesia. I wanted to go and check things out for future ministry opportunities. The churches in Nakatsugawa and in Ena are in the same area so if we advertised in community newspapers there could be cross over and it would be beneficial to work together.
Well the pastor there had heard I had moved into the area through the church grapevine and was hoping I would stop by sooner or later. We talked about how we could work together. He shared with me some struggles in the church as about 1/3 of the 45 members had left over a conflict to form another church. This often happens in Japan.
I honestly do not know what I can do for the church in Nakatsugawa. Its location is poor but there is good population density in the city. The church has mostly older people. I will probably try to encourage it and help keep it stable this next year. Keep the church in Nakatsugawa and myself in your prayers.
Blessings, John
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