Relief for Japan
Churches in Japan are praying for God’s blessing as they rebuild their places of worship, with some congregations suffering extreme personal loss of loved ones and livelihoods.
According to Barnabas Fund, there are more than 300 churches in the area affected by the tragic events of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear aftermath.
Many have suffered the loss of pastors and church members, while other believers are still unaccounted for and church buildings have been destroyed. Ongoing tremors and earthquakes right into April have hindered the ability to rebuild.
A report from Barnabas Fund read: ‘A Japanese Christian leader from the organisation, now working in Sendai to help the disaster victims, said, “Pray for the churches in north-eastern area.
“Many churches lost their pastors, members, and buildings. Pray that they can stand strong in faith in Christ who stood on the raging water and who calmed the sea.
“This could be a wide-open gate for the gospel. We will conduct our rescue and relief mission through local churches. We need a lot of prayers from Barnabas Fund. Thank you so much”.’
In other reports, the Bishop of Tohoku, Rt Rev. John Hiromichi Kato, said that the affected area was wide and diocesan staff had not been able to visit all areas. Not all members of the diocese’s churches had been located at time of going to press.
He said, ‘The eventual challenge is to rebuild our diocese. With God’s blessing I pray that we will accomplish this task. I realise that many challenges lie ahead of us. I pray that what we do will be with God’s blessing, that Christ has taught us to do so in his holy words’.
