July Is Not Quite Over Yet

News Nuggets

Thank Jesus It’s Friday!, a once a month worship service held at the Kyoto YWCA, marked our fifth gathering last July 1^st. It was a rainy day, but people still managed to come for an evening of praise and worship. The next one will be held on September 2^nd. In August, the place is scheduled for renovation.

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Sakura Christ Church is an hour drive from Kyoto City. Beginning in July and almost weekly, I go to this church to assist them in their worship ministry. Keiko Murakami-sensei leads and organizes events for the said church since the current pastor is still recovering from an illness.

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It’s really encouraging to see new people come to our campus outreaches at Doshisha and Kyoto universities. Learning the Bible in English is a rare opportunity for our contacts and is like hitting two birds with one stone.

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This year’s theme for the English Camp held at the Utano Youth Hostel is, “Building Bridges.” A total of 26 people participated in the two-day intensive course featuring multi-tiered class lessons, songs, games, and other surprises. This year, the oldest attendee is an 82-year old woman and the farthest is from Yamanashi Prefecture.

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Motomichi Harada, who earned his PhD in quantum physics in the U.S., is joining our ministry for about ten months before embarking on his seminary training.

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Our Lighthouse English Café ministry is continually evolving. Thanks to the creative collaboration of our ministry team that crafts each month’s program. Truly, each month’s activity is something to look forward to. However, due to the room’s limited space we can only accommodate around thirty people each time. We praise God for our regular guests and volunteers.

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The summer season has begun. Usually, we see the exodus of people from our church during this month – not only to escape the heat of summer but also due to transitions happening in people’s lives and careers. We had a farewell fellowship for Curtis Peters (Canadian) last July 24^th. Next, Hiroya Iwabuchi is going back to his hometown in Hokkaido after finishing his studies at Ritsumeikan University. Early next month, we will also send off Millicent and Princess as they return to Ghana, Africa after a two or three-month research stint at Kyoto University.