College Ministry Board Meeting in Waseda

I took the Shinkansen "bullet train" to Tokyo and on to Waseda and back (~4 hour round trip) for a 3 hour College Ministry Board meeting for the Presbyterian Church in Japan. (See down below for a photo of my sleek ride.) My team leader, Dan Iverson, was there as well Nagata-san, a friend and co-worker in college ministry since my first visit to Japan back in 1998.

I mostly listened and learned, with my electronic dictionary in hand, and a little translation help from Dan. The meeting was exciting as I become more involved in praying and preparing for our future ministry. It was also sobering as I more deeply understood the difficulties and challenges that lay ahead.

For Example:
- Attendance has dropped and our college ministry meetings, and the general image of foreign clubs has been tarnished in the eyes of students due to a rise in "christian-like" cult activities on campus.
- Almost all of the Japanese College Ministry Staff that I knew from my previous time in Japan are no longer actively serving on campus. Some are in seminary, some have moved on, and some have had personal struggles. A few new staff have come on, but it has been difficult for them in many ways.
- Even after more than 10 years of partnership with Japanese Churches in College Ministry, the initiative for outreach still comes almost exclusively from College Ministry Staff, not the local church.

PLEASE PRAY:
- Pray that God would protect our staff, our students, and students on campus from these cults (including the Moonies, etc.)
- Pray for future kingdom workers and faithful young leaders for the church in Japan.
- Pray also for a missional vision for the church among both the current AND next generation of Japanese believers.

A Shinkansen Train, like the one I took to Tokyo...