A Nation of Temples
Kenji and I went to the Fushimi Inari Tasha shrine early Wednesday morning near our hotel. We prayed as we walked around the place, asking the Lord to have mercy on the city. We walked almost 4 miles (8000 steps) and climbed 42 flights at this place alone. (We usually average about 7-10 miles’ walk daily.) In all our prayer walks in Kyoto, Fukuoka, and Osaka, we must have seen a hundred temples and shrines, but zero churches (except for MSC where we worshipped). I am sure there are a few, but It’s pretty sad.
KYOTO: the cradle and grave of progress
We headed toward Mustard Seed Kyoto after this mini excursion. MSCC Kyoto is located in a strategic location in the center of town.
Kyoto has a population of 1.5 million. The Metro Area of Keihanshin, 19 million.
Kyoto, more than any other city, is the symbol of Japanese culture. As the capital of Japan for over a thousand years, Kyoto was the most culturally, intellectually, and religiously significant city in Japanese history and remains so today. With dozens of universities and colleges, the city houses the highest concentration of university students in Japan. They are joined by an average of over one million tourists per week, who come not just from Japan but from all over the world to visit its two thousand temples and shrines, walk its narrow streets, and get a taste of its rich culture.
Yet the very history that lends Kyoto its mystique also contributes to an inertia and resistance to change, from inside or out. Within Japan, people from Kyoto are thought of as refined yet aloof, even snobbish. Even as the city is renowned for its cultural and intellectual achievements, the business environment is stagnant at best, housing is in short supply, and incomes struggle to keep up with the cost of living. Yet through the proclamation of the good news by Mustard Seed Christian Church - Kyoto, the Spirit of Christ is moving to bring about new life among the millions of people in this historic city.
Kenji gave a prayer workshop to the Kyoto staff focusing on praying scriptures. We want to be Scripture-fed and Spirit-led. After the teaching on prayer, We spent some time praying using Psalm 19 as the outline over the city, staff, and the church. Kenji and I took the team out for Ramen and afterward, we spent another hour to encourage and pray for pastor Shin and Jared.
MSCC Kyoto is a vibrant, growing church, 200-strong each Sunday, with two services at 11 am and 2 pm. They also recently added a youth group.
Pastor Shin Yoshida is the lead pastor; Associate Pastor Jared Henke is the worship and discipleship pastor. Ben and Julia Shimomura are ministers.
Prayer Requests:
Pray for the elders to continue to grow in unity and as they serve together to overcome new challenges
There are a lot of young believers with little to no background in basic Christianity. It’s exciting, but at the same time it requires lots of nurturing. Pray for strength, wisdom, and time for the leaders to disciple young believers.
Pray for continued financial support for the staff.
Hang Tu
www.fairfaxbible.org
Associate Pastor of Fairfax Bible Church