Futaba Hope Church

There is transformative power in working with your own hands. Hands that build beautiful things inspire us. Justo Gallego is one such man, who started building a cathedral all of his life by his hands, alone. He used family property and used his own money to buy materials for foundations but drove around to collect discarded bricks to reuse (for the full story on BBC, click here)

Justo Gallego's hands

Justo Gallego (91) started the project more than 50 years ago and hopes to be buried by the building site, if he can't see the completion of the project.

Cathederal of Justo in Mejorada del Campo, Spain

Futaba Hope Church is located in Tomiyoka town. The name Futaba is the name of the district, consisting of 6 towns and 2 villages, surrounding the troubled Daiichi nuclear power plant. Many residents left for good after 3/11 and those who have returned are mostly elderly people. In this neighbourhood, the church is planted to offer prayers for the district and to welcome returning people with hope for a new future.

However, the situation doesn't seem to get better, but in fact, it looks like it is getting worse year by year. More homes were demolished in the neighbourhood since I came last year. More homes were domolished this past year.

But what seems to be the reality is not the whole story. There's another story - a story of hope and presence sustained by the Spirit and a vision of new creation.

The physical reality of that hope and vision is present in the building that is home to Futaba Hope Church and the people who are reclaiming the building for witness to the gospel.

Last year, Rev. Sumiyoshi started repair work last year with the help of volunteers and financial support from overseas churches. Proudly he shared with us that the owner of the building, a few other pastors and himself completed the work of repairing the roof. Now that there is no more rainwater leaking inside the house, the interior repair began just a few months ago. Renovation is progressing more slowly than he anticipated, but he is in no hurry and moving along with whatever God provides and how he provides.

We came inside to sit around to hear Rev. Sumiyoshi's vision and mission for the church in the community. "This house is to become a house of prayer where the Spirit of God dwells. It is to serve returning community people with prayer and give them hope from Christ." After much invigorating conversation with him, we started working. Our job was to clean inside and outside.

From left to right: Ken Warren from Canada, Rev. Sumiyoshi, Rachel Phua from Singapore and Chie Yoshida from Canada. 

Kaoru from Tokyo and Chie from Canada cleaning the small garden.

Before: The big flowerbed with piles of trash and overgrown weeds.

After: We spent two days to clear the flowerbeds all around the house. 

An elderly neighbour walked by and talked to us. After a few minutes of conversation with Shihoko, the neighbour pleaded, "Please come back. We need more people like you to come back!"

Shihoko received the vision of "spiritual cleanup" of Tomiyoka area when we first visited four years ago. She and her husband started a new church plant in Vancouver with a few Japanese immigrant families just before 3/11 disaster 8 years ago. Since then the church started New Eden garden ministry that offers practical gardening experience at a suburban farm outside Vancouver as a way of solidarity with Fukushima people, as a way of holistic discipleship, and as a way of serving local neighbours in the metro Vancouver area.

Rev. Sumiyoshi and Shihoko

Coming back to Tomioyoka with members of her congregation in Vancouver has been an irresistible joy for her and Ken, her husband. It was her vision to see the area being cleansed by the blood of Jesus and to see a church being planted to offer the love of Christ to hurting people of Fukushima. Ken, a horticulturalist, weeps over the broken land whenever we see or hear about the stories of topsoil removal or abandoned farms or struggling farmers.

With this vision, we come here each year to offer the little service of our own hands as a form of prayer and a form of friendship and solidarity.

Rev. Sumiyoshi hopes to finish repairing the interior this Fall and to start the service officially from then. But we know that he and others have already joined God's ongoing mission with prayers. We join them also through our prayers.

Fukushima Seven!: Ken, Rachel, Chie, Shihoko, Sumiyoshi, Kaoru (and Maria, the dog)
after two days' work.