I first met Rev. Otao five years ago at the Fukushima Future Forum, July 2011, then second time when Jonathan came to spend an afternoon with a group of pastors in Koriyama in September, 2012. What stuck in my memory of meeting him among twenty some people in that afternoon was his strong emphasis on the unity and collaboration among local churches in Koriyama that began to form to respond to the triple disaster. "Please pray for us that Satan will not destroy this new unity in Christ." Four years passed and my memory faded already.
When he met us at the train station as Midori and I came to visit his church, the gentle smile on his face refreshed my memory. Koriyama Bible Baptist Church is located in Miharu town, outside Koriyama, on one of many hills of central Fukushima. Snowcapped mountains merged into the sky in the distant background of Miharu town, where Rev. Otao and his wife have been serving for the past fourteen years.
"What were the last five years like since the disaster? What is the most important thing you learned during this time?" I asked Rev. Otao, in his early seventies, serving a small congregation faced with many challenges.
"Unity." Again without hesitation he answered. Love Koriyama C-Net (church network) consists of local churches across denominations in the Koriyama area. Protestant pastors from across the spectrum of theological convictions meet once a month (still today) to pray and fellowship. Anglicans, the United Church of Christ in Japan, Pentecostals, Baptists and so on.
"And now my prayer has been answered. I can't ask for more."
After the disaster some families with young children in the church left Koriyama, and that means they left this particular local church. He and his wife have been working alone for the shrinking congregation, while in collaboration with other churches in the wider region until last June. Ken Nishiono joined as an Associate Pastor last year with a solid four years of working experience in various areas in Fukushima.
Ken graduated from Kansai Bible Institute in the western part of Japan on March 10, 2011, just one day before the disaster. He came back to his hometown, Saitama, and started working with CRASH JAPAN right away. At the Fukushima Youth Forum in 2012, he met his future wife and then moved to work in Iwaki with Global Mission Centre where they later married. I met Ken's wife first a couple years ago at GMC's cafe that she ran.
After working in Iwaki for two years, the young couple accepted this new invitation to serve a local congregation in Koriyama. While most young people move away from Fukushima, especially after having children, this young couple moved to Miharu with their new born baby and are now expecting their second child.
During his four years of working as a relief worker right after his seminary training, he struggled with his vocational calling. "Why all of my work is serving people by my hands' action only with little opportunity to preach the gospel?" After he experienced burnout a couple times along the way, God continued to provide him with mentors who would listen to his struggles and offer guidance.
"Then I began to see God's big perspective that [relief work] was a real ministry and very special time of serving people and working with many churches. Now I understand that it was a precious gift."
Rev. Otao and his wife couldn't stop praising their new co-worker, co-pastor and his dedication and passion for the ministry within this small church. Looking proudly at his associate whose age is only the half of his, "I have a co-worker," said Otao with the greatest smile in his face I've seen.
Ken was intervieweed by a Christian media in Yokohama last year as a great example to many struggling Japanese youth today. Here's the story: http://the4points.jp/story/kennishiono/
When he met us at the train station as Midori and I came to visit his church, the gentle smile on his face refreshed my memory. Koriyama Bible Baptist Church is located in Miharu town, outside Koriyama, on one of many hills of central Fukushima. Snowcapped mountains merged into the sky in the distant background of Miharu town, where Rev. Otao and his wife have been serving for the past fourteen years.
"What were the last five years like since the disaster? What is the most important thing you learned during this time?" I asked Rev. Otao, in his early seventies, serving a small congregation faced with many challenges.
"Unity." Again without hesitation he answered. Love Koriyama C-Net (church network) consists of local churches across denominations in the Koriyama area. Protestant pastors from across the spectrum of theological convictions meet once a month (still today) to pray and fellowship. Anglicans, the United Church of Christ in Japan, Pentecostals, Baptists and so on.
"And now my prayer has been answered. I can't ask for more."
After the disaster some families with young children in the church left Koriyama, and that means they left this particular local church. He and his wife have been working alone for the shrinking congregation, while in collaboration with other churches in the wider region until last June. Ken Nishiono joined as an Associate Pastor last year with a solid four years of working experience in various areas in Fukushima.
After working in Iwaki for two years, the young couple accepted this new invitation to serve a local congregation in Koriyama. While most young people move away from Fukushima, especially after having children, this young couple moved to Miharu with their new born baby and are now expecting their second child.
During his four years of working as a relief worker right after his seminary training, he struggled with his vocational calling. "Why all of my work is serving people by my hands' action only with little opportunity to preach the gospel?" After he experienced burnout a couple times along the way, God continued to provide him with mentors who would listen to his struggles and offer guidance.
"Then I began to see God's big perspective that [relief work] was a real ministry and very special time of serving people and working with many churches. Now I understand that it was a precious gift."
Rev. Otao and his wife couldn't stop praising their new co-worker, co-pastor and his dedication and passion for the ministry within this small church. Looking proudly at his associate whose age is only the half of his, "I have a co-worker," said Otao with the greatest smile in his face I've seen.
Ken was intervieweed by a Christian media in Yokohama last year as a great example to many struggling Japanese youth today. Here's the story: http://the4points.jp/story/kennishiono/
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