TUC Tohoku Ministry
TUC Tohoku Ministry
Following the March 11th disaster in Japan, members of Tokyo Union Church's Outreach Ministry Team got together to discuss how to help our brothers and sisters in Northern Japan. After an exhaustive search, we identified three churches that we wanted to partner with to help them recover. The churches are:
MIYAKO COMMUNITY CHURCH
This church has been very active since March 11 in its community serving as an emergency relief and volunteer dispatching center and its members volunteer twice a week at evacuation centers, after school activities, and mobile cafes. Worship at Miyako Community Church seems quite similar to that at TUC.
SENMAYA CHURCH
The small church building was damaged in the earthquake, and they need to rebuild at a new location. The small congregation is made up of mainly older people, two foreign wives of Japanese, three small children and one teenager. There is temporary housing in Senmaya for evacuees from Kesennuma, and one Kesennuma survivor of the tsunami also attends the worship services.
SEASIDE BIBLE CHAPEL (pictured below)
Their church building was washed away during the tsunami, and currently the congregation worships at a rented place. They are actively engaged in volunteer programs for children in the neighboring communities, Wednesday free cafes, free concerts, and a mobile cafe service to a temporary housing complex called "Ohana Cafe". "Ohana" is a Hawaiian word for family. Half of the Seaside Bible Chapel congregation is college-age young adults, providing an opportunity for exchange with TUC's young adults.
To Donate to this Ministry
If you would like to send a US check (tax deductible), make it out to:
Tokyo Union Church Foundation
5-7-7 Jingumae Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
Please designate: TUC Tohoku Ministry
Donations can also be sent via bank transfer. Please designate them "TUC Tohoku Ministry".
Bank Name: The Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ
Branch Name: Omote Sando Branch
Bank Account Type: Saving (Futsu Yokin A/C)
Account No. 1731959
SWIFT: BOTKJPJT Bank Address: 5-1-22 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo Japan 107-0062
We will also be collecting for Tohoku during the 2013 Easter Special Offering Drive, which will be held from March 24th, March 31th (Easter Sunday), and April 7th. On Sunday, cash contributions can be placed in the pew envelopes marked "Easter Special Offering". Alternatively, US Dollar checks can be made payable to "Tokyo Union Church Foundation, Inc." with a notation on the check for "TUC Tohoku Ministry".
News Items
Outer Structure of Senmaya Church Buidling Complete! - February 2013
Tokyo Union Church Foundation
5-7-7 Jingumae Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
Please designate: TUC Tohoku Ministry
Donations can also be sent via bank transfer. Please designate them "TUC Tohoku Ministry".
Bank Name: The Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ
Branch Name: Omote Sando Branch
Bank Account Type: Saving (Futsu Yokin A/C)
Account No. 1731959
SWIFT: BOTKJPJT Bank Address: 5-1-22 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo Japan 107-0062
We will also be collecting for Tohoku during the 2013 Easter Special Offering Drive, which will be held from March 24th, March 31th (Easter Sunday), and April 7th. On Sunday, cash contributions can be placed in the pew envelopes marked "Easter Special Offering". Alternatively, US Dollar checks can be made payable to "Tokyo Union Church Foundation, Inc." with a notation on the check for "TUC Tohoku Ministry".
News Items
Outer Structure of Senmaya Church Buidling Complete! - February 2013
Today, we want to share with you some great news! Since the devastating March 11th earthquake and tsunami, TUC members and friends have been generously supporting three churches in the Tohoku area through the TUC Tohoku Ministry. Senmaya Church is one of those churches.
During the earthquake, Senmaya church sustained some significant damage. Afterwards, the hill on which Senmaya church stood was considered unsafe and therefore, the church was forced to relocate. Thus, with the support of the United Churches of Christ, Senmaya church began a process of rebuilding at a safer location.
The great news is that the outer structure of the new church building, pictured here, has been completed just this month.
TUC has contributed to this building through financial donations, such as a gift of Y300,000 in 2011 towards the architectural design of the church and another of Y500,000 towards a solar power system for the new church building in 2012.
A short worship service was held on February 15 in the new Senmaya Church building in thanksgiving for the completion of the outer structure of the church. During the service, Senmaya church expressed its gratitude to all who have been helping them, including TUC. They look forward to working together with our church community into the future. They would love to have visitors from TUC attend the dedication of the new church building later this year.
A short worship service was held on February 15 in the new Senmaya Church building in thanksgiving for the completion of the outer structure of the church. During the service, Senmaya church expressed its gratitude to all who have been helping them, including TUC. They look forward to working together with our church community into the future. They would love to have visitors from TUC attend the dedication of the new church building later this year.
To learn more, please see the What’s Up with Outreach section in each Koinonia. Also, keep your eye on the Outreach Bulletin Bboard. If you are interested in visiting and volunteering at Senmaya church, please contact a member of the Outreach Ministry Team. Thank you again for all your prayers and continued support of the TUC Tohoku Ministry.
TUC Tohoku Ministry Report 2012
Our TUC Tohoku Ministry has been very busy this year. We have had visits from Pastor Iwatsuka of Miyako Community Church, Pastor Saigusa, the Director of Sister Church Project of Tohoku Help (Sendai, Miyagi), and Ms. Kazuko Matsunoki, the organizer of the Heart Knit Project.
We also had five TUC members who volunteered a total of 20 days in Miyako this year. The volunteers visited people in the temporary housing centers, conversed with them, listened to their stories, sang, played musical instruments, served hot meals, prepared Mobile Cafes, gave the elderly massages, and played with the youngsters.
At Easter time, TUC members gave a special concert at the Greenpia Temporary Housing Center near Miyako.
This fall, TUC members volunteered at a Heart Knit fair in Ginza church. There, knitted items made by women in evacuation shelters in Tohoku were sold and the proceeds were sent back to Tohoku. TUC also hosted a mother and child from Senmaya Church for a weekend. The guests stayed with a TUC family and took part in a Youth Ministry Event.
In November, we also hosted our own Heart Knit fair at TUC, which was a huge success.
Throughout the past year, we supported the people of Tohoku through prayers and financial aid. For example, we allocated a sizable amount of money to Seaside Bible Chapel to aid in their efforts to rebuild and to Tohoku Help to support their radiation measuring project.
In late February 2012 a total of almost 9 kg of raisin loaves were sent together with our best wishes for spring to our three partner churches in Tohoku. Miyako Community Church and Seaside Bible Chapel shared them with the residents at the temporary housing centers where they volunteer every week.Seaside Bible Chapel got also a DVD of the TUC 2011 Christmas Concert at the Takasago Temporary Housing Center in Sendai, the result of the collaboration between the two churches.
Special prayers for TOHOKU and our partner churches were lifted up during the March 11 worship service. TUC sent cards of remembrance signed by our pastors and the Outreach Elder to Miyako Community Church, Senmaya Church and Seaside Bible Chapel.
TUC Easter Special Offering was dedicated to the support of our partner churches in TOHOKU.
In cooperation with Miyako Community Church and the March 11 Iwate Church Network a TUC family ensemble & friends gave a concert on April 21st at the Greenpia Temporary Housing Center near Miyako.
The Women’s Ministry donated new fleece jackets, children’s swimsuits, games and books from the March Flea Market. They were sent to Miyako Community Church together with colored pencils, origami paper, modeling dough and balloons the Outreach bought to be distributed to the children at the
temporary housing centers.
TUC donated three globes and three world maps to be used at Miyako community centers and a set of 150 crayons to Miyako Community Church to be used in their volunteer work with the children in Miyako.
TUC CHRISTMAS IN TOHOKU 2011
☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆・:*・:* *。☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆・:*・:* *。
MIYAKO COMMUNITY CHURCH
Paul Fukuda, Suresh Kukde and Janet Takeyama visited the Miyako Community Church on Oct.8 ~9. Paul arrived earlier to take part in the Miyako church volunteer activity – this time repairing toys and playing with primary and middle school children in an after school center. TUC members found Miyako Community Church to be very active in its community serving as an emergency relief and volunteer dispatching center and its members volunteer twice a week at evacuation centers, after school activities and mobile cafes. It was notes that worship at Miyako Community Church seems quite similar to that at TUC.
SEASIDE BIBLE CHAPEL
The TUC team visited the Seaside Bible Chapel on October 15 ~ 16. Their church building was washed away but the Spirit is indomitable. Currently the congregation worships at a rented place and is actively engaged in volunteer programs for children in the neighboring communities, Wednesday free cafes, free concerts and a mobile cafe service to a temporary housing complex called "Ohana Cafe". "Ohana" is a Hawaiian word for family. Half of the Seaside Bible Chapel congregation is college-age young adults, and it is possible that our young adults to get to know each other. They request TUC and its prayer team to continue to pray for them that the Seaside Bible Chapel may continue to be a source of blessing to the people around them.
SENMAYA CHURCH
The small church community of this little town of 12,000 people meets in a class room. Their church was damaged in the earthquake and they plan to rebuild at a new location next year. The congregation is mainly older people, two foreign wives of Japanese, three small children and one teenager. There is temporary housing in Senmaya for evacuees from Kesennuma, and one Kesennuma survivor of the tsunami also attends the worship services. The TUC Outreach Task Force is looking for ways to reach out to the Kesennuma evacuees in Senmaya.
☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆・:*・:* *。☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆・:*・:* *。
March 2011 - Emergency Relief
Tokyo Union Church is collecting monetary donations to go to two organizations, the National Christian Council in Japan (NCCJ, 75% of donated funds)) and the Asian Rural Institute (ARI, 25% of donated funds). NCCJ will use these funds to aid those hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami. ARI is a long time mission partner of our church and sustained significant damage to their facilities. You can find out more about the work ARI does through their website.
All funds received by TUC which are designated for emergency relief will be sent to these organizations. If you would like to send a US check (tax deductible), make it out to:
Donations can also be sent via bank transfer. Please designate them "Emergency Relief."
On Sunday, cash contributions can be placed in the pew envelopes marked "Emergency Relief". Alternatively, US Dollar checks can be made payable to "Tokyo Union Church Foundation, Inc." with a notation on the check for "Earthquake Relief."
Second Harvest Japan is also serving those in need by providing food and supplies. They are receiving monetary donations via their website.
We also had five TUC members who volunteered a total of 20 days in Miyako this year. The volunteers visited people in the temporary housing centers, conversed with them, listened to their stories, sang, played musical instruments, served hot meals, prepared Mobile Cafes, gave the elderly massages, and played with the youngsters.
At Easter time, TUC members gave a special concert at the Greenpia Temporary Housing Center near Miyako.
This fall, TUC members volunteered at a Heart Knit fair in Ginza church. There, knitted items made by women in evacuation shelters in Tohoku were sold and the proceeds were sent back to Tohoku. TUC also hosted a mother and child from Senmaya Church for a weekend. The guests stayed with a TUC family and took part in a Youth Ministry Event.
In November, we also hosted our own Heart Knit fair at TUC, which was a huge success.
Throughout the past year, we supported the people of Tohoku through prayers and financial aid. For example, we allocated a sizable amount of money to Seaside Bible Chapel to aid in their efforts to rebuild and to Tohoku Help to support their radiation measuring project.
Concert at Temporary Housing Shelter - February 2012
In late February 2012 a total of almost 9 kg of raisin loaves were sent together with our best wishes for spring to our three partner churches in Tohoku. Miyako Community Church and Seaside Bible Chapel shared them with the residents at the temporary housing centers where they volunteer every week.Seaside Bible Chapel got also a DVD of the TUC 2011 Christmas Concert at the Takasago Temporary Housing Center in Sendai, the result of the collaboration between the two churches.
Special prayers for TOHOKU and our partner churches were lifted up during the March 11 worship service. TUC sent cards of remembrance signed by our pastors and the Outreach Elder to Miyako Community Church, Senmaya Church and Seaside Bible Chapel.
TUC Easter Special Offering was dedicated to the support of our partner churches in TOHOKU.
In cooperation with Miyako Community Church and the March 11 Iwate Church Network a TUC family ensemble & friends gave a concert on April 21st at the Greenpia Temporary Housing Center near Miyako.
The Women’s Ministry donated new fleece jackets, children’s swimsuits, games and books from the March Flea Market. They were sent to Miyako Community Church together with colored pencils, origami paper, modeling dough and balloons the Outreach bought to be distributed to the children at the
temporary housing centers.
TUC donated three globes and three world maps to be used at Miyako community centers and a set of 150 crayons to Miyako Community Church to be used in their volunteer work with the children in Miyako.
☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆・:*・:* *。☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆・:*・:* *。
TUC CHRISTMAS IN TOHOKU 2011
It was our great joy and privilege to make and send five Christmas wreaths to two churches and three kindergartens in Senmaya, Iwate Prefecture.
And of course winter in Japan means mikan, so 10 kg boxes of Ehime mikan went to Miyako Community Church, Seaside Bible Chapel and a Catholic kindergarten in Kesennuma and 20 kg of mikan were divided between two Christian kindergartens and Senmaya church.
Our women and our young adults baked almost 400 cookies to sweeten the Christmas of our friends in Tohoku. Each church was
sent a batch and Seaside Bible Chapel shared theirs with the tsunami evacuees at the Takasago 1- chome Temporary Housing Center.
On December 4th the Donelan Family Ensemble and friends played Christian music during the worship service at the Seaside Bible Chapel in Sendai and gave a Christmas concert for the evacuees at Takasago 1- chome Temporary Housing Center. At the end of the concert, singing together old Japanese favorites brought many a tear to the eyes of both performers and listeners.
At the invitation of a TUC member we had two junior high school girls from Sendai Seaside Bible Chapel visit Tokyo for three days of sightseeing and fun.
And of course winter in Japan means mikan, so 10 kg boxes of Ehime mikan went to Miyako Community Church, Seaside Bible Chapel and a Catholic kindergarten in Kesennuma and 20 kg of mikan were divided between two Christian kindergartens and Senmaya church.Our women and our young adults baked almost 400 cookies to sweeten the Christmas of our friends in Tohoku. Each church was
sent a batch and Seaside Bible Chapel shared theirs with the tsunami evacuees at the Takasago 1- chome Temporary Housing Center.
On December 4th the Donelan Family Ensemble and friends played Christian music during the worship service at the Seaside Bible Chapel in Sendai and gave a Christmas concert for the evacuees at Takasago 1- chome Temporary Housing Center. At the end of the concert, singing together old Japanese favorites brought many a tear to the eyes of both performers and listeners.
At the invitation of a TUC member we had two junior high school girls from Sendai Seaside Bible Chapel visit Tokyo for three days of sightseeing and fun.
What a blessed Christmas for all!
MIYAKO COMMUNITY CHURCH
Paul Fukuda, Suresh Kukde and Janet Takeyama visited the Miyako Community Church on Oct.8 ~9. Paul arrived earlier to take part in the Miyako church volunteer activity – this time repairing toys and playing with primary and middle school children in an after school center. TUC members found Miyako Community Church to be very active in its community serving as an emergency relief and volunteer dispatching center and its members volunteer twice a week at evacuation centers, after school activities and mobile cafes. It was notes that worship at Miyako Community Church seems quite similar to that at TUC.
SEASIDE BIBLE CHAPEL
The TUC team visited the Seaside Bible Chapel on October 15 ~ 16. Their church building was washed away but the Spirit is indomitable. Currently the congregation worships at a rented place and is actively engaged in volunteer programs for children in the neighboring communities, Wednesday free cafes, free concerts and a mobile cafe service to a temporary housing complex called "Ohana Cafe". "Ohana" is a Hawaiian word for family. Half of the Seaside Bible Chapel congregation is college-age young adults, and it is possible that our young adults to get to know each other. They request TUC and its prayer team to continue to pray for them that the Seaside Bible Chapel may continue to be a source of blessing to the people around them.
SENMAYA CHURCH
The small church community of this little town of 12,000 people meets in a class room. Their church was damaged in the earthquake and they plan to rebuild at a new location next year. The congregation is mainly older people, two foreign wives of Japanese, three small children and one teenager. There is temporary housing in Senmaya for evacuees from Kesennuma, and one Kesennuma survivor of the tsunami also attends the worship services. The TUC Outreach Task Force is looking for ways to reach out to the Kesennuma evacuees in Senmaya.
☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆・:*・:* *。☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆。・:*:.・★,。・:*:.・☆☆・:*・:* *。
March 2011 - Emergency Relief
Tokyo Union Church is collecting monetary donations to go to two organizations, the National Christian Council in Japan (NCCJ, 75% of donated funds)) and the Asian Rural Institute (ARI, 25% of donated funds). NCCJ will use these funds to aid those hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami. ARI is a long time mission partner of our church and sustained significant damage to their facilities. You can find out more about the work ARI does through their website.
All funds received by TUC which are designated for emergency relief will be sent to these organizations. If you would like to send a US check (tax deductible), make it out to:
Tokyo Union Church Foundation
5-7-7 Jingumae Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
5-7-7 Jingumae Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
Donations can also be sent via bank transfer. Please designate them "Emergency Relief."
Bank Name: The Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ
Branch Name: Omote Sando Branch
Bank Account Type: Saving (Futsu Yokin A/C)
Account No. 1731959
SWIFT: BOTKJPJT Bank Address: 5-1-22 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo Japan 107-0062
Branch Name: Omote Sando Branch
Bank Account Type: Saving (Futsu Yokin A/C)
Account No. 1731959
SWIFT: BOTKJPJT Bank Address: 5-1-22 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo Japan 107-0062
On Sunday, cash contributions can be placed in the pew envelopes marked "Emergency Relief". Alternatively, US Dollar checks can be made payable to "Tokyo Union Church Foundation, Inc." with a notation on the check for "Earthquake Relief."
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