Pray for Japan on Sunday, August 11, 2013

Lectionary Selection: Hebrew 11:1-3, 8-16

Prayers for Japan:
We remember the many saints all over the world who heard your call and acted in faith to spread your love throughout the world. We thank you for their witness, for their vision and for your guidance in their work.

Today we especially lift up the pioneer social workers in Japan who laid the groundwork for the system of care for those in need. We pray for your continued guidance in the work of Christian based social work in Japan and throughout the world.

We also pray for your presence and guidance in Fukushima and the regions still struggling from the aftermath of the great tsunami and nuclear disaster. We pray for the people who are grieving and those who still see no hope. We ask for your blessings on the work of the Christian church in those regions, may they continue to be a presence.

And, finally we ask that each of us act in faith in our own communities as we remember the whole world.

We ask this in the spirit of Jesus Chris. Amen

Mission Stewardship Moment from Japan:
Global Ministries presence in Japan resides with a long history of Christian mission and I feel blessed to be walking in the footsteps of people of such great faith.

At the June conference of the Japanese Society of Christian Social Welfare, I had the opportunity to learn about Alice Adams, a missionary appointed by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Alice committed her life to the Okayama settlement offering care for people in poverty. She said of the people of Japan, “I wish I could help you see how generous, how cordial and how helpful the people are.” We honor her today, over one hundred years later, by the continuity of her work. Learning about her life has moved me and given me a renewed appreciation for the work of my predecessors.

We continue this work at the Christian school, Doshisha University, where I teach. Here, we have a prominent history of being in solidarity with the poor and discriminated class in Japanese society. Doshisha’s graduates learn about social work by studying systems and policies on a macro level and implementation on a micro level, many go on to become pioneers in the field of social welfare.

Together we walk with one another in the spirit of Jesus Christ and continue to accompany the people of Japan, the women and children, the disabled and prisoners, the “other.”

(Prayer and Mission Moment by Martha Mensendiek)

Mission Partners in Japan:

Video Resources about Japan:
JAPAN: A Safe Place for the Ostracized (Martha Mensendiek, Global Ministries missionary)

More information on Japan:
http://globalministries.org/eap/countries/japan/

Global Ministries Missionary in Japan:
Martha Mensendiek, a member of Church of the Crossroads, United Church of Christ, Honolulu, Hawaii, serves with the Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan through the Council on Cooperative Mission. She teaches social welfare.