A letter from Bill and Ann Moore in Japan
September 7, 2007
Dear Friends,
Mr. and Mrs. Kawai were baptized on June 24, 2007, after attending church services for four years.
Sunday, June 24 was a special day in the life of the Nishitani Bible Chapel where Ann and I serve as organizing leaders. Toshihisa and Sueko Kawai made their profession of faith and were baptized together on the same day. This married couple, both artists in semi-retirement, moved to Nishitani about five years ago and have been attending services for the last four years. Mrs. Kawai said that they were initially drawn to our church because of their friendship with Dr. and Mrs. Haruki Kondo, our partners in whose home we hold our services, but becoming followers of Jesus Christ was the furthest thing from their minds. However, through attending worship, fellowship with believers, and reading Christian literature God led them to faith.
Mr. Kawai has had a long and distinguished career as a sculptor and art teacher. He has sculpted many statues and busts of prominent people over the years but his unique passion has been sculpting fish native to Japan. He was intrigued to learn that the sign of the fish has been from ancient times a Christian symbol and believes that this connection was a means by which God led him to faith. Mrs. Kawai is a painter and teaches classes in several locations in western Japan. In order to attend worship services, she has gladly eliminated her Sunday class schedule and is trusting God to provide for their needs.
What has been most meaningful to these new believers is the fact that God has reached out to them in grace and chosen them to follow Jesus Christ. Jesus’ words recorded in John 15—“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide”—have had a great impact on the Kawais, and they are deeply moved whenever they think of the miracle of faith they have been granted. “For a time we thought it was we who were choosing faith, but in fact all along it has actually been God who has been reaching out to us and choosing us to follow Jesus,” Mrs. Kawai said after her baptism.
Seeing God perform miracles of faith is a wonderful encouragement to us. Witnessing the gospel’s transforming power in the lives of new believers like the Kawais confirms to us that the Lord is using our efforts in Nishitani. Both Ann and I are greatly privileged to see these miracles unfold. It is by your faithful support that we are able to continue our work here in Japan.
On another note, we would like to let you know about a big event that's about to unfold in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It’s called Mission Challenge ’07. During October, 47 PC(USA) missionaries will spend a week sharing the stories of their ministry in 143 presbyteries. That's more than 80 percent of our presbyteries. We hope to put speakers in 700 churches that month to share the news that every day, in Christ’s name—and thanks to your faithful support—lives are being transformed by the gospel, wells are being dug, and hope is being shared with people in need around the world.
Another part of Mission Challenge ’07 is an appeal to every church in the denomination to support Presbyterian missionaries like us. In mid-September a letter will go to the pastors and clerks of session in all 10,884 churches in our denomination. This will inform them of materials coming in early October that interpret the excellence of the Presbyterian Church as a mission-sending agency and invite them to offer financial support to Presbyterian missionaries through World Mission.
During the first week of October, a box will arrive in every church with bulletin inserts equal to the church’s average Sunday attendance. The inserts include a call to action, inviting all to participate in mission by praying faithfully and giving generously. These are accompanied by a DVD featuring our new director, Hunter Farrell. It contains two brief videos that bring to life a representative sample of our missionaries.
We can’t send a missionary to every church this October, but I’m hoping that all churches will participate in Mission Challenge ’07 by choosing a Sunday to view the DVD and distribute the bulletin inserts. We are counting on you to support and encourage your church's participation in Mission Challenge ’07.
In Christ,
Bill and Ann Moore
The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 249
