Dear SNCC News Readers,
Please note that after the regular report, I added the testimony of baptism by Haruko Kagawa who was baptized by Pastor Yamanaka on March 31.
[English version is my translation. The original Japanese version followed after the English version.]
Pastor Tadahiro Tatsumoto (松本任弘師) of Japan Bible Seminary (聖書宣教会) visited SNCC as the messenger.
Japan Bible Seminary (Japanese:聖書宣教会、JBS) is an evangelical Christian seminary located in Hamura, Tokyo.
http://www.bibleseminary.jp/
They held the Fiscal General Meeting on Settlement (Kessan Sokai決算総会) after the service.
They also held the prayer meeting by Group 4 after the service.
The activities of SNCC on April 28, 2013 were as below;
1. Morning Service on April 28, 2013.
a. Messenger: Pastor Tadahiro Matsumoto of Japan Bible Seminary (聖書宣教会).
b. MC: Mr. Okamoto
c. Bible: Exodus 2:1-25
d. Message Title: “Background of Moses”
e. Piano: Ms. Shizuko Odagawa/Ms. Minori Tachibana
2. Congregation: n.a.
3. Prayer requests.
3-1 For a quest of new pastor for SNCC from April 2013. Pastor Yamanaka is to work as a researcher at “Shinnihon Seisho Kankoukai新日本聖書刊行会.” Therefore, SNCC members are praying God to send his successor. Please join our prayers for this quest. (* Pastors have been sent to Atsugi Midorigaoka Christ Church and Matsumigaoka Christ Church, thanks for your prayers.)
3-2. For the seekers among people who come to SNCC regularly. Some of these people wish to have baptism and preparing for it. Also for the family members of SNCC members who have not accepted Jesus as their savior.
3-3 For those who are in difficult situations physically as well as spiritually including members of SNCC and their families, such as Ms. Fumiko Majima who is recuperations after heart surgery, Ms. Saori Nakanishi who is to have a baby in August, the bereaved family of Ms. Aya Chiba, Pastor Michio Ito, Ms. Yuko Ohga and her mother (Ms. Fumie Ohga being 81, hospitalized), and Ms. Yuko Ohishi, Ms. Toshiko Takeoka (94) who has been hospitalized in Kichijoji since last May, Aunt of Mr. Tachibana (80s, cancer in her large intestine), Ms. Hisae Mita, Ms. Kaoruko Yamamoto, Mr. Mr. Keizo Sudo, Ms. Kumiko Funabashi and those who are having entrance examinations.
3-5 Unspoken prayer request for Reito Odagawa They have finished fixing the roof project: to get rid of squirrel and to renew the cross on the roof.
Thank you for your kind attention.
In Jesus,
George Suzuki@Daejeon in Korea
- Baptism Testimony by Haruko Kagawa -
When I thought of getting baptism, I looked back in my past. Then I realized that God had prepared the circumstances for me to meet Him since I was really a small child.
For example, my parents read Bible stories for me when I was a girl before elementary school. I used to attend Church School at a nearby church when I was 5th and 6th grader. After that, I came to know Christianity through music, arts, and literature.
Most of all, it was about 27 years ago, this SNCC moved to the house in front of my house in Tamanawadai.At that time,
Mr. & Mrs. Walter held meetings for women to teach the Bible through “Fujinkai (meeting for women)” or “Katei-shukai (home-meeting)”. A home-meeting founded then at one of my friends’ home in Shiromeguri, Kamakura, is still active now, even 27 years after that time.
However, my understanding on Christianity had been shallow and fragmentary no matter the length of time period. When I had some problems, I prayed God for the solution. If God responded to me for my favor, I thanked God for it, and if the things turned out not to my favor, then I wondered why God did not responded that way, I thought. While my problems were not serious, I did not think deeply about the relationship with God.
Then my husband and I left Kamakura because of his company transfer, so my relationship with SNCC was disconnected.
The time passed, and about 7 years ago, when I had big personal problems and I felt helpless about them, I saw the signboard of “Shonan Nozomi Christ Church (SNCC)” in my neighborhood. SNCC had been to Hongodai in Yokohama for several years, but it came back to Kamakura area and so did we.
What a coincident it was and I visited SNCC again, having hope that I would find an answer to my problems.
Then late Pastor Minoru Itoh, welcomed me and listened to my problems calmly and warmly. I began to study about the Bible again under Pastor Itoh’s guidance.
Then I realized how my understanding about the Bible was a little, I thought I knew nothing about the Bible and I desired to study the Bible more from the beginning.
. But Pastor Minoru Itoh was seriously sick and he let Pastor Michio Itoh continue to teach me about the Bible. Later, when Pastor Yamanaka was assigned to be the pastor of SNCC, he took over the responsibility.
God gave me the abundance of opportunities to study about the Bible to know Him, and sent me these three pastors to my private life. These pastors answered to my requests to study the Bible more and more, yet I did not understand the most important thing; to listen to the voice of God and obey Him.
My attitude or “walk” to understand the Bible had been out of focus, then it happened the big disaster of 311 in 2011. When I witnessed the horrible scene of “tsunami” I felt helpless and vulnerability of human being against the threat of nature. I thought it would be a severe punishment by God to people who pursuit only “convenience of life” or “material richness,” and I asked Pastor Yamanaka why it happened.
He answered to my questions saying, “It’s not retributive justice, but suffering before the birth. There are deep love and grace of God behind the suffering. We should not give up our hope, but repent ourselves with hope to God.” Getting his answer, I could have peace in my mind.
But at the same time, I thought that it was not the problem only to the people in Tohoku area, but also the problem to me. I did not understand God’s love, but I interpreted this tragedy in terms of human being’s thoughts.
I realized my sin for the first time that when I pray to God, I did not release myself to Him. I really wanted to repent my sins to God. After this day, I began attending Sunday services at SNCC regularly. In espite of the fact, that I had been led close to God, I still hesitated to step forward to the last line.
I excused to myself saying, “I still lack enough understanding of the Bible and I had no confidence to become a respectable Christian, even I repented my sins” I fell into such a legalistic thought.
But gradually, I felt impatient with such a thought. “Why am I hesitating to get baptism, what have I learned from the Bible study in my past?” I was asking to myself. Then I realized that I should read the Bible with my heart, not by head. I became aware of the fact that God’s works cannot be understood just by our brain. They are beyond our capacity of thought. The most important thing is to listen to God’s voice and face to His voice.
All what I need is to believe Jesus’ cross and resurrection, whom God sent to us for our salvation. I desired to become a person who responds to God by believing his Love every day. Therefore I desired to get baptism to confess my faith.
It was a long process since my childhood days. Now I realized that all relations with God until this day, brought me to this place to get baptism. I thank all these pastors who patiently taught me and led me, and all brothers and sisters in Jesus who helped me to come this place today.
It is said that to get baptism means to die spiritually, and reborn as a child of God. As to leave all of myself to God and to start new life, I was enlightened by the Words as follows;
"But when you are invited, take the lowest place, for all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 14:10-11)
It is not to brag my humbleness, but to wait for the direction or words by God and to walk with Him while having pleasure of living with Him day by day.
March 31, 2013
[The following pictures are taken at SNCC on March 31, 2013]
[Pastor Yamanaka giving baptism to Ms. Kagawa, 山中師が香川姉にバプティスマを与えている。야마나카 목사님이 카가와 자매에게 세례를하고있다.]
[Haruko testifying after the ceremony, 香川姉が証しを読んでいる、카가와 자매가 간증을 읽고있다.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
「証しby香川 温子」
この度受洗を決意し、ここに至るまでの歩みを振り返ってみました。そして驚いたことは、私には幼いころからずっとキリスト教の神様と出会う環境が十分に与えられていたのだと気付かされたことです。
例えば、幼児の頃に親から聖書の物語を読み聞かせして貰っていたこと・・小学5・6年の時に一人で近くの教会の日曜学校に通っていたこと・・それ以後は音楽、美術、文学を通してキリスト教にふれていたこと等が思い出されました。
そして圧巻は、今から27年前に玉縄の地に転居してきたわが家の向かいの家が昔の“湘南のぞみ教会”だったということです。
そこではウォルター先生ご夫妻から婦人会や家庭集会を通して聖書の学びをしていただきました。また同じ頃知り合った城廻の友人のお宅での家庭集会は今でも続いています。
しかし、これほど永く関わっていたにもかかわらず、私のキリスト教に対する理解は断片的で表面的であったように思います。何か願い事がある時はお祈りし、うまくいけば、神様が私の努力に報いて下さったと感謝し、その逆の場合は「何故神は・・？」と恨み言を言っていました。それでも事が重大でなければそれで済んでいました。
その後、私共は転勤によりしばらくこの地を離れていたこともあり、のぞみ教会とのお付き合いは途絶えていました。
時は移って、今から７年ほど前に、私は個人的に大きな心配事を抱え、自分ではどうすることも出来ない窮地に立たされていました。色々思い悩んでいる時に、私の眼の中に飛び込んできたのが、以前にお世話になっていた、 あの“湘南のぞみ教会”の看板でした。
長らく本郷台方面に移転していたようですが、再び玉縄に隣接する岡本に戻ってきていたのでした。何というご縁でしょうかと思いました。
私は不安を抱えながらも、ここに来れば何とか解決の道が開かれるのではないかという思いで、その門を叩いてみました。
今は亡き伊藤稔先生が私の悩みの一部始終を温かいまなざしで聞いて下さり、先生との聖書の学びが始まりました。学んでいくうちに、実は、私は聖書のことを何も分かっていなかったということに気付かされ、初めから学び直したいと痛切に感じるようになりました。
しかし重い病を得た稔先生が、次にいらした伊東道夫先生に私の聖書の学びを託して下さり、更にその後、のぞみ教会の牧師になられた山中直義先生に引き継がれ、今日に至っております。
私は、このように贅沢で恵まれた学びの機会を与えられてきました。三人の先生方による専門的で懇切丁寧な聖書の読み解きに知的好奇心を覚え、充実した学びの時を過ごさせていただきました。しかし、更に知識を増やしたいという思いが先に立ってしまい、先生方が熱心に導いて下さっていた神様の声に聞き従うという肝心なことを真に理解していなっかたようです。
そんな“的を外した” 歩みをしていた私の目を覚ませるきっかけの一つとなったのが、2011年3月11日の東日本大震災でした。あの恐ろしい津波の光景を見て、大自然の脅威の前の人間の無力さを思い知らされた気がしました。これは豊かさ、便利さばかりを求めて来た人間の罪に対する厳しい神からの罰ではないかと私は考えて、山中先生に尋ねてみました。
すると「それは因果応報ではなく、産みの前の苦しみです。苦しみの背後には神様の深い愛と恵みがあります。希望を失って諦めるのではなく、希望をもって神様に悔い改めることが大切です。」と教えて下さいましたので、心の平安を取り戻すことが出来ました。
しかし、それと同時に、これは東北地方の人々だけの問題ではなく、実は自分の問題であるとも感じました。私は、神様のご愛を理解せず、人間的な思いでこの世の悲劇を解釈していたからです。
神様のみこころに委ねて祈るということをしていなかった自分の罪に初めて気付かされ、悔い改めたいと思いました。こうしてこの日を境に私は日曜日の礼拝に導かれました。ここまで導かれたにもかかわらず、私はまだその先の一歩が踏み出せずにいました。
いざとなると、「クリスチャンになるには聖書の理解も足りないし、悔い改めて立派な人間になる自信もまだない。」等と律法主義的な考え方をしてしまいました。
しかし、次第にそのような自分にいらだちを感じるようになって来ていました。自分はいったい何をためらっているのか。今まで聖書から一体何を学んできたのかと自問する毎日でした。そのうち、聖書は心で読むもので、人知を超えた神の業は人間の頭では理解しきれないことだと分かりました。一番大切なことは、語りかけて下さる神様の声に耳を傾け向き合うことだったのです。
神様が私たちの救いのために遣わして下さった救い主イエス・キリストの十字架と復活を信じることで、神様に日々応答していく者でありたいと思い、ようやく受洗を決意しました。
本当に永い道のりでしたが、幼いころからの神様との関わりの一つ一つが全てここで繋がったように感じます。こういう心境になれたのも、祈って導いて下さった先生方、教会の信徒の皆様のお蔭と心より感謝いたします。
受洗をするということは、一度霊的に死に、神の子として生まれ変わるということだと言います。神様に全てを委ねて歩み始めるという意味で、現在大切にしていることばは以下の聖句です。
「招かれるようなことがあって行ったなら、末席に着きなさい。誰でも自分を高くする者は低くされ、自分を低くする者は高くされるからである。」 ルカ１４：１０－１１
謙虚さを誇示するために身を低めるのではなく、最後まで神様のご指示を待ち望み、 神様と共に生きる喜びを感じつつ、歩んで行きたいと思います。
(2013年3月31日)
[Haruko's family after the ceremony, 香川姉の家族、카가와 자매 가족]
[A group picture after the ceremony, 洗礼式の後の集合写真、세례식후 단체 사진]
0 件のコメント:
コメントを投稿