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March 30, 2006
The 37th Harvest Time Holy Land Tour, Part 2
To continue on with last week's post, I'd like to share with you about a few of the Israelis that we had fellowship with on our tour. Making contact with folks like these is a feature of our tours and, I think, gives us a good view of modern Israel as we observe their lives.
In closing, I'd like to mention that our next Holy Land tour will be November 15-24. We're now in the process of producing a pamphlet about it (Japanese-language only), so if any of you are interested, please write us and request one. Have a wonderful weekend in Y'shua's precious name.
- Yossi Dadon, bus driver
As big-hearted as ever, Yossi is such a great encouragement to us. During the tour, we were invited to stop by his younger sister's Elana's house for a visit. They live in an apartment in the town of Kefar Sava (between Caesarea and Tel Aviv) and welcomed all 47 of us into their home! When we arrived, Elana, her husband Igar and their three children came out to welcome us. Plus, Yossi's wife, Sima, their three children and Yossi's older sister, as well, all came down from Jerusalem to see us. All the tour members were so greatly impressed by this warm hospitality. This whole family are Sephardic Jews (orginally from Spain) and the reason for their love of big families so obviously shows through in their care for each other. This is something that I think the Japanese people seem to have lost sight of.- Hannah Covner, tour guide
Hannah is an Ashkenazi Jew (Eastern European roots). Specifically, she was born in Poland and immigrated to Israel from Russia about 10 years ago. She's in her mid-30s with strong character and a clear-thinking head. Her usual employment is as a secretary to the pastor of a Messianic Jewish congregation. She's a perfect example of how Russian Jewish immigrants have been such a blessing to Israel. As far as our Holy Land tours are concerned, she's been an invaluable asset to us. Her mother became a Messianic Jew while they were still in Russia. As a result, Hannah came to believe in Jesus herself.- Aviel Schneider, editor-in-chief of Israel Today
Aviel is a second-generation Messianic Jew, growing up in a Messianic Jewish family. While a young man, he went through a period where he was unable to find a sense of belonging in life. Emotionally and spiritually, he says, he felt like he was going through a long tunnel. When he realized that Jesus was a Jew and that believing in Him would not rob him of his Jewishness, it was then that he "saw the light" at the end of that tunnel. Now, he's living a full life in Israeli society as a Messianic Jew. His vision is to be able to be a voice to the world as he publishes news about Israel from a biblical perspective. I can sense in Aviel the "gutsy" nature of the Jewish heart.- Samuel Smadja, president of Sar-El Tours Ltd.
Samuel is also a second-generation Messianic Jew. His father established Israel's first Messianic Jewish congregation. However, like Aviel, Samuel experienced an identity crisis of his own in his youth. During one particularly stressful time when he was in the Army, he said that it was as if a voice was calling to him: "How long will you waiver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him" (I Kings 18:21). He decided to believe in Jesus and follow Him. He's another Messianic Jew who's wonderfully living out his testimony for the Lord in the midst of Israeli society.
Our conversation together eventually turned to the subject of the Church in Japan. I mentioned to him that even after being baptized, there are still some Japanese Christians that leave the Church. Samuel was shocked to here this. He said that such a thing was very rare in Israel. It made me think about the differences between Jews and Japanese when it comes to making that kind of decision. Without that kind of "guts," living as an Messianic Jew in Israel would be pretty difficult I imagine.
Kenichi Nakagawa
Posted by HarvestTV at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)
March 23, 2006
The 37th Harvest Time Holy Land Tour, Part 1
Our tour left Japan on the 13th with 47 participants (including myself and two cameramen) and arrived in Tel Aviv early on the 14th. By the time you read this, we'll be back in Japan, but I'd like to share a little about how the first few days of the tour went.
- The majority of the tour members were baby-boomers or those just a bit older. It's rather unusual for us to have so many of the same age group on one tour. However, everyone was in good health and moved around in a lively fashion. As expected, everyone managed to keep smoothly to schedule and we had a harmonious and extremely enjoyable time. It seemed to me like most of the folks on the tour were serious about finding direction for the "second half" of their lives. They were, in fact, passionate about it.
- Last Friday, while we were at the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, two of the tour members decided to receive baptism. One was an 11-year-old fifth-grader from Miyazaki Prefecture. He was on the tour with his grandmother. A rather self-confident young man, he was able to leave his grandmother's side and interact with other tour members with ease. The other was a 65-year-old man from Kōbe. Apparently, his wife had been praying for him for 40 years. When the whole group heard their testimonies, everyone was so greatly moved. To be able to witness these moments when souls come into the Kingdom is such a blessed privilege.
- Word of the seizure of some Palestinian militants by Israeli Defense Forces in last week's Jericho prison raid has been much in the news. Regarding the raid, the Israeli government stated the following: "Since there was a move to release Ahmed Saadat -- prime suspect in the assasination of Israeli Tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi -- and other conspirators, we felt compelled to take military action. In regard to the conditions of Saadat's detention, the Palestinians are guilty of abrogating their mutual consent agreement with us."
In response, the Palestinian Authority is claiming that what the Israelis have done is a criminal act. I suspect that this news created an uproar in Japan, as well. I'm sure that I'll have to deal with questions about what position I'm taking on the matter, but these events in no way kept us from continuing on with a normal tour.
Apart from all this, I was surprised by the large number of tourists in the country. In fact, it's been a full five years since I've seen this many. No matter where we went this time, each place was covered with tourists. Even though Hamas has taken control of the Palestinian Authority, the tourism industry shows every appearance of having returned to the way things used to be. The general analysis of the situation is that Hamas is not likely to resort to large-scale terrorist actions in the near future. Whether that's true or not is anyone's guess. At any rate, though, I truly hope that they'll continue to be able to attract large numbers of tourists.
With the taping we've done on this trip, we plan to be airing a whole new series on Israel in the near future. In April, we'll be entering our 21st year of broadcasting. Please pray that God would increasingly bless the work of Harvest Time and, in particular, abundantly meet our financial needs. Have a wonderful weekend in Y'shua's precious name.
Kenichi Nakagawa
Posted by HarvestTV at 06:26 PM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2006
Tsuyuno Gorōbē
At our monthly meeting in Ōsaka (March 7th), we had Rakugo comedy master Ichirō Aketagawa (known professionally as Tsuyuno Gorōbē) as our special guest. I wrote about him in a post last month and our meeting in Ōsaka was one laugh right after another from beginning to end. We had quite an amazing time. Saki Sugawara, Aketagawa's daughter and wife of the pastor of Rittō Church in Shiga Prefecture, also spoke and told us the details of how she became a Christian, as well as many things about her father. After that, I interviewed Mr. Aketagawa and he shared with us a number of his sparkling gems of wisdom.
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Tsuyuno Gorōbē II performs in classic Rakugo "sit-down comedy" style. |
In closing, here are a couple of prayer requests. Two of the programs we taped last week featured pastor and chaplain at Kumamoto Prison Rev. Yōji Nakamura. It was quite a moving experience. Rev. Nakamura and the members of his Kumamoto Harvest Church are planning an Easter worship service inside Kumamoto Prison on April 8th. They are planning to show a tape of one of our Harvest Time programs and I myself will be there, as well. Please pray for the prison inmates that will be in attendance.
- Last year, his stage name officially became Tsuyuno Gorōbē II. The original Gorōbē is thought to be the originator of the Rakugo comedy style. When I asked Mr. Aketagawa what he thought about taking such a famous name for himself, he replied by saying, "The name was no longer being used. In Kamigata (Ōsaka-style) Kabuki, for example, the name of Sakata Tōjūrō was resurrected and is now being used by an actor. This was in the back of my mind when I decided to take on the name of Tsuyuno Gorōbē II. It was a kind of declaration of what I consider to be my life's work." Aketagawa has experienced several instances of serious illness in his life, yet he thinks and plans like a young man. I was challenged by his approach to life.
- Aketagawa got into Rakugo as a result of an invitation from comedian Katsura Harudanji. In a similar fashion, he says, he became a Christian because it was Jesus who "scouted" him. Then, he quoted from John 15:16:
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit -- fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.Hearing this passage coming from a Rakugo master gives it a whole new depth of meaning.
- Currently, Aketagawa is wanting to develop ways to present the Gospel using Rakugo. This use of classic Japanese arts is similar to what Toyotake Hanabusadayu (Yūji Hayashi) is doing in Bunraku puppetry with his "The Gospel in Bunraku" presentations. It's an attempt to handle traditional forms in new ways and I think it's a wonderful idea. He's planned a performance for the evening of May 30th called "Tsuyuno Gorōbē Rakugo: an Ōsaka-style Tale." Anyone interested in going can call (06)6232-2405 for more information.
Also, our 37th Harvest Time Holy Land Tour began this week on Monday and will finish up on the 22nd. There are 47 of us altogether, including myself and two cameramen. Please pray for God's blessing upon the last few days of our journey. Have a wonderful weekend in Y'shua's precious name.
Kenichi Nakagawa
Posted by HarvestTV at 09:32 PM | Comments (0)
March 09, 2006
A Visit to Miyazaki Prison
On the 27th and 28th of February, I traveled down to Miyazaki City in south Japan to attend an in-service training meeting of the Kyūshū Christian Chaplains Association. My post this week will be a report on that gathering.
This post has gone a bit long, but here are my conclusions. I learned quite a bit at the gathering and was led to do some serious self-examination on a number of points. One of those had to do with the question about how I had failed to be aware of the great importance of this kind of ministry before now. There were a good number of men younger than I among the chaplains. As I watched them taking on the task of prison ministry with such committment, I was so impressed. They taught me much.
- Before the meeting started, the group of 22 (including myself) took a tour of Miyazaki Prison. This particular prison is reserved for repeat offenders who have received sentences of eight years or less in length. In technical terms, these are referred to as "Class B" offenders. The current state of Japan's penal system as I saw it there strikes me as being in great need of thoughtful re-examination.
- This prison's capacity is set at 520, but the actual number of men incarcerated there was 554 (119% of capacity). The facility was clearly overcrowded.
- The number of junior high school graduates here is 52% of the prison population. A large number of these might be considered to be "socially deprived" individuals. This lines up pretty well with past predictions about what the make-up of the prison population in Japan would be at this time. Meanwhile, the average age of prisoners continues to advance. The increasingly critical problem of care for elderly prisoners now begs a solution.
- During our tour through the prison, we were shown two work areas, a communal living area that accomodates seven prisoners, a private room, the gymnasium, etc. In one of the work areas, the inmates were making stuffed dolls and various items out of a kind of cedar wood that comes from Nagasaki Prefecture. I bought several cedar pen and pencil holders while I was there. In fact, I'm looking at one of them as I write this post.
- The chaplains I was with come to this prison several times a month, either in groups or as individuals. My hat is definitely off to them.
- During the training meeting, I learned more about what kind of work these chaplains do.
- Presently, chaplains serve as religious volunteers (at one time they were employed as civil servants). Their goal, of course, is to supply the kind of counseling needed to help inmates deal with the ramifications of their crimes. It seemed to me, however, that if current legal thinking becomes implemented policy, these chaplains are going to have their hands full just trying to justify their presence in the prisons. They currently make up only 20% of the prison religious workers, the majority being Buddhist or Shintō-related workers.
- I was so awed by the sacrificial nature of these chaplains' service. They encourage the prisoners and share the Gospel with them as a team. It would be impossible to accomplish what they do just as individual pastors. This work is something that the believers in every church ought to be involved in. Indeed, the Church as a whole needs to be grappling with this issue in an even more proactive manner.
- So, what should we at Harvest Time be doing? There are a lot of things concerning this issue that I haven't touched on. It goes without saying that ministry to these prisoners is important, but we shouldn't forget about those who are still in the trial process. They're currently outside the influence of the work chaplains are doing. Plus, things like reform of the penal system, ministry to prisoners' families, reaching out to the victims, etc. -- the needs are so numerous. There's one thing you can say, however, and that is that God is present in the prisons and is working all kinds of miracles every day. Though the needs may be many, it's certain that He rejoices greatly in this kind of ministry. And the way to become involved is to take one step forward to meet the need you see before you.
- One thing I'd like to do is create a devotional guidebook especially designed for the prisoners. Some of the "seekers" among them have mentioned to me that our current devotional guide, Clay, is hard for them to read, so I'd like to create something that they can handle. The chaplains could then place any number of copies in the prison at no charge to the inmates. I'd very much like to see such a publication used in this way.
- I'm also thinking about creating some videos and DVDs that could be readily used in prison ministry. Almost immediately, I could select some programs from among those we've broadcast that would be well-suited to the prisoners' needs and offer them to the chaplains to use at no charge.
- In the future, I'm thinking we could establish a kind of prison ministry resource center so as to provide needed materials.
In whatever way we can, Harvest Time is now committed to supporting this outreach. I may also be asking many of you to help in some way, so I'd greatly appreciate your cooperation when the time comes. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about "second chances" in life. By God's grace and with your help, I hope to aid these prisoners in knowing the transforming power of Christ in their lives. I covet your prayers. Rich blessings upon you and yours throughout the week, in Y'shua's precious name.
Kenichi Nakagawa
Posted by HarvestTV at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)
March 02, 2006
A New Kind of Pastor
Before we send our productions to the TV stations to air, I always sit down with all our staff members and we watch a tape of each program. Afterwards, we discuss it and go over things like whether there were any mistakes in the title graphics, what they thought about the content in general, the good points, anything they thought we shouldn't have done, etc. Last week, we did this with our program that features Kenichi Nabetani as guest and which will air in Japan the second weekend of March.
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Rev. Kenichi Nabetani is pastor of Nezu Church in Tōkyō and author of the recently-published book, "What If Jesus Were a Businessman?" |
He returned to Japan at the age of 47 and received baptism. The pastor at his church was well-advanced in age and Nabetani began to sense a calling from God upon his life. After a period of seeking the Lord, he decided to take early retirement from his company and become a pastor.
The idea for What If Jesus Were a Businessman? apparently was suggested to Nabetani by an editor at a publishing company. He set out to describe how Christians ought to respond when facing tough problems in the real world. It's truly an original work and exhibits a sympathetic understanding of the difficulties faced by modern-day company workers.
Our taping session with Rev. Nabetani was a truly enjoyable one. The tempo of the conversation moved along smoothly and we covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time. There were some laughs and some moving moments. It seemed as if, in a flash, the 30-minute period was over. There were several things I came away with after watching the tape.
In our pre-production talks, Rev. Nabetani told me the following:
- Rev. Nabetani is a new kind of pastor. He can sense which way the "winds of the age" are blowing and tries to speak into the lives of folks who are suffering in the practical reality of their daily lives. This is a great stimulus for people today who see the world of Christianity as a closed book to them.
- The message of the program will be especially effective, I think, with middle-aged men who, like Nabetani once did, misunderstand Christianity and reject it outright.
- Retirement age for the large Baby-boomer generation continues to draw closer. Among these are, no doubt, a lot of folks that are worrying about life, death and a host of other issues. Within this program I believe there are some hints that will help these folks improve their lives after retirement. If someone like Rev. Nabetani, who was once so virulently anti-Christian, can change as he did, then this holds great promise for evangelism in Japan.
- The most important aspect of the program, I think, is how it shows that Christ is not just moving in His Church, but is alive and at work in the nittly-gritty of everyday society.
The "threshold" into Christianity as we see it in Japan today is just too high. Part of the reason for that is that average people in society typically avoid things of a religious nature if they display either weakness or if they come on too strong. Apart from that, I feel that we on the Chrisian side are also playing a role in keeping people away. Many pastors talk only about the Bible and have no contact with things that most people deal with in daily life. This makes for a worship experience that's like a tasteless and dry lecture at school. On the other hand, stressing only the emotional and spiritual aspects of things also makes the worship service seem divorced from everyday life and likewise has the effect of shutting average folks out. I'm of the opinion that simply the observance of the Lord's Supper is sufficient to assure the needed internal unity among Japanese believers. Other than that, I don't see that there's really much else we need. We shouldn't be making any further distinctions between believers and non-believers.I hope all of you can watch this program. It will air the second weekend of April for our viewers in the U.S. For those of you that are struggling with these kind of things in the reality of your daily lives, please know that I'm cheering for you. I urge you to invite Christ to come with you into your workplace, your school, and your family life.
Christian believers are the recipients of eternal life, something so valuable that nothing can even compare to it in worth. Therefore, offering this incomparably valuable gift to the people around us is absolutely the right thing to do. There's no reason to back-off on any of our evangelism efforts. Pastors should be doing this as pastors, and believers need to utilize all the various roles they play in society to be involved, as well. One pastor cannot be all things to all people. However, together, as a body of believers, we can definitely do it.
For any of you that might be interested, Harvest Time is offering Pastor Nabetani's book, What If Jesus Were a Businessman? for ¥1,680 plus shipping (Japanese-language only). Write to us if you'd like to order a copy. Have a great week in Jesus.
Kenichi Nakagawa
Posted by HarvestTV at 11:39 PM | Comments (0)