WCC NEWS: Churches in Japan recovering

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World Council of Churches - News

CHURCHES IN JAPAN RECOVER AS ECUMENICAL SPIRIT SHINES

For immediate release: 24 March 2011

As recovery efforts in Japan proceed, the full impact of the earthquake
and tsunami two weeks ago continues to be felt by some of the World
Council of Churches (WCC) member churches there.

At the same time prayers, letters of solidarity and, in some cases,
monetary support are coming in from the ecumenical community in Asia as
well as around the world.

In a letter sent yesterday to the churches in Japan, the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse
Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, expressed the
“dismay and sorrow” of the world wide church community.

Speaking for the 349 WCC member churches Tveit said, “We pray for God’s
grace and divine protection for those who are risking their own lives in
order to save others.”

The tragedy has also brought together WCC member churches in Japan as they
respond jointly to the needs in the disaster area, said the Rev. Dong Sung
Kim, responsible for regional relations with Asia at the WCC.

“The show of support from churches in Asia as well as Europe and around
the world is also part of what it means to be the ecumenical community,”
Kim said today.

This same support was shown during earlier natural disasters in Pakistan
and New Zealand: “But it is an important sign of the vitality of the
ecumenical community in the region, showing solidarity with brothers and
sisters in need,” Kim said.

In his letter, Tveit recognized the potential for a nuclear catastrophe and
said, “The more recent news of radioactive contamination in food has
heightened the apprehension and concern as the fragile web of life in
which we live is endangered.”

In a report today from Teruki Takada, staff member of the Commission on
Ecumenical Ministries for the United Church of Christ in Japan (Kyodan),
it was said that some churches in Japan still have members missing, others
are hosting refugees and in one case a group of pastors was part of an
emotional reunion.

Few of the churches in the earthquake and tsunami region have been left
untouched by the tragedy. Some remain damaged by the tsunami, while in
others cleanup has begun, according to Takada’s report.

Still, nearly two weeks after the earthquake and tsunami some churches
continue to live with uncertainty. In the Sendai Kita 3-Bancho Church,
seven members are still missing. Another five church members are missing
in the Sendai Itsutsubashi Church.

Even with this uncertainty, churches that were spared the double tragedy of
an earthquake and tsunami are finding ways to reach out to those in need.

The Sendai Higashi Church has already hosted 15 refugees, both members and
non-members. The Sendai Minami Church has hosted 13 refugees while the
Miyagino Aisen Church hosted another 16.

In one situation, four pastors from the UCCJ were able to assist a survivor
who spent the night on the roof of a three-story building in the snow. The
Kyodan team of pastors was able to give the man a ride to the coastal area
of Sendai City where he was reunited with his co-workers. “No wonder his
colleagues burst into joy when he arrived at his company,” Takada
reported, “because his presence had never been confirmed before.”

Full text of the letter by the WCC general secretary (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=a82e0663a7448a089061 )

See also: Order of service of a midday prayer for Japan and other
countries, held at the Ecumenical Centre on Wednesday, 16 March
(Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=ca198c9d5f04acced3b0 )

WCC member churches in Japan (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=0980a7154ef7154b2229 )

Information on relief work by the ACT Alliance (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=3d96c7ff3189bd849c00
)


The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness 
and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of 
churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, 
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, 
from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.



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