Dear Friends,
When friends part company whether due to disagreement, job changes and moving, or death, we experience sorrow. So it is when congregations lose members and regular attenders. Since the opening of Nozomi Chapel ten years ago, God truly blessed us to have people attending, rare for a small Japanese farming community steeped in Buddhism and Shinto. At different times, twenty-four people were attending worship regularly, some from remarkably differing and conflicting backgrounds led to worship at Nozomi for months, some for several years. Of those, ten have moved away, three died, three left due to personal conflict with others, two stopped coming for health reasons, one rejected Christ, and two remain friendly, but don't attend. Of the three who remain, each had professed faith in Christ before attending Nozomi. Only one man is committed to coming. The other two have weak views of the Bible and the Church, attending at each one's desire. People are not numbers: they are God's creatures He is calling to faith and obedience, to know and to love Him above all else and to love His sheep and grow together with them. God's mercy and lovingkindness have blessed a people living in darkness with the hearing of the gospel of Jesus Christ, a treasure that most in Japan don't enjoy. We grieve that the building isn't filled with those who love Jesus and praise His name. We grieve for those who have left due to conflict and for those who reject Christ. We remain thankful for the hearts which were changed by His Spirit and the preaching of God's Word. We pray for continuing fruit. We were reminded by our own children of congregations we have known who, though small in number, persevered for more than 20 years (one without a pastor at the time) before they began to grow. God reigns sovereign over all His building of the Kingdom of Christ.
Please pray that, together with our three attendees, God will humble us and cause us to rely wholly upon His grace to abide in Jesus' love and His Word, to grow together into a mature man in Christ, and to shine forth His light into this pagan community. We rejoice with Paul's exhortation: "Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction." As Pastor Tomii said when Woody was installed here, "Be prepared to stay at least for 20 years!" This is Tohoku where churches take 30 or more years to be established, all in God's good timing.
Give thanks with us:
1. For Greg Hager's concerts, 5 of which were gatherings in Yamamoto in addition to 4 private concert/home visits and then, 4 more in churches closer to Sendai! In five days, Greg tirelessly and joyfully introduced Jesus to the people here through songs and sharing Christ. At the close of each concert, he played a song he wrote for the Japanese, "I'll Come Back." Holding back tears this time at Nozomi, Greg told the people that the reason he has come six times to Japan is his desire to share his most precious possessions with them: his music and knowing Jesus, the one true God. They clearly understood his message. Pray that God will bring these people to be Jesus' disciples. We thank God for Greg, his labors, and the opportunity to join in spreading the gospel with other churches in southern Miyagi prefecture.
2nd Nozomi Concert
Greg Hager at Home for Handicapped
2. For the J-PARC (Japan Pres.and Reformed Churches) conference held in Kobe, May 5-6. Thankful to the R.P. churches for organizing this event and for cooperating in future joint publication of much-needed Reformed books. We are preparing Berkhof's Introduction to Systematic Theology and contemplating translation and publication of Robertson's The Final Word.
J-PARC conference with presentations by various pastors.jpg
3. For regular evangelistic activities: monthly Cooking Club and Friends' Lunch; weekly cafe, and English classes. We are thankful that the Lord continues to add new people. Give thanks for each of these opportunities to tell people about Jesus. After a Cooking Club message on John 14:1-6, Mrs. H. said she was happy to understand this central truth about Christianity for the first time. May God bring these people to know Him and join in worship.
April, 2026 Friends' Lunch Bible message followed by concert
4. For the Kobe Reformed Theological Hall where Woody teaches O.T. and N.T. courses. Please pray God will raise up a new generation of faithful, godly preachers and elders.
KTH O.T. Canonics class, May, 2026
5. For Mr. A with whom Woody is studying our mission-published Confessing Christ.
6. For Mr. and Mrs. Y. She shows real interest in the gospel. He is essentially an invalid and deeply committed to Buddhism. Pray the Lord will change his heart.
Please pray with us:
1. For the 14 member KCC team (Korean Christian Church) from Hawaii as they are en route to begin serving here Tuesday, June 9. Pray for good outreach into the community and for God's Word to take root in the people. They will be teaching hula classes (3 days), offering a hair salon (2 days), teaching a Hawaiian cooking class and a Lei bracelet-making craft, preparing a barbecue for the community, doing a Saturday hula performance, teaching the teen's classes about Hawaiian culture, joining in Sunday worship, and finally on Monday, doing a hula performance for a residential home for handicapped. We are thankful for their love for the people here and their many months of preparation. Pray that God will bless the team members in their faith and labors.
2. For more regular home visitation to reinforce the Bible messages they have heard.
3. For new missionaries and missionary associates. We thank God for some inquiries and pray the Lord will establish the work here with their help.
4. For committed prayer warriors for this work. For new churches and individuals to give regular contributions to the OPC work in Japan as we look forward to preparing to call new missionaries.
Thank you to all who support the building of Kingdom of the God in Japan through the OPC Japan Mission,
Woody and Laurie Lauer
OPC Japan Mission, Yamamoto, Japan