Chubu Region and Southern Tokyo Region

With Bishop Yutaka Minabe from Diocese of Yokohama retiring, I have been commissioned as a Management Bishop of Diocese of Yokohama from April 1.  It has been 40 years since Bishop Jyuji Uematsu that a Diocese of Chubu Bishop has been commissioned as a management bishop to Diocese of Yokohama.  This will continue until the bishop for the next term is ordained and takes post.

For those of you who know the history of our diocese, the Diocese of Chubu, until it was established (regionalized at first), belonged to the southern Tokyo region, the forerunner of Diocese of Yokohama, (according to the NSKK districts of those days) and fell under the jurisdiction of the bishop of the Church of England. 

Church of England’s second bishop under NSKK, Edward Bickersteth, had come to Gifu, Nagoya, Ogaki for the order of confirmation.  Also, he had come to inspect Gifu after the Nobi Earthquake.  Furthermore, Nagano Holy Savior’s Church, celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, was consecrated by the successor to Bishop Bickersteth, Bishop Awdry.  He, too, held orders of confirmation within the diocese.   

Afterwards, in 1912, Chubu Region was established, and became independent from southern Tokyo Region.  But for some reason, the emblem of the Bishop of Chubu Region was much similar to that of the Bishop of southern Tokyo Region.  The emblem of the Bishop of Chubu Region is the same as the Bishop of southern Tokyo Region with the mark of maple, Canada’s official arboreal emblem, incorporated into it.  It has not changed to this day.  I do not know why the emblem was not renewed upon establishment of the region, but it might have been to bear in mind that Chubu Region (The Anglican Church of Canada) had been established separating from the southern Tokyo Region (Church of England). 

I wanted to take a moment to talk about the different connections between Diocese of Chubu and Diocese of Yokohama.

I’m Home

I have been appointed to Niigata St. Paul’s Church since this April.  The ordination ceremony was followed by Easter.  At the start of the service, I stood in front of the bishop with the representatives of the congregation and was encouraged by their words of support.  Niigata St. Paul’s Church is a place where I set off upon deciding to be a member of the clergy and graduating theology school.

Those people who welcomed my husband and I with open hearts having returned after ten years.  Talking with family members about the memories of those who have passed away.  There has been an increase in the number of those who had been visiting the church ten years ago, but who are now having difficulties attending services due to aging.  I am looking forward to seeing them again.

There is a strange feeling when I see the various footsteps of Rev. Ignacio Yoonsic Jung, who worked for five years ten years ago, left everywhere in the church.  I asked about the congregation before visiting them, and Rev. Jung took out his notebook from ten years ago.  He looked at the records from then and taught me family relationships, shared prayers, and words of encouragement.

When talking with the congregation, there are lots of memories from ten years ago.  The many opportunities talking while reminiscing about the “times before going to theological school” brings back to memory the late Ms. Leah Shihoko Nagai. 

My husband, who had been appointed as a priest to Niigata St. Paul’s Church, was spending fulfilling days through preparations for Sunday services, sermons, and pastoral care.  Ms. Nagai would take notice of me and say, “Sunhee, your young, but you live apart from your parents and have only few friends, so it must be hard for you.”  When I told her I had learned sign language during my days in Nagoya, she gave me information about sign language lessons in Niigata.  I would consult her about a troubled young person who would visit the church, and she would tell me about the time when she was volunteering at a hospital after her husband passed away due to cancer.  She would also tell me about her experience as a counselor for “Inochi-no-Denwa (Lifeline) and often cheer me up.

She taught me a lot about the delicious Japanese food and its wonderful culture.  I still think about Ms. Shihoko Nagai whenever I eat a bowl of wheat-rice with grated yam or red turnip pickles.  Since birth, her one of her blood vessels is thinner than it should be, so she refrains from eating pickles, which contains salt.  However, I always envied her when she brought tons of those pickles to church and share them with us.  

I also had an encounter with a young person who had withdrawn from society for ten years and was searching for something that I could do for those people who came to church.  And just when I was thinking about learning counseling and my husband knowing that I had wanted to learn theology since before our marriage, offered to support me in my decision to enter the ministry.  There are still many things that I do not know about from the last ten years.  There were times when I was really down not being able to help those in need of help.  However, I the days at church and the hospital were spent remembering what Ms. Shihoko Nagai had taught me. 

Losing her husband, taking care of her mother, thinking about her daughters who lived apart from her, doing volunteer work, accounting for church, taking care of people from church, and so on.  The thinning of her blood vessels will eventually restrain her from walking, so she started calligraphy and sewing.  There are many people, including Ms. Shihoko Nagai, who have taught me that it is more blessed to give than to receive.  I will bear in mind the love given from you, pray together with you, and interact with people.  I am truly grateful to be a part of this religious community where the people living together are connected by God’s love.  

I would like to become a member of a group of people who love, not only Ms. Shihoko Nagai, but also God, those who are loved by God, gather, pray, and have shared.

Revd Fides Sunhee Kim
Niigata St. Paul’s Church

My Cellphone, an Immobile phone

The first time I had a cell phone was when I was at a church in Gifu. (Around 1989) As I recall, one of the church members had one of those big shoulder-strap mobile phones back then.  It was a fine one, but I believe it did not have such good reception. 

Cell phones are becoming more and more convenient day by day.  I too have a cell phone, but it is one of the old types and not the recent so-called “smart phones.”  Cellphones are, for sure, convenient, and we are able to make phone calls whenever and wherever we want.  However, at time of receiving phone calls, phones ring not matter where you are, and oftentimes, I am startled.  There are those who answer phones even if they are in a middle of a meeting, but on the other hand, I am one of those who feel hesitant in doing so.  I believe this is because I would like to concentrate on the meeting that I am taking part in.  So, I make it a habit to return my unanswered phone calls after meetings. (I forget to return those unanswered calls these days, though.)

And when I am talking to a person one on one and his/her phone rings and they answer, I cannot help but think what our conversation and situation mean to that person.  Maybe I am just old-minded.  

There are times when I do not have my cell phone with me.  I do not take it with me to the bathroom.  I sometimes forget to take my cell phone with me when I leave my house.  Those are usually the times when phones ring.  My wife thinks that my cell phone is of no use, and I think she is right.  However, I feel horrified when I think how my life would be if my life is centered around my cellphone.  For those who call me on my cellphone and get no answer, please forgive me if I do not answer right away.

“Take care” “I’m back” “Welcome Home”

I moved to Niigata from Nagano at the end of March.  As of April 6, I am unpacking my belongings and settling in here at the rectory in Niigata St. Paul’s Church.  I will be living in Niigata, and have jurisdiction over Sanjo St. Mary’s Church and Nagaoka St. Luke’s Church.  I am also involved as a chaplain to Sei Ko Kai St. Mary’s Children’s Center. 

It has been ten years since I have been in this church in Niigata.  “That’s right.  I used to use this room as an office and there were such and such things placed in this spot;” such memories are coming back to me.  In certain places you can tell that I had been there, and it struck me as a surprise.  I will get to see those from Niigata and am looking forward to it.

We offered a resurrection service on the first Sunday in April in Sanjo, and I offered a sermon on the story about the women who were talking in front of Jesus’ tomb about who is going to roll the big stone.  I talked about the possibility of this story being not just a simple chat but a prayer saying, “Lord, please open the stone door.  Please rise from the grave and lead a life full of freedom as you have taught us and make us be able to live freely as well.”  I relayed a message that it meant that the members of the congregation, who shared hearts in their everyday lifestyle, are working together by praying together.   Everyone must have some kind of problem, so when you hear someone hollering, “please move the stone,” let us be prepared to be able to help each other.

I am planning to go to Nagaoka St. Luke’s Church next Sunday.  I usually keep in touch with Mr. Masaaki Higuchi to talk about the how the congregation is doing, the condition of the rectory, and about the repair of the vestry roof.  I am hoping for a service at Nagaoka where people’s troubles are shared with everyone through the prayers that Nagaoka church people have been giving until now.  

In the gathering room at Sanjo St. Mary’s Church, there is a painting on the wall drawn by one of our congregation members, Ms. Aiko Nishihara.  A young girl is alone sitting in a vast prairie, setting free the birds from its cage.  The girl is sitting in the prairie full of clover not just simple green but with white and pink flowers, and other plants are also drawn in detail.  The expression of the girl in the picture, not only depicts happiness from setting free the birds, but also sadness from parting.  Maybe from the regret of separating from the girl, there are birds on the girl’s shoulder and on her palm.

However, the birds will probably soon fly away into the sky, and farewell with the young girl is inevitable.

The goodbyes I received when I left from Nagano were meant as “see you soon.”  The girl, who is trying to set free the birds must be full of sorrow, on top of wanting to cheer on their setting out on journey.  Upon arriving in Niigata with that in mind, I will say in front of the Niigata congregation who have become my brothers and sisters, “I’m home!”  You can see the top part of the church in the picture, but I feel as though I can hear the “welcome back” voices.

A Weak Part in Ourselves is Necessary

Happy Easter.  I pray the grace and blessings of our Lord be with us.  The Nippon Sei Ko Kai Nursing Federation gathered with founders, kindergarten principals, and head teachers to train at St. Mary’s College, Nagoya at the end of February.  The lecture was based on “Understanding and Support on Developmental Disabilities during Childhood.”

 The lecture was on support for children with developmental disabilities, but upon hearing this, I strongly felt that this is not a problem solely in children, but common in adults as well.  “Not being able to get the situation,” “snaps easily,” “has difficulty learning from past experiences,” “low on sympathy,” “doesn’t get jokes,” “doesn’t realize hurting the other,” “blames others for one’s own mistakes” and so on. 

The lecturer did state that these were not problems only seen in children, but seen also in adults ourselves (those involved in children’s nursing). However, the same can be said for us ministers as well.  It was a talk that I could sympathize deeply with.  

Every one of us lacks something, or should I say, has a weakness.  In order to express the church community, Paul took the body of the human being as an example and said, “The part where it seems the weakest is the part which is most necessary.  God brings out those parts within us and made our bodies.” He also said that the non-weak parts cover up for the weak part to maintain the overall balance.  “Not a disability, but a special quality,” “Not a child with a problem, but a child seeking for a hand.”  These are important factors that build the foundation of Christian nursing.  And then, the church community mutually recognizes the differences in the people related, accepts them, and while taking them into account and leading a religious life will grow into a well-balanced relationship.

Energy of Life

Ever since I was installed into the holy order, I have gained experience through working many years in academic institutions.  Being a little different from ordinary churches, I feel I have been “trained” to tell and explain about Christianity without having to use any church terminologies to those around me who are mostly non-Christians.  This was for me to “find God in many places around the world.”

Among them, I have the impression that the concept of “resurrection” is very misunderstood.  In a word, “the dead comes back to life” and that’s it.  However, this is different from Christ’s teachings of “resurrection” and “the resurrection of life.”  What I feel at many funerals is that even if the dead does not “come back to life,” there is, for sure, a “resurrection of life.”  It is not the biological “life” that lives in the body, but “life” given to us by God and our belief in the “resurrection of life.”  As a means to explain this, I would like to entrust the image of the word “the energy of life” without being afraid of misunderstandings. 

During my time as a theological student, I visited the Taize Community and had the chance to meet many people.  The one which left a great impression on me was at a community center for the disabled, supported by our brothers and currently accepts workers from JOCS (Japan Overseas Christian Medical Cooperative Service).

One day, I accompanied Ms. Naomi Iwamoto, a dispatched worker, to a home whose child related to the Center.  The boy had a severe mental disability and was able to hold any kind of conversation.  However, it was even hard for me, who had only visited once, to leave.  It made me sad, and I ran outside and cried.  I am cheered up by this “energy of life” in him every time I remember that day.

A group, whose members have some kind of disability, had just started at this center.  A woman, who was engaged during her college years, became unable to walk after developing a tuberculosis of bone.  Her engagement was broken off, dropped out of school, and confined herself in her home.  She got herself involved with the center as a user, but when Ms. Iwamoto and the other staff saw her, they felt the woman had a gift of being a counselor.  The woman became a counselor and appointed her as leader of the group.  The other day, when I saw the woman’s name as a group leader on the information for gathering which supports this women’s group, I thanked the Lord from my heart to the staff who have seen the “energy of life” within her and continued supporting her. “To have a share in the resurrection of life” means that God’s “energy of life” fills all parts of the world.  These people have taught me to realize and believe that God gives us this “energy of life” that is within us.