Ordination at Roppingi Lutheran Church

Roppingi Lutheran Church is located in midtown Tokyo. Roppongi (六本木) means "six trees." A large number of expatriates live here and it is the location of a number of embassies and businesses.



Roppingi Lutheran Church was begun by Rev. Dr. William Danker in 1948. US Military chaplains identified properties that were located in prime areas at economical prices. As a result, the Missouri Synod was able to purchase the property that today resides in midtown Tokyo.



Today was a particularly joyous occasion as Tomohiro Fujiki was ordained as the youngest pastor (27 years old) in the Japan Lutheran Church. President Kumei ordained Tomohiro Fujiki on the 1st Sunday after Easter (7 April 2013).


The LCMS guests (Collver, Masaki, Golter) were invited to participate in the ordination, along with 12 other clergy living in Japan. Dr. Masaki, Professor at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, is pictured above laying hands on Fujiki and quoting from Matthew 17:6, "Listen to him." Rev. Randy Golter, Executive Director of the Office of International Mission, quoted from 2 Tim 4:2, "Preach the Word."


Dr. Collver cited Titus 2:1, "But you publicly speak what accords with sound / healthy doctrine." The Greek word for "sound" is related to the English word "hygiene." The teaching or doctrine that is preached is clean / pure / healthy. This "healthy" doctrine keeps the body of Christ healthy, pure, and clean. Preaching pure doctrine is the task Pastor Fujiki was given.


After Pastor Fujiki was ordained, he celebrated the Lord's Supper.



The congregation receives Holy Communion from newly ordained Pastor Fujiki and the other assisting pastors.


After the service, the pastors who participated in the service and the attending congregation gathered for a group photograph.


Rev. Kumei, President of the Japan Lutheran Church, talks with Dr. Collver and Rev. Golter at the reception. President Kumei indicated he was pleased with the visit and hopes that the Japan Lutheran Church and the Missouri Synod could work together with renewed energy in Japan.

The visit between the Japan Lutheran Church and the Missouri Synod representatives went very well. The people of the Japan Lutheran Church showed great hospitality and kindness to us. We look forward to what The Lord might work between us in the future.

- Posted by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver, Director of Church Relations

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Fujimi 1-Chōme,Chiyoda,Japan

Holy Hope Lutheran HighSchool Opening Service

On Saturday, 6 April 2013, we attended the opening service of Holy Hope Lutheran Junior and Senior High School. In Japan, April (like September is in the United States) is the beginning of the school year. Also unlike America, the opening service in Japan is as important for the parents and children to attend as graduation.



Holy Hope Lutheran School is 92 years old. About 30 years after the school's founding, the LCMS purchased the building to assist in the mission of the church.
This photo shows all the people attending the opening service.




For the 2013 academic year, there are 55 students in the junior high and 377 in the high school.


In 1972, the Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) contributed funds to assist in the completion of a building.


The educational policy of Holy Hope Lutheran Junior and Senior High School "bases its educational principles on Christianity, and strives to educate its students to revere God, love their neighbor, value righteousness, and pursue faith in Christ.



LCMS pastor, Rev. Michael Piescer, the chaplain of Holy Hope Lutheran Junior and Senior High School, opened the service with an invocation, prayer, and hymn.



It was impressive to see the children answer the roll call during the opening service. It also was good to see how the LCMS was working with our partners in Japan.


Riding on the subway to the high school.

Posted by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver, LCMS Director of Church Relations.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Nakayama,Hanno,Japan

Revisiting Japan Tsunami

On Tuesday, 2 April 2013, Rev, Randy Golter, Executive Director of the Office of International Mission (OIM); Rev. Dr. Naomichi Masaki, Professor at Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne; Rev. Dr. Albert Collver, Director of Church Relations, arrived in Tokyo, Japan at the invitation of the Japan Lutheran Church (NRK), LCMS partner church, to discuss our ongoing partnership and to visit the sites damaged by the 2011 Tsunami.




This morning we left Sendai to visit the areas most damaged by the Tsunami. Dr. Masaki points on a map where we will visit.




A memorial marker in Ishinomaki, Japan, an epicenter of tsunami wave. The memorial says, "Hang in there, Ishinomaki.



Rev. Randy Golter looks at photographs of how the tsunami area looked before the disaster.



A sad moment was the visit to Old Ohkawa Elementary School, where 10 teachers and 76 children died. Although this region had suffered from earthquakes and even a tsunami in 1938, the location of the school had been considered safe from tsunamis. On the day of the earthquake, it had been snowing. The teachers conferred to decide whether or not to seek higher ground or to simply relocate outside the school. Unfortunately, they make the wrong decision and the teachers and students lost their lives.



A young boy goes to a shrine at the site of the Elementry school to pray for the souls of the deceased. In Japan, popular religion is a syncretistic mixture of Shintoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Praying for the souls of the deceased is a sort of good work you can do. It is believed that prayers for the deceased brings them comfort and makes the afterlife more pleasant, particularly when life ended in a tragic way such as from the tsunami. In Japan, the preservation of the remains of the dead is very important. In fact, the Japanese government went to great lengths to recover the remains of those who died in the tsunami. The remains are important because there is some hope of a resurrection in Confucianism.




Drs. Collver and Masaki at the site of the elementary school.



The LCMS in cooperation with the Japan Lutheran Emergency Relief assisted in the reconstruction in the affected tsunami regions.



Even two years after the tsunami, there is a great deal of recovery remains. There also is great need for the Gospel of Jesus.



Rev. Shinri Emoto of the Japan Lutheran Church at site of the elementary school.

The Japan Lutheran Church (NRK) hopes that the Lord will move the LCMS to continue support for theological education and the sending of personnel to assist in Japan.

- Posted by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver, Director of Church Relations.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Kamaya Nirashima-Chōme,Ishinomaki,Japan