r nh

Ozark Dible CoUs^e

516 N. K'all St.

(10)

Joplin, Mo.

Tokyo
Volume 62

Christian
Mark 16:15
Winter, 19B4, No. 4
Kimberlin Heights, Tennessee

'Go ye into all the toorld and preach the gospel to every creature"

Patt-on Furlough
We Pattens have been notifieil by the
American President Lines that the sailing
date of the President Wilson on which we

are to embark for furlough has been set back one day to May 20. Therefore we
should arrive in San Francisco about June
2nd.

Preparations for our furlough have made quite a bit of progress since Decem ber, We received a letter recently from the

Paul Pratts of Kyushu saying that they will

be happy to live in our house in Tokyo and minister to the Sakurayama Church while we are on furlough. Since two of the

Pratt children will be in high school next year, it is necessary for the family to move to Tokyo. We are glad that they can help
with work here when they do come.

Out forwarding agent has informed

us that the amount of funds designated for our furlough travel amounted to 469.51 as
of January 16th. An additional one thou

These are the four young women who were recently baptized at the Kamiochlai Church.

sand dollars will be needed by the middle

of April in order to finish paying for our ship ticket and provide for the other neces

Fiom left to right they are: Miss Nihei who has been attending for about six months'
and is working in a beauty shop nearby. Mrs. l^himata who Jives nearby. Miss Imanuira who is a nurse and therefore finds it difficult to attend regularly, Mrs. Kakuishi, who works at Camp Oji (Map Service) where I preached for eleven months about three and a half years 'ago. She has been coming irregularly ever since that time and travels

sary travel expenses. Your help is needed and would be appreciated. All funds should be sent to our forwarding agent.
Andrew Patton

a half hour by train to attend services. Remember these in ly'our prayers.

New Minato Church

Spsokmg and Camp

Engagements
Beginning in the middle of June, I will be able to accept camp and speaking dates. Request and inquii'ies conceniiiig
speaking dates should be sent to our for

Building Dedicated
by Harold Sims
About 60 of the members of the con

pairs 'for a long time. Heretofore it seems there was just one thing after another need ing to be done and straining the budget. The auditoi-ium, which is the main part

of the structure, is square with a pyramidshaped, steel-trussed roof. It will comfort

gregation and several interested friends and

visiiors attended the deciicduo.i

ably seat 60 people, and the natural finish wcod-paneled ceiling going up to the high
point in the center gives a sense of spacious ness and quietness. The floor is concrete,

warding agent. We hope to visit our sup porters as soon as possible after reaching
the United States.
Andrew Patton

for the new building of Minato Cliurch of

Christ on January 15. This marks the com pletion of the relocation project which was explained in the Tokyo Christian last year. The new building is somewhat smaller than the former one, but is very com modious and designed for daily use. The rooms are all well-lighted and airy (in con trast to the former building where one side was completely shaded by a large building a few feet away) and of varying sizes according to their purposes. The building as a whole gives a feeling of solid con struction and careful craftsmanship, with simple, clean and conservative lines. j'he atmosphere of "newness", the

covered with black marbled asphalt tile. Two sides are entirely filled with windows each of the countless panes of glass be
ing of a different size. It is furnished with

Visitors . . .
Re:ent visitors to our English language services at iKamiochial and to prayer meet ings in the various missionary homes have been: Lt. Commander Albert Floyd (USN) and family from Long Beach, California. (Mrs. Floyd was originally from So. NorLolks, Va.)

custom-built hardwood pews and a small electrcni: organ which is being produced in Japan recently. On the right side of the auditorium there is a one-story, flat-roofed entrance hall, toilet, study and office, cloak closet and a small openroofed space for potted:
plants etc. This hall connects to the 2

Mr. and Mrs. Ross Chaney from Baton Rouge, Louisana. Mr. Chaney is in Japan
to train Japanese oil men in a new re

modern design, materials and conveniences and the pleasing use of subdued color and
natural wood finish I am sure make the people proud to "belong" here. One of the

story parsonage immediately behind the auditorium. The parsonage, with its modern stainless steel kitchen, tiled bath, bed rooms with American styled closets etc., is really a long way from the old one.

fining process. He will be here more than 3 months on loan from the Humble Oil
Co.

real gratifications to the members is that they will not have worries about major re

The philosophy behind the design of a church building is al'ways a problem, and especially here in Japan where everybody
Continued Next Page

TOKYO CHRISTIAN
THE TOKYO CHRISTIAN

Page 2

Published quarterly by the Missionaries

of the Church of Christ Cunningham Mis

sion. Tokyo, Japan, for the information and inspiration of every Christian whose heart is open to the call of Christ, and who is willing to help in the supreme task of
carrying out the Great Commission of

Christ: Matthew 28:19, 20.

Entered as second class matter in the

Knoxville, Tenn., Post office under the aot of March 3, 1879. Two-Year Subscription 50 cents Subscription and "Flaming Torch" Sl.OO
MISSION STAFF

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Buttray, 575 2-Chome, Kamiochiai, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Forwarding agent: Mrs. Homer And
erson, R. D. 1, Meadville, Pa. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Patton, 27 Sakura-

yama, Nakano-ku, Tokyo, Japan Forward ing agent: Mr. or Mrs. Ray Armstrong, Rt.
3, Box 310 Piqua, Ohio.
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Sims 1-52 Arai

New Minato Church of Church building

Machi, Nagano-Ku, Tokyo, Japan. Forward

ing agent: First Church of Christ, Orange at Center St., Eustis, Fla. Packages for Japan should be sent direct by parcel post to one of the missionaries whose addresses are shown above. Consult your local post office concerning mailing iTules and limitations of size and weights. If you change your address please notify

H. L. Hamilton, Kimberlin Heights, Ten nessee, giving both your old and your new address. If you make an offering of $1.00
or more you are entitled to receive this

paper if you so request. Churches or groups making aai offering of $10.00 or more may request a bundle of 10 copies for distribu
tion.

Those who attended the dedication service NEW BUILDING Continued

sidential area. Also the thinking that was

expressed at the dedication service that the

seems to have a highly developed and sensi tive artistic taste. The traditional idea in a

The new 'location is further out

of

church building is "as a home" is expres

Japanese religious building is to make a

house for the godand since gods are intimately associated with nature they are erected in natural beauty spots. No expense

town than the old one, but closer to an electric railway Sitation. And since hardly
any of the regular members any longer

sive. Actually this building is very suitable

to serve as an extension of the homes of

the various members, and we know they

will think of it more and more in that

lived in the neighborhood of the old church building anyway it is just as convenient or
even more so for them now.

is spared to make a building that will blend with the natural surroundings and give a
picture-ipost-card satisfaction shipper's eye. to the wor

waykeeping it clean and treating it with

respect.

There are several firsts in connection

In Christianity we are building a house for the convenience of the worshippers more than a place for God to dwell in.
Nevertheless we would like to make it a

thing of beauty and glorify God's name by it as far as is possible. But because of the
generally poor financial condition and

minority status of Christianity in Japan we find that in too many cases church build ings are very poorly located and of the
cheapest kind of construction. This may

often ibe an obstacle to evangelizing among icertain types of ipeople. The new Minato building is one attempt at solving this problem. It is aesthetically pleasing, and matches the surrounding re-

with this building, far as our Churches of Christ in Japan are concerned. This is 'the first time that one of our congregations has sold a building and land and relocated out near the edge of the city, i'his is the first church building designed by a pro fessional architect. It is the first church building among us to be built basically of steel and concrete construction. Finally, this was the most expensive building yet erected in Japan except for the Osaka Bible Seminary building. And all of the funds
came from the difference between the sale

Furthermore the new building opens the door to really great opportunities. Here a well-established congregation is moving into a gro-wing small city. The hill above the railway station is dominated by one section of the large Keio University's thriving undergraduate school, where Step hen lijima (the preacher) studied some
years ago. Also there are many new

factories going up. Nationally such enter prises attract people, and since it is near
the broad Tama River it makes a nice residential area. There is no other church
in the town.

price of the former land and the present

land. Not one cent of Mission funds was
used.

The man who sold the land to the church is one of the original settlers of the town, ijonnected with the Tokyo Railway Company that developed it. He was at the
Continued Next Page

Page 3
NEW BUILDING Continued

TOKYO CHRISTIAN

dedication and made a few remarl-is. Among

other things, he said he was very hesitant when he found out the prospective buyers represented a Chrisitian church. He didn't know anything about Christianity and was a little leery of it. However upon getting to know the minister and Mr. Kobayushi,
the elder, and then after seeing and hear

ing his first Christian meeting at the de dication he (Was beginning to feel like he
wanted to be one of this kind of peopleSuch is the harvest field 'that the Minato

church now enters. Let us pray the Lord

of the harvest's blessings upon them.

Two Baptism Af Sakurayama

The usual small group were gathered for the Bible class, among them a Miss Sekino. This young working girl whose
Buddhist father passed away four years

ago had attended the church services at Sakurayama Church fairly regularly for many months. Christian friends had sPoken
to her during the summer camp about ac

A picture of the Kamiochiai Church on Sunday morning the closing day of the evangelistic meeting late in November. Stanley Buttray on the far left. Evangelist
New Year as faith in God and Jesus Christ
materialized in Christian baptism.

in front center, and to his right Mr. Kobayashi, pastor. And far right is Mrs. Kobayashi.
numbers by the firemen's band. Then they performed during the past year. Then the
hordes of uniformed firemen in their vari marched aside and kept time while citauons were made for meritorious service

cepting Christ as her Savior, but she had

made excuses. Again, on this night 'Of oui'
first Bible class of the New Year, she was

approached by a friend and indicated this time that she was ready to give her heart
to the Lord. She was instructed in the

(privileges and responsibilities of a Chris

tian and was baptized on January 5th. Two weeks later a university student
named Tamura made known his intention to choose Christ as his Savior. He had come up to J'okyo from Tochigi Prefecture and was now a law student in a university

.-^.fter each had given testimony of their faith, they were baptized one by one. Then after redressing they stood before the con gregation and were greeted in the custom ary words, "Omedeto Gozaimas" which are also the two most im^portant words used
in the New Years salutation. These two words are also 'used when congratulating

ous groups and ranks filed by. A spirited yell from a herald signalled the beginning

those graduating from high school and college, starting a new business, after the
wedding ceremony, and many other occa sion. I am sure that even though these
words have a wide usage in the Japanese

of the parade of the latest fire trucks and ambulances past the staind. Technique in rescuing people from burning buildings, of caring for and transporting the injured,
and of extinguishing an enormous fire caused by setting fire to hundreds of gal lons of gasoline cast into a pit, were color
fully demonstrated.

in Tokyo. A few months ago he moved next door to the Sakurayama Church and began to attend the services regularly. He was baiptized on January 19th. Two baptisms in such a short time in
one church is a rather unusual and pleasant

language, they never held greater signi

ficance to these four Japanese women then
when used on this occasion to congratulate

One of the most interesting parts of

the whole 'program, it seemed to me, was

a parade of equipment and men demonstra

experience for us here. There are other young people who have attended the serv
ices to be able to take the same step as

them on entering a New Life in Christ. What better way to begin the New Year! Pray for these four women that their

ting the process of evolution at work in the Tokyo fire department over a period of

growth and experience in the Lord will

continue without interruption through this
New Year of 1964.

compare -the "latest modern equipment

four hundred years. It is impossible to

these two have. We hope to

tize them soon.

able to bap

The Sakurayama Church has no baptistry

of its own. Therefore we have been borrow

Stanley Buttray

which was displayed with the crude objects called equipment which were in use here hundreds of years ago Without a chucUe.

We came away from the review with

a new feeling of respect for the men whose job it is to guard our lives and property.
But we are still a little skeptical about a

ing the Shimoochiai Church baptistry. Funds are being gathered at Sakurayama for a new baptistry and we hope to have
it constructed in a short time. Andrew Patton

Firemen's Review
I have been teaching English to a

New Year 1964

New Years day dawned dear and bright
over these Islands of Japan as nearly a

'group of young firemen who are trying to prepare themselves to be guides for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. As a result our whole family was given a special invitation to at tend the traditional Firemen's Review held
each New Year's in the Meiji Outer Gar dens in Tokyo. Our car was guided to a

few things. The vast display of up-to-date equipment notwithstanding, how are these great machines to be of any profit to us so long as the streets are so narrow and are t^rn up for the Olympics? ut porchance

the huge shining trucks should make it through the clogged streets, what are they
to do for water in this water-short city?

hundred million Japanese people leisurly EiA'akened to greet the year of the "Dragon"
with ilittle or no fear or apprehension.

special parking place and we were given reserved seats near ^the viewing stand which
seated Governor Azuma of Tokyo, honor able officials of the Tokyo Fire Board, asnd other notables of this vast city.

All helpful suggestions should be sent to

the Tokyo Fire Board.
Andrew Patton

Why? Because most families had taken the usual precautions required by age old customs, traditions, and superstitions. But
here at the Kamiochiai Church four women

After some short speeches by a few officials, including Governor Azuma, the

Also Mrs. Exie Fultz who has been doing radio work in the Kobe area lhas recently jnoved to Tokyo for concentrated lan
guage study.

took extra special icare in planning their

program itself began with a few rousing

TOKYO CHRISTIAN

One of the Tokyo Christians

You Should Know
MAKOTO VARVEL (nee Kanematsu)

:i hri r-i

1 r.

A Missionory Hymn
(As it might possibly be sung in the heart)
It may not be on the mountain's height

Makoto was born August 2, 1943 in Canton, having been sent from Yokohama. When she was 3 years old they came
back to Jap^n and lived in the temporary

(Oh dear, I should hope not. That sounds like a hard rugged climb, and
I hate those steep narrow puths) Or over the stormy sea (My stomach could never stand that. I even get sea-sick on ferries. No sir,

YMCA building which was located at Fujimi-cho in Tokyo. Messrs. Still, Patton, Saunders and Sims all went there to teach English conversation on certain days of

you'd never get me across all that

water.) It may not be at the battle's front (How could the Lord use me there,

every ^week during 1943, 49. Conditions were very crowded, but some of the most
faithful Christians 'have come from those

cold, dark post-war class-rooms. Mr. Kane matsu became the Interpreter for Sam Saunders when meetings began in believ er's homes preparatory to reopening the
Yo:ho-machi church.

j.r-y,;riS

anyway. I might get killed, and no one would even know I'm a Christian. I'm peace-loving and hate the thoughts of a battle.)
My Lord will have need of me. (Yes, I am sure the Lord needs me

When Makoto was 6 years old the family

moved into the rear of the quonset hut
that served as ithe Yocho-machi church

in some nice, quiet friendly town not too far from my family.)
But if by a still, small voice He calls, (I wish God would speak up clearly and give some definite signs. I'm too busy to give precious time to medita tion about my calling.)
To paths 1 do know

building. She attended a nearby primary school, and 3 years later when a preacher
was called to Yocho-marchi church they moved to their present home next door to Higashi-Nakano church, near Patton's home. 'By that time she had 2 little sisters

(Well, I don't know just exactly what

I want to do yet. I think I had better Terry and Makoto Varvel

and one little brother. While living

at

Nakano she attended Showa Primary School, Nakano No. 3 Middle S:;hool and

Fuji High

School,

Yokogi

preparatory

school and Seijo University. She says, "i was baptized on Christmas 1Q61 when I was 18 years old. It seems late to be baptized for a person who has grown
up in a Christian home. But since I did

to parks and walked almost all of the parks in Tokyo." Is September 1963 they were married in the roof-top chapel of the main YMCA building in Tokyo. Since chen they have been living in an apartment in a small suburban seashore city between To
kyo and the Naval Base at Yokosuka.

get a little more education first.) I'll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in
Thine

(but with my fingers crossed) I'll go where you want me to go (When I get ready, if it's not too far, unless it's too mueh trouble)
SUGGESTED REVISION

not know so much about baptism, I thought

I had to learn more about Christianity in

order to be baptized. But I was taught
that if a person believed in God and be

Her hobbies are playing the piano, singing, growing iplants, reading and em
broidery. "Though I don't have time to

lieved that Jesus is the Son of God, it is

enjoy all of them I sing in the church choir

and read books on the train." It should be mentioned that one of her main hobbies

he does not know anything else, because a Christian ihas to always study even after being baptized. So I confessed my faith in
God.

good enough to be baptized even though

used to be English conversation, but that has ceased to be a mere hobby now.
Harold Sims

Lord, let it be on the mountain height Or over a stormy seia May every day on the battle front A glorious victory be. Whenever you call me so strong and clear To the paths you have made me to know I'm ready to go without any fdar I'm going as you want me to go.
Lois Sims

"It is as easy for me to believe the existence of God as the existence of the sun in the sky. I can feel sometimes that
my prayer is heard by God and that He

is watching me. But I realize how hard it

is for those who have grown up in non-

Ohristian homes to believe in God who cannot be seen nor felt. So it is my hope that I may keep trying to be a better Chris

tian so that by my behavior these people will become interested in Christianity and
become good Christians."

Makoto is now continuing her studies keeper. She met an American boy at Lake
at Seijo University, but she is also a house.

Motosu Christian Camp during the summer of 1962. He is Terry Varvel, a U. S. Navy
seaman stationed at Yokosuka and a mem

ber of the University Church of Los An geles. After the camp they met almost
every iSunday and attended church to gether. "Then in the afternoons we went

The Sims quartet singing at one of the Christmas programs.

riUnols

Tokyo
Volume No. 6S

Christian
Mark 16:15
Summer, 1964, No. 1
Kimberlln Heights, Tennessee

'Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature"

Spring Meeting
The Spring evangelistic meeting at the
Kamiochiai Church was held from May 4th to the 8th. Your prayers for the meetings were appreciated and helped make them a success. Mr. Hideo Yohii, pastor of the Church in Kanoya, Kyuhu preached the five
night meeting. The nightly services were

All Japan Convention

Five young people fi'om the Kamiochiai
Church and myself drove by car to Nagoya to attend the 15th All Japan Christian
of them had travelled that far

Convention. It was the first time that any by car,

nothing spectacular, and yet by comparison it would be considered a very successful

meeting. Thsee person were baptized, aver

and also the first time to attend the Church of Christ Convention. It was a very interest ing trip for all. At the first Sunday evening
after returning back hame, each one ex pressed their impressions of the conven tion. This convention experience will not

mkm
Kanji Ogawa

age attendance about 25, and the members were quite faithful, helping in many ways.

One of the Tokyo Christians

You Should Know
by Harold Sims

For example, they passed out handbills and tracts every evening. Others remained in front of the Church doing the same and
inviting each passerby into the service
until the evangelist began his message.

soon be forgotten, but with the passing of years, these young Christians will be able
to look back at the teaching received as

stepping stones to the solid rock founda

tion Jesus Christ.

Stanley Buttray

Others took care of tape recorded religious

music that was sent from the Church by a loud speaker. After the service, the mem bers went and sat with the newcomers and counseled with them further concerning

It seems almost unbelievable now, but

about 40 years ago there was a dairy farm operated by a Mr. Ogawa located in the now heavily populated section of Tokyo
called Ebarabetween Gotanda station and the Tania River. One of the chores of

present we don't have any specially trained

Bible School leader. But before Mr. Ko* bayashi left, he had used more and more

little Kanji Ogawa was delivering fresh milk every morning to the home of the well-known Congregational Church mission ary Darley Downs. Through this rather in cidental daily contact the young man deve

salvation. Often using their own testimony as a basis of encouragement. Also the faith and zeal of these young Christians was strengthened and increased. This also is very important, as nearly all are one or
two year old Christians between the ages
of 17 and 26.

the young members of the Church in the leadership and teaching of the Bible
School. So, since his departure the young

Christians have taken over completely the Bible School responsibilities, and are doing
very well, in spite of the lack of any Stanley Buttray
formal education in the Bible.

loped an early and continually deepening

interest in both Christianity and the En

Sunday School is still held in the after noon at the Kamiochai Church. And at

glish language. He came to a very strong

conviction early in life that every person

needs a real religion or faith as his guide and stay through the battles of life, and
~he"felt that Buddhism and Shintoism, which in his experience only seemed to be oc

cupied with ceremonies and traditions and

not with the real needs of life, were not
the answer. So he turned to Christianity,

knowing at first only that he liked the hap

py, confident atmosphere around the homes
of Christian people.

After finishing his compulsory educa tion he got a job in a bank in Kawasaki city, and since that time his whole life work has been in the banking business. He
went to the Keio Commercial Technical School at night to further his education,

and after finishing that he entered the

downtown YMCA English School. There he

went to the regular night school course for 3 years and pretty well mastered the language. But after that he continued to ibelong to the English Speaking Society,
and became one of the most active leaders of the all around program for young
(Continued on page 2)

f If m
The Patton Family on board the President Wilson as they were leaving for the
States and a furlough May 20th.

TOKYO CHRISTIAN
THE TOKYO CHRISTIAN and active leader of Yocho-machi church

Published quarterly by the Missionaries of the Church of Christ Cunningham Mis sion. Tokyo, Japan, for the information and inspiration of every Christian whose heart is open to the call oi Christ, and who is willing to help in the supreme task of
carrying out the Great Commission of

since that time, and is now an elder there

and one of the trustees of the local church

old, died very suddenly. She had been

suffering from chronic asthma all her life,

which was incorporated as an independent congregation a little over a year ago.

He is now the Branch Manager of the Yawata Branch of the Mitsubishi Bank

and suddenly burst a blood vessel while coughing and passed away very quickly and quietly. After the funeral Mr. Ogawa sent all of the guests a letter of thanks, accord
ing to the Japanese custom.

Christ: Matthew 28:19, 20.

Entered as second class matter in the

(one of the largest financial organizations in Japan). According to the rules of his
company, he will be forced to retire at the age of 55, which will be in another

Following is a rough translation:

"Greetings"

KnoxviBe, Tenn., Po,?t office under act of March 3, 1879.

Two-Year Subscription
MISSION STAFT

50 cents

Subscription and "Flaming Torcfh"

$1.00

year or two. Being in good health he is looking forward to his retirement years as a golden opportunity for service to Christ and His Church. He feels humbly that his experience and position in society will give

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Buttray, 575 2-Chome, KamiocQuai, shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Forwarding agent: Mrs. Homer And erson, R. D. 1, Meadville, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Patton are now

him an influence and hearing among the

young people who are just getting start ed out in the business world and running into the conflicts and temptations connect ed with living the faith-life in the midst of the materialistic and competitive busi ness world. And he is now thinking about

"We express our warm thanks and salutation for the many words of sincere sympathy which we were given and the many kinds of monetary gifts we received on the occasion of our daughter Misako's funeral. Misako's was a lily-short life of only 25 years, but having received faith according to Christianity she had already
done what she should have done and learn

in the United States on furlough. Forward ing agent Mr. or Mrs. Ray Armstrong, Rt. 3, Box 310, Piqua, Ohio.
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Sims 1-52 Aral

ed what she should learn, and without

knowing the unclean side of this world she spent her days in thanksgiving. At the

and searching for the best way to exert

his influence for teaching the young people to have confident and conquering faith.
Even now, in his position, he is able to bear an effective testimony to Christ. He has organized a Bible Class among the
employees of his branch which meets once a week. Of course in connection with his

time of her passing there was no suffering

or pain but it was the most quiet and peaceful calling to heaven, and now after the ceremonies we have put her bones in the beautiful and peaceful Musashino "Spirit Garden" under a stone cross in the place that we had prepared. Four years ago we had chosen this spot as our eternal resting place when it twas purchased by the hand of our church.
At that time our daughter placed flowers

Macihi, Nagano-Ku, Tokyo, Japan. Forward

ing agent: First Church of CSirist, Orange at Center St., Eustis, Fla.

Packages for Japan should be sent direct

by parcel post to one of the missionaries whose addresses are shown above. Consult your local post office concerning mailing rules and limitataoms of size and iveights. If you change your address please notify H. L. Hamilton, KimberHn Heights, Ten

daily work he belongs to the Chamber of

Commerce, various bankers clubs associations, the Lion's Club and and other

nessee, giving iboth your old and your new address. H you make an offering of $1.00
or more you are entitled to receive this paper if you so request. Churches or groups

civic organizations; and from time to time he has good opportunities to give some
witness to his faith in Christ.

there and was very joyful that we now had this place to sleep peacefully. Now
having received life in the spirit world
she still lives on in our hearts. Now that the ceremonies have all been fully completed we want to send you a

making an offering of $10.00 or more may request a bundle of 10 copies for distribu
tion.

Last year he visited Gardena, Cali forniaa Sister City to their suburban city
along with the mayor and other officials from the Japanese city. While they were in the U. S. he enjoyed attending the Gardena Church of Christ for Sunday wor ship services.

small gift as a token of our thanks for your guidance and help to us. We beg you to

ONE OF THE TOKYO CHRISTIANS

receive it. And may the Lord's grace and leading be richly upon all of you is our
prayer as we close this brief greeting.

(Continued from front)

people conducted by the YMCA for more than 10 years after he finished the regular
school course.

Last fall at Thanksgiving time the Ogawa's only child, a daughter 25 years

Mr. and Mrs. Kanji Ogawa"

During the war he continued working at the bank. There was some comment and slight persecution because of his

Christian convictions and interest in Eng

lish, but his faith was strong enough to

endure those things. After the war, when the YMCA was

meeting in a crowded temporary building,

both Sam Saunders and Owen Still were

helping with the English School a couple

of days a week. When the Yocho-machi

church began meeting in the home of one

of the pre-war members and Sam Saunders

began preaching there, Mr. Ogawa and Mr. Kanematsu (a YMCA secretary and

father of the girl whose story appeared in this place in the last issue) acted as his interpreters and also brought many of the people with whom they had contacts to the services. Mr Ogawa has been a faithful

An iniormal shot of the Pattons talking with Japanese and missionaries on

board the President Wilson.

TOKYO CHRISTIAN

Marching Through Kyushu With Maxeys

by Harold Sims

It is always a privilege and joy to plan

for and then adventure through a trip down to the home base of our good friends the Mark JIaxeys at the southern extremity

of the island of Kyushu. During the Psst

12 years I have made six trips down there,
ko-fit.'

and each one has left many happy mem

ories of good fellowship in teaching and

preaching the Word all over that prefec

(> H f

ture. There have been improvements in high-ways and buildings every time I have

gone, but there could hardly be any im provements in scenery or hospitality. The work has steadily grown, and there are now
several well-established churches at various small towns in that part of the country. So when I was invited some months ago to be the lecturer for the Eighth Leader

tendance every night.

from elsewhere
ing course to date."

Twenty-two others
part-time. I

attended

thought it was our most successful train

The next week we conducted special
intensive Luke studies in the churches in

told how he learned the grace of giving. First he put an egg in the offering envelope every month. Finally he thought that was not enough and took a live chicken under
his arm to church one day.
season job.

On the way

ship Training Course at the Christian Center

there in March I looked forward with keen

anticipation to the change from our routine activities and smog in Tokyo to the refreshing rural atmosphere and to the added opportunity for service.

the towns of Sueyoshi, Kushira and Tarumizu. The class began at 4 and ended at 9 PM, with a break from 6 to 7 for
supper which the ladies at each place pre

home in the bus he fell into conversation with a man who gave him a good slack One fine young man studying to be a

pilot in the Japanese Navy Air Force made

the confession of faith.

pared. These meetings had an average of

eleven in attendance.

The Maxeys have a boy named Gregory

who is just 8 months older than Jonnie, so
I took Jonnie out of school for the week

In the midst of other activities we took a little time out to drive through the

before his Easter vacation and had him

with me on this trip.

We left Tokyo Station at 7 PM on March 13 by limited express train and
arrived at Kagoshima stationthe end of

It would be hard for you to imagine the scene. We sat on the straw mats around the little foot-high Japanese dining tables
with Bibles of all sizes laid open before us

mountains to one point overlooking the sea that serves as Japan's only rocket base.

Tokyo University is testing rockets and

equipment there on a small scale, and we
saw one countdown and launch. Also an

where plates would normally be, and feasted

on the Word. There were various types of listenersan old man who had served with the Japanese army in the Russo-Japanese

other bright afternoon we drove part-way

up the big volcano for a magnificent

panoramic view of the bay.

the government railway lineat 5:30 the

next afternoon. Then we crossed the beau

tiful bay down there via a one-hour ferry

trip which runs along the foot of Mt.

Sakurajima, a gray-brown active volcano

war in 1904, old ladies adjusting their glasses and the distance as they searched for the different passages, high school young people sitting stiffly at attention for
2 solid hours, etc.
This concentrated study was a very fruitful experiment. The hostess at our

Being a visitor from the big city, and since it was International Understanding Week, I was asked to speak to the local Ro

that rises abruptly out of the water. From the ferry port we rode another hour by bus to the Maxey home. It was 26 hours from our door to theirs. As soon as we had exchanged greetings il asked about the schedule for the next

tary Club. I told them the story of the Good Samaritan. Apparently nothing could have been more new or interesting to them.
Jonnie returned to Tokyo on the ex

last meeting said she felt she was standing

right there in Jerusalem. She got so carried away that along with the refreshments she
brought out one of her cherished bottles of home-made combination (peach, plum, kumquat) wine which we had to refuse
ever so gently.

daySunday March 15. Mark said, "I'll drive, and when I stop you get out and start
pounding the Book." And that wasn't any

press train with missionary Paul Pratt on March 29. Mark and I flew up to Kobe on March 30, and then went from there" to Nagoya for the annual convention of the Japanese Christians. Thus ended March.

How many of you caught the meaning of

that first word in the title?

exaggeration. It was his Sunday to visit 2 of the outlying churchesone about 70 kilometers awayand we spent a large part of the day in the carr>--all. That evening from 7-9 the special stu dies on the gospel of Luke began. For the first week they were held at the Christian Center next door to the Maxey home in
Kanoya city, i quote from Maxey's April

The final 3 days before Resurrection

Sunday we had a special evangelistic meet ing at the Kanoya church, with attendance going up beyond 40, and 7 people in
church for the first time every night of

the meeting. I preached on The Prodigal

Son, Why Did Jesus Die?, and The Two
Men on the Road to Emmaus.

Linkletter: "Harold was thoroughly pre pared and his lectures were as thoroughly
appreciated. His wit and humor enlivened the sessions as he covered the most im

Resurrection Sunday began with a sunrise service at the leper colony outside of the city of Kanoya. Then all day v.'e had

portant events and teachings of this gospel.

On several nights I brought in delegations

the Fifth Sunday Convention of the Chritians in that peninsularepresenting 9 different towns where there are churches

from outlying churches taking them back

home later. Thanks to the wholehearted cooperation of Bro. Yoshii of the Kanoya church 21 of his members had perfect at-

or home meetings, I was particularly im pressed with the remarks of one of the poor farmers from a mountain village who

TOKYO CHRISTIAN

Page 4
We returned to our homes on Thurs

Lodies Outing
by Lois Sims

One day each year the women of the

day afternoon in time to prepare the even ing meal and greet our children when they returned from school. The delightful

to do so until we can find a native preach er. Your continued prayers for the Church

and its various problems will be greatly

appreciated.

Nakano Church Bible Class plan an outing

or picnic together. We have visited the

change refreshed each one of us physically and spiritually.

Stanley Buttray

Marineland at Kamakura beach, viewed the Chrysanthemums at Shinjuku Imperial G^arden, strolled through the extensive Rose Garden near Jindaiji temple etc, in
.past years. We look forward to these re

Street Bn Front Of Kamiuma Church To Be Widened

For years one of the disadvantages for

The Convention

In Nagoya
On March 31, April 1 and 2 of 1964
the 15th convention of our Churches of

freshing and ipleasant days together.

Someone suggested it would be nice

us missionaries in visiting the Kamiuma

church has been that the street is so narrow you cannot drive a car into it and it is

if we could go to a hot-spring hotel during hard to find parking space elsewhere. Now Cherry Blossom season this year, but since
all places are overcrowded at that time ot the year we decided to go a little later. On Tuesday May 12 at 10 AM ten women and 3 .pre-school children left Nakano station
in connection with the Olympic games a
large new sports center has been built in this section of town, and the main street that runs about 150 yards from the church has been doubled in width to bear the
heavy traffic. So the local ward has now decided

Christ (or rather the believers, since we don't have an official or delegate "Church"
convention) was held. The location was an

old and very reasonably priced hotel on

the seaside about one hour out from

Nagoya, the third-sized city of Japan. All

of the planning and arrangements were handled by the 3 young Japanese preachers of the Nagoya area and they did a wonder
ful job.

by train for Izu-Nagaoka, near the Hakone mountains about 60 miles south of Tokyo. We finally arrived at the beautiful private ly-owned inn at 3:15 PM. Rooms had been

to carry forward a long-standing plan to

widen the little lane that leads from the main street in to the church. It will be

fplace. The price was only $2.15 per dayincluding 3 mealsso everyone could afford the trip. (Ordinarily such a place
would cost more than twice as much).
When We arrived at the inn we were

of the class members iwho had formerly worked for the company that owns this

reserved for us through the kindness of one

come an ordinary two way street for auto mobiles. Twenty-two taubo (a taubo is 36

The approximately 90 people who at tended would represent a pretty good crosssection of our brotherhood in Japan. There were some young people who were able
to come because the Universities were hav

sq. ft.) of land will be taken by the ward

office from the front of the church pro
perty. But because of the new street the

ing their spring vacations,

some

older

ladies, some new Christians who came along

value of the property will be increased

appreciably. Also the government has agreed to pay a fair compensation for the
land they will take.

for the ride or curiosity, and also more than half of the Japanese preachers and
many of the missionaries.

greeted at the entrance by the manager, maids and cooks, and they made us very welcome guests and the visit most enjoy able in every way. With the exception of an elderly couple and one lady who seemed to be vacationing there, we were the only guests in the inn. So we could use any of the rooms and the entire spacious garden
and lawn around there for our devotions

We expect to use the money received from the government for either remodeling or perhaps entirely rebuilding the church

One sign of the changing times was the number of private <Jars vieing for the limited parking space in the narrow street. Highways have improved so much in Japan
that some folks now consider it easier to drive long distance with a carload of peo

building there, which has deteriorated quite

almost 15 years ago.

a bit since it was bought as an old house

ple than to go by the crowded trains. The

conditions of the roads made this unthink able a few, short years ago. Also economic

and the clear mountain air was invigorating. Soon after we arrived tea was served and we were told that the hot-spring bath would
soon be ready for us. This is a courteous

without any outside disturbance. The weather was just about perfect,

Kobayoshis Leave
Kamiochiai
After two and one half years of pas-

conditions have changed so that some of the Japanese preachers now have their own
car.

Japanese <iustom. All Japanese like to take a steaming hot bath after a long trip, Dan
ny was usually the first one into the big pool of mineral water. It was "fwimmin" to Ihim, and he and the preacher's 2 little boys really had a good time.

toring the Church at Kamiochiai, Mr, and Mrs. Kobayashis have closed their ministry.
There were many tears and sad faces at the

Other signs of the changing times were the observation that most of the Japanese preachers are now married men with sev
eral children, three of the missionaries are grand-parents, and all the missionaries spoke in Japanese language. One of the crucial times during the
convention was an all-afternoon discussion

parting, and even yet they are remembered in every prayer. The Kobayashis have re turned to his home area and are planning
on doing frontier evangelism. Mrs. Ko-

The meals were served in typical

Japanese style. We were seated on cush ions on the straw mat floor around low

bayashi had a very serious ulcer operation

in which she almost lost her life. This is not a very good place for recuperation as

meeting among the preachers and mission aries. The main subject was the purpose,
meaning and future of the convention. Al

tables. I think Danny is the only one who didn't enjoy the eating. Keichan (2V2 years old) did his best to convince Danny that the raw tuna fish was as delicious as candy,
by eating his portion and some of Dan
ny's too.

the Church is located on one of the busy

streets of this area.

though growing very slowly, our brother hood in Japan is facing and thinking
through the various issues that have con

The continual noise, shaking of the buildings, and the rattling of windows from late at night until early in the morning . , .
caused by the trucks buses, and taxis . . plus the fact they are building a subway under the street and work only at night
. . . is an unbearable condition even for a healthy person. Mrs. Kobajyashi's health is continuing
to improve. Please continue to remember them in your prayers. I have been doing most of the preaching since the Kobayahis

tinued to rise in each generation of the

Restoration Movement. We can be thank

We had evening, morning and mid-day

Bible readings, and informal discussions

ful that they are thinking and really con

cerned a*bout many basic things. There is a serious search going on among many
of the Japanese ministers for what we

wlhich (Were helpful to each of us. Two of the young women were singing from the
asked me to join them. We worked out 2

Victory Chorus Book one afternoon, and

trio numbers and sang them at our evening devotional hour. The following morning we
met outdoors on a knoll overlooking the

might call our identity or distinctiveness as a religious group, and along with the search there is an increasing group conscious ness and loyalty and heartening deep per sonal friendship between many of the
ministers, and the missionaries are cluded in this. in

hotel, with a lovely view of Mt. Fuji.

left the 29th of March, and will continue

Propwi ty of

Nov17'64

\ A-

libhah Y

BIBLE COLLEC

Tokyo
Volume No. 63

Joplin, sio.

Christian
Mark 16:15
Fall, 1964, No. 2
Kunberlin Heights^ Tennessee

"Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature"

Mission Attitudes
I
the

Patton Travels . . .
toward world

am sometimes asked by American

brethren in America

Christians what I think of the attitude of

missions as compared with their attitude five or six years ago. It is an interesting question and it is important that we con sider it for purposes of self-reflection. Are we really doing more toward obejdng the
Great Commission now than heretofore?

The first month of our furlough (from June 6) was spent at home. This was due to the illness of Betty's father. Since that time, however, most of my time has been spent in travels in the interest of the work in Japan. Betty and the children
have been able to visit four churches and the Lake James School of Missions with me but-the rest of the- time Lliave
traveled alone.

'You Ought To Know, Something About God'..

"You too ought to know something about God," is a remark that would hard ly be noticeable In the U.S.A., "the land
of the free and the home of the brave."

But if you should hear the same remark

here in Japan by one young woman to another as they were returning from the Obon Festival, your ears would have
strained to hear more, as did mine.

It is a very difficult question to answer because of the many factors that are in volved and because it is difficult for one individual to get a general impression of churches in the whole country. From my own extremely limited opportunity for ob servation, however, I would like to give
my personal opinion of this matter.

Three of our supporting churches, five

churches which we had never visited be

This kind of experience continued each

The writer certainly does not wish to convey the idea that we as a people are doing what we could or should in the cause of world missions, for we definitely are not. We have merely made a beginning in performing this chief task of the
church. I do not know whether it could be

fore, two camps, one school of missions, and one rally have been visited. Besides this the whole family made a trip to Western North Carolina to visit my par ents. All of my brothers and sisters (I have eight) from far and near except two gathered at the old homestead at Hayesville. North Carolina on Sunday, August 30 and we enjoyed a barbecued chicken feast together. The old home place is situ
ated on the shores of the beautiful TVA

night throughout the Obon Festival which began August 13 th and ended on the 21st.
The Obon Festival is for the purpose of

welcoming the return of the Spirits of the

dead. Since Karuizawa has become a sum mer resort with an international flavor,

its fame has grown until thousands visit

this secluded mountain resort which is located about a hundred miles from

Tokyo. The Buddist temple is located just

behind the Karuizawa Union Church. Per mission was received from the church to

described even as a good beginning or not. In the past I have heard some of our

people speak of us as possibly having

reached the saturation point in missionary

lake, Chatuge and in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We were happy to find both Dad and Mother in fairly good health.
Our children also had a wonderful time

use church property for evangelistic street meetings each night of the festival.
As the thousands went by on their way to and from the temple, they had to pass

support. That attitude reflects rather that

we are saturated with faithlessness and a

mental and spiritual stupor that will not

allow us to see either what the will of the Lord is or the mission potential that exists among us.
I do not even think that there are many

during the summer. Besides traveling to the places mentioned above, Sharon spent a week in the Mahoning Valley Christian Camp. We were overjoyed when she com
mitted her life to the Lord and was bap

by and some even took a shortcut through the church property and the street meet

Christians among us who think that we are doing even a small part of what they want us to do in^^jalssions. Most of us, then, are agreed that we must do more

tized at this camp. She spent another wonderful week with our-good friends, Mr. and Mrs. Wade Fletcher and their children, of Rushville, Ind. Noel and Philip spent the same week ^ith other
dear friends of Rushville, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Heeb and their four children. Now three of our children are in school and

ing. were to a each

It was estimated that 5,000 tracts passed out each night. And that 50 100 persons stopped momentarily night to hear either the gospel chor

uses or the preaching and testimonies. Also, probably another 25 or 30 each night had more than a passing interest

a"they^rTiri)enches brought~7rom the"

church, joined in the singing and listened attentively to five and ten minute testi monies. An average of ten of these would remain until the end, which was about
10:30
forts

than we are doing in carrying the gospel

to the whole wide world.But have we made

any progress in our attitude toward and practice of world missions in the last few
years? Yes, I very definitely think that progress has been made. We should thank
the Lord for this and encourage one an

they and Betty will be tied down at home most of the time during the rest of the
school year.

P.M.
of

These were

dealt with and

native Chris

given further teaching. The combined ef

missionaries and

other for even greater gains in world evangelism. This great work demands an ever-expanding effort and there can be
no room at all for complacency. I have noticed an increased interest in

We are certainly enjoying our fur lough travels. We are meeting again many
of the friends we have known for years

and are making a number of new friends. We hope also that we are helping to further the cause of missions in general.
Our schedule of speaking engagements
is now full for October and November.

missions and missionaries during the past five years. Maybe one reason for this is that it has become more popular to be on
the side of missions than before. But for

tians resulted in five persons baptized. A couple of these were baptized as the Philippian Jailor, the same hour of the night (midnight). Each night was a thrilling experience for all. The vendors came and put up all kinds of stands, selling all kinds of trinkets, toys, char
coal roasted corn on the cobb, and gas
filled balloons. Men and women in their

whatever the reason I am happy to see that we are thinking more of doing our duty than was true heretofore.
It seems than our missionaries are

But from December we have many open dates. If you desire for us to visit your church at any time after December 1st please contact us. We will try to arrange
a time when we can either speak about

bright colored summer kimonos passed by on their way to dance to the rythm of the
Obon music which continued for five

nights and could be heard for a

mile.

half a

better supported than they were formerly.

the work in Japan or show our slides on

the work or both.
^Andrew Patton

Continued on Page 2

Continued on Page 3

TOKYO CHRISTIAN
THE TOKYO CHRISTIAN

Page 2
past five years we have had hardly any new missionaries go to Japan, for exam ple. A country with the population and
the lack of missionaries and Christians

be able to do.

So we will continue to

Published quarterly by the iMissionaries of "the Church of Christ Cunningham Mis sion. Tokyo, Japan, for the information and inspiration of every Christian whose

preach as we have been doing. In the meantime we will not have anything spectacular to report to the churches in
America. The result will be that we will

like Japan has

deserves far more than

heart is open to the call of Christ, and who

s wiillinig to help in the supreme task of
carrying out the Great Commission of

Christ: Matthew 28:19, 20.

Entered as second class matter in the

Enoxvilile, Temi., Post office under the act of March 3, 1879. Two-Year Subscription 50 cents

Subscription and "Flaming Torch"

MISSION ^AFF

$1,001

Mr. and Mrs. Staziley Buttray, 575

2-Chome, Eamiodhiai, Sihinjulni'ku, Tokyo, Japan. Forwairddisg agent: Mrs. Homer And
erson, R. D. 1, Meadville, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Patton are now

we are doing in evangelizing it. We are happy to see the general ex panding involvement of our people in our total mission program. New churches are beginning to support and encourage mis sions from their beginning. Missions are being discussed and missionaries more prayed for among the Christians. Summer camps are constantly using missionaries in their programs. Missionary rallies are widespread among our churches. An in creasing number of young people are in terested in becoming missionaries. I think these things indicate an increasing aware ness of our responsibility toward world
missions.

be meagerly supported, new missionaries will shun the field, and the Japanese will be unevangelized for the most part. We can very well bear to be poorly supported
and little publicized but the fact that mil

lions of Japanese are dying without Christ for lack of a missionary is very difficult for a Christian who has any care for men's
souls to bear.

Another fact is disturbing. Very few if any of our churches are looking for a missionary to sponsor. Several missionary
recruits who could be on the field at work

are having to roam the country to raise support. A sincere Christian detests beg
ging. The jrecruit - constantly v i s i t s churches, gets an offering which helps him temporarily and is left without the slightest promise of any support after he
reaches the mission field. What would happen if we had scores of new mission

But certain stumblingbiocks and bad

tendencies must be taken out of the way
of our missions program before we as a

in the United States on furlough.

Mr. and iMirs. Haikxld Sims 1-52 Aral

Madhi, Nagano^u, Tokyo, Japan. Forward ing agent: First Churdh of Christ, Orange et Center St., Bustis, Fla.

whole can become committed to any great extent to the cause of missions. The pres
ent attitude of non-involvement and

aries and scores of churches seeking a

missionary to support? Wonders! No

Packages for Japani^ould be sent dir^

by parcel post to one of the missionaries

your local post office concerning mailing

rules and limitatdoais of size and weights.

whose addresses are shown abwe. Consult

selfishness must be erased. Someone jok ingly said to the writer recently that he hated missionaries because they made him feel guilty for not going to the mission field. That man was sincere, but there
are many who do not want to invite a

doubt, we would have a large number of

new missionaries if they did not have to go through the shameful experience of roaming the country begging for support.
These are but a

If you change your address please notify

H. L. Hamilton, KimberKn Heights, Ten
nessee, giving tooUi your old and your new

address. If you ma^ an offering of $1.00

or more you are entitled to receive this
paper if you so request. Churches or groups

missionary to their church because they fear he might disturb their complacency and involve the church in missions. They complain that they are too small to sup
port missions. When the church is small

tions

we

have

few of the observa made of our missions

program. We have many things that are

commendable. Let us hold fast to these. But we must take a closer look at our

attitudes toward missions before we can

or young is a good time to start mission

make any appreciable progress toward the

evangelization of the world.
^Andrew Patton
$

maJcing an offering of $10.00 or more may

request a bundle of 10 copies for distribu

tion.

interest in it. Some complain that they are in a building program or financial
crisis and can not take on an additional financial burden. Maybe their financial
crisis has its roots in lack of interest in

MISSION ATTITUDES Continued from front

missions. I know of a number of churches which have increased their support of mis

Exerpfrs from Letters from Our Japanese Christians

Now in the U. S. on

None of them are supported as they ought to be. I do not know of any missionary
who has not had his financial difficulties

sions while they were building an edifice to house the congregation. I wonder if

the church that is not giving as much for

the conversion of the lost in the whole world as they are giving for their own local Work is not asleep to its responsi bility as well as forgetful of its potential. Swinging support to the mission or mis sionary in the limelight is a hindrance
to world missions. I am convinced that if

Business or Study . ..
"Finding a church for me was great
work. I phoned 2 churches, one Is First Christian Church and other is . . . church.

and at one time or other has only been

able to remain on the field by the slightest of margins. Support is so meager that in most cases expanding the work is al
most an impossibility. But our mission aries are better supported than was the

Finding church made me sick in a sense,

because I had been in hot telephone box for about 30 minutes talking with a secre tary of the church.

case a few years ago. In spite of difficul

ties, too, most of our missionaries are

we missionaries in Japan, for example, would make plans for building some big
institution like a hospital or school in

After that, I felt something wrong in

my body and went to bed and spent 3 days there. Only . . . church was kindly sent me detail map checking my place and church. My decision was made, "to . . . " without hesitation. I personally
wanted to attend First Christian Church.

remaining on the field and are trying to carry on their work in the meager
funds that are available.

More new missionaries are being sent

out than formerly. We would like to see

that country and advertize it heavily in the American press that our people would support it. They might channel to us the support which they have been giving to
another missionary who is not in the lime light and who is doing a far more im portant job in evangelizing the lost than we in our well-supported institution. We

their number increase by many fold, how

ever, and to see them more evenly distri buted around the world. But I do not

"There is few, but it is alive so called forgotten Americans. It is not black-

think that an authoritative organization will solve the problem of missionary distri
bution. Our churches in America are un evenly distributed but I do not think that

colored people but white-colored people. The other day I was begged some money
by American on the street, time 12.25
on the way from church. I don't know his

refuse to build an institution just to gain support. Institutions, no doubt, are helps
to preaching in areas of the world where they are needed. But they are not so neces

we should establish an organization with

authority to place ministers or close or open churches. The problem must be

intention but It is truly happened when

the sun is shiny. "If is very sorry to notify Americans that nobody can defeat me at table ten
nis."

sary in Japan for the country is so well developed that they can do a better job
in most of these fields than we would

solved by enlightening our people. In the

TOKYO CHRISTIAN

"You Ought to Know"

Continued from front

The air was filled with excitement as

the festive spirit of Obon seemed to lighten

and gladden the hearts of thousands of visitors from every part of Japan. li kimochi des ne, and subarashi, nesshin des ne, meaning: "It is a good and wonderful feeling and they are very zealous aren't they", were some of the remarks made by some persons as they momentarily stopped
to listen to Christian choruses sung to an

IP

accordian. These remarks definitely indi cate a greater blessing received from the street meeting than the Obon music and the dancing. The man in charge of the concession
next to where I was passing out tracts

L. to R. Eime Inomata, Koko Watanabe, Sumie Sekimo.

came and asked me, "Where are you going next?" He thought that we went from
festival to festival as he did and held

Three of the Tokyo

Christians You Should Know...
When I saw these 3 girls come hiking up toward the dining hall at Motosu Lake one afternoon last August with their ruck sacks on their backs, still smiling and energetic after the 5 mile hike around the lake from the bus station, I realized how much the camp means to many of our young friends here and also thought I should introduce through this column the "3 little sisters" team of business girls from Sakurayama Church. The story of how these young ladies became Christians is nothing dramatic or extraordinary, but it is interesting and rather typical.
When Miss Kimie Inomata was a third

Bible Class from time to time. When they

outdoor evangelistic meetings. Not a bad

idea at that! But such an effort is never without

were in the second year of High School she invited her good friend Sekino-san (who also lived In the neighborhood) to

go to the Sakurayama classes with her.

Sekino-san had formerly attended Sunday
School in another church, so was not op
posed.

opposition from the Devil, and sometimes come from unexpected sources. For exam ple, the following remark was made by a couple as they passed by, "I understand that down yonder (by the temple) they have an arena (for Obon dancing) but what is this? This must be the op position!" And they were so right. Then a foreign couple passed by and said to one of our missionaries in a voice sharp enough to split a cake of ice, "You are so tactless". And passing by another mission ary said, "You are bringing disgrace upon
the name of Jesus Christ". But these

Watanabe-san was baptized at Lake

Motosu on August 16, 19 63, the second year that all 3 girls attended the camp.
Sekino-san was baptized on Jan. 1, 1964. So this year at camp they were real veterans and made a real contribution.
Watanabe-san is employed in the Im

port Department of the Bank of Toyko. In the evenings after work she is taking a night course at Sophia University in.
social work.

Sekino-san works at the First Mutual

Life Insurance Company. All of them are

modernists couldn't be more wrong! For God used these methods, native Christians, and missionaries to bring at least five persons into His Kingdom. Then came the oppositionfrom with in! The Union Church is made up of Mis sionaries of many denominations who are
there Just-for a few weeks summer vaca
tion. And of course we Church of Christ

year student in High School and also at tending Muto-san's English classes every week she occasionally went to Andrew Patton's Sunday evening English Bible
Class which was near summer of 1962 she her home. saw the In the advertise

helpers In the Sunday School at Sakur ayama and faithful and happy ChrlstiansHarold Sims

Summer School,
Fall School...
This summer the Sophia University

ment and heard the announcement about

missionaries are only three or four in con trast to the hundreds. Consequently, tlie
tracts that were used were interdenomi

national in content and approach. But I had brought some of my own New Testa
ment tracts. And one of the Calvinist mis

sionaries had it translated by one of his native workers, and exploded all over the place denouncing us as water regenerates and Campbellites. But of course his twis ted understanding couldn't be more wrong. For we are neither, just simply
Christians that believe the words of Jesus

the camp, so decided to go. From the first day of the camp she was deeply im pressed by Mr. Kobayashi's evening vesper sermons and began to think very seriously toward a decision for Christ. On Friday night at the camp fir she almost stepped forward to profess faith in Christ, and the next Lord's Day (Aug. 25, 1962) she
was Immersed at the Kamiochio Church. Since that time she has been a faithful

(Catholic) in Tokyo had another of its 30 day summer sessions for a group of
about 300 students from the U.S. who wanted to enjoy a summer of travel and

pick up some college credits along the way. Since we were staying In the city this year, and the subject of "Religions of Japan" was interesting to me, and the
lectures were in air-conditioned rooms, I decided to attend. There were 3 different

member of Sakurayama Church, and she has now become the organist there.

when he said, " . . . He that belleveth and Is baptized shall be saved".

Pray that the Good Seed sown this year continue to bring forth fruit, and that next year, next year's meeting will bring even a greater harvest.

She graduated from a Junior Colloge and is now employed in the Foreign De partment of the Mitsubishi Bank. Also at the '62 Motosu Camp there were 2 other girls from Sakurayama, but until that time they were not well ac quainted with Inomata-san. Miss Yoko Watanable and Sumie Sekino were High
School classmates. Watanabe-san's mother

professors (all Catholic priests) who were specialists in the fields of Zen Buddhism,
Confucianism and Japanese psychology, and it was very stimulating mentally to have this refresher course during those
hot July days.

Now this fall I have a very practical use for the summer study. Akada-san, our

Nagano boy who has been studying in

Osaka Bible Seminary for the past 3 years Continued on back

Stanley Buttray

was a Christian, so was very happy when Yoko began going to Andrew Patton's

TOKYO CHRISTIAN

Page 4

SU3IMER SCHOOL

Continued from page 3

is now in Tokyo. He came back home to take a special summer course at the Tamagawa University here. Two of the sub jects he lacks before graduating from O.B.S. are Comparative Religions and History of Missions, and at the request of the Osaka faculty and Akada-san it was arranged that A1 Hammond teach him History of Missions and I teach Compar ative Religions for 12 weeks this fall here in Tokyo6 hours a week in each sub ject. Two young men from the Shimoochiai Church who plan to enter Bible Col lege next year are also studying with us.
-Harold Sims

Mr. Armstrong Passes

Ray Armstrong, Betty's father, returned

Vocation Bible Schools . .

"Sayonara, minasama. Shizukani shite

to his Maker and Lord on July 19, 1964.

His and sick had heart and body could stand no more so they just gave up. He had been with diabetes for several years. He already had a severe heart attack

lesu-sama

(Mr.

Jesus)

to

tomo

ni

Kaerimasho" (Good-bye everybody. With Jesus let us quietly return home).

This song ended the 3 days of D.V.B.S.
at both Nakano and Kamioehiai churches

and a stroke that took a terrible toll on his strength and health.

We had expected to have to return home a year ago because of his health.

this

summer.

I was asked to

play the

organ at Kamioehiai, and helped with the

refreshments, recreation and handwork at

But he seemed to muster strength and

was able to fight until we returned home

for our regularly scheduled furlough on

June 6. A sore on his left foot refused

Nakano, and I was glad to do whatever

I could to make it a success.

to heal. So the doctor had him hospital

ized on the day after we returned home. Gangrene had developed in his foot and
Japanese Vacation Bible Schools are

Summer Camp . . .
Hope and I spent a lot of days and had a wonderful time at Motosu Camp this
summer. Our first week there was July 12-18. This was the first week of the camp season, but some folks had gone up the week before and cleaned up the place
and cut down the weeds so it was in

only 3 days long for several reasons, such

as lack of teachers, no Standard D.V.B.S.

the leg had to be amputated. The oper ation was successful and the leg healed well. Later on, however, he had more
strokes,
death.

the

last

of

which

caused

his

Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong have served

as our forwarding agent since 1953. "We appreciate the spirit of self-sacrifice and service which have characterized their

supplies and short vacations. The average attendance was 30-40 this year. It was only for first through sixth grade chil dren. After singing, prayer and a story they divided into age groups for study of
the lesson and handwork.

better condition than I had expected.

The campers this week were all Amer

work in this capacity. Their help has en

abled us to spend more time in the work in Tokyo.

ican kids, mostly from the Church of Christ that doesn't use instruments (who
own the campground) or from our

Mrs.

Armstrong

is

herself

In

poor

churches. There were about 80 people in all, counting the faculty,' cooks, etc. It was a lot different from our camp, because we had all American style food, all the lessons were in English, we had 2 campfires and stunt nights and Hope and I both had boy friends.

healt]! which has caused her to have to

relinquish her work as our forwarding

agent. Another fine Christian couple has agreed to take her place. They will be introduced to our friends and supporters
before we return to Japan.

At Nakano we had some competition with the local shrine. It was that time of August when they have the children's "omatsuri" or festival. The parents dress the children up in bright kimono. There are some Idols which the older boys carry, and then there are long ropes at
tached to some of the Idols which are on

wagons and the girls and young kids pull those. Anyway they made a lot of
noise as they passed the church.

We will be living with Mrs. Armstrong

until our furlough is completed. There
fore, our address will remain the same. All communications and funds for us until
further notice should be sent to:
Andrew Patton

Then on August 10th the camp for

young people of our Japanese churches began. This was the sixth year that Hope and I have attended this camp, so we are

I asked Mrs. Imada, one of the teachers, what the purpose was and she

didn't know. She asked the children why

their friends went and if they knew what

getting to be veterans at camping even though we still can't swim very well. But this year, on the day we got to camp, the Pepsi-Cola truck came and I arranged
to sell that in my store. Thanks to that extra attraction I did more business this
year than before and made better than

R. R. No. 3, Box 310 Piqua, Ohio 45356

^Andrew Patton

the meaning of all this was. They told her it was "omoshiroi" (interesting, ex citing) but no one knew the meaning. She used that opportunity to show them that there is meaning and purpose be
hind what was taught at D.V.B.S.
Hope Sims

$10.00 profit.

At this camp we all have to help wash

dishes with our team and do other hard

work. Also the activities are all in Japan

ese language, which we don't understand

too well, and the food is all Japanese style

which we don't digest too well after the first 3 days. But we still had a lot of
fun.

This year a total of 139 people at

tend the camp, which is more than ever

before. This includes the faculty and fami

lies and cooks as well as the students.

The camp was divided days High School and 3 days for families and (the week-end) and 3
represented.

into 3 parts5 College students, employed people days for middle-

school pupils. Ten different churches were

Sylvia Sims

High Sdhool and College Week