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GEORGE AND ETHEL BECKMAN

JAPAN ADDRESS: J ; _r:.


40-8 Kamizono-cho r
Nishinomiya, ^ ^ "
662 Japan D S ^
Telephone: (0798)-26-7170 , H
/J 'y
FORWARDING ADDRESS:
Mr. & Mrs. Oden E. Brown
Rochester, Illinois 62563 '
r, _i
George and Ethel Beckman
A WEEK WITH THE BECKMANS AT NISHINOMIYA
Bible School at Koyoen Church
interested in sports and plays the piano.
She holds some school track records.
From Tuesday until Friday, break
fast is a little earlier when George leaves
for chapel and his classes at Osaka Bible
Seminary, about an hour's trip by train
and bus. This six weeks he may be
teaching an intensive course in the
exegesis of some of die New Testament
letters, or another sue weeks he may be
teaching Background of the New Testa
ment or again Text and Canon. Two
Thursdays eachmonth supper is reheated
as he returns late from faculty meeting.
Tuesday morning after every one has
gone to school Ethel cleans up the house
for her Women's Bible Study Group that
meets every Tuesday from 10:30 until
noon, unless there is a school holiday.
Always there is something in which to
rejoice after these studies. It may be an
exclamation such as, "Oh, now I
understand what is meant by...It
may be a testimony prompted by some
point in the lesson.
Wednesday evening is prayer meeting
in the Beckmans' living room.
Ethel also teaches four aftemoons a
week at the Seminary for one term each
year. The course is Christian Women and
the Home for all the women students.
Saturday is catch-up day, family day,
get-ready-for-Sunday day.
This is more or less a typical week.
Occasionally there are other activities
that come in any regular schedule. There
are special committees in connection with
the Seminary, camp, etc. Ethel is on a
committee for researching Bible School
teaching materials to be published. Two
Friday evenings each month the missiona-
I lies of the Osaka area gather for prayer
meetings. Here we receive mutual en
couragement and spiritual recharging in
our fellowship together.
Page 3
Sunday services begin at ei^t
o'clock at Koyoen Church of Christ,
which meets in the basement of the
Beckmans' home. Moon Bae and Moonja
Sunoo meet with Ethel for Bible study in
English. They are the two oldest children
of Mr. & Mrs. In Sunoo, from Seoul,
Korea, who are now living in Koyoen.
Bible School for the children begins
at nine o'clock. At present there are three
classes, taught by Mr. Fujimoto, the
preacher; Mr. Homori, a student at Osaka
Bible Seminary; and Ethel. Ruth Beck-
man is organist for Bible School and
church. After the opening services in
Bible School are over, she goes back
upstairs, where the three Beckman girls
have a Bible lesson with their father as
teacher.
One of the main concerns of the
missionaries is the spiritual guidance of
dieir own children. As the children get
older and go to En^ish-speaking schools,
they understand less and less of the adult
Japanese language, so that if they attend
Japanese worship services they get very
little out of the service beyond having the
Lord's Supper and participating in the
singing and offering.
Worship services begin at ten-thirty.
There is very often one or two young
people who have come a long way to
church, and they stay after worship for a
short or long visit and eat lunch with us.
Every second Sunday of the month
George is gone to Kyoto, where he
preaches at the Sakyo Church of Christ
and stays for an officers' meeting in the
aftemoon. The Sakyo Church began in
the Beckmans' first home in Kyoto in
Febmary, 1949. The church is now
self-supporting.
Monday moming finds the ^rls off
to school at Canadian Academy, in Kobe.
Since Nishinomiya is midway between
Osaka and Kobe, they can commute to
school. Jenaim, the oldest daughter,
graduated in June, 1970. She was active
in the band for three years, playing the
French hom, and was treasurer of the
Girls' Athletic Association last year. She
plans to stay in Japan a year after
graduating, working and studying part
time.
Mary was a junior last school year
and believes in becoming involved to get
things moving. She was the editor of the
school newspaper last year, and believes
that she has learned enough through her
mistakes to be able to get out a good
paper.
Ruth, making the transition from
junior hi^ to high school in that
in-between ninth grade, is especially
George preaching in chapel
with Akira Oda interpreting.

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