It is reported that the earthquakes in Kumamoto, Japan on April 14 and 16 have caused great damage to local churches and Korean missionaries in the area. The churches of Kumamoto region are providing support, including by forming a single channel for restoration work, and the Korean missionaries have appealed to the Korean churches for support.
In a phone conversation with Kukmin Daily on the 18th, missionary Park Cheol-ho (41, Hitsujinomure Church) said, “Most of the 70 some churches in Kumamoto City have been either totally or partially damaged…Because the pastors of churches in Japan are mostly advanced in age, rapid response is difficult.” Describing the present situation, he said, “Since the 14th, there have been more than 500 aftershocks… The residents are trembling in fear due to the continual tremors.”
Kumamoto is one of the three original regions, or “bands,” in the history of the Japanese Protestant church: the “Yokohama band,” with deep ties to Presbyterian missionaries; the “Sapporo band” centered around Sapporo Agricultural College in Hokkaido; and the “Kumamoto band” with the Foreign School and educational missionaries at its center. Currently, almost no Koreans are residing in Kumamoto, and just three or four Korean missionary families are engaged in ministry with the Japanese people.
Reporters Sangmok Shin, Narae Kim, & Paek Sang-hyun (smshin@kmib.co.kr), with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)
Photo by Newsis
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Korean Church Support Requested for Kumamoto Churches Damaged in Earthquake
2016-04-19 15:39
