2012年に開拓された北三陸キリスト教会は岩泉町、田野畑村、普代村、野田村のための教会です（プロテスタント、福音派、単立です;しかし、カトリックの信者も一緒に礼拝するのもうれしいです）。北三陸キリスト教会は岩泉町岩泉字三本松24-12で毎週礼拝を日曜日の午後３：００－５：００を行っています。田野畑村・普代村・野田村での礼拝を参加したい希望者なら、それについて連絡してください。電話番号は０８０－６３８８－３８８０です。牧師はバークナーです。まだクリスチャンではない方々も礼拝にくるのはかまいません。見に行って下さい。どなたでもどうぞ。興味がある方々がマンツーマン聖書学びもできます。津波後そして台風10号後岩泉、田野畑、野田でそして台風19号後岩泉の小本そして普代村で支援活動を行いました。ボランティアセンターもやっています。
Overview of Kita Sanriku Christ C
hurch
History/Timeline of Kita Sanriku Kirisuto Kyoukai.
• Kita Sanriku Kirisuto Kyoukai (church) is a non-denominational Bible-based Protestant church serving Iwaizumi Town (including downtown, Omoto, Akka, Kogawa, Okawa, etc.), Tanohata, Fudai, and Noda villages.
• After survey trips in May and August 2011, preliminary ministry began in February 2012, with initial residential ministry from April 2012 and worship services from June 2012.
• Kid’s Sunday School began in April 2013 in Iwaizumi. Worship services began in a second location, Noda village, from Spring 2013, as did monthly Kid’s gatherings in Noda and sometimes elsewhere. Local worship services in Omoto, Fudai, Tanohata, and Kogawa are eventually envisioned.
• Other ministry activities occurs across the whole Iwaizumi town and three village area. These are not each separate churches, but a single church for Kita Sanriku with more localized worship gatherings or 'chapels'.
• Though beginning at another location in Iwaizumi at first, and also meeting in the Akkerakan at times, from Fall of 2015 the headquarters is at 76 Aza Muraki Iwaizumi, Iwaizumi Cho, Shimohei Gun, Iwate Ken 027-0501.
• The Iwaizumi Christian Volunteer Center began as a base with overnight accommodation of volunteers in May 2012, with preliminary preparation and volunteer activities starting from August 2011.
• The Rural Japan Church Planter Training Center will launch in March 2022, but preparations began in February 2021. Main Ministry Activities of Kita Sanriku Kirisuto Kyoukai
• Worship Services. Currently in Iwaizumi and also at a second location, Noda, until the pandemic. The Noda location will resume in 2022 and up to 4 more locations may also be added in the future. The Iwaizumi worship service is on Sundays at 3 PM. We are meeting in person again at present, but periodically go to online only depending on local and regional pandemic situation. Also, we will temporarily be closed from December 25 to mid to late February while the pastor is on sabbatical. Online messages are available instead on the page. Worship services are in Japanese, but English translation is available upon request. A monthly bilingual service will begin in the Spring of 2022. Be in contact by calling 080 6388 3880 for information on meeting times and locations. One on one Bible studies are also available.
• Sunday Schools/Kid’s Events/Summer Break Programs. Special events for kids during school breaks and Christmas/Easter holidays are held in various places such as Iwaizumi downtown, Akka, Kogawa Kado, and Omoto; Tanohata; Fudai; and Noda, and sometimes in other rural parts of North Tohoku. . In addition, monthly kid’s clubs, Sunday Schools, or similar are held in Noda and sometimes in Fudai and downtown Iwaizumi.
• Neighborhood Groups are held 1 to 12 times per year in each of over 20 neighborhoods, depending on the year. These include or have included Iwaizumi’s Akka, Kogawa Kado, Kogawa Horowata, multiple locations downtown, Sobata, and Nakajima, Nakasato, 2 parts of downtown, Konari, and a highland area of Omoto; Tanohata (various areas in downtown, Raga, or Shimohokoshi), in downtown Fudai, and in lower and upper Shimoakka, Shinmachi, Maeta, Minamihama, downtown, and honmachi areas of Noda.
• Christmas and Easter events are held at the two worship service locations for adults and kids, each of the neighborhood group locations, and sometimes at additional locations such as elderly day cares and preschools and facilities for the handicapped.
• Visitation, Spiritual Consultation, and one-on-one Bible Study occur at the church and in individual homes.
• Distribution of event announcements and free Christian literatures occurs throughout the four town/village area and sometimes other rural areas that do not yet have their own church.
• English classes and wedding conduction (pastoral portion) are occasionally conducted upon request.
• Multipurpose Drop-In Centers in up to four locations may be opened during 2022. Here, people can gather for various purposes, come to chat or consult, do homework, eat obento lunch together, etc. Also, various activities for different groups can be held. This will include activities for the elderly, teens, kids, and others.
• Kita Sanriku Kirisuto Kyoukai also has two associated ministries it leads:
--Iwaizumi Christian Volunteer Center (from 2012)
--the newly starting Rural Japan Church Planter Training Center (from 2022)
About Kita Sanriku Christ Church’s Iwaizumi Christian Volunteer Center . This is a volunteer activity center and base for Christian volunteers from abroad and Japan to serve through the local church in rural communities to aid as they serve rural communities in North Iwate and Akita in spiritual and concrete practical ways such as disaster relief and recovery, community building activities, other community service, and international exchange. Christianity addresses the whole person, body, mind, and spirit, and the broader wellbeing in society. Kita Sanriku Christ church strives to serve its community not just in the past via its prior tsunami/typhoon relief and recovery activities, but also in the present and long term future in the post-recovery era that the region has entered. Short-term volunteers can still play a part in this. Places Served to Date: Iwaizumi (Iwaizumi’s multiple areas downtown, Omoto’s multiple areas downtown, Nakajima, Nakasato, Konari, and a highland area, Akka, Kogawa’s Kado and Horowata, Okawa), Tanohata (Raga, Shimonokoshi, downtown), Fudai, and Noda (Maeta, Shimoakka, Shinachi, Minamihama, Honmachi, downtown, etc.), as well as Akita’s Fujisato, Kitaakita Aikawa, and Kazuno). Past 2011 Tsunami, 2016 Typhoon, and 2019 Typhoon relief/recovery work. The church’s volunteer Center’s activities were conducted both independently and in cooperation with secular entities, and the church’s volunteer center especially focused on the more overlooked or hard to reach areas, as well as an area very near the church/base. Main activities included:
*Mobilizing, temporarily housing, and guiding the activities of 530 volunteers from churches in 30 prefectures in Japan and 19 nations abroad.
*Mudouts/housing cleanup/debris removal
*Cleaning pictures and important documents
*Sorting of donated goods for distribution
*Providing hot meals (takidashi) to groups of 20 to 150 people at shelters, temporary housing, and door-to-door delivery to those sheltering in place.
*Monthly mobile heart care gatherings in most and holiday events, goods giveaways, and other activities in all 11 tsunami-related and all 10 typhoon-related temporary housing developments in the Iwaizumi/Tanohata/Fudai/Noda area from August 2011 until Spring 2020 (i.e., until temp housing closed or was nearly closed in each location). Mobile cafes typically included snacks, listening ministry, community bonding, singing Christian and secular music, a brief message of hope and encouragement from the Bible, crafts, and giveaway tables of physical goods and Christian literature.
*Heart care visitation to individuals in homes/shelters
*Outdoor events in additional locations (impacted neighborhoods, shelters) also occurred.
*Collection of new and used physical goods and distribution at shelters, temp housing areas, and impacted neighborhoods to the subset sheltering in place while rebuilding. For example, curtains, rice, vegetables, snacks, general household everyday items, tissue, toilet paper, light sticks, stuffed animals, cross necklaces, New Testaments, Christian literature/tapes/DVDs for adults and children, mini-library collections, smiley face magnets, gardening gloves, tulip bulbs, seeds, scarves/hats/gloves, socks, clothing, cards, children's toys, Christmas presents, magnifying glasses, curtains, various food items, pots for plants, cleaning items, etc.
*Need assessment and needs surveys, including identifying individual needs for larger items, and filling those we could (e.g., heaters, futons, rice cookers, etc.)
*Purchased and distributed Welcome Home Move-In Packs to over 200 households in all 10 temp housing areas, plus parts of Otomo. They included basics needed by those entering temp housing or returning home after cleaning up such as everyday household goods like soy sauce, oil, sugar, bleach, sponge, gloves, food for an initial meal, rice, and so on, plus a needs survey form, concise Bible for the spirit, and chocolate for the heart.
*Donated goods giveaway events at temp housing areas, the church, and elsewhere.
*Kid’s events in Omoto, Tanohata, and sometimes additional temp housing locations.
*Christmas and Easter Events at or near most temp housing areas in the Kita Sanriku area, ‘Santa’ door to door visitation in temp housing areas and impacted neighborhoods, and co-participation in 100 Santa event
*Occasional su***de interventions
*Arranging special concerts, mini-concerts, and plays in temp housing, shelters, and impacted nursing homes.
*Temp to perm housing transition events
Community Service Activities Unrelated to Disaster Response
*Neighborhood Groups in over 20 neighborhoods, which have both community service and spiritual elements
*Kid’s Events in multiple locations
*Activities for the elderly at nursing homes, elderly day care centers, etc.
*Opportunities to interact with those from various countries
Current Opportunities for Volunteering and Missionary Service. Pre-pandemic, over the years, volunteers have come from Okinawa Kyushu, Shikoku, Hokkaido, and within Honshu from Tottori, Okayama, Saitama, Osaka, Aomori, Kanagawa, Tokyo, Yamanashi, , Nagano, Chiba, Shiga, Niigata, Toyama, Hyogo, and Iwate within Japan, and also from abroad (from Germany, U.S., Canada, Iceland, New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, South Africa, Peru, Paraguay, Chile, Thailand, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan). In addition, goods or financial support have also been sent by people in additional prefectures--Gifu, Kochi, Ibaraki, and Aichi Japan. Short-term individuals and teams and mid-term and long-term singles, couples, or families are invited to apply for ongoing opportunities to serve with Kita Sanriku Christ Church and its volunteer center. However, for the time being, for short-term service under 90 days, the pandemic limits such to people currently within Japan, and then only with various precautions and at certain timings, but application for visas for longer term service are now possible again for those from overseas, with some precautions (vaccines, quarantines, testing, etc.). The last disaster survivor moved out of temporary housing in June 2020. The area has now recovered from the 2011 tsunami, 2016 typhoon Lionrock flood, and 2019 typhoon flood disasters. But short-term teams and individuals are welcome to volunteer once again to assist with other types of community service and the ongoing church plant once pandemic realities permit. For those considering long-term service and perhaps leading a rural church plant in the future, you may also apply to be part of the Rural Japan Church Planter Training Center. Be sure to apply well in advance. About Kita Sanriku Kirisuto Kyoukai’s New Rural Japan Church Planter Training Center. In partnership with RJTA in Japan, various partnering churches and mission agencies abroad who dispatch missionaries to Japan, and the Rural Japan Church Planting Network (RJCPN), Kita Sanriku Christ Church is starting and leading the Rural Japan church Planter Training Center. Based in Iwaizumi and launching in March 2022, the Rural Japan Church Planter Training Center will prepare first term missionaries to Japan to relocate second term to plant a church in another rural community. Two and four year programs available. Participating individuals (after an application and approval process) serve as part of the Kita Sanriku Christ Church ministry team under the leadership of the pastor Dawn Birkner, being exposed to all types of church activities, while also studying Japanese up to half-time. Participants are also dispatched for short periods of time to serve with other partnering churches throughout Tohoku (mainly) and Japan, primarily in rural communities. There are also periodic lectures. Occasional practical training trips are also taken to nearby unchurched towns and villages. Participants live in either Iwaizumi, Tanohata, Fudai, or Noda and assist as part of a team the church ministry throughout the four town/village rural region. There is a shortage of Christian pastors, missionaries, and Christian volunteers in much of rural Japan. This center will help prepare people to serve in the future so as to help reduce this shortage and better support and reach out in rural communities in Japan. Ongoing and Future Activities. Planning, mobilizing volunteers for, and leading relief/recovery activities, along with weekly worship services in two locations, several neighborhood groups, and Kid’s Sunday Schools, were the main focuses of the church’s activities until the closing of the last temp housing area in the area in 2020. Post-recovery, of course relief/recovery work is over, but the worship service, outreach, and other non-disaster related community service activities continue. The fourth/fifth waves of the pandemic required some of these to be suspended and others to go online, but in person gatherings are now gradually resuming. Some new activities are also envisioned if additional missionaries are mobilized for the team. Ongoing, soon to resume, or soon to be started church and community service activities already do or soon will include most of the following:
*The worship service continues, sometimes online and sometimes in person. At present, in person gathering has resumed at the Iwaizumi location. In person gathering at the Noda location is anticipated in Spring 2022.
*Annual Christmas/Easter events at 20-30 locations throughout the 4 communities served, resuming form Dec. 2021.
*Pre-pandemic there were neighborhood groups meeting 1 to 9 times a year at up to 22 locations. These include hymn singing and short Bible message, craft time, and time of chatting/fellowship over tea/coffee/snacks. Many of the neighborhood groups and kid’s programs underway pre-pandemic were put on hold during the fourth/fifth waves, but one neighborhood group has already resumed, more will in December, and the rest will gradually be resuming around the start of the year in April 2022.
*Home heart care visitation as well as one on one Bible studies.
*Events/activities for the elderly and those living alone, including at elderly day care centers and nursing homes in Iwaizumi and elsewhere will resume and be expanded. This also sometimes includes mini-concerts, plays, etc.
*English classes; pre-marital counsel; wedding conducting; and spiritual consultation upon request. Chinese, cooking, IT use for the elderly, or similar classes may be added in the future.
*Possibly meal service to or simplified cooking classes for elderly men living alone and at risk of malnutrition
*Spiritual counseling, sharing the gospel or relevant Bible passages, evangelism, and distributing Christian literature to those in the community who show interest is also an important part of the church’s holistic ministry.
*Kid’s events and/or Sunday Schools resumed and expanded, at church, after school programs, and pre-schools, and sometimes outdoors in summer in especially remote areas.
*Possibly adding a Youth Group for Teen
*New Multi-Purpose Drop-In Centers in four locations
*Expanded music-based ministry
*Expanded evangelism
*Possibly one or more additional worship service locations will be added.
*A pilot project addressing reduced agriculture due to depopulation is under consideration, as well as ways to increase tourism to rural communities in the area. About the Pastor
Pastor Dawn Birkner is an ordained pastor and missionary serving in Japan for over 20 years. She serves with Reaching Japan Together Association in Japan and Reaching Japan Together Mission Agency in the U.S. She has been and continues to serve as the pastor of Kita Sanriku Christ Church and leader of its Volunteer Center (including tsunami and typhoon relief work, and various forms of community service) since early 2012. Prior to that, she lived in Shikoku, Nagano, and several US States. Her sister and parents live in the U.S. She is from America, where she once worked as a scientist in cancer research and then in human health and ecological risk assessment for environmental consulting firms, before becoming pastor and missionary. She prepared for a career in both prior to starting her careers in science and then as a Christian missionary/pastor. She has been a Christian for over 40 years, from age 13. She enjoys helping those seeking answers to theological questions. From April of 2022, she will have lived in Iwaizumi longer than any other single place in her lifetime. Iwaizumi has become her “Japanese home town”. She loves the region’s amazing scenery and friendly people. She enjoys hiking and most other outdoor activities. She desires to see many rural communities like hers not only survive but thrive in the future.
