ACC Sunday at The Evangelical Church of Aomori

The Evangelical Church of Aomori (ECA) was planted by TEAM missionaries in the early 1950s and has been a major supporting church of the Aomori Christian Centre (ACC) ever since its beginnings as the Kominato Bible Camp in 1956. Luke attended here when he was grade one, and it is the church we attend as a family now, when we aren't away on an ACC Sunday church visit. ECA is currently exploring the several options of rebuilding, relocating, or renting. Please pray for wisdom as they seek a way forward. Their current building was built many decades ago on the site of OMF Japan's former field headquarters (later moved to Sapporo and then to Ichikawa). Half of the building is now unusable, and the other half is proving too expensive to maintain.

On January 9 we had the opportunity to host the Aomori KGK (Japanese IVCF) monthly meeting at the ACC staff house . . . part of the fulfillment of our first term goal to develop an ACC student ministry based out of the staff house.  We had a delightful time tubing, discussing a wide range of issues in the Christian life, and cooking and eating supper.

Happy New Year!  May God bless each of you in the year of our Lord 2016.  Here in Aomori three OMF families celebrated the second day of the year with a mini-snow camp . . . a forerunner, we pray, of many future snow camps to be held here where Christian families are spiritually refreshed through fun time spent together and where their un-churched friends meet Christ for the first time.  After the children sledded to their hearts content, we made our way to the "basketball field" where we made a snow house that bathed the night snowscape with the warm glow of candlelight.

This Sunday we had the opportunity to visit Hirosaki Evangelical Church for an ACC Sunday.  It was good to see a strong turnout from the Hirosaki University KGK (IVCF) members.  After the service we had a very good ACC Connect session (PowerPoint with Q & A) with many good questions.  May this be the beginning of regular and fruitful communication that will make the Aomori Christian Center "our Center" to many in Aomori Prefecture.

We praise the Lord for blessing our second student ministry open house.  The Intervarsity group from the Aomori University of Health and Welfare, the youth of the Evangelical Church of Aomori, and an assortment of friends of the above joined us for a Octopus Balls & Fried Noodles party.  Also had a time for sharing and prayed for Pastor Kano's son, Motoi, who is headed off to college in preparation for full time ministry.

FALL FUN - Autumn Family Work Camp

Special thanks to all those who gave of their time and energies for the Autumn Family Work Camp.  The chapel is looking great and a great deal of fallen branches and leaves were put in their respective places (bonfires, the staff house garden, etc.).  "Jehovah Jirah - “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”  May the Lord make provision for ACC's next 60 years of ministry, and may he make this a place of blessing for many.  Let us continue in prayer together for the re-creation of the Aomori Christian Center, lifting up our eyes to the Lord Jesus Christ, our living hope.