01 April 2011
Dear Friends,
Immanuel General Mission has set up Disaster Relief Section in our headquarters so that we may come to know the loss and pain of those churches that were stricken hard by the earthquakes and tsunami. More than ten days have passed since March 11. However, we still feel strong aftershocks every day. We appreciate for your kind and encouraging words that comes from different parts of the world and for your prayers. I would like to share some of recent info with you.
We have communicated with pastors, asking about health and security of themselves and their church members, damage of the church buildings and of houses of church members. It seems that serious damages were caused by three factors: earthquakes, tsunami, and the soil liquefaction.
Rev. Noriyasu Tanaka of Sendai Church reported serious damage on the church building and a parsonage that an assistant pastor lives in. Their extension church in Shiogama submerged about four feet in the tsunami water. Rev. N. Tanaka is still making survey of the damage on members’ houses.
Rev. Katsumi Kunimitsu of Morioka Church reported about a family. The family lost their house by tsunami but all the members could survive. A daughter was rescued while she was floated by tsunami. The church building was damaged.
Rev. Yasuaki Kubo reported serious damage on the church building. One family lost their house. They evacuated from their house to the church. A hospital that a church member owns needs to rebuild its building.
Rev. Mieko Sakashita reported a member’s family whose house is leaning. During the night they evacuated from their house.
Rev. Takako Tsutada of Kamisu Church got serious damage on the church building and their parsonage. Because of the soil liquefaction, many houses in that area were badly damaged. Three families had their houses seriously damaged.
Besides the above mentioned churches, there are serious damages on Ajiki Church and Mito Church.
Immanuel General Mission is a member denomination of Japan Evangelical Association (JEA). We also give our work and monetary gift to JEA. If you wish to give gifts to IGM churches or to JEA for disaster relief, you may use one of the following ways:
1. You can send a check payable to Immanuel General Mission.
2. You can send money through your missionaries’ account.
3. You can remit the donation to our account directly.
Account Owner’s Name & Address :
Immanuel General Mission
c/o OCC 1 Kanda-Surugadai 2-Chome
Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo 101-0062, JAPAN
Bank Name & Branch:
Mizuho Bank, Ltd.
Kudan Branch
Swift Code:
MHBKJPJT
Kind and Number of the Account:
Foreign Currency Ordinary Deposit
No. 532-9106448
4. When the money is designated to JEA, please write a memo ‘or JEA.’
Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, ‘Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?” (Joel 2:17)
Isaac T. Saoshiro
(President, Immanuel General Mission)
Paul H. Ueki
(Disaster Relief Section)