Japan (MNN) – A couple of months ago, we told you about pastor Takahiro Ami in Sendai City, Japan, who held his church services in a local bar. It was smelly and crowded, but it was the only place they could find. Well, here’s an encouraging update: Joe Handley with A3 says Ami has found a new building better suited for his congregation’s needs. “He is cutting new territory with church life in Japan by meeting outside of a traditional church building,” Handley says. “Even just his step into a bar was courageous, and now, to take this to another level, where they’ll have more accessibility for families, is quite remarkable.”
Having church in a bar?Japan (MNN) — When you think of church, what comes to mind? Well-dressed men and women worshipping in a large building with a cross on the top? That’s not always the case. Sometimes, you have to make do with what you have. That’s what Taka Hiroami, the pastor of Praise Community Church in Sendai, Japan who’s working with A3’s leadership development partnership, is dealing with. They don’t have their own building, but that’s not stopping believers from worshipping together.
At A3 one of our core goals in our mission is to “unite the Church”. We put it this way, we develop leaders… “to unite the Church, multiply leaders and congregations, and extend the transforming power of the Gospel.” Jesus himself highlights the importance of unity in John 17: “that they may be one, even as we are one.” He’s speaking of times when the world will tear us apart and this is his prayer to the Father that we may be unified in the midst of the challenges the world throws our way. In my lifetime, I can’t think of a more important season for...
A Friend in NeedMy friend, Cynthia MacPhee, has been going through quite a trial lately: a serious bout with cancer. We thought she had licked it a few months ago but it has returned with a vengeance. Fortunately, she was diagnosed quickly again and has seen some of the finest doctors in the world to address the...
When I joined A3 just over 9 years ago, one of the motivating factors was their focus and success in reaching the unreached people groups of the world. That’s why I so enjoyed spending time with a colleague in one of our sessions recently in a country that must remain unnamed due to security concerns. My colleague wrote this follow up report that so encouraged me. I trust it’ll encourage you as well:
“One of the most exciting things for me about the pastors in these two classes is the dedication that they show toward...
Not long ago, one of my doctoral committee members suggested that the core of my dissertation research was very much in line with some new thinking related to the concept of the Medici Effect. You can learn more about this through Frans Johansson’s book of the same title linked above. Wikipedia describes this approach as:
“In the book, Johansson argues that innovation comes from diverse industries, cultures, and disciplines when they all intersect, bringing ideas from one field into another. He also recommends assembling diverse...
The story of this lady was amazing. She lived just 1.5 kilometers from the ocean (about a mile) and the tsunami took everything. Soon after, the gentlemen standing next to her, started a house fellowship not too long after retiring from work. He was inspired by his church to start another church after he retired from a great career. Did it matter that he is not a pastor? No. Did it matter that he had received no significant theological training? No. Rather, his pastor saw his gifts and invested in him for years. From the A3 training, he developed a plan to empower lay leaders to start churches so that they could reach the Japanese people. He knew there was no way you could reach Japan through just the clergy alone. So, he raised up several business leaders to begin starting house churches in his region.
One of the principles in A3 is that healthy churches grow. It’s why we spend so much time investing in key leaders’ personal walk with God and their growth in him. Because, when we are deeply embedded with Christ, we are naturally very fruitful. Many of those leaders were on display in Tohoku (Northeast Japan) for a few days at Vision Festa, a gathering of pastors, missionaries and NGO leaders coming together to share God’s vision for Japan. I was deeply touched by them and many pictured in these photos are key partners of A3/Japan. They shared about Strawberry Patch Evangelism. That even small little strawberry plants are quick to reproduce because they shoot stems into the soil nearby and next thing you know you have an entire patch. And, they shared about Pomegranate church planting where a single fruit has hundreds of seeds to spread around and start new fellowships...
New law ramping up pressure on churchesSoutheast Asia (MNN) — In many communities, the local church exists to serve people and be a beacon of Christ’s love. But not everyone sees it that way. In many countries, the government sees the body of believers as a threat to their way of life. That’s what one pastor who’s been trained by A3 says is happening in a country in Southeast Asia. In one case, a congregation meeting in a pastor’s house raised enough money for a church building, only to have it shut down by authorities. “Right after they...
I’ve been inspired by pastors in Japan this past week. 70 or more gathered in Northern Japan for a movement called Vision Festa. It’s a movement of people with a passion for church planting and I’m eager to share their stories… Those will come later though. For now, why is church planting so important? When so many people are down on the local church these days, why would I believe church planting is so important and why are these leaders coalescing around this fresh vision? Missiologist Peter Wagner once said, “Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven.” Pastor Tim Keller picked up on this theme as well. Check out his post on the same subject, Why Church Planting? Everywhere I have gone, I’ve seen these truths displayed...
Philippines (MNN) — The Filipino military declared a brief ceasefire Sunday, allowing Muslims to peacefully celebrate the end of Ramadan. The lull in the fighting also allowed for the rescue of six civilians trapped in the city of Marawi. Government forces are forging progress toward peace, but it’s slow-going. Earlier last week, about 200 suspected members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) took hostages and holed up for hours inside a school, then took five civilians with them after fleeing. Some say the attack could be a diversion for the Islamic State to gain more ground in Marawi. “That is a common perception because the BIFF is sympathetic to the radical group,” says Herman Moldez with A3, an organization that trains and equips Christian leaders throughout Asia. “In fact, there had been some effort for reinforcement coming from Salou and these areas, and so one of the reasons for the declaration of martial [law] of the entire [island of] Mindanao is for the military to be able to respond quickly and not to complicate the whole matter in Marawi City...
What a joy it was for me to participate with Bishop Efraim Tendero at the World Evangelical Alliance gathering of Associate Members to brainstorm the future of the movement. I was so inspired by Bishop Ef’s style of leadership: so humble, so gracious, so serving. And, he invited us in to see the inner workings and problems the WEA is facing. He asked us to speak into their life and growth. Very few leaders do this! I was impressed… You may know that Bishop Ef was the key person to help us begin getting connected in the Philippines so I credit him with opening the doors and networks and today, A3/Philippines is off to a great start! One of the highlights of our week...
From CEO Joe Handley
Posts from Janelle Stoops, U.S. President of A3
A3 Community blog with posts from a variety of contributors
Stories about Asian Access published by Mission Network News, a mission news service dedicated to keeping Christians informed on evangelical mission activity around the world. In doing so we hope to educate and motivate Christians to prayer, participation, and support of missionary work to help further the Great Commission.
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For over half a century, A3 has catalyzed movements in Asia. Now, with doors open in the Middle East, North Africa, and the West, we have boldly stepped in...
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