A Sunday at Tsugaru Church

Sunday Worship

Sunday is the busiest ministry day with English classes starting in the morning followed by worship practice, the worship service, and lunch with the church. The evenings were either filled with and English church service or a concert.

It is always amazing to be able to worship God in another language alongside brothers and sisters that I have never met before. In Itayangi the church of consists of a group of about twenty people, ranging from about age six to about over seventy. This, by Japan standards is a large church. Churches are small but they are tightly knit because when a person chooses to commit their life to Jesus, many times they are cut off from their family. Because becoming a Christian means paying a high price – and worshiping in church with people who have had to sacrifice so much to be there is a rare and real blessing. There is a strong feeling of “togetherness” among the people at the church and we were welcomed into that community for the three Sundays we were there. Leading them in worship was an even greater blessing because we were able to give them a special type of worship that they do not usually have. Because churches are so small there are not many people who are able to lead worship and singing in the way that we have in Canada. It is a blessing that the church in North America can give to the Japanese church. It is also an encouragement to the missionaries here as well to be lead in worship.