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1. View of the Hyakunincho church now, looking from inside;
@Many of pupils who attended the Hyakunincho churchfs Sunday service or heard about, said to me gthe Hyakunincho is out of ordinary churchesh. So, I asked back them which point you thought to be a unique. There were varieties of answer back to me. I asked myself the Hyakunincho is surely out of ordinary church, or so unique. Then I said to myself there might be many unique points from my understanding also.
@One of uniqueness may be my self (writer this section) who is current principal pastor of the Hyakunincho. I was born in Korea and grew up there. Some reason made me come into Japan from February end of 1992, and some reason made me the Hyakuninchofs pastor from 1997. So to speak, it is gAn imported pastorh, and not imported from Western world but Asia. This fact may make something different from ordinary Japanese churches.
@In our church, Mr. Cesar Santoyo, Filipino from Philippine, is our member and working as a missionary to support and take care of many of Filipinos who were living in Japan. Pastor Nan Hudson of Canadian Union church is one of corporate pastor of the Hyakunincho, and notify our activity to Canadian people. We also have a sister relation with Jamsil Central church in Korea since 1979 and have the joint retreat at Korea and Japan alternatively every year. In 1999, summarizing those cultural and missionary exchange with the Jamsil, we published book named gEast Asian peace and Christianityh as memory of 20 yearsf anniversary from the Shinkyo Publishing company. We have also several unique Japanese members. Under such circumstance, people from variety of country came to Sunday service or meetings.
@Uniqueness will be explained from hard and soft aspect separately in most cases. One of Hyakuninchofs uniqueness is they have almost no hard material. We have no church building as like a chapel; instead rent a room for Sunday service and meetings. Minimum hardware we have is no more than bibles, hymnbooks and the lead organ wh
ich using since 1978. The lead organ is very simple construction. It is like a small box with plywood exterior frame and made for potable use originally. Because of almost no hardware, it can be said to set a high value on soft aspect such as meetings and Sunday service.
@A Sunday service is used to be held in rent a room weekly. For 2 or 3 special occasions in a year, we move to some other place as a whole of church. That is annual retreats or a memorial service of members passed away.
@Every Sunday, firstly we have to rearrange chairs and tables in square or pentagon style. It is in order to see every bodyfs face each other upmost. There is no pulpit, nor decoration, obviously no cross monument. Members may take a seat any place even if officiate and pastor.
@Uniqueness of the Hyakuninchofs meetings including a Sunday service can be shown on its longer duration of time than ordinary church. Average duration will be 3~4 hours not only for a Sunday service, but also other meetings. There are many meetings such as a reading home circle, a Bible-study group, Korean language Bible-study and Passion Week home gatherings. All of meeting, we used to take a meals together. When taking a count for the time preparing meals, meeting duration will be longer than 4 hours. When a member attends every meeting, he or she will take a meal together more than 100 times in a year. Those times may form closer friendship. Since it is not only simple communication, but also making meals, eating together, expressing own opinion in turn and exchange each thinking, we can share and understand each thought.
@A Sunday service is used to start at 10:30 Am and ended about 1 Pm. Therefore, we can have about 30 minutes or 1 hour discussion time. There is no person who fails into a doze even though long time of period. In the Hyakuninchofs Sunday service, we donft use wording of gpreachingh, instead, use gtestimonyh. The principal pastor has gtestimonyh every two weeks. People involved in church will be in charge of other weeksf gtestimonyh. By the way, the testimony will not do only by church member, but also a person who has any relation with the Hyakunincho. Church member will become in charge once every 3 or 4 years and express own way of thinking and belief. Attendances of Sunday service have a chance to here every different personfs testimony. The pastor has also a good chance to know many peoplefs thinking and belief, and to be educated by all means.
@One more unique point is a matter of gresponseh we call in the service. This is real response to the subject matter what a person talked. The response will be not only impression or question including a criticism, but also hot discussion about related current affaires many times. Through these responses, todayfs testimony will be able to come into each personfs heart and to be absorbed well. In the case of one way speaking, good absorption could not be expected. But when we have such style of response, even not much well speaker can share his or her opinion with others. In other words, everybody can exchange their opinion mutually, understand each other and make a good decision for future.
@Those styles may be expressed well in weekly. The weekly is printed on vertically long B-4 size of paper and used as sectioning four equal parts. Upper left portion indicates an order of Sunday service, and upper right is meeting schedule and report. Lower left is the pastorfs journal and right is memberfs one. A member in charge of this column rotates among all church members related.
@The program of gresponseh will be adopted also by other churches, and it is their own decision whether working into the schedule or not. In the case of the Hyakunincho, lunch time works into the schedule since we would like to have longer duration of response. Then, we think it is better a part of the schedule. Those styles come from membersf discussion and may make the Hyakuninchofs uniqueness.
@Ifd like show you one of the scene in brief, which happened July 22nd, 2007 Sunday service; A person in charge of testimony was Ms Vida.T.M.Beltran. She is Filipina, and of course one of church member. Her husband is also member and a Kurd borne in Turkey. He is Mr. Taskin Salman who had persecution in Turkey and applied political exile to Japanese Government. They had a 7 yearfs daughter called gBeltran Zilanh. She was borne in Japan and no experience to go out from Japan, even if to the parentfs countries. She could not speak other than Japanese. On March 2007, Tokyo district court made a decision of non-acceptance on political exile. It means not to allow them to live permanently in Japan. Therefore, they were appealing to a higher court at that time. If they could not get resident permit from Japanese Government, the family of three will be separated in worst case. The parents have stayed Japan from the middle of 1990s, and fairly good for Japanese speaking. Her title of testimony was gMy life experience in Japanh, and scripture were Matthew, Chapter 11 Paragraph XX IIIV and Galatians, Chapter 6 Paragraph IV. She talked about her experience for 50 minutes with tears, of course, in Japanese. We had lunch together then. During response time, we heard how they met, and also present situation of trial in the court. At the very end, members prayed for God to give us encouragement and comfort. We could have very helpful time for her and shared burdens on them. (Something happened later, they got special yearly resident permit now by the reason of humanity.)
@Ifd like to trace a route how and when such kind of style was started. It was from April 15th, 1973, in accordance with record of the Hyakunincho. In the beginning, Sunday service was once closed before lunch, and then response ran into. From August 26th in the same year, lunch and response time worked into schedule of Sunday service and this style was continuing up to the present. At that time, the name of Hyakunincho was not appeared; instead, they called Ookubo-Meeting which was just believersf group. There was neither pastor nor religious leader. Obviously it was not joining with UCCJ. Since the foundation was November of 1970, present style was established at fairly early stage.
@During lunch, membersf activities and also activity guide are reported as necessary. And also new comerfs introduction is highlighted. Also members are introduced to the new comer. Lunch time is not like a pious event, but just as usual. People are going around tables and asking how they are getting on. Many of talking and laughter are fulfilled all the area. Members shall bring lunch box with them. When we have a new comer or members failed to bring lunch, we will share and still to be satisfied.
@We prepare and cook meals by ourselves for the meetings such as reading home circle or the Bible-study group. Most vegetables of meals are products grown up at the farm of the former principle Pastor Aso. He resigned the position since he would like to concentrate seriously to be a farmer. He makes many of organically grown farm products such as rice and vegetables, and delivers to the members. Successor as like me is a wonderful position enjoying his products always. His rice is especially tasty.
@It might be my great pleasure to find out meaning or justification of meals we serve in the Bible. Taking meals together is one of the most precious things for maintaining our life from the origin of human race. From those aspects, meals are treated as very important event from a field of religion. We can understand how important to share the meals for surviving in the community bounded together obviously from the Old Testament. In the Old Testimony, God had teaching above to people of Israel at Exodus. Another story written is about manna given to the people in the wilds (Exodus, Chapter 16). In the New Testament, there shows 4 or 5 thousands people ate full from sharing very little foods (Matthew, Chapter 15 Paragraph 32 through 39 , Chapter14 Paragraph 13 through 21 and others).
@Meals should be located in the central position in the event of the Passover as memorizing Exodus (Exodus, Chapter 12 Paragraph 11 through), or in the time of the Contract to Yahweh community (Exodus, Chapter 24, Paragraph 9 through 11). Also we should remember that the Last Supper of Jesus Christ was a part of the Passover (Matthew, Chapter 26 Paragraph 17 through 25). Many meaning of those meals changes to the religious observance during long duration being handed down in the tradition from generation to generation, but main or true meaning is not the religious observance but real.
@I think Jesus was enjoying meals even during public act. Meals are important for living, and also give us important time such as making friendship or teaching. When Jesus sat at table in Levifs house (Mark, Chapter 2 Paragraph 13 through 17), many tax collectors and sinner were sitting with Jesus. Jesus sat at table as well in the house of Simon the leper (Mark, Chapter 14 Paragraph 3). When Martha received Jesus into house, he enjoyed meal and then had teaching to Mary and Martha (Luke, Chapter 10 Paragraph 38 through 42). After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he revealed against to the disciples by the sea and said gCome and have breakfasth. At there, disciples affirmed the bonds tied with Jesus (John, Chapter 21 Paragraph15 through). When a chief tax collector named Zac-chaefus received Jesus joyfully, he promised to change his life (Luke, Chapter 19 paragraph1 through 10). Even though much description does not appear in the Bible, Jesus might take meal with surrounding people daily.
@Looking after above, Jesus shared meals with hungry people, and then, cured disease, had teaching, and gave them reconciliation or forgiveness. Through the event taking meals together, people refreshed a deeper sense of solidarity, and renewed their firm decision to follow Jesus Christ.
@When I try to search for meaning of the Hyakuninchofs lunch, those stories would tell us something. I think that is the time to renew our decision and the firm bonds tied with people who following the way to Jesus Cross.  (Written by Pastor Jungsoon Ka, July 25th, 2007)


A scene of new rent room we moved
@We had the second Christmas in the new rent room at Takadanobaba after moved from Kyofu-kaikan. Although we are concerned about the size of room rent firstly, we find there a quite proper space for 50 persons.
@That is an old fashioned classroom of vocational school. There is prepared several heavy desks for three people. It looks dreary sight when no body sitting. However, when we rearrange desks in circle and people takes a seat with variety colors of costume, the room was changed to warm and mild space. Area is full filled by white flavor and warm scent which makes people heartwarming and calm. It is not a strong perfume which fresh young women sprinkled at the start of a semester. There is no decoration, but when people having worshiped, those figures themselves becomes a central decoration of the room. The room has been changed to impassioned wonderful space time to time, in particular corresponding to findings such as quite a while unseen faces, beautiful organ melodies and hymns, peoplefs figures listening conversation closely and quietly, smells of lunches, tears, or laughter. I imagined the early Christian home should look like those. I recognized that the room had been changed much more lovely space than any other chapels in this world.
@There is a blackboard hang on in front of the room. Some proposed to cover by close at the last Sunday in October. A member of aged architect specialized for church building stopped doing so and said gKeep as it is!h The word, I think, teach us the meaning of how to form a new church and a way the Hyakunincho to go.
@Time spent together with members in 2009 fill my heart with gratitude. Even though how the World will be changed, how luxury I can live with members, whom I believe in and encourage each other, I thank members of the Hyakunincho and related people for living with me through this year.  (Written by Jungsoon Ka in weekly, December 27th, 2009)
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