A Welcoming Chapel

I've only been in Tsugaru for a few days, and I had my first experience of the worship service at Itayanagi chapel on January 11th. The atmosphere at Itayanagi is warm and friendly; I felt welcome immediately! I greatly appreciated this when I was called upon to introduce myself with a short testimony. It's funny how the mind always goes blank at those crucial moments! Fortunately, I stumbled my way through an explanation of how I came to both Bible college and to Japan. Martin Ghent kindly provided a translation for me (which I may not have made very easy).

The rest of the service felt much like being at church back home in England, with the obvious exception that it was in Japanese. We sang songs, and Martin delivered both a sermon and a children's talk. It was particularly interesting to see the number of people taking notes during the service; clearly they don't want to forget anything! Despite the language barrier, I was able to exchange a few hellos after the service (at least, I think that's what I said). I also enjoyed chatting with a church member who spoke some English.

Following the service, everyone helped set up some tables for lunch, and we shared a (fantastic) curry together. It's a great way to have fellowship time after the service, since no one needs to hurry home to eat! The service also taught me a useful point about relationships and our Christian witness - you can communicate warmth and friendship even without a shared language.

- Jonathan