[3083] PCT General Secretary visits JCCJ and strengthens partnership

PCT General Secretary visits JCCJ and strengthens partnership

Reported by staff reporters

Written by Lydia Ma

In the wake of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami and radioactive leaks in Japan, PCT General Secretary Andrew Chang visited Jesus Christ Church in Japan (JCCJ) as it convened for its 61st General Assembly Annual Meeting.

Chang traveled to Osaka, Japan on March 19, 2011 and spoke at a Sunday service in Ikeda before attending JCCJ’s General Assembly scheduled to start two days later. Besides conveying PCT’s concern, Chang had also been invited to give an overview of PCT ministries and the role and responsibilities of a general secretary.
JCCJ was founded 26 years ago in July 1951 with merely 2 administrators. Its partnership with PCT these past few years has enabled it to survey and learn from PCT initiatives and church structure. JCCJ pastors were especially interested to hear from Chang about PCT’s latest evangelistic movement – “One-leads-One New Doubling Movement” – which has become PCT General Assembly’s vision for the coming decade.
During the assembly, many JCCJ pastors also expressed concern about whether the 4 nuclear plants in Taiwan had adequate regulations to ensure safety, especially in view of the fact that the population density in Taipei area, where all the 4 plants are situated, is many times greater than the population density in Fukushima.
Chang reviewed the history of partnership and mutual aid the two churches had shared, especially in the wake of Typhoon Morakot and 921 Earthquake in Taiwan, and expressed solidarity with all Japanese churches in their time of need. Addressing the issue of nuclear energy and its hazards, he asked for prayer support from JCCJ pastors so that Taiwan and Japan would one day become countries that don’t need to rely on nuclear energy.
JCCJ was first founded in 1890 when Anglican missionary B.F. Buxton introduced the gospel to Japan. The denomination was officially created in 1951 when 21 churches came together to become one. Today, JCCJ has 133 churches throughout Japan.