Dear Friends

The month of August was filled with several out-of-the-ordinary outreach events, goodbyes as half our team moves to Osaka, and adjusting as we enter a changing phase of ministry at the church. It is exciting to think that MSCC has been in existence for over a year and a half, and our team is working to be active and aware of the best possible ways to continue helping people get to church and learn about Jesus.

Women's Minstry in Japan

 I love that in so many places in the world, women can bond over love for decadent snacks and brand new babies. This month, the ladies of MSCC threw a baby shower for my pregnant teammate, Stephanie. Crammed into my apartment were 21 people, sitting wherever we could find space! After eating lots of food and playing some funny shower games, we shifted gears a little bit prior to opening Stephanie’s presents. My teammate, Caitlin explained to the women that as Christians, we believe God knows us each intimately and loves us very much because he made us. She read Psalm 139 in English, and then Sumi, who was baptized last year, read it in Japanese.  As they read,the women were very quiet and seemed enthralled at what they were hearing. Afterward, everyone gathered around Stephanie and the other two pregnant women at the party, and my teammate Megan prayed out loud over them. Though we didn’t plan it as an official “ministry activity,” the evening turned out to be a wonderful opportunity to point our friends toward God. It was such an encouragement to us, and a reminder that God is always working, even in ordinary circumstances.

Also this month was MSCC’s first ever official women’s ministry event. Officially titled “Ladies’ Day Out,” we sent invitations to all the Japanese Christianwomen in the church. We also invited Yumi, a Japanese pastor’s wife from another church in Nagoya to come and encourage the women in their faith. After eating brunch together in the home of my teammate, Erin one Saturday morning, we listened to Yumi speak about her own dramatic testimony of faith. She also taught from James 1, encouraging the women to put into obedient practice what they learn at church, and finally, to use our gifts to reach Japan together for Jesus. The women who attended, including my teammates and I, left excited about our faith, and encouraged to share it zealously with those we know.

Invite, Invite, Invite!

After being around for one and a half years, MSCC is entering into a new phase of existence.  Church is less of a novel concept, and more of a foundation on which we are building and maintaining. So, the team is wracking our brains to come up with creative ways to connect people with the church. Though every individual has a different story of how they ended up coming to MSCC, every single person’s journey to church begins with an invitation to church, and so we are trying to be very proactive in inviting (and re-inviting) many people.  

In August, we planned several “Street Lives,” which are always prime opportunities to invite people to be a part of our Christian community. Rather than simply handing out invitations to strangers, we are experimenting with different methods, such as going to dinner with our newfound friends after the events, inviting them to our band’s next Street Live,  or to another activity our church is doing, whether official and informal. Part of the beauty of doing a pioneering work like church-planting is that there is not textbook containing a formula for success in breaking into the culture here, so we get to experiment with many methods. Even so, I can’t help but be reminded of Jesus’ parable of the sower. It is inevitable that people will respond in all different ways to hearing the gospel, and even to the idea of being invited to a religious gathering. But the more people who have an opportunity to hear it, the more will respond with faith in Christ. And so we keep on sowing seeds of the gospel in every opportunity we have. Thank you so much for your partnership with Mustard Seed that makes it possible for us to have a church to which we can invite our friends and neighbors to in Japan! My teammates and I truly could not be doing the work of church planting in Japan if it was not for your financial sacrifice and supportive prayers. 
 
With much love and thanks,
 
Brigette

Prayer Requests

• For numerous opportunities to invite people to church, and that those invited will come
• For wisdom and energy in reaching out and sharing Jesus with new people in Nagoya
• For Philips and Greers as they move to Osaka this month, settling in and beginning preparation for MSCC Osaka

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