BJapan, Japanese Outreach
Get to Know Director Satoru Yanagitani
The life of a typical Japanese is wrapped up in rituals of the Shinto and Buddhist religions. Yet even as millions participate daily in such worship at shrines and temples, they maintain that they are "not religious" but are simply "being Japanese." Japanese churches, many of which have only a few precious believers and no pastor, struggle to be a light in this spiritual darkness. BJapan aims to serve and strengthen the local church while proclaiming the Gospel through every high-tech means available to us.
Facts:
- BJapan maintains a channel on Japan's premiere satellite radio service that reaches the entire nation. With a variety of Bible-teaching programs, we can get spiritual food to pastors and believers in even the most remote rural areas.
- BJapan is actively recruiting an indigenous pastoral team to record Gospel programs for airing and to minister in person to more than 800 pastor-less churches across the country.
- BJapan's sponsorship of preaching seminars gives weary local pastors fresh ideas and much-needed encouragement in a land where one may be the only pastor in his entire region. One pastor commented: "I was very encouraged by this practical study which will revive my preaching and pastoring. It was an 'oasis' in the midst of days that flow by in the status quo."
- BJapan staff plan to provide satellite radio hookups for rural pastors to encourage and refresh them with regular teaching from God's Word.
- BJapan's web site www.bjapan.jp offers dynamic content with the goal of drawing listeners deeper into God's Word. iPod downloads and streaming audio are also available at the site.
>>> "Thank you for another year of your broadcasts; they are so important to me. I listen to you as much as time allows. Compared to before I discovered Friendship Radio, I've drawn so much closer to the Scriptures, and I feel that my thought life and prayer life have really changed."
>>> "I heard your broadcast while staying in a hotel that had USEN installed. A long, long time ago I went to a church once. Your talk on how Jesus takes on our burdens even when no one else understands us was a real comfort."
>>> "This is my first time to contact you. I've recently moved into a condo that has USEN (satellite radio) installed and have begun listening to Friendship Radio. I'm not a Christian, but when I was small I went to Sunday School. I heard the program that talked about looking at difficulties as a time of training, that they are not something to try to avoid at all costs. That was very interesting."
>>> "I'm very grateful for the good time of study. I feel I've been given the strength to witness to the grace I have received to my family and neighbors."
>>> "I am not a Christian. I have only recently been invited by my friend to study the Bible, and am still full of doubts, not really understanding any of it. Frankly, I'm kind of experiencing 'culture shock' from hearing all these things I know nothing about. Still, it was kind of a relief today to hear that even those who are Christians face some inner struggles. Thank you. I plan to keep studying, little by little."