In Japan, health evangelism has served as an effective method for churches to make connections with the local community. In order to promote and strengthen health evangelism, since 2016, the health ministries department of the Japan Union Conference (JUC) has supported church members so that they can attend the health training program at Uchee Pines Institute in Alabama, USA. Many of these trained health evangelists have already begun to lead health evangelism at their local churches.
From September 16 to 19, 2018, JUC health ministries, together with these trained local health evangelists, held a health evangelism leadership training camp at the Red Farm in Hokkaido, Japan. The Red Farm is one of the centers of influence in Japan, run by lay church members that provide not only lodging but food, and is available as a retreat center for special programs.
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Since the purpose of the camp was leadership training, all the participants had an opportunity to lead in various ways during the camp, such as song service, exercise, outdoor activities, food preparation and clean-up. They also shared their testimonies during morning and evening worships. It can be said that this camp truly corresponded to “Total Member Involvement,” an initiative of the Seventh-day Adventist world church.
About twenty-minutes walking distance from the Red Farm is the town’s community center, which is equipped with a kitchen and a seminar room. The JUC health department reserved the place in order to hold a health festival for the community. The festival presented various programs, such as a vegetarian cooking class, vascular age check-up, anti-smoking seminar, and waist/weight control seminar. The programs received positive responses from the local people.
We look forward to seeing how God will continue to provide opportunities, through health evangelism, to open people’s hearts and to help them find the way to Him.
News Article by Hiroshi Yamaji