DIOCESE OF TOKYO:
MARYLAND/TOKYO SUBCOMMITTEE.
FR. IGARASHI, SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR.
NOVEMBER 22 - 30, 1990.
http://www.ecctk.info/cktasvst/cktasv90.htm




DIOCESE OF MARYLAND PARTICIPANTS.
Christ the King, Woodlawn: Mr. Earl Hagan; Mrs. Nancy Murdock.

PROGRAM.
November 22, 1990. Thursday.
2:50 PM. Arrival at Narita Airport. All Nippon Airways Flight 1. The Rev. Gabriel Igarashi and the Rev. Barnabas Maeda will meet in the arrival lobby. Travel to the Diocesan Office by bus.
7:00 PM. Meet the hosts at the Diocesan Office, and proceed to the assigned host families.


November 23, 1990. Friday.
Evening: Programs by regional church groups. Joint meeting and welcome dinner of regional parish groups. The Diocese of Tokyo has five regional parish groups, according to geographical locations.
Jonan (southern) group.
Kanjo (circular road) group.
Satobori (outer moat) group.
Shitamachi (downtown) group.
Tama (western) group.

November 24, 1990. Saturday.
2:30 PM: "Love Connection" Performance for children at St. Andrew's Church.
4:00 PM:
6:30 PM:
Evening: Diocesan social program.


November 25, 1990. Sunday.
Sunday Service at Tokyo All Saints.
12:00 Noon
6:30 PM:


November 26, 1990. Monday.
10:30 AM:
10:36 AM:
1:14 PM:
1:40 PM:
7:00 PM:
Leave for Kyoto (site of original Emperor's palace), by super-express train (shin-kansen). An attendant will accompany visitors from the Diocese for the three days in Kyoto.


November 27, 1990. Tuesday.
Sightseeing/shopping in Kyoto/Nara.


November 28, 1990. Wednesday.
Evening: return to Tokyo.


November 29, 1990. Thursday.
Sightseeing/shopping in Tokyo by chartered bus.


November 30, 1990. Friday.
Early morning: chartered bus to Narita.

DIOCESE OF TOKYO:
MARYLAND/TOKYO SUBCOMMITTEE. 1990.
DIARY OF MRS. NANCY MURDOCK.



1. How did this trip contribute to your faith journey? I think that I will be discovering ways that the trip contributed to my faith journey for a long time to come.

On an immediate basis, I felt the power of the Holy Spirit as I attended the service for kindergartners at Tokyo All Saints. I also had a strong sense that I was in the right place as I experienced worship and fellowhip with our companion parish of Tokyo All Saints.

Personally, I am experiencing a heightened awareness of how much the Lord has made available to me since I first felt a call in about 1960. At that time, the call was very disturbing, since I envisioned myself in the role of missionary to non-Christians abroad, and I was painfully aware that a woman in the Episcopal Church, especially a mother of three young children, had no way to respond to such a call.

In the intervening years, God has opened up a multitude of opportunities for me to serve Him, and I feel certain that more will come.

2. Was there anything that you OBSERVED or EXPERIENCED during this trip that was particularly surprising? How was your understanding of our Japanese companions, yourself, and both cultures affected?
What really surprised me was how similar the parishioners of Tokyo All Saints are to those of Christ the King. I sensed a vibrant, loving community of Christians.

I don't feel that they are as aware of the Holy Spirit in their lives, however. They remind me of fellow parishioners (and myself) twenty or thirty years ago. Just the beginnings of the sense of God's presence in their lives are apparent in such situations as the fact that a close friend started attending church after he saw how important his rector's visits were to his dying father.

As we shared stories of our lay ministries, I realized that it was important to me to underscore the idea that I do what I do, not out of a sense of duty, not because my rector asks me to (although both reasons do influence me), but primarily because I feel the Lord is asking me to do this. Obedience to God is central to my life. It took God a couple of years to improve my understanding of obedience, but the rewards have been unbelievably worthwhile. It is not a sacrifice to do the Lord's work.

I realized on the trip that we are far short of the Japanese in our understanding of hospitality. As the priest from Tokyo All Saints spent day after day attending to such details as getting us from one spot to another, I contrasted that with what I could expect at Christ the King, and hoped that we can bridge the gap before the arrival of our friends from Tokyo All Saints. I think that we will do things somewhat differently, however, as our priest is more likely to ask lay people to take on these duties. She sees her role as one whose primary task is to make us all ministers, and this is not a minus in the grand scheme of things. What will be important is that many people get involved, and it all gets done.





3. Was there any experience or event that you found to be particularly challenging? What was it, and how did you meet the challenge?


4. Our goal for this trip is to take forward the companion parish/diocese relationship. Did we make progress, how so, and how did you contribute?


5. How will you share this experience in your parish and outside it when you return to Maryland?


6. Tell us what you feel worked well in the schedule, and anything that we might do differently when our companions visit us.


DIOCESE OF TOKYO:
MARYLAND/TOKYO SUBCOMMITTEE. 1990.
DIARY OF MR. EARL HAGAN.



1. How did this trip contribute to your faith journey?
I was impressed with the unifying power of the Christian faith; our common faith was more important and more operative than any barrier of language or nationality.

2. Was there anything that you OBSERVED or EXPERIENCED during this trip that was particularly surprising? How was your understanding of our Japanese companions, yourself, and both cultures affected?
I found genuine acceptance of me for who and what I am. Racism may (and probably does) exist in Japan, but is not a debilitating problem. It is not embedded in the law, nor in the daily life of the people. What does exist in strong measure (and I have no quarrel with it) is the uncompromising unwillingness to accept failure, lack of ambition, or mediocre performance. Japanese officials who have speculated about these qualities in African-American and in other minorities have stirred up some unwarranted resentment. The Japanese greatly admire the United States, and want a partnership of unqualified excellence in technology, commerce, and education. They are apprehensive that a unified Germany may step into such a role by U. S. default.

In another realm, I visited with a Christian (from birth) wife and a well-educated Buddhist husband, who find their lives enriched by this cross-culture. Each is knowledgeable about and comfortable in visiting the other's place of worship. The husband regrets his lack of baptism, but his personal integrity prevents hs claiming full belief in the Christian creeds. I hope for the start of ecumenical dialogue leading to mutual understanding between these two great faiths.

3. Was there any experience or event that you found to be particularly challenging? What was it, and how did you meet the challenge?
My physical limitations of age, joint inflexibility, coronary insufficiency, lack of aerobic conditioning, etc., made me unable to keep up with Japanese habits of walking, kneeling, removing shoes, eating at a low table, and sleeping on tatami mats. I tried it all, and my hosts were very gracious with my clumsy efforts.

4. Our goal for this trip is to take forward the companion parish/diocese relationship. Did we make progress, how so, and how did you contribute?
We made some progess. Nancy and I have formed some personal friendships which we fully expect to continue by mail, but telephone, and by future visits. We see our next major step to be the enhancement of dialogue between our Japanese and our American rectors.

5. How will you share this experience in your parish and outside it when you return to Maryland?
We are already booked for two separate hours of Christian (adult) Education time. The video will be shown, and I hope to pair our teenagers with Japanese pen-pals, who will want the opportunity to correspond.

6. Tell us what you feel worked well in the schedule, and anything that we might do differently when our companions visit us.
Generally, the planning seemed meticulous on both ends. Our hosts were pleased by our knowledge of language phrases and their customs. In some matters, my hosts felt poorly informed about my schedule. The change in costs and acceptable methods of payment after we had left the USA was bad. The opportunity for me to preach, to carry the chalice, and to speak for the group, were personal highlights, and, I think, quite beneficial to the Japanese.




Last updated, 8/11/2007, by Bill Moore.