When disaster struck Haiti in January of 2010, and then again in March 2011 in Japan you responded in an amazing way with your financial gifts.  With your gifts, Churches Helping Churches has been able to assist hundreds of churches and pastors. We have been able to encourage pastors and help rebuild churches in Japan and Haiti.  We believe that we have used your gifts wisely and have made the most of what we had available. In Japan we held Pastoral training events and offered financial grants to local churches in need.

Our efforts in Haiti have been on a much larger scale.  We initially supported pastors and church leaders during the recovery phase. Now we are in the rebuilding phase. Rebuilding in Haiti is extremely challenging, as you may have heard from other media outlets, and we have faced a number of obstacles that have greatly impacted the projected time lines for the planned building projects.  Our goal to finish 18 new structures has consistently been delayed due to political and bureaucratic roadblocks in moving materials into Port au Prince. We are not alone in this as many Christian and secular NGO’s are facing similar obstacles.

We need your help.  Due to the delays encountered at customs, the cost of construction, supervision and project development has increased.  We want to finish strong.  With your help, we are hoping to raise over $200,000.  This amount will enable us to meet our obligations and to finish the projects in a timely manner.  Would you please consider giving a gift to Churches Helping Churches at this time? You can find different ways to give by going to our website here or click on the button below.  Large or small, each gift counts.

Thank you for your continued financial support and your ongoing prayers!

Bruce

Nearly two and a half years have passed since the colossal earthquake devastated Haiti at the beginning of 2010. The hype has died down, the media have packed up their bags and left, and despite the fact that there is still much that needs to be done, the dust has settled, and life in Haiti is beginning to feel “normal” as people fall into new routines.

Ruben Celeti, CHC’s Field Director, has been working alongside the Haitian churches since we began construction on the church sites. Recently, he shared his reflections on the state of the churches and pastors in Haiti as CHC continues to work towards helping them rebuild their churches.

“Since the disaster, a large number of people have joined the church—especially in the months following the earthquake. We’re continuing to see a lot of growth in the churches that are in close proximity to tent cities, and our hope is that this multiplication will cause the church to have a positive influence over these communities, bringing glory to God and much-needed change.

The pastors that we have the pleasure of walking alongside are constantly thanking God for how He’s working in the country, and they continue to trust in His timing for what’s to come. Their load is heavy, burdened with great responsibility and obstacles, but they’re determined to carry out their ministries, and are looking forward to getting started on what’s at hand.

CHC has had the privilege of providing Haitian churches with something that they would have not otherwise had. One of the things that we’re most pleased with—and having perhaps the biggest impact—is that we’re able to teach the church volunteers a new trade; both how to work diligently and professionally.

Getting people involved is not always easy, though. Calling volunteers to help rebuild the church, as well as the matching program that raised more than $100,000 among the congregations in local Haitian churches, go against what the people and the churches are accustomed to, and are where we see the most resistance. Despite the difficulty in getting people to contribute and volunteer, the pastors have seen the necessity in it, and how God has been working through this process.

In spite of the great difficulties that we’re faced with today and the ones ahead—the customs delays, the scorching sun and the tropical rains—the pastors continue to smile and proclaim that all things happen in accordance to God’s timing. They continue to be thankful in every way, and even for things that they don’t have. This is a constant challenge to my faith and to how I deal with life when faced with the unexpected.

As we continue moving forward to finish rebuilding the churches we have partnered with, please join with us in praying that the Haitian church will not be discouraged, even in the midst of so many difficulties, and that the Haitian church will go beyond its walls to bring “shalom” to all areas of Haitian society.“

We have had a very busy year at Churches Helping Churches and we want to thank you for your continual support. Churches and individual donors have responded in an amazing way and God has opened doors for us to serve the global church. We are excited to share with you more exciting news about the future of CHC in the months ahead and look forward to continuing to see what God does through this ministry!

Many of you have asked us to share an update of our activities up to this point.  With that in mind we have created this short video. Thank you for partnering with us!

Churches Helping Pastors retreats have recently concluded in Japan, though the pastors involved have agreed to continue meeting together to share in one another’s burdens, to give and receive encouragement from others, and to continue in their common goal of spreading the Gospel in Japan. It has been an amazing experience to witness God’s power of renewal through interacting with and serving our Japanese brothers and sisters.

Pastor Shigeru Suzuki, who has been to every past CHP retreat, and his wife, Atsuko, recount their experience after the tsunami and give their heartfelt thanks, saying, “We felt lots of love from God through the people that you sent to us.” After this last retreat, they are refreshed and ready to continue serving the Lord and working to rebuild their ministry for the sake of the Gospel.

We look forward to see what God will do through our brothers and sisters in Japan!

I was staying in a guesthouse recently that had no central heat. My options each evening were to sit in the cold or try my hand at building a viable fire. My attempts seemed fruitful at first.  Newspaper catches fire quickly, but shrivels and burns out in no time. The logs – trusty logs – were difficult to get started, but rewarded me with a fire that burned long and strong.  Then, I started to think about churches in Japan.

There are not many churches there.  Few believers, few baptisms, and few signs of the progress that every person loves to see.  If you hit 200 people, you’re a mega-church.  Honestly, I don’t know if I would make it in this context.  I’m accustomed to seeking visible fruit.  Results spur me on and energize me to keep doing more of the same.  But what if you don’t have that?  What if you don’t (or can’t) see the fruit of your labor?  It begins to test your calling, conviction, commitment, and character.  These are the qualities that are abundant among our brothers and sisters in Japan.

Many Japanese pastors lead tiny congregations that fit into a building slightly larger than a home.  All kinds of struggles come along with that from limited human resources to financial strain to discouragement and loneliness.  One pastor I met didn’t have an opportunity to lead a new believers’ class in 13 years!  Gifted, able ministers seem to receive little reward here on earth.

So to my heroes in Japan, I hold you in high honor and offer this encouragement:

“each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.” (1 Corinthians 3:13-14)

Your work is revealed by the fire that it goes through everyday.  Thank you for being modern-day Jeremiahs who have placed faithfulness above successfulness.  Jesus sees your labor for the gospel, and all the unseen, unappreciated, unrewarded acts of love will be revealed on that Day.  Press on.

You are laboring to get a huge log to catch fire.  When it does, may it burn with raging intensity and for a long, long time.  And the story will be that you were faithful and did not give up.

I just returned from our final pastors’ retreat in Japan—a response to the 2011 tsunami.  By the end of our retreat, the pastors decided that even if CHC does not sponsor more retreats, they will continue to hold them on their own. As an organization, this is immensely encouraging.

One early morning, while still severely jet-lagged, I went to the empty lobby of our hotel in search of an Internet connection.  I saw Ken Nishiono, the thirty-one-year-old Japanese minister who leads CRASH’s spiritual care efforts for victims of nuclear radiation in the Fukushima prefecture.  He had settled into one of the lobby’s chairs and was looking out the window.  He had no books, no paper, no pen and no computer with him, so I assumed that he was thinking or praying.  When I went over to say “hello,” he was visibly startled—his eyes were brimming with tears and he wiped his face with his sweatshirt and sniffled.  I had interrupted an intimate moment with the Lord.

I knew that there was a story behind his ministry for victims of disaster and I wanted to know how he had got there. Ken graciously accepted my invitation to share his story with me over breakfast.

Ken began by saying, “My parents divorced soon after I was born. I lived with my mom, who soon remarried, and had no communication with my biological father. I started rebelling against my family at a young age, and it only escalated with time, so much so that I dropped out after only one month in high school—thinking that I would live for myself and not be dependent on anyone else.

After working and saving money for one year, I left Fukuoka and started a part-time job in Tokyo at the age of sixteen. I didn’t have any friends and was completely cut off from my family. Eventually, I ran out of money and spent the next year searching for food amongst trash.

Exhausted from living in these conditions, I took a job delivering newspapers on a scooter. After one month on the job I got in a traffic accident while on route and spent the next couple weeks in the hospital. Later that year there was another accident, but this time it was more serious. I had been hit from behind and was suffering from internal bleeding. I was just nineteen years old.

After a successful 10-hour surgery, I had a long journey of rehabilitation ahead. I sunk into a deep depression and isolated myself from the rest of the world. During this time my family attempted to contact me, trying to reestablish a relationship, but I didn’t know how to respond. I felt cursed, thinking that I would be better off taking my own life. This went on for four years.

I knew that I needed to find a reason to live, so I began looking for one in books. One night, while walking past a church, I saw a church sign reading, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you… Matthew 7:7.’ I had no Christian friends, had never attended church and I knew nothing about Jesus. That verse struck a chord in my heart, so much so that I bought a Bible and began reading it ferociously.

I was greatly encouraged by a number of verses, like ‘Come to me and I will give you rest’ from Matthew 11:28. If there really was a God who spoke like this, that was reason for hope—so, I went to church and heard about Jesus for the first time, not understanding why he would die for me.

Then, at twenty-four years old, my desire to get to know God didn’t change, and over time I came to understand the magnitude of my sin and rebellion. I also experienced an unconditional love, telling me that I was entirely forgiven and cleansed.

I decided that I wanted to live for God, but I didn’t know what that meant. Without having completed schooling, I was accepted into Bible college, where I graduated on March 10, 2011. The tsunami hit the very next day. I knew that I was called to do something.”

Ken is now leading in spiritual care for CRASH and is involved with victims of nuclear radiation.

As if that were not enough, the retreat speaker, Takahashi sensei, told a story with uncanny parallels.  He went through a harsh season in his life and resigned from his pastorate on March 10, 2011.  While in a state of confusion about what to do next, the tsunami hit the next day.  He now mobilizes disaster response chaplains throughout Japan.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28-29)

Tom Kim and I just returned from the last Churches Helping Churches Pastors Retreat being held in Japan. Our hotel, nestled deep in the mountains of Miyagi and just outside the city of Sendai, hosted thirty pastors and wives in a traditional Japanese setting.

This particular retreat focused on developing a chaplaincy program that will assist in building relationships between our communities. As well, we heard several testimonies of how God is working through our congregations, renewing a sense of spiritual hunger.

During this retreat we had times of reflection and teaching, we worshiped and prayed, as well as shared good food and fellowship together. I’m personally encouraged to see how relationships with one another have developed throughout this trial.

March 11, 2012, will mark the one-year anniversary of Japan’s horrendous earthquake and tsunami; and even though the country is working hard to rebuild itself, there is still significant evidence of the destruction that occurred. Much work remains in order to restore the devastated areas and churches that were relocated due to the flooding.

Churches Helping Churches is currently supporting the renovation of seventeen churches—a small contribution to the overall need in devastated areas, but a step in the right direction. With greater resources we could do so much more.

If you are interested in joining our mission, please sign up or contact us so that we can provide you with additional information.

Over the next few weeks we will present some of the stories that our pastors shared with us at the retreat. Please continue to pray for them, as well as for their families and churches.

We’re all in this together.

While making progress in these two countries, we also look ahead.  (I do this at the risk of sounding like a prophet of doom.)  We can’t predict the future, but if the past means anything, more natural disasters at record-setting levels are on the way.  Some say global warming, others say the end times, and still others say pure happenstance.  But whatever reason you believe it’s happening…it’s happening.  And churches are being devastated.

God is using CHC to make a pivotal impact on churches in Haiti and Japan, all made possible because 400 churches took an offering immediately after these crises.  Churches from the US, Canada, UK, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, and even Haiti were an integral part of our response.  By God’s grace, we hope to see thousands of churches rally together to help the suffering church.

What We’re Asking

Would your church join our global fellowship by committing to take an offering at the next crisis?  We don’t ask for a dollar amount.  We leave that up to the Lord.  But we do ask that in the event of a disaster that you put the opportunity in front of your church family to help their brothers and sisters in distress.  Please consider making CHC a part of the missions strategy of your church.  And together, “Let us do good to everyone and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10)

Shigeru Suzuki is the senior pastor of Sendai Bible Baptist Church, a surprisingly multicultural church in northeast Japan.  During a recent car ride, he shared his personal reflection on the disaster.

“After the tsunami, I preach more boldly.  I preached Revelations before but I didn’t feel it.  Now I feel it.”

“People are more open to the gospel now.  They are curious and ask questions, even at the gym.  Now, two gym members are attending my church.”

“I don’t like that the tsunami happened, but I love what He does through it.  I feel it was needed – not just for non-Christians but for Christians.  There is an awakening and renewal in the church.”

”God has a great plan.  This is not a curse.  This is a blessing.”

CHC’s pastor retreats aim to minister to and equip pastors, who have experienced devastation.  Suzuki sensei and his wife are regular participants in these retreats.  He states, “It’s only now as we look back, we see how much that the retreats helped us get through this time.  We didn’t realize how we really felt until we attended the first retreat in June.”

CHC is privileged to play a small part in supporting churches and pastors.  Our next and final retreat will be held in Sendai on February 23-24.  Please pray for Suzuki sensei and other pastors as they continue to lead their churches through this disaster.  Pray that this New Year would be a year of renewal.

I have never been more excited for the vision and future of Churches Helping Churches.   However, I am also filled with sadness because my involvement as Executive Director will now come to a close.  I have submitted my resignation from Churches Helping Churches, effective March 1st.  This decision was born out of much thought, prayer, and counsel.  It has been my privilege and honor to serve in this ministry under this board.  I can honestly say that I’ve grown as a Christian, minister, person, and have come to love Jesus more during my time here.  Though in a different role, I will continue on-mission as the goal of my life forever remains the exaltation of Christ!

The board has graciously extended me the invitation to continue serving the organization as a board member.  I’ve accepted and have also had the unique opportunity of helping find my replacement.

Introducing Bruce Poore: Bruce brings with him an impressive mesh of experience from the business and ministry fields.  Most recently, Bruce worked at the executive level for companies like American Express Canada and GE Money Canada where he managed employees, products and business processes. He also spent time as COO of Muskoka Bible Center overseeing financial planning and a wide range of business operations.

His heart for ministry grew in his early 20s when he and his wife began serving in the local church leading the college and career program. They remained active in ministry – teaching children and adults throughout the years – which eventually connected Bruce and Sharon with Walk in the Word and Harvest Bible Chapel.  Bruce and Sharon helped launch Harvest York Region in 2005 and also supported the Harvest Bible Chapel plant in Muskoka, Canada.  Recently, Bruce was serving as an elder at Harvest York Region and as a board member for WITW Canada.

Taking these next steps as Executive Director of Churches Helping Churches, Bruce will again reference the verse that has meant so much to him and his wife over the years (Habakkuk 1:5) and wait to be astounded by God’s plans for him.  Bruce and Sharon have three wonderful adult children and will be based in Elgin, IL.

Organizational Update: This week marks the second anniversary of Churches Helping Churches.  When CHC was born, we had a crisis of our own.  Within a month of inception, we were $1.5 million, a God-inspired vision, two influential leaders, and a website.  Generally, donors give towards specific projects, but the early days of CHC seemed to defy those rules.  It was a unique place to be for an NGO. 

For the past 24 months, we’ve poured ourselves into the design and execution of effective programs, consistent with the vision that people gave towards.  Haiti has been a complex set of knots created by the disaster, further exacerbated by poverty.  Japan has its own unique complexity – disaster coupled with culture challenges.  By God’s grace, our programs are well underway, and I hope you’ve been blessed by the stories that have come out of them.  In Haiti, we expect eighteen new buildings to be completed in Haiti the first half of this year.  This will mark the completion of our engagement there.  In Japan, we are holding our final pastors retreat (February) and have awarded grants for church resource recovery.  Stay tune for stories on these projects.

In addition to maintaining our programs, Bruce will focus on organizational development.  Among his top priorities are:

• Recruit churches.  We had 400 churches give so far.  We hope to see thousands of churches take up an offering for the household of faith immediately after a crisis devastates a region.
• ID high risk areas.  Maplecroft, a risk management company, released a list of the Top 10 Countries Exposed to Natural Disasters, categorized by economic risk.  We’ll need to create our own prioritized list of regions and develop networks of churches before disasters hit.
• Connecting churches to one another.  This is a weakness in our current work.  How can we connect churches better with one another?  Immediately after a disaster, volunteers from other countries have had varying levels of effectiveness and impact.  But how can we involve local churches beyond financial contributions?

Please join me in welcoming Bruce Poore to Churches Helping Churches.

Because He lives,

Tom