Summary of Sept. 11 prayer requests

1. Some government officials despise the poor and foreigners, promote mandatory religious observances (Christian schoolteachers have been fired for refusing to worship), and favor Japan's re-armament (think Pearl Harbor). It is dangerous to oppose these characters. One man spoke out against these alarming trends, and his mother's house was burned down by arsonists.
   Please pray for good candidates to emerge, men and women of integrity. Pray for wisdom for those who would put the country on the right path, and for evildoers to be brought down by public indignation, scandal, or whatever.
   
   
2. There are some 600 churches in Tokyo metropolis but not much cooperation. Pastors feel they have to hang on to "my people" for survival, because of the very small numbers (a typical congregation may have 20-40 members, and Japan has a small Christian population (under 0.5%).
   Pray for this to change! This is a chicken and egg kind of problem; in some countries with a larger Christian population (e.g., Singapore and Malaysia with about 10%), there's a lot more cooperation among churches. Meanwhile the lack of cooperation is itself an inhibitor to growth of the kingdom.
   
   
3. Networking among youth workers in Japan is difficult when each individual church and each mission agency acts territorially.
   Please pray for repentance!
   
   Shigeru is trying to help pastors in Japan to see the need for networking by introducing them to pastors from some other countries who are doing it.
   Please pray for these pastors to catch the vision, and prioritize building the Kingdom of God ahead of building their own mini-"empires."
   
   
4. Young people need to be mentored -- not just in Bible knowledge but also in life skills - things like finding an apartment.
   Please pray for mature believers willing to "think outside the box" (Shigeru's words). Pray for creative ministry strategies - e.g., starting a company to provide employment and also a context for mentoring.