Working for unity through prayer in Kōchi

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16 NIV).

I am grateful that in Christ, I have been made righteous. As such, my prayers, and yours, can be powerful and effective. Here’s an example.

The historical situation in Kōchi

When I was studying Japanese as an adult in Tokyo in early 1979, I would tell the pastors of the churches I went to that I was going to Kōchi City. They would invariably tell me that it was a place well-known for disunity among the churches. And it was true. When I first came to Kōchi as a teenager with my family in the fall of 1970, my dad and I went to an evangelistic meeting held by Kōji Honda (the “Billy Graham” of Japan). Including Dad and myself, there were only six people there—in a huge hall! Later, we heard from local pastors that the reason the attendance was so low was because of discord between pastors. What a sad commentary on the church in Kōchi.

Because of that history, when I started my first church in 1981, I purposely tried to work with other churches. Over the decades, this church and the one I started in 1982 have held a variety of events that included pastors and laypeople from many churches. But the most effective thing we have done is our monthly Fresh Encounter with God, where pastors from various backgrounds meet to seek God’s face and worship Him together.

A new approach

To facilitate unity among the churches in Kōchi, the small group of pastors that meets monthly to pray started holding Global Days of Prayer (GDOP) from 2008. GDOP was started in South Africa, eventually becoming an annual event with over three billion people participating worldwide. We held GDOP every year, but in 2012 we decided that we wanted something better suited to our situation. Thus began the Praise Worship Day in Kōchi.

Our desire is that the unity of the church in Kōchi (made up of all believers) will be made visible. The church is actually one, and we want to express that. On Praise Worship Day, we desire to praise and worship God with the result that God will make us one and that our unity will influence others, even outside the church, and through God working within us, Kōchi will be changed.

Praise Worship Day in Kōchi 2022

This year, we held the Praise Worship Day at the Kōchi Pentecostal Church. Because of COVID-19, we hadn’t met for two years, so we were excited to do so. We have learned from the past, and God gave us a really good time, for which we praise Him. This year had an international flavor, with people from England, Australia, America, and Japan—a good foundation for the future. It was the first time we’d met at this church, and we had more pastors and more churches involved than ever before. We’re looking forward to seeing more believers and more churches involved next year. As we look at what God has done in the past, we’re grateful and look forward to what He will do in the future.

Though each church in Kōchi is small, when we come together with other Christians, we realize we are members of the “catholic church.” This year, we felt that strongly.

We, as pastors, will continue to meet for worship and prayer together. We have been led to hold not only Praise Worship Day but also other interdenominational events like World Food Day, our biannual citywide Christmas meeting (the next one is 2023), etc. As many Christians get involved, we are declaring that “Jesus is alive” in Kōchi.

God is “not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9 NASB). That includes the people of Kōchi. With that assurance, we will continue to share the gospel in this needy place.

1. Oswald Chambers, “Greater Works (October 17),” My Utmost For His Highest, https://utmost.org/classic/greater-works-classic/
Photo submitted by author