October 2003

Dear Friends Around the World,

Amid the splash of the brilliant colors of autumn leaves, students and faculty of TUTS (Tokyo Union Theological Seminary) gathered again in the chapel for their opening worship to commemorate the beginning of the second semester on October 7. This year Tom delivered the inaugural address in recognition of his promotion to full professor this past spring. Some of you might think it odd that the second semester rather than the first is beginning in the fall. In Japan, a country so sensitive to nature and the changing seasons, it is not surprising that the school year (and business year) is coordinated with the seasons. The fresh, new buds and cherry blossoms of spring are signs of new life and beginnings, and so schools and businesses reflect this as they begin their new years in April. This means that graduation comes in March. This past March, TUTS graduated 29 men and women. Two are now teaching Bible in Christian high schools, and the rest have all been placed in churches around the country as pastors. I'd like to share with you the inspiring story of one of these recent graduates who is now pastoring a small church.

Katsuhiro was faced with the problem of what to do with his paintings. He could fit a couple on the walls of their one-room efficiency, but wondered where he could store all the rest. Neither his family or his wife's family would store them because they were in such strong opposition to his Christian faith and calling. The young artist and his wife were basically on their own. He decided his only option was to destroy the paintings, but first, he hired a professional photographer to carefully photograph each one so he would have some record of them. When Tom heard this story, he asked to see the slides, and was amazed at their beauty, and at the sacrifice that this student made. Tom actually used one of the slides as the cover for a CD he made of songs he has written over the years, called "Order in the Chaos.”

Many others have also had to make sacrifices to complete their studies, and many who are first generation Christians have encountered similar opposition from their families. After hearing Katsuhiro's story I wondered if I could have pursued the work of the church without the blessing and support of my family.

Tom plans to defend his dissertation in December and hopes to graduate with his Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary in May. In addition to all these graduations, we will be gathering for the wedding of our daughter Rose with her fiance, Justin Mayfield, on July 31, 2004! Katie, a third grader now, keeps us young and cheerful!

Best seller (next to the Bible only) in Japanese Christian circles: The PC(USA)'s “First Catechism” and “Study Catechism”! Tom, along with a seminary colleague and a seminary graduate are thrilled to see the fruits of their labor in published form, and are especially grateful to see that these catechisms have been so eagerly received here. The “First Catechism” (for children) was used as the focus of a one-year church-school curriculum put out by Church School Lessons, a group within the Kyodan Church (the United Church of Christ in Japan). It would be interesting to compare this Japanese curriculum with the PC(USA)’s new “We Believe” curriculum, which also uses this new catechism. An additional blessing is that all the profits from the sale of these catechisms have been earmarked for the TUTS dormitory fund. (Japan is situated on very shaky ground, and the Tokyo area has been expecting a big earthquake for some time now. TUTS' dormitory is an old, four-story, concrete building that would likely collapse in a large earthquake. Since moving to Tokyo, it has been on our hearts to see this dangerous and out-dated building replaced with a safe dormitory for our students.)

Last night we started up our sixth year of Wednesday-evening Kerygma Bible Studies at our home with a full house of 15 fellow “Kerygmites.” It is an interesting group of men and women, Japanese, American, Filipino, British, and Canadian. We are beginning with a study of the book of Acts. In a few weeks, I will begin a morning introductory Bible study here in our home also. We will use the new book by Donald Griggs, The Bible From Scratch.

We thank you all for your continued prayers and support of our work here in Japan. Please pray for the Japanese Church and for the TUTS students. They are a struggling minority in this country.

Blessings and Peace,

Carol and Tom Hastings

The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 179