Monday, August 07, 2006
Osaka Evangelistic Tabernacle
By Ramone - August 7, 2006
"But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you." (Luke 14:13-14)
Yesterday I finally got to visit the Osaka Evangelistic Tabernacle (Japanese link). I've been meaning to visit it for quite some time. Some months ago Yoko & I and a friend donated some clothes to their ministry. I think I first saw the place when my friend Edward was a missionary here and we got somewhat lost walking in Tennoji and ended up in the area.
OET is in Nishinari-ku in Osaka, between Shin-Imamiya and Dobutsuen-mae stations. The area has a lot of day-laborers, homeless people, drunk people, poor people, yakuza (mafia), down-and-outs, etc. It's exactly where a church should be! (^_^)
They always have lots of papers and flyers stuck to the walls outside of the church, telling people about Jesus and upcoming ministry services. Every day they have a five-o'clock service for homeless people and afterwards they give out some food and drinks. I went to the Sunday service. It had about forty people including the worship team, but sometimes they have visiting ministries and other meetings, and the house can get packed! The building is old, and no one looks picture-perfect. But it's beautiful. They are all beautiful. I hope to visit again and get to know them better.
(Here are some more pictures of their ministry to the needy. This one is my favorite).
# posted by Ramone @ 11:38 AM 
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