Fujimi Church

The Church Building: In architectural terms, this church is very striking; it gives the impression of sporadic building in all directions as needs for space arose. The interior worship room is large, open and carpeted, with various pieces of sound equipment around the pulpit. Although the room is perfectly fit for service, it does have a rather musty, aged atmosphere, which is no doubt partly due to the tumble-down entrance. The crowded upper floor is accessed via a cracked, dingy staircase. It is not a particularly warm or welcoming building, but it does have the space to perform its purpose. The children who attend clearly appreciate the building, and often stay at the church well into the afternoon on Sundays to play.

Discussion with the Leader: Fujimi is doing a very good job reaching out to the local children, particularly through running games (with a Bible message) at the nearby park. Children's programmes run from Friday – Sunday with transport regularly provided by the church. The Pastor's son and daughter help with the teaching, while his wife helps with the worship. There are about eighteen adults attending the church, with roughly sixteen young people. The Pastor (who has been at the church for fourteen years) is aiming to focus on evangelism this year; the calendar offers the chance for a special event each month which he intends to capitalise on. There are many local challenges:

• The church is often confused with the (very active) local Jehovah's Witnesses.

• Local committee discouraged parents from allowing their children to go to the park, due to the religious nature of the church's activities. The church decided to persevere in faith, which has yielded fruit. The situation also proves that the gospel is being declared, since the committee has noticed it.

• The Pastor is also responsible for a small church of the same denomination located about two and a half hours away, who can't afford a pastor of their own. This drains away his ministry time with travel, and acts as a great barrier to discipleship of his members.

• Many members don't send their children to church regularly, expecting them to naturally find faith on their own. The Pastor is concerned about a lack of members in the next generation – if no one will lead their children in their faith, how will the church survive?

Final Impressions: The Pastor of Fujimi Church shows a great deal of determination and creativity; the outreach to children sounds very successful and the church's faithfulness to persevere in the park is very encouraging. Monthly evangelistic events sound like a great way to maintain a presence in the local community, and will help to distinguish the church from the Jehovah's Witnesses. The Pastor's obligation to another church seems crippling, however. Discipleship is needed to encourage the spiritual growth of the congregation, and may be the key to impress upon parents the need to pass their faith on to their children. Without this, there are doubts about the next generation of Fujimi, and the size and age of the other church's members suggest that its end is inevitable. There are powerful reasons to suggest that the other church be left on its own in order to focus on Fujimi, but that is an extremely difficult choice. The Pastor is unlikely to ignore the obligations of his denomination, and likely his church would agree with him.

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