Fathers' Day

Yesterday was Fathers' Day in Japan. Unlike Mothers' Day, it falls on the same day as the UK so we manage to remember both. It is well known that many men in Japan work long hours, often leaving home early and getting back late at night. Time for kids to see their dad can be very limited. However, at least in our part of Japan, things seem to be changing; more and more dads are able to spend time with their families in the evenings or at least at the weekends. It's not easy though to leave work before others. And then there may be pressures to spend time with work colleagues even after that. We are getting to know quite a number of dads through Calum's involvement in football. There is a good cameraderie there and great to see many of the dads around. It's always a challenge for churches here to reach men and to see whole families be part of the church family. We are wondering what we can do to reach men. To begin with that will involve building relationships with men on their territory, probably involving sport, leisure, food or any combination. Yesterday we had a man come along to our service. Next week we will have another young guy coming who has already been a few times. But not all men would feel at all comfortable in doing that. We need to be creative in finding ways to make contact with men and gradually be able to share with them the message of the gospel.