Newsletter March-May 2025 English

 Newsletter March-May 2025

Shota Otsuka

I sincerely apologize that this newsletter is later than usual. Praise the Lord.

In this newsletter, I have written about Spring Camp, New Leader Students, Discipleship Training, Seminary, and Upcoming Plans. I would be grateful if you could read to the end and pray for us. Thank you for always reading and praying, and for your continued financial support.

March National Spring Camp

This year's national spring camp was held successfully in early March in Hachioji, Tokyo. This time we were blessed with a total of 150 participants. There were opportunities to learn together about missions, and opportunities to learn from an external pastor about work and faith. Since the students are also thinking about their career paths, it was a good opportunity for them.

Praise Team

A praise team was formed for this camp, and the students from Nagoya were practicing praise songs. They gathered just as the praise team a few days before camp and held a training camp to practice.

The praise team was formed last year. Those who have been reading my newsletters consistently will understand, but after COVID, there were hardly any students. Starting last year, God has gathered enough students to form a praise team and given them hearts that want to praise. I thank God for this.

Workshop

This year I was again given the opportunity to lead a workshop, focusing on staff recruitment. I was truly delighted that about 10 students are considering full-time ministry as a career path. In October this year, we plan to recruit only 2 people from across the nation for an internship in Nagoya. The purpose is to see how CCC full-time staff work, to ask questions, and to see how work is done in different regions. Please pray that the career paths of those who came to this workshop will lead them to be sent out as full-time workers everywhere, whether in CCC or elsewhere.

Plenary 

The meetings in the first half of camp focused on knowing once again what kind of existence we are in Christ. During the meetings, there was a message about "justification," and I am grateful that the students received the teaching that Christ's righteousness has been transferred to humans, and that we are given not our own righteousness, but Christ's righteousness. The second half of camp was content to encourage missions by turning students' hearts toward the whole world. The students actually went out into the streets of Tokyo for outreach. For some students, this was their first evangelism experience, and there were places where experienced people were actually teaching them how to do it. I am grateful that students are being trained in various places and the gospel is being proclaimed.

Please pray that after the students return from camp, they will not forget that the gospel should be proclaimed to the ends of the earth, and that they will become those who serve Christ in their places.

Personal Highlight

What personally surprised and delighted me about participating in this camp was that a student who had participated in the seeker's class at last year's spring camp participated again this year, and I was very happy to hear that this student had become a Christian. Last year, he had many doubts about Christianity and asked many questions about Christianity, but he finally came to accept it. I am grateful that through the short-term mission team, connections were made and bore fruit. God continues to seek the lost and truly saves them.

Luke 19:10 For mthe Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

April - New Leader Students

I am grateful that God has raised up three new student leaders this year. I am thankful that we can serve other students together this year while learning the heart of leadership from the Bible. The student leaders are "Sunao," "Yuji," and "Midori." Please pray that they will be able to serve utilizing their gifts, not just following what previous student leaders have done. Please also pray that they will learn well that Christ, who is King, is one who serves.

Their role as student leaders includes taking charge of part of Friday meetings and planning evangelism events. They will be in charge of the May event and the July event. Since May is the new student welcome season, they planned an event where everyone cooks together to get to know each other better.

The content for the July event is currently being decided. Please pray that they will be given wisdom and be able to discuss what purpose it should have.

April - Seminary

I was finally able to enroll in CBS starting in April. This semester I am taking two classes: "Gospel Living" and "How to Write Papers." In "Gospel Living," we learn about how the gospel is applied in daily life. What was very impressive was that one of the assignments in this class was to do a silent retreat. This assignment was to spend a whole day with God somewhere in nature. Basically, phone use was also prohibited here. What I was very grateful for here was that this semester I have been giving messages and Bible study times more often, so I have had more opportunities to read the Bible, but I realized that I hadn't been taking proper personal time with God. I realized that I had been looking only at commentaries and hadn't been able to savor the Word and deepen my personal relationship much. It made me reconsider the importance of abiding in Christ. I was struck by how different it really is to read the Bible for ministry versus taking time to simply be still and read the Bible personally, and that this time is needed daily.

John 15:5 I am the vine; ayou are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bbears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

I meditated on Ephesians chapter 1-3 during the silent retreat, and this passage reminds us of what kind of existence Christians have become in Christ. It reminds me that God has had a plan of salvation from eternity, that He has redeemed us, made us His children, and that we are saved by grace.

At seminary, they also deal with things to think about while doing ministry, so I am truly grateful to be able to enroll and take classes. I thank God for giving me this opportunity.

Prayer Requests

• I plan to continue taking classes little by little. Please pray that through what I learn, I will become one who communicates God's grace to students.

• I am still not used to the seminary pace. There are more assignments than classes, so I often spend time reading and writing reports after ministry ends. I am grateful that each assignment allows me to think about things I haven't considered before.  please pray for the balance between seminary and ministry.

• I am grateful to be able to think about many things since entering seminary, but at the same time, I have recently noticed that the more I learn, the more I tend to become judgmental. Please pray that I will be changed to have a humble heart rather than a judgmental heart. This seems to happen often when one becomes a seminary student.

May - Discipleship Training

During one discipleship training session with Chuki and Caleb, I had originally prepared a Bible passage, but since chuki was in charge of praise that day and was trying to prepare praise songs to match the day's theme, we changed plans and studied that passage together in advance. The theme for that Friday was from Ephesians 4. When we studied that passage together, Chuki shared that "it's difficult for me to see God's family becoming one." After meditating on this passage alone, he shared: "There are moments when I don't think it's wonderful to live together loving and supporting each other. However, at the same time, thinking this way is also because I am a sinner, and there are times when I cannot love others or forgive them. The hope for people like us is that Christ loves us sinners with unconditional love and saves us. I learned that Jesus Christ is the hope for humans who cannot love people." Both sin and grace were revealed to him. The only hope is Christ, and I am grateful that He has redeemed powerless humans. The gospel is applied  in his daily life.

Please continue to pray that this discipleship training will be used for God's glory, help students follow Christ, and that they will be moved by grace. Although my direct interaction with him is limited, please pray that we can continue to experience the wonder of Christ together and that he can grow as a disciple of Christ.

Caleb will graduate from Nagoya University in September this year. His future path will likely be graduate school at Nagoya University, but if he doesn't receive a scholarship, it will be financially difficult for him to continue living in Japan for the remaining two years. Please pray that he can move forward trusting in God's work in his daily life and career path. Recently, his thesis submission deadline is approaching and he seems quite exhausted. Please pray for his future path and scholarship.

Upcoming Plans

Korea Conference

June 21-29 I will participate in Korea's summer camp. Six students from Nagoya and I will participate. We will participate jointly with teams from Kobe and Osaka. A total of 30 people will participate from Japan. I hope this conference will be used to help students continue to gain a vision for world missions. Korean CCC has about 10,000 students. There are many students serving as disciples. Please pray that they can dream about what would happen if there were many disciples of Christ on their own campuses in the future.

Also, during the conference period, I will hold a study session on Timothy Keller's "The Meaning of Marriage." Since students also talk about relationship during conferences, while their mutual experiences are encouraging, I thought we should learn biblical principles about marriage, so I will hold a study session with only male students. Please pray that the male students can learn about the purpose and hope of marriage through this book.

Seminary Intensive Courses

First and third weeks of July there will be seminary intensive courses. This class is to understand the differences between denominations and open doors for cooperation. Through this class, please pray that I can further understand the barriers between churches. During this time, students have their test period, so I usually use it as a ministry evaluation period or prepare for the next semester and summer camp. Please pray that I can fit that time well into my schedule and prepare for the next semester.

Summer Camp

September 8-10 we are planning a joint camp between Nagoya and Kyoto. The theme for this camp is currently being planned, so please pray that we can plan the camp by hearing from them what the current students want to learn and what biblical messages they need.

Thank you for reading this newsletter to the end. I aim to publish the next one at the end of August. Thank you so much for always remembering and praying for and supporting Japanese missions. May the students continue to serve as disciples of Christ in Japan and may missions be carried out to the ends of the world in the future 🙏