Anglican Communion News Service

The "Let Us Walk Together" Project
NSKK Support for Victims of the Eastern Japan Earthquake

Greeting from the Project Director

The peace of Christ be with you. May 19, 2011

The earthquake which struck the Tohoku and Kanto regions and most of eastern Japan on the afternoon of Friday, March 11, 2011 registered a 9.0 magnitude—the strongest earthquake in the country's history. The resulting enormous tsunami wrought unprecedented death and destruction up and down the coast, particularly in the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki. Current figures show roughly 30,000 people dead or missing. Many have lost family and friends, homes and savings. Many still have no choice but to stay in emergency shelters. Moreover, this cataclysmic event seriously damaged the Fukushima nuclear plant, resulting in radioactive pollution which has forced not a few people to leave the familiar surroundings of their homes.

Immediately after the earthquake, the NSKK created a disaster response headquarters and began a nationwide call for contributions to an emergency relief fund. Also, in cooperation with a similar response headquarters established by the Diocese of Tohoku, we began asking churches throughout Japan for emergency relief and needed supplies. Supplies were collected at two sites, the Chubu diocesan center in Nagoya and St. Andrew's Cathedral in the Diocese of Tokyo. With the help of various dioceses, collected supplies were periodically transported to the Tohoku headquarters. From there, they were distributed as needed to churches and lay members, related institutions, and emergency shelters in the disaster-stricken areas.

On April 1, an initial meeting of disaster response-related representatives from the various dioceses was held. It was determined that essential infrastructure and supplies were slowly being restored to disaster-stricken areas. Accordingly, we stopped collecting supplies on April 15, and sent final shipments to the Diocese of Tohoku after that.

At a second meeting on April 12, representatives agreed that it was time for support efforts to move to the next stage. Given the enormity of the destruction involved, the long period of time that will be needed to restore and rebuild the region, and the international responsibilities associated with the damaged nuclear plant, it was clear that the affected dioceses could not be asked to shoulder the support burden alone. While respecting the social context and history of the devastated regions, participants in the meeting recognized the need for an organized response from the NSKK as a whole. Representatives agreed on a direction going forward: To carry out support operations drawing on nationwide cooperation under a new support structure, which would include deploying staff and volunteers chosen from throughout Japan to Sendai and other disaster-stricken areas.

At its meeting on April 14, the Executive Council of the NSKK gave the go-ahead for this direction, and a steering committee for NSKK-related support and rebuilding activities was subsequently formed. The first meeting of the steering committee was held in Sendai on April 29, in which various avenues for future activities and structures were discussed, including the opening of a Sendai office.

The steering committee issued the enclosed mission statement, calling for help in supporting the victims of the disaster not only from the various churches and related groups of the NSKK, but also in cooperation with other church denominations and overseas churches as well. We humbly ask for your understanding and support, and especially your prayers for the success of this undertaking.

I would also like to share the news that the Sendai office was formally opened at a Holy Eucharist held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 6, at Christ Church in Sendai.

In Christ,

The Most Rev. Nathaniel Makoto Uematsu,
Primate of Nippon Sei Ko Kai (NSKK)

Mission Statement for NSKK Support for Victims of the Eastern Japan Earthquake

Project Name:
The "Let Us Walk Together" Project
NSKK Support for Victims of the Eastern Japan Earthquake

Guiding Statements:

• We will walk together in respect for all who face hardships arising from the Eastern Japan Earthquake.
• We will walk together toward the rebuilding of the lives and communities of the victims.
• We will walk together, encouraged that our Lord Jesus Christ also walks together with us.

Focus of Activities:

1. We will carry out activities with attention to disaster victims facing particular hardship (elderly, children, those with disabilities, foreign residents, low-income people, refugees)
   
2. We will carry out activities with great concern for the nuclear accident and its effects, gathering and distributing information, and pursuing responsible actions both in Japan and abroad.
   
3. We will carry out activities supported by the prayers and monetary contributions of Anglican churches throughout Japan and the world. We will respond to such prayers and support through our reporting and publicizing of relief conditions and relief activities.
   
4. We will carry out activities from operating bases located in disaster-stricken areas, establishing a central support office in Sendai. We will hire dedicated staff and recruit volunteers.
   
5. We will carry out activities in conjunction with Anglican schools and other institutions, as well as with brothers and sisters from other church denominations.
   
6. We will carry out activities to support Anglican lay members affected by the earthquake, and toward the rebuilding of affected churches and facilities.
   
7. We will carry out activities in cooperation with the dioceses affected by the disaster, and with all NSKK dioceses, as a work of the whole Anglican church in Japan.

Structure and Roles:

1. NSKK will form "The 'Let Us Walk Together' Project: NSKK Support for Victims of the Eastern Japan Earthquake." The project office will be located in Sendai.
   
2. A project steering committee will be formed, and will direct all project operations.
   
3. An office head and several staff members will be hired for this project. They, along with volunteers, will conduct support activities through the Sendai office and in other disaster-stricken areas.
   
4. This project will conduct public relations, liaison, and accounting functions with the cooperation of NSKK Provincial Office staff.
   
5. This project will manage funds raised within the NSKK for the work of supporting disaster victims, and will be responsible for the use of such funds.

Organization:

The "Let Us Walk Together" Project: NSKK Support for Victims of the Eastern Japan Earthquake

Director: The Most. Rev. Nathaniel Makoto Uematsu, Primate, NSKK

Manager: The Rev. Jun Nakamura (Diocese of Tokyo, Provincial Secretary for Mission)

Steering Committee:

• The Rev. Makito Aizawa (Provincial General Secretary)
• Ms. Kei Ikezumi (Diocese of Chubu)
• The Rev. Nobuya Ohmachi (Diocese of Hokkaido)
• The Rt. Rev. Hiromichi Kato (Diocese of Tohoku)
• The Rev. Tazu Sasamori (Diocese of Tokyo)
• The Rt. Rev. Yutaka Nakamura (Diocese of Kobe)
• The Rev. Kiyoshi Nomura (Diocese of Chubu)
• The Rev. Kiyosumi Hasegawa (Diocese of Tohoku)
• Ms. Keiko Murai (Diocese of Yokohama, Chair of NSKK Women's Association)
• + several local staff

Related News Entries

• Other Japanese dioceses send people to help in disaster-affected areas. (April 15, 2011)
• Primate of Japan: "Standing amid the wreckage, we could only be silent and pray" (March 30, 2011)