Why Japan?

One very understandable question is, "Why would someone do missions in Japan?"

Well, there are many many reasons, but in the above graphic (you can click to read it 😊), I put down some that were important to me while I was considering what I felt God was calling me to do.  Probably most startling to me was just how few Christians there really are - I had always just assumed its religious demographics would mirror other First World countries; but that's not only not the case, it's far from the case. Really?--0.375% of the overall population are active Protestants? Only 0.1% are Christians in Aomori Prefecture?? It's still hard for me to believe...

A follow-up question to those statistics I sometimes get is, "What is the religious majority in Japan, then?" And unfortunately, that has a complicated answer.  The boiled down response is probably best described as an apathetic agnosticism. While Shintoism and Buddhism are deeply ingrained in Japanese culture, over time, these seem to have largely lost their religious meaning and significance - maybe not too dissimilar to imagining a purely secularized Christmas, having roots in Christianity, but mostly just an excuse to celebrate and have a day off. You can ask any number of Japanese people, "Do you believe that supernatural things exist? Where do you think we came from? What do you think about the notion of God?" and hear responses like, "Oh, I've never thought about it - I'm not really interested in that sort of thing.  That's fine for you to be, but how my life is now is fine for me," all the time.  Really, the most pervasive beliefs of the supernatural seem to be ghosts and demons - restless ancestors come to rebuke you for behaving badly, or dark ancient powers seeking to break into a modernized world.

Add to that the cultural problems that come along with increasing secularism and consumerism, and it seems to me that it's been a recipe for disaster. While issues like suicide, broken families, and disillusioned youth aren't exclusive to Japan, Japan seems to have quite the unusual and extreme skew on all of them. I find some twisted irony that one of the more common delays of the otherwise unstoppable Japanese train system--life blood of the Megacity, symbol of the successful Tokyo businessman--is one of those businessmen being so desperate to escape the system, he jumps on the tracks to end his life.

Add on top of this lasting wounds from the 2011 tsunami/earthquake disaster, and subsequent Fukushima nuclear meltdown (which may take the better part of the century to contain and properly decommission)--and now with tension rising between Japan and North Korea, with North Korea's continued missile tests into Japanese waters--this place is desperate for Jesus' peace! Please keep Japan and its people in your prayers.

All this to say, I believe there are many reasons that compelled me to pursue ministry in Japan, and I look forward to how God might use me in working to address them in the years to come!

Partnership

Hi there! I'm Joe, and welcome to my Japan Ministry Blog! I'm excited to bring you along and show you what I'll be doing in Japan, and more specifically, what God is at work doing in Japan.  Please subscribe for future updates!

For the time being, it would be great to have your partnership! 😄 One way to partner with this ministry is financially. 

Recurring Donations:

If you would be interested in recurring donations, OMF handles those by hand.  You can download a form here, and either email the completed form (with scanned versions of the extra required documents) to donations@omf.org, or mail a physical copy to: 

OMF International 

10 West Dry Creek Circle

Littleton, CO 80120-4413 

Single Gifts - Checks:

Single checks can be made out to OMF International and sent to the above address as well - But please note, any checks you might wish to send cannot have my name on it in any way!--not even in the memo line. I've been told this is due to IRS regulations for non-profits.  Instead, if you can accompany any checks with a note describing how you like your donations applied (ie. "Hi, I'm Mrs. Smith. This $100 donation is for Joseph Moormann's 2017 mission to Japan. Thanks!"), that would be much appreciated! Sorry for the added inconvenience.

Fell free to call with any question to OMF's headquarters at (800) 422-5330

Single Gifts - Online:

Another way to give is online - if you would like to give online, here are some easy instructions 😊:

1.) First, go to the OMF Donation Portal - this will connect to the OMF online giving portal.

This is the main page

2.) From here, you can create profile to more easily give in the future, but you can proceed to the next step as well. Click on the drop-down menu in the Category and Funds section, and select "Name Serve Asia Participant Below."

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Select "Name Serve Asia Participant Below"

3.) Next, click on the text box next to the drop-down menu, and enter the amount you would like to give.  Once finished, click the "Add" button. This will show you a subtotal of you gift.

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4.) Next, in the text box that says, "Please provide name of staff or field worker, project name or number or Serve Asia Participant," enter my name, Joseph Moormann.

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Enter "Joseph Moormann"

5.) In the next text field, you can enter a comment to the Financial Team, or a prayer request you would like them to pray for.  This is optional, but we'd love be praying for you! You can email prayer requests to me as well at jmoorm2@gmail.com

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6.) Next, please fill out you name and address in the next field.

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7.) Finally, you just need to choose what type of payment method you would like to use, by clicking the dot next to either "Debit/Credit Card," or "eCheck," and then filling in the applicable information there. 

Next, you just need to authorize OMF to actually make the payment by clicking the checkbox next to, "I authorize OMF International Inc to collect..." 

And lastly, just to confirm human is performing this transaction--and not an automated program--follow the instructions right above the box with images. In this example, it says to click on the image of a paper clip. Once this is finished, just click the "Submit" button, and you're done! Thank you so much for your partnership!!

If you have difficulty submitting your gift, please either let me know at jmoorm2@gmail.com, or OMF know at either stewardship@omf.org, or by calling (800) 422-5330 during business hours. We'd be happy to assist you!

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