Venture - Disaster Relief for Japan

We have been in touch with our missionaries in Japan, and come up with a plan for the church:

The Church is contributing $10,000 from our Faith Promise / Mission Funds. So all of you who have participated in Faith Promise will be helping significantly, Thank you! We will divide this money two ways:

1. Samaritan's Purse www.samaritanspurse.org We have a long history with this organization through Operation Christmas Child. Samaritan’s Purse is capable and already on the ground in Japan providing Disaster Relief. They also plan to follow up at an appropriate time with a large Evangelistic Outreach.

2. TEAM www.teamworld.org TEAM has established a Japan Earthquake Relief Fund and has an extensive network of relationships in Japan. They have been in Japan since 1891. They are doing all they can right now to support the churches of Japan. TEAM ensures that 100% of the funds received through the Earthquake Fund will be placed under the supervision of missionaries and Japanese believers who are on-site and positioned to deliver help where help is truly needed.

We encourage you to join in this effort today. Either go on line yourself or make your donation to VCC and note “Japan” and we will send out right away.

Tom and Ginna Sloan (Japan)

Tokyo, Japan is the largest concentration of non-Christians in all of history. There are around 36 million people in the Tokyo metro area where over 99% are not Christians; that is why the Sloans are in Tokyo. They have been praying and working for 25 years that millions and millions of Japanese will come to the Lord in their lifetime. Pray by God’s grace, this cataclysmic event can also be a catalytic event!

Letter from Tom and Ginna

Hi Everyone,
What a dynamic time of intimate fellowship with the Lord and the Japanese Body of Christ we are having these days here in Japan! You’ve probably all seen the pictures on the news of earthquake and tsunami destruction, exploding nuclear power plants, empty grocery shelves and the long orderly lines here in Japan. Thank you for praying for the people of Japan…and for us too. Thank you for your prayers, concern, love, financial support and specific offers of assistance to meet pressing needs. God is answering everyone’s prayers by bearing fruit that will remain to glorify Him forever and keeping us from being overwhelmed by any of the new realities. There are too many earthquakes to count and the radiation leakage still isn’t solved, but we continue to meet and hear of the witness of the 0.5% Christians to people in all of the affected areas, both before, during and after the disasters.

In the midst of everything going on here, we are doing what we love doing: listening and learning from God in His Word and in prayer, praising and thanking Him as He meets each need and cooperating with the Lord and Japanese people to start reproducing disciple-making Japanese churches for the glory of God. All of our needs are met and we are doing fine. In most ways life basically still is relatively “normal,” as we choose to focus on what has not changed rather than on what has changed in the past two weeks.

Our 3 ½ years in America helping Josh and his family through the brain cancer journey in many ways equipped us to go through what God is calling us to do now with peace, assurance and victory from the Lord to pass on to others as they face these fearful events. We continue to believe God to save millions of disciple making Japanese in our lifetime. We can see how God is able to use these sad events to shine forth the light, truth and grace of the Gospel to people who haven’t yet believed or grasped the reality of Christ and eternal life.

Every week God is bringing new ones to worship at both locations. Tom just finished up a disciple making series on Romans 12 and just began a new series in the book of Revelation. Now is the Day of Grace and we are seeing people turn to Christ and move forward to reach others.

Blessings in His Grace,

Ginna and Tom

Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”