Following six months of deputation ministry in Japan, Hisashi Tateishi has returned to his work at the Japanese Gospel Church in Greenwich, Connecticut. His wife, Kiyomi, and their two children spent the summer with him in Japan, but returned at the end of August for school. During his ministry in Japan, Hisashi spoke at about 90 churches, detailing the work among Japanese citizens here in the U.S.

Although his time in Japan was very positive, Hisashi notes that the Japanese economy – and Japanese churches – are struggling. “They would like to increase their support of our ministry, but we do not know what the yen will look like against the dollar in the next few years. If current conditions continue, our economy will be seriously impacted and many Japanese industries will sure to suffer, if they are not suffering already.”

“Since our ministry is mainly aimed at Japanese expatriates in the greater New York area, we may see a decline in the total Japanese population. One thing about the church in Greenwich that has changed in the last four to five years is that we have a lot more permanent resident members. They have started to consider the church their own, and people are starting to talk about becoming independent, not relying on the support of Japanese churches. It is a good sign.”