{"id":2908,"date":"2014-12-06T06:37:03","date_gmt":"2014-12-06T06:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.tenrikyo.org\/?p=2908"},"modified":"2014-12-17T01:30:13","modified_gmt":"2014-12-17T01:30:13","slug":"followers-in-overseas-countries-increase-their-efforts-towards-the-130th-anniversary-of-oyasama%e2%80%94pre-anniversary-activities-in-europe-and-colombia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.tenrikyo.org\/?p=2908","title":{"rendered":"Followers in Overseas Countries Increase Their Efforts towards the 130th Anniversary of Oyasama\u2014Pre-anniversary Activities in Europe and Colombia"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Oyasama 130th Anniversary Yoboku Gatherings came to an end in June. Now well into the second half of the pre-anniversary season, Yoboku and followers are proactively increasing their efforts in salvation work in various parts of the world. What follows is the Tenri Jiho newspaper\u2019s report on activities at the Europe Centre and the Mission Center in Colombia.
\n
\nEuropean followers striving to fulfill their resolutions with youthful energy<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cAs instruments of Oyasama, we intended to make continuous efforts to fulfill our resolutions of bringing a total of 350 pilgrims to Jiba from Europe and administering the Sazuke a total of 13,000 times in this pre-anniversary season,\u201d Tenrikyo Europe Centre Head Yoshihisa Hasegawa said in the prayer at the centre\u2019s September monthly service, which drew about 25 Yoboku and other followers residing in France.<\/p>\n

Rev. Hasegawa commented: \u201cIn the past pre-anniversary activities, we didn\u2019t specify any target numbers to achieve in our resolutions. Since salvation work is emphasized for this upcoming anniversary in the Tenrikyo community, we decided that our pilgrimages to Jiba and administrations of the Sazuke would be at the core of our pre-anniversary activities. All of us Yoboku affiliated with the centre are committed to putting them into practice with our minds in unison.\u201d<\/p>\n

Located in Antony, a Paris suburb, Tenrikyo Europe Centre was established in 1970 by Church Headquarters. There is one Tenrikyo church and 18 mission stations in Europe, and about 450 Yoboku live in France and 22 other European countries, according to Tenrikyo Overseas Department.<\/p>\n

Two years ago in December, leading members of the Tenrikyo community in Europe including mission station heads met at the centre to discuss their resolutions towards the anniversary. Some participants, however, expressed their hesitation about having concrete numbers in them.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince people in Europe respect the will of individuals, quite a few people feel awkward about \u2018target numbers.\u2019 At the meeting, a variety of ideas of what we could do were proposed and discussed by the participants,\u201d said Rev. Hasegawa, reflecting upon the meeting.<\/p>\n

The discussion went in accord with a Divine Direction that says, \u201cEverything will settle after you resolve\u201d (Osashizu, November 3, 1891). As a result, participants unanimously decided to set the concrete numbers as the \u201cresolutions of all the followers in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their efforts bore fruit right away. In Bordeaux Church, located in the southwestern part of France, the number of the Sazuke administrations greatly increased due to the efforts made by its church members. Further, three French people attracted by the teachings returned to Jiba and received the truth of the Sazuke last year.<\/p>\n

The Oyasama 130th Anniversary Yoboku Gatherings took place in May this year, drawing a total of 186 participants at eight venues across Europe. In July, the centre held the Tenrikyo Europe Reunion, which was attended by 66 followers from five countries. The program of the reunion, which is an annual gathering for followers in Europe, focuses on \u201cbringing spiritual awakening\u201d and \u201cfostering human resources.\u201d Last year, participants relearned how to administer the Sazuke and encouraged one another to increase their Sazuke administrations. This year\u2019s participants had an opportunity to reflect on the Yoboku Gatherings and shared their thoughts about what they wanted to do to help others. They were able to pledge together once again to carry out their salvation work.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important to strengthen mutual ties among followers in Europe in this pre-anniversary season,\u201d said Young Men\u2019s Association Europe Chapter Chairman Ronald Malbosc, who became chairman last September. This June, the Europe chapter started a new activity where its members go on road trips to visit Tenrikyo centers all around Europe. They will have visited all mission stations in Europe by the 130th Anniversary of Oyasama.
\n\u201cIn order to boost our activities, we definitely need an increasing number of so-called \u2018native generation\u2019 members, who were born and raised in Europe and don\u2019t speak Japanese as a native language,\u201d said Chairman Malbosc enthusiastically.<\/p>\n

Further, as a means to help guide \u201cnative generation\u201d followers, the centre organizes an annual event called \u201cpalette,\u201d a three-day discussion-based program where people aged between 15 and 35 get together regardless of their nationality and position.
\nIkuko Nagao, a 26-year-old staff member of the program, stressed the positive effects of the program by saying: \u201cParticipants are able to reflect upon a connection between the path and themselves through this program. It is also a good opportunity for them to share their personal worries with others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks to the efforts that those in leading positions and young followers have made to fulfill their resolutions, other followers are also taking salvation work as part of their faith. The number of the Sazuke administrations exceeded 5,000 as of the end of July 2014.<\/p>\n

Rev. Hasegawa commented: \u201cIt is very encouraging that young followers bring a variety of ideas and put them into practice. We would like to further enhance our centre\u2019s activities so that we can support what our fellow followers are doing. Moreover, we want to have all followers in Europe on board to work with us to make strides in carrying out our resolutions.\u201d
\n
\nFocusing more energy on nurturing local human resources <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tenrikyo Mission Center in Colombia is located in the southwestern Colombian city of Cali, halfway up the Andes. Although the country is astride the equator, the climate in Cali\u2014which is
\nnearly 1,000 meters (3,280 ft.) above sea level\u2014is moderate.<\/p>\n

Two years ago in March, the center conducted the service to commemorate its 40th anniversary in the presence of the Shinbashira. In preparation for the anniversary, the center had made a variety of efforts such as organizing church sleepovers and forming a fife and drum band for children, as well as providing karate training lessons. Rev. Naotaro Shimizu, head of the center, said: \u201cWe had been nurturing human resources towards our anniversary through various activities. Towards the 130th Anniversary of Oyasama, we are trying to enhance those activities in the hope of nurturing local followers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The path in Colombia started in 1960 when 17 students from Tenri High School Evening Course immigrated to the country as agricultural workers. There are currently three churches, six mission stations, and nine fellowships in the country, which is home to 192 Yoboku.<\/p>\n

In July 2011, the center called on senior followers to start a meeting to discuss and organize various events and activities at the center. In one of the sessions of the meeting, they set seven activity guidelines: \u201cdoing salvation work,\u201d \u201cperforming the service,\u201d \u201cdoing hinokishin<\/em>,\u201d \u201ccarrying out missionary work,\u201d \u201cincreasing support for forming fellowships,\u201d \u201ceducating and nurturing Yoboku leaders,\u201d and \u201ceducating and nurturing followers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Yoboku Gatherings, held at two venues in Colombia this March, drew a total of about 100 people from various parts of the country. Last April, Tenrikyo Introductory Course was started as a nurturing program to implement the activity guidelines and continues to be held as one of the center\u2019s pre-anniversary activities. The course has been conducted 11 times at several venues including follower\u2019s houses. As many as 250 people have attended the course, which provides participants with an opportunity to watch a video explaining the Tenrikyo teachings, listen to faith experience speeches, and practice the service. Participants can also have the Sazuke administered to them by instructors.<\/p>\n

One of the distinctive aspects of the course is that local followers serve as instructors after attending preparatory training. It is not uncommon that they invite their friends and relatives to participate in the course and that even after the course some participants ask their instructors to help with their problem or to administer the Sazuke.<\/p>\n

Rev. Shimizu said: \u201cI consider it important to convey the teachings from local people\u2019s perspective while trying to understand this country\u2019s cultures and traditions. Local followers have begun to take this faith as their own and practice the teachings with sincerity. Local people started to come to the mission center to seek salvation. The Tenrikyo teachings are beginning to take root in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n

On July 20, as a follow-up program to the introductory course, the \u201cOne-Day Spiritual Training Course\u201d was held at the mission center, attended by 15 people including those who were new to the path. In this course, as well, local followers serve as instructors. In an effort to help participants get a feel for the teachings, the instructors explained in an easy-to-understand manner some of the core teachings such as why God created human beings and what it means for human beings to be brothers and sisters to one another.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, some cultural activities are also expanding along with the nurturing programs at the mission center.<\/p>\n

The Tenri Club, the center\u2019s cultural activities committee, offers Japanese language lessons as well as karate and judo lessons. It also promotes a group for people interested in gagaku (Japanese court music) and a fife and drum band. Some participants in the center\u2019s cultural activities have entered Tenrikyo Language Institute (TLI) in the Home of the Patent, and others have applied to Shuyoka, the three-month Spiritual Development Course offered by Church Headquarters. In this way, those activities have become good opportunities to sprinkle the fragrance of the teachings.<\/p>\n

Rev. Shimizu commented: \u201cWe would like as many people as possible to get the feel for the path in this pre-anniversary season. We\u2019re going to increase our efforts to guide and nurture local followers with the motto \u2018smile, liveliness, and the spirit of salvation work.\u2019 We would also like to promote community-based activities in a step-by-step manner so that the teaching of the \u2018Joyous Life\u2019 will spread widely in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Oyasama 130th Anniversary Yoboku Gatherings came to an end in June. Now well into the second half of the pre-anniversary season, Yoboku and followers are proactively increasing their efforts in salvation work in various parts of the world. What follows is the Tenri Jiho newspaper\u2019s report on activities at\u2026<\/p>\n

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