Archive for November, 2007

For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
– 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NASV)

Rev. Noboru Hojo was born in 1931, when the Manchurian Incident occurred in Manchuria. Within 6 years, the Chinese Incident broke out which led Japan to start the Pacific War in 1941. In order to fight the Allied countries, patriotism was forced even on elementary schools by indoctrination in order to make the people willing to serve the nation.

During a morning gathering at young Hojo’s elementary school, the principal gave a short talk to the whole school and challenged the students by asking who would go to Manchuria as a patriotic volunteer. His heart beat fast, and HE raised his hand to respond to his call, for he loved his country. He was the only one in the whole school who raised his hand. If he had been accepted, he believes that he would have died as a boy in Manchuria. The following year he took an entrance examination for aviation training school for youth, hoping to be a fighter pilot, but he failed that test, too. When he entered junior high school, he made up his mind to be a military soldier and took the entrance examination for the military academy, because he wanted to be serviceable to his nation. However, somehow none of his desires were fulfilled.

Two sons and two daughters were born to his parents. His father worked for the National Railroad Company for years, and his mother was a good homemaker and educator for the children. Even though it was during war-time, they had many happy childhood memories. However, one incident left a deep wound in his heart as a boy. When they quarreled over the snacks they had to share, his father became angry and said, “You are fighting over such a small thing. You are useless and not worthy to even have feces.” Hojo was so shocked by these words, and was more determined than ever to find worth and to become serviceable to his nation.

The war ended. Japan was defeated by the Allied nations. Everything was a disaster and in confusion. Most of all, he lost his cherished purpose in life, to be a servant of his nation.

With a broken heart, he roamed around the Tama River and received much consolation from a classical poem taught at his junior high school: “Devastated by the long war/there still remain/the mountains and rivers of my country.”

God did not forsake this despondent youth; He prepared an experience far beyond what Hojo could imagine. I was a special club at his junior high school. Out of curiosity, he began to attend an English Conversation Club after school. One day, a few American GIs happened to visit the club, handing the students Bibles both in English and Japanese. They sang for the club members “What A Friend We Have In Jesus.” Their smiling faces and gentlemanly demeanor dispelled hatred and hostile feelings within his heart, filling him with indescribable joy and peace instead. The soldiers did not come to his school again, but from that day on he began reading the Bible at home by himself, seeking comfort and strength. The unspeakable joy came back to him whenever he thought of the meeting with the GIs. God began preparing Hojo to be “serviceable” to another Nation.”

While preparing himself for entrance examinations for universities in his senior year, his sister’s friend introduced him to an English Bible class held at a missionary’s residence in his town. It was at her home that he met a newly arrived American missionary, Mr. & Mrs. Fred Pike, who sometime later asked him to help their pioneer work in the town of Hamura in Tokyo.

He failed the examination for a commercial college, which took away his self confidence and pride. An inferiority complex and hatred against those who had passed the exams with success overwhelmed him. And the thought of having brought disgrace upon his family through his failure and the sense of having become useless tormented him day and night. But God was making another adjustment to get this young man going in a new direction. On July 4th, 1950, he received Christ and was baptized by an American missionary at Tachikawa Pentecostal Church where she prayed that he might find peace by committing his life and future into God’s hands. Noboru Hojo’s heart was filled with the joy of having his sins forgiven and becoming a child of God.

During that fall, he accepted the invitation to help the Pikes’ with the work in Hamura. While assisting them, he was convinced that the Lord had led his path and would make his life “serviceable” for the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ.

Eventually Noboru Hojo entered Aoyama Gakuin University and from there went to the northern part of the USA itinerating among a number of churches giving his testimony intertwined with music played on a number of instruments. At the end of his itinerant experience he enrolled at California Baptist Theological Seminary. Hojo began his long-term acquaintance with First Baptist Church, Pomona California where he was ordained in 1960.

He returned to Japan and married his partner in ministry, Michie, in 1962.
After theological training in Japan, and experience as an evangelist with American Baptist missionary Bill Hinchman, Rev. Hojo be came pastor of the new Nerima Shin Ai (Faith-Love) church in Tokyo. For the next 41 years while pastoring this church he has become involved in social issues of the day in Japan. From the kindergarten and nursery held at the church during the week, to his years of service with the National Christian Council in Japan, he and his wife have become advocates for children. Their nursery-kindergarten allows them to be involved in the lives of young mothers whose first priority is something other than child-raising. They are saddened at the helplessness and lack of responsibility they see in young mothers and attempt to share with them by loving their children as Christ did and encouraging them to use good parenting skills. Whether just one child or two are present on Sunday, they always have a special Sunday school and children’s time in their worship service. He is committed to Sunday school as being an indispensable ministry of the church.

During the first 2 decades of their work, they hosted 14 volunteers from the USA. Again this summer Rev. Hojo and his wife engaged two volunteers in work for a few days. He also came to the Volunteer Center to help with some repairs and to talk to volunteers about evangelism in Japan

Roberta met this fine couple 30 years ago when she was studying language in Tokyo. The Shin Ai church was the first Japanese church that Roberta experienced. Moving to Tokyo recently has allowed her to renew her acquaintance with them and to once again learn from this couple who have become servants of Two Nations, the Kingdom of God and the nation of Japan.