Japan Missionary College has for a number of years followed the highly profitable plan of arranging its theology curriculum so that fourth-year theology students take part in an actual evangelistic effort somewhere in the field. Classes are arranged during this year so that for one quarter the students may concentrate on evangelism, both in study and practice. Frequently the students have moved from the college during this quarter and lived in the city where the effort was being held.
The most recent school of evangelism was completed early last December. Six students, along with a teacher and his family, moved more than three hundred miles from the college to another place in Japan to be associated with the Japan Union evangelistic team of W. I. Hilliard and P. W. Nelson in the first series of meetings to be held in the new Toyama Evangelistic Center. The five men students lived in one upstairs room at the center, while Miss Oseko stayed with the Bible instructors who are associated with the team.
The series began with an intensive campaign of three weeks, followed by a Bible marking study plan similar to that described in THE MINISTRY, September, 1962. In this way the students had a wide variety of opportunities to assist in and observe different phases of real evangelism.
The field school climaxed with the students themselves holding a short series of meetings in a nearby village while the center program continued. They prayed, planned, and prepared; and preached to a full house every night. The thrill and blessing realized by the students were surpassed only by the joy of those who had been teaching evangelism at seeing these students in action. The union team is following up the interest aroused by this effort, as well as continuing the program at the center in Toyama.
Pictured are the students with the union team, the Japanese pastor of the Toyama church, the center Bible instructors, and D. L. Venden, who accompanied the students from the college.
