missionart.org

Reaching the World through Tokyo

Roger Lowther — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:36:00 +0000

Dr. Timothy Keller, noted author and senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Manhattan, speaks about the importance and difficulties of church planting in Tokyo, Japan. Redeemer’s “City to City” is helping to spread the vision of why Christians should love the city and what they can do to serve a city. Redeemer has also helped to start the new Grace City Church Tokyo, which my family and I are helping to start.

Articles on art and church planting in Japan

Roger Lowther — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:46:57 +0000

Read “The Spiritual Power of Bach’s Organ Music in Japan” by Roger Lowther published in the March 2010 issue of The American Organist, the most widely read organ publication in the world. Musicians, and even organists specifically, are being called into missions to help plant churches. See how the music of J.S. Bach is having such an emotional, intellectual, and spiritual impact on lives of people in Japan!

Also, more recently in the Summer 2010 issue of Japan Harvest, a publication for missionaries and pastors in Japan, Roger wrote an article entitled “Short Films and Church Planting.” The article describes one way the arts can be used and is being used in church planting, in this case, through the medium of film. Jitensha (”The Bicycle”) is a new film by Yu Shibuya, a screenwriter/director/producer friend of ours here in Japan. He has seen tremendous success as an artist through using his “spectacles of grace” to see redemption and healing in the Japanese culture. You can order Jitensha and see other films of his by going to www.studio-re.com.

“The Arts in Mission: From Peru to Japan” is an article published in the Fall 2008 issue of Japan Harvest. A revival is occurring in the artist community around the world, and many of these artists are finding there way into church planting teams, learning as they go how to use their craft as artists to help build community and bring the gospel to the hearts of the people. Some of their stories are told through this article.

Watch Roger Play!

Roger Lowther — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:06:27 +0000

Originally written for 3 cellos, piano, and drums by Eicca Toppinen of the group Apocalyptica, Ruska was transcribed for organ by Roger Lowther and recorded on Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at First Evangelical Church in Memphis, Tennessee. See more videos of Roger playing the organ on youtube!

Life Line Television Broadcast in Japan

Roger Lowther — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:08:39 +0000

Chapel Talk & Worship

Roger Lowther — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:32:55 +0000

“Missionaries irrelevant or perhaps even dangerous?” This is the chapel talk given by Roger and Abi Lowther at Belhaven University in Jackson, MS on February 3, 2009. An extremely negative perception of missionaries prevails in general culture, and as missionaries, we tried to address some of these concerns. We were introduced by Dr. Roger Parrott, president of Belhaven College.

You can also see Roger speak live about Japan in a worship service at the megachurch First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida by going to our blog.

Radio Broadcast

Roger Lowther — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 03:02:54 +0000

Asami Odate, director of five gospel choirs and leader of a recent trip to Memphis and Mississippi by ten Japanese people, was interviewed live on the radio along with Abi Lowther. How did Asami become a Christian through gospel music? Why is gospel music so popular in Japan? What does a Japanese gospel choir sound like? Go to our blog to hear the whole Thanksgiving broadcast from November 27, 2008.

#6 Bonus: Live at Jusco!

Roger Lowther — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:21:02 +0000

A bilingual conversation about American and Japanese culture from a Japanese mall
http://missionart.org/podcast/japanese/podcast6justcojapanese.mp3

#6 Bonus: Live at Jusco!

Roger Lowther — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:17:24 +0000

A look at Western and Japanese art from a Christian perspective through monthly podcasts

http://missionart.org/podcast/english/podcast6justco.mp3

スポットライト芸術家

Roger Lowther — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:35:08 +0000

ケン＆ボラ・テイラーご夫婦、そしてアニカ、ルッカ、ヴィクトリアの３人の子供たちは、１９９７年に日本に引っ越してきました。ＷｏｒｌｄＶｅｎｔｕｒｅというミッションで音楽を通して日本人に福音を分かち合っています。夫婦は日本に来る前、そしてクリスチャンになる前は、ジャズ・ミュージシャンとして東南アジアのクラブやコンサート・ホールで演奏活動を行っていました。のちにテイラーー家は、Ｈａｌｌｅｌｕｊａｈ
ＧｏｓｐｅｌＦａｍｉｌｙを始めました。このグループは２５ゴスペルクワイヤから成り、メンバーは５００人です。そのうち８０パーセントは未信者です。英語のウェブサイトで、テイラー一家の色々な活動を映像で見ることが出来ます。

ミッションとアートのビジョン

Roger Lowther — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:27:09 +0000

芸術によって、キリスト教の宣教の姿は変化しています。たくさんの芸術家は、世界中の教会の開拓伝道を助けるために宣教師になっています。開拓伝道のチームは多くの芸術家を招いています。おそらく歴史の中で、今ほど多くの芸術家が宣教師として活動している時代はないでしょう。

芸術は、文化の中であるべき世界を作り出します。芸術をとおして神様の美、善、真が味わえます。こうありたい、けれど現実はそうではない…この世の全てがそう思える中で、アーティストの使命は、美を表現することを通して、これまでにない世界に人々をいざなうことだと考えています。変わる術などないと思われる現状の前に、新しい世界を開くことにあるのです。

家庭や人間関係、あるいは仕事が泥沼にはまって這い上がることができない…飢えてやせ細った子供が道端で物乞いをし、薬に身を冒された少女達が通りに出て客引きをする…そんな悲惨な光景が、いわば当たり前で、太陽の下では何ら新しいことは期待できないと思えるとき、アートや音楽が、この壁を打ち破る力となります。新しい人生、新しい世界、つまり本来あるべき世界へと導いてくれるのです。悲しみと痛みがひしめく世にある限り “美” (Beauty) は常に渇望されるものではないでしょうか。

私たちクリスチャンアーティストは、然るべき日にいのちがよみがえり、すべてが正義と美に変えられることを信じる者です。私たちすべてに開かれた、そんな未来の前味を少しでも味わっていただければと願っています。