■ 2003 August

Attended JLC Meeting
On August 28, International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF)/ Japan Liaison Conference (JLC) held the 126th conference at the headquarters of Rissho Kosei-kai, tow reverends attended from Konko Church of Izuo, Rev. Mitsuo Miyake, Chief Minister Designated, and Rev. Yoshinobu Miyake, Executive Director, as a board member of IARF.

JLC is the liaison organization for Japanese members of IARF, Izuo Church, Rissho Kosei-kai, Tsubaki Grand Shrine, Itto-en, Japan Chapter of IARF, Shitenno-ji Temple, IALRW, Hiyoshi Shrine, Tamamitsu Shrine, and so on. It holds a meeting several times a year to exchange opinions about domestic activities and communication with the headquarters in UK.

Rev. M. Miyake explained EXPO 2005

The main agenda was the fieldwork about minority in Taiwan planned to be hold in coming September. IARF, which has more than 100 years history, supports ethnic minority and religious minority and is a consultative organization for UN Council of Economy and Society and its participation to World EXPO 2005 in Aichi, Japan.

The attendees were, Rev. M. Miyake, Rev. Y. Miyake, Rev. Katsunori Yamanoi, Chairman of Rissho Kosei-kai, Rev. Takeshi Nishida, Principal of Itto-en Community, Rev. Takahiro Miwa, the head priest of Shrine, Mr. Yuji Inokuma, Foreign Director of Tsubaki Grand Shrine, Rev. Kazuhiro Motoyama, the deputy head priest of Tamamitsu Shrine, and others.

USJ Executives Visited KCI
On August 26, Mr. Isao Tanaka, a board member of Universal Studios Japan (USJ), and other executives visited Konko Church of Izuo. USJ, the theme park, was opened at waterfront of Osaka three years ago.

Rev. Mitsuo Miyake had a meeting with the executives

Rev. Mitsuo Miyake, Chief Minister Designated, and Rev. Yoshinobu Miyake, Executive Director, had a meeting with them to give advice from the their volume of experience in foreign country and from the viewpoint of Osaka oriented hospitality. The visitors appreciated their advice.

Scout Konko Budge
On August 23rd and 24th, the 15th lecture for Konko Budge was held at Konko Church of Izuo. This lecture is held annually at Izuo Church, to acquire Konko Budge, one of the religious licenses of Boy Scout and Girl Scout.

scout members consulted the most reverend

Attendees came from every part of West Japan even long distant from Oita prefecture in Kyushu to take lessons about the history, doctrine, and social activities of Konko-kyo delivered by various lecturers. They also discussed on watching a film about its activities.

Jinrui Kyoei-kai Held the General Conference
On August 15th, Jinrui Kyoei-kai (Prosperity for Humankind), the aid organization, held the general conference for 2003 at the sacred hall in Konko Church of Izuo.

The financial report of 2002 and the budget and activity plan for 2003 was proposed and adopted as the draft.

the general conference

At the closing, the Most Rev. Tatsuo Miyake, Senior Chief Minister of Izuo Chirch, made a speech as President of the organization.

Service for the World Peace
On August 15, Konko Church of Izuo held Service for the World Peace at the sacred hall under the leadership of Rev. Mitsuo Miyake, Chief Minister Designated, and the special service for those who had died in the World War II, was also served.

It was pledged by all the attendees at Service for the World Peace that Izuo Church devoted interfaith dialogue that the late Rev. Toshio Miyake had engaged in order to realize the world peace. They offered origami birds to the altar with their wish for the peace.

service master offered a prayer

At the other special service, left family of those who had died in the World War II, or those who had died in this one year, offered a sacred twig to the altar to appease their spirits. Izuo Church opens the altar for the visitor during Obon*1 every year so that they can offer a sacred twig at any time.

congregations bow during the prayer

They gave a silent prayer at noon after the service, and listened to the sermon delivered by the Most Rev. Tatsuo Miyake, Senior Chief Minister.

*1 Obon: the period that passed away spirit comes back to the family around middle of August, based on Japanese traditional belief such as like All Saints Day in the Western tradition.

Gave a Lecture at the LDP session

attendees listened carefully to Rev. Miyake

On August 7, Rev. Yoshinobu Miyake, Executive Director of Konko Church of Izuo, delivered a lecture at a study session of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) held at LDP headquarters in Tokyo. He illustrated the importance of religion in the international diplomacy for 2 hours to the leading members of LDP.

Rev. Miyake and Mr. Nukaga

Mr. Matsuda from Kyodo News Service emceed the session “filled with highly intellectual stimulation”, even Mr. Fukushiro Nukaga, who took responsibility for the coming general election as a Deputy Secretary General of the LDP and was so busy to reply the lobbyist, did not walk out during Rev. Miyake’s lecture.

Mt. Hiei Religious Summit
On 4 August, the 16th “Prayer for the World Peace” was held at Enryaku-ji Temple, the head temple of Tendai Buddhism, to commemorate “Mt. Hiei Religious Summit” held by religious leaders all over the world in 1897. There attended a lot of leaders in order to offer a prayer for the world eternal peace from all the religions including the Most Rev. Tatsuo Miyake, Senior Chief Minister, and Rev. Mitsuo Miyake, Chief Minister Designated, from Konko Church of Izuo.

the most reverend and the leaders offered a prayer

The most reverend offered a prayer at the stage with other leaders such as the Most Ven. Eshin Watanabe, the Patriarch of Tendai Buddhism, Seiichi Cardinal Shiroyanagi, President of World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP)/ Japan Chapter, the Most Ven. Eiki Ikeda, Chair of World Federalist Movement (WFM)/ Japan Religionist Committee, and so on.

the most reverend with Rabbi Israel Rao, the former Chief Rabbi of Iarael

the most reverend with the religious consultant for President Yasser Arafat of Palestinian Council

The Most Rev. Miyake exchanged opinions on “the role of religion on peace” with the former Chief Rabbi of Israel, and the religious consultant for President Arafat of Palestine Council.

Annual Summer Camp
Konko Church of Izuo, which has been engaging in the juvenile education since the beginning of the Church, held the annual summer camp based on its unique humanity training at the precincts on August 2nd to 3rd. The attendees from elementally school kids to university students enjoyed games, took spiritual training, and discuss the social problems.

commemorative photo with Senior Chief Minister

On August 4th, the 76th commemorative conference of Kenji-dan, KCI Children group, was held; children enjoyed playing variety of games and snack stands prepared by the Believers’ Association, Women Association and so on.