Hosting community festivals is one avenue they are pursuing to minister in communities.
The Prices said their plans for festivals and outreach in parks will continue after the summer Olympics.
Ongoing support from Baptist conventions
A Southern Baptist volunteer listens to a Japanese man at a Rugby World Cup viewing party at Tokyo Baptist Church in Tokyo, Japan. Japanese churches and IMB missionaries have used sporting events as opportunities to share the gospel. While travel during the Olympics is not possible for international visitors, Southern Baptist volunteers plan to travel to Japan to partner with missionaries when travel becomes possible.
Once Japan opens for travel, Bradford said they look forward to utilizing volunteers.
The Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention, the Northwest Baptist Convention, the California Baptist Convention and the South Carolina Baptist Convention partner with the IMB in East Asia. Several of the conventions planned to send volunteer teams to minister alongside IMB missionaries and Japanese Christians during the Olympics.
Various leaders in the conventions and churches told Bradford and the Prices their commitment to serving in Japan does not center on or around the Olympics — their commitment is to the Japanese people.
“That was really encouraging because that’s really what our focus on the Olympics truly is — it’s on the Japanese people,” Bradford said.
Churches in the conventions plan to send teams once it is possible. The Price’s home church, The Summit Church in North Carolina, plans to send a volunteer team this fall.
This article originally appeared here.
