Praise the Lord! We have reached our crowdfunding goal!!!
We had been using the land adjacent to the House of Hope for parking and other activities for about 2 years free of charge—in exchange for maintaining the property. This spring, the owners told us they wanted to sell the land, and would give us first option.
Since there is no public transportation or on-street parking in our area, we knew that planting a church without any parking would be difficult. From June 1 - August 10 we did a crowdfunding campaign, trusting God to provide for this need.
BACKGROUND
For 11 years,(since the 3/11 Earthquake and Tsunami) Ishinomaki House of Hope has been working in the coastal area of Ishinomaki in Northern Japan. At first, we worked to bring in emergency supplies, remove mud and debris, clean out and repair houses, and provide support and emotional care for the victims of the disaster.
As time went on, we held many Christian concerts, cooking and craft classes, coffee times, and Bible times. Our neighbors have met volunteers from many different countries and heard their faith stories. From the very beginning, our desire has always been to start a neighborhood church and share the lasting hope of the Gospel.
In October 2021, we started worship services, and in April 2022, we welcomed a pastor and became an official church plant. When the owners of the parking lot land informed us of their decision to sell as soon as possible, we were shocked and immediately began praying for God’s help and direction.
This came up very suddenly, and deciding to try fundraising was a big step of faith for us. We went ahead with it, trusting God to provide the funds to purchase the land so we could continue using it.
As of August 9th, we had received ALL the money we needed to buy the land.
Thank you for your encouragement and support! We are so grateful for your generosity in helping us with this sudden and urgent need. It is our greatest desire that God be glorified through the work of Ishinomaki House of Hope.
Ishinomaki House of Hope Pastor: Haruya Itoh
Cooperating Missionaries: Dean Bengtson, Linda Bengtson
If you wish to support the ongoing work of House of Hope, please go to this link to make a donation.
https://www.houseofhopeishinomaki.com/donate
**(see below for other ways to give.)
Target Amount: 8.97 million yen (approximately U.S.$69,000 )
Land area: 87 tsubo (287.60 square meters)
Location of land for sale: 42-56 Kadonowaki Urayashiki, Ishinomaki City
Deadline: Wednesday, August 10th, 2022
**Note: If you live in the United States and desire a tax deductible receipt, you can give via the Church of the Lutheran Brethren “Online Giving page”:
https://www.clba.org Giving ⌵ Online Giving /International Missions / –Other: LBIM: / Amount / Note: “Ishinomaki House of Hope”
Or
Send a Check directly to
Lutheran Brethren International Missions
Church of the Lutheran Brethren
PO Box 655
1020 W. Alcott Ave
Fergus Falls, MN 56537 USA
Please note: “Ishinomaki House of Hope”.
TOTAL
8/10 (101%)
Gifts from other sources
¥8,239,098(US$63,378)
Total Gifts from Crowdfunding + other sources
¥9,129,125(US$70,224)
Amount Over Goal!
159,125円(US$1,224)
Click on the arrow to choose Japanese yen or US Dollars.
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**Note: If you live in the United States and desire a tax deductible receipt, you can give via the Church of the Lutheran Brethren “Online Giving page”:
https://www.clba.org Giving ⌵ Online Giving /International Missions / –Other: LBIM: / Amount / Note: “House of Hope land purchase”.
Or
Send a Check directly to
Lutheran Brethren International Missions
Church of the Lutheran Brethren
PO Box 655
1020 W. Alcott Ave
Fergus Falls, MN 56537 USA
Please note: “House of Hope land purchase”.