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International Coffee Time
 An activity that spanned all the teams during the summer of 2003 was our weekly Wednesday night International Coffee Time. We opened Sekime Chapel for three hours, served drinks and snacks, and billed it as a time to get to know foreigners and have fun. We think it was our most successful outreach event. We made Rachel the official hostess, since she was here all summer, and she was in charge of choosing activities, keeping the munchies coming, and getting contact information from everyone who came, so that we can invite them to other events in the future.
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 The first one was lightly attended (see photo under Inter-Church Ministry), but then it really caught on. We had over twenty people on several occasions, using all corners of the room.  When Antifany was here, they performed for the delighted ICT crowd, and at a later ICT, one of the guests sat at the piano and entertained us. | |
 But the most popular ice-breaker was games. You might see one group playing Uno at one table (like in the photo at the top of the page)  and another playing Jenga at the other one. Ungame was also a bit hit (right) - we pre-selected the cards that had the easiest English and translated when necessary, and every time we got it out, the number participating grew every few minutes - since there is no competition, anyone can join any time!
 Rachel and the two teams that were here for more than one Wednesday (Father's House and OSM) each developed a following, and the guests would even plan special events. Father's House team's last time, someone brought fireworks, and the party moved to the parking lot. Rachel was also given a farewell party (see Rachel Starr).
There were large conversation groups, smaller groups, and one-on-one ministry.
There were ample opportunities for the short-termers to talk about their life, why they came to Japan, and their faith. Those who felt bolder about personal ministry sought out someone in a corner, and those less confident could join a game and just show the joy of the Lord. It worked out really well for both the short-termers and the guests, and we're likely to do it again!
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