TOKYO — Christmas for one homeless pastor and his itinerant flock, forced to flee when Japan’s nuclear crisis erupted, will have echoes of its origins this year as they gather in a shelter far from home.
The reverend Akira Sato says he and his 50-strong congregation are expecting an “unforgettable” Christmas a long way from the Fukushima Daiichi Seisho (1st Bible) Baptist Church, which lies in the shadow of the crippled power plant.
“This Christmas will be very special. I will never forget it,” said the 54-year-old, who is planning to hold his December 25 service at a church in western Tokyo that has offered temporary refuge.
“I often call myself a homeless pastor,” Sato told AFP. “We know we won’t be able to remain homeless forever, but we do not yet know where we can go. We are still wandering.”
Sato has presided over services at the Fukushima church — whose name, along with the power plant simply means “first” — since 1982.
Continue reading at Room at the inn for Fukushima Christians
