AFARI: American Friends of the Asian Rural Institute

ARI Gathering Friday, June 4 in Cleveland

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:35:00 +0000

The Asian Rural Institute (ARI) and American Friends of ARI

invite you to an evening devoted to

environmental and social justice, sustainable agriculture and community development.

ARI is a training center for rural community leaders from Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Integrated organic farming, servant leadership and community development are the foundations of this center located in Northern Japan. Recruitment of leaders from marginalized, poor and oppressed communities is emphasized. Volunteers from North America are welcome. Founded in 1973, ARI has been “green” and grassroots-based long before it became fashionable.

Come and learn more about this amazing institute. Christian inspired and interfaith in practice, ARI has been a long-time mission partner of the United Church of Christ. Join ARI for complimentary dinner, a short documentary and conversation.

Date: Friday, June 4, 2010

Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Place: Lakewood Congregational Church UCC

1375 W. Clifton Blvd. Lakewood, OH 44107

For more information or to RSVP for dinner, please contact Rev. Joan Ishibashi at 216-749-3116 ext. 110, or jishibashi@wraucc.org. We look forward to seeing you.

Run for an ARI Scholarship

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:48:00 +0000

J.B. Hoover will be running the Seattle Marathon on November 29th, 2009. Pledges will support a scholarship for a future ARI participant. Please find additional information in the "Run for an ARI Scholarship" PDF. You may also pledge online.

"Take My Hand" Newsletter (Summer, 2009) and Class of 2009 Photos Online

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:51:00 +0000

The full color versions of the Summer, 2009 issue of "Take My Hand" and the Participant List for the Class of 2009 are now online.

AFARI Annual General Meeting and Reunion

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:32:00 +0000

Join us in Montebello, California on Sunday, July 12th from 1:00-8:00 to see old friends and meet new ones learning "that we may live together"! Find out more about ARI and and ways to support this important mission through outreach, education and fun! Please register so that we will know to expect you.

Details are available in the PDF flyer, brochure, and fact sheet.

Events will include:

World premier of Rod Booth's new video "To Build a World... that will still bear fruit tomorrow"
Presentation by ARI staff member Steven Cutting
ARI Graduate of 2000, Rev. Machado from Gujarat, India
Video greeting from ARI's new Director, Rev.Otsuki
Community supper (starting at 6:00 pm)

Sunday, July 12th
1:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Montebello Plymouth Congregational Church
144 South Greenwood Avenue
Montebello, CA

For more information contact J.B. Hoover at John.B.Hoover@gmail.com or call (206) 349-2807.

Participant Profile: Rev. Ban Ven from Cambodia

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:13:00 +0000

Please enjoy the profile of one of this year's participants: Rev. Ban Ven from Cambodia.

Shinko Takami's 2008 Foundation Day Speech

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:54:00 +0000

Shinko Takami, wife of ARI Founder Toshihiro (Tom) Takami, spoke at the 2008 ARI Foundation Day. Please enjoy the full text of Shinko Takami's speech.

Online Registration for the Northeast Regional AFARI Gathering, Saturday, May 2, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:30:00 +0000

Please register online for the Northeast Regional AFARI Gathering, Saturday, May 2, 2009.

Northeast Regional AFARI Gathering, Saturday, May 2, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Please join us for the Northeast Regional AFARI Gathering on Saturday, May 2, 2009.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

9 am – 4 pm

Framingham Conference Center

Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ

One Badger Road, Framingham, MA

Suggested donation $20; $10 for students (includes lunch)

PROGRAM SPEAKERS

J.B. REDDING is a Board Member of the American Friends of the Asian Rural Institute. She is an Ordained Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and is the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Caring Hands, Inc., a 501©3 charity providing homes and services to people with disabilities.

REV. JORDAN (SKIP) DICKINSON retired from ministry in 1999 having served almost 40 years in the United Church of Christ. In the fall of 2008, Skip was a working visitor at ARI when he participated in AFARI Safari III. During his visit he was reunited for the first time since their days at Yale Divinity School with Rev. Dr.Toshihiro Tom Takami, ARI Founder and President Emeritus.

Join friends, old and new, for a day of fellowship, to share experiences and catch up on news of the Asian Rural Institute (ARI) and American Friends of the Asian Rural Institute (AFARI). We will also discuss ways to support this important mission through local outreach and education.

All are welcome, whether you have known about ARI since its inception 35 years ago, or if you are learning about ARI/AFARI for the first time.

Come for all or part of the day!

To register for the event, or for more information regarding overnight accommodations at the Framingham Conference Center, please contact
AFARI Board Member, Margret Hofmeister
by e-mail at: margretucc@gmail.com or by phone: 203-915-9197

For more information about the location, please see http://www.macucc.org/sites.htm

"Leadership" Magazine article about ARI graduate Fr. Kizito in Uganda

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:12:00 +0000

The August 2008 issue of the "Leadership" magazine contains a nice article with good pictures of the project of one of our graduates, Fr. Kizito. Fr. Kizito established this center after graduating from ARI. He is sending the Coordinator of the St. Patrick Center to ARI this year (2009) for training. Prof. Tasaka, mentioned in the article, is the former director of ARI and is now a board member of ARI.

"Take My Hand" December, 2008 Issue Online

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:15:00 +0000

The December, 2008 issue of "Take My Hand" is now online.

Articles include:

Rice and Life at ARI
Participants' Voices: Sri Lanka, Mathiyaparanam Ramachandran and Lasitha Udaya Kumara Hangawatta
Graduates at Work: Focus on Thailand: Mr. Prakit Kumduang Dao (ARI Graduate 1981) and Mr. Chomchuan Boonrahong (ARI Graduate 1988)
Japanese Participants Stories: Yoichiro Shindo (Japanese Graduate 2002) and Makiko Uchida (Japanese Participant 2008)
Key Concepts of ARI - Equal Relationship
Takami: Japanese Curry
AFARI - Introducing a few of the board
AFARI SAFARI III - Reflections
News and Announcements

AFARI SAFARI III Highlights from Skip Dickinson

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:39:00 +0000

Skip Dickinson, AFARI SAFARI III participant, shared the following reflections on his trip to the Asian Rural Institute.

With a grateful heart I give many, many thanks for your support toward my travel to Japan in October to participate in the 36th Annual Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration of the Asian Rural Institute (ARI). Located near the city of Nasushiobara in northern Japan, ARI is an international training center on an 8 hectare integrated organic farm that invites 25 to 30 grass roots rural leaders from Asia, Africa and the Pacific to study for nine months every year in sustainable organic agricultural techniques, leadership and community development.

Highlights of my 17 day journey included:
The reunion with ARI’s founder, the Rev. Dr. Toshihiro Takami, a Yale Divinity School classmate, and his lovely wife, Shinko Takami.
Assembling for 6:30 AM exercises to a Japanese radio program, before chores;
At ARI my personal morning and evening chores included feeding and caring for chickens, alongside a Muslim woman from Bangladesh and an Episcopal volunteer from Texas.
The community meal times with grace sung in Japanese or English followed by a spoken prayer by a participant in his or her native tongue.
Participating in worship and assembly by the community led by one of the participants.
the offering of first fruits of the harvest at the outdoor amphitheatre gathering with the Ambassador and his wife from Maui as invited guests.
Receiving the blessing by Takami sen sei raising his hand in benediction from his wheel chair.
Observing with anticipation the early morning food preparation of indigenous dishes over open fires by participants and volunteers for the two day Celebration.
Joining with over 2,000 visitors at the Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration.
Other highlights included:
Visiting the famous Toshogu Shrine in Nikko where one sees carved on a lintel of the Sacred Stable the three “See no evil, Say no evil, Hear no evil” monkeys.
Riding in a “Nursery Van” given to ARI by a nearby Nursery School. With brightly painted animal faces on its sides, the van evoked smiles from adults and often peals of laughter from children.
A heartwarming visit with UCC missionary the Rev. Jeffrey Mensendiek at the Sendai Christian Center. Jeff and staff reach out to students at Sendai University and have led them in work camps as far away as India and Africa.
Two overnight ferry rides to and from the northern island of Hokkaido, complete with my introduction to the welcome tradition of Japanese hot baths, and a Pacific Ocean sunrise.
Visiting Menno Village, an organic farm on the Island of Hokkaido. Raymond Epp, born and raised in Nebraska runs the farm with his Japanese wife and helpers. With roots in the Mennonite faith, Menno Village provides food shares for eighty area families.
Ray actively works with others to keep farmland free of GMO seeds on the island. His father-in-law, a retired Agricultural University professor, has pioneered the science of building insulation, and the farm is capable of storing the potato harvest through to the following June. With greenhouses, chickens, vegetable, rice and wheat cultivation, grains are harvested and processed on site, and wheat is milled for their own bakery.
Visiting Rakuno Gakuin, an Agricultural University in Hokkaido which pioneered dairy science with a herd of Holstein cattle imported from Holland to Japan.
Visiting the methane bio gas processing unit, and the Veterinary Science Teaching Hospital, premier in Japan and Asia.
Learning of the Three Love Movement: Love of God, Love of Neighbor, and Love of the Earth (i.e. the Soil/ Land).
Personal overnight stays with two clergy and their families:
with the chaplain of the Agricultural University in Sapporo.
with a local United Church of Japan pastor in northern Japan, author of a book on the church, its beginnings with German Reformed Missionaries (UCC), its history and present challenges. As the clergy person in the American visitors, I was presented with a copy, which fortunately for me has English summaries added to the Japanese text.
Worship at a Japanese church where my inability to read Japanese characters did not diminish my experience of the vitality of prayer, singing and sharing in God’s love.
A delightful Sunday afternoon visit to a model Jersey Farm in the highlands which processes its milk and ice cream and was crowded with visitors on a sunny fall day.
Learning about the Rainbow Plan that has organized an entire town and surrounding rural community in the recycling of wastes and renewal of soil.
* An afternoon of sight seeing in Tokyo that included a visit to the oldest Buddhist Temple in Tokyo and a river boat ride back to the harbor.
International plane flights that went well, with my first Rutland - Boston Cape Air flights offering wonderful views over the Green Mountains.
This has been a wonderful experience of a diverse and vital community working for food and earth sustainability and community leadership. I wholeheartedly join with the Asian Rural Institute in their motto, “That We May Live Together.”

Jordan "Skip" Dickinson
11/28/2008

Takami-sensei Featured in Fuller Focus: "Leading Together: A Grassroots Approach"

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:24:00 +0000

ARI founder Takami-sensei was featured in the Fall, 2008 issue of Fuller Focus in an article called Leading Together: A Grassroots Approach.

Excerpt of the article:

“At ARI we live and work together, producing food from the good earth to support ourselves,” says Takami. “For we know by experience that unless we become self-supporting, in staple foodstuffs at least, it is practically impossible for us to gain selfhood or independence.” This, to Takami, is “foodlife work.” About 80 percent of the food consumed by ARI participants is produced right there on ARI’s 15-acre organic farm. And it means that everyone gets their hands dirty.

[...]

This approach does not come easily: “ARI is a very hard community to live in,” Takami says bluntly. “Each day we go through the difficult process of making corporate decisions—as consensus, not compromise. Each person—man or woman, young or old, rich or poor, strong or weak—has equal right and responsibility to participate. We know ‘people’s participation in human development’ is an indispensable key to realizing justice and peace. But this is easy to say and difficult to practice.”

The mutual learning that ultimately flows from this process, however, carries immeasurable value. Steven Cutting, ARI’s ecumenical relations director, says that a typical group discussion at ARI is often peppered with the phrase “In my country . . .” as participants bring their own experiences to bear in solving a problem. Initially highlighting how things are done differently in his or her country, the speaker often begins to see similarities.

J.B. Hoover to run Seattle Marathon to Raise Money for ARI Scholarship

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:36:00 +0000

Last year J.B. Hoover, AFARI Development Coordinator, ran the full Seattle Marathon intending to raise a full scholarship for one extra person to attend the ARI training program. One full scholarship is $16,140.

With your great support, J.B. was able to raise about $4,000 or almost 1/4th a scholarship. This, combined with other donations, funded a wonderful woman from Liberia who works with the Concerned Christian Community which is helping with the rebuilding efforts in Liberia since the ending of the civil war.

This year J.B. hopes to raise a full scholarship!

Please download the flier which gives the details about how you can make a pledge and support an extra scholarship for a participant. It would be great to have your support again this year!

Peter Downs: Report of Volunteer Experience at ARI

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:49:00 +0000

We met Peter Downs at the 2008 HTC Celebration at ARI in October, and he told us about an article he wrote about his experience as a volunteer at ARI in 2005.

An excerpt from his report:

The people I met and worked with were the most memorable part of my visit. At times I was quite overcome by meeting so many beautiful and humble people devoted to the betterment of mankind. The work ethic of the Japanese was evident and was matched by all the volunteers working side by side from the Director on down. This made for a wonderful community spirit! Many of these people could easily acquire better paying and more prestigious jobs in the outside world.

I know this visit will remain in my memory the rest of my life and will be an inspiration to me in my life's mission.
I strongly support the way this mission is carried out. While foreign aid in many cases goes to despotic rulers and ends up in Swiss bank accounts, the aid given to ARI goes not only to ARI in Japan but reaches the grass roots people from those countries who send participants to the program.

Would I go back again? YES!

From the perspective of the participants, I see ARI as a little island of hope in a hostile world run by the most loyal and dedicated people (staff, volunteers, & supporters) that I've had the privilege of knowing. May they continue their devotion to ARI.

For more details, please see Peter's full report.

AFARI SAFARI III Concluded; Information Online

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:15:00 +0000

AFARI SAFARI III (October 7-20, 2008) has concluded.

The trip included six days at ARI preparing for and assisting with the 2008 ARI Harvest Thanksgiving (HTC) Celebration, followed by a visit to Nikko, then a seven day Northern Japan Study Tour.

The details, including the Northern Japan Study Tour itinerary, the HTC programs, related documents and handouts, and pictures are now available on the AFARI SAFARI III page.

2007 ARI Annual Report

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:05:00 +0000

ARI has just released the 2007 ARI Annual Report.

AFARI Board Member Anne Dance Headed to Cameroon

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:27:00 +0000

AFARI Board Member Anne Dance is heading to Cameroon to assist a rural leaders training program there, set up along the lines of the Asian Rural Institute (ARI) in Japan.

For more information, please see the article "Cameroon Bound" from the Port Stanley News.

ARI Featured in the 2008 Global Ministries Newsletter Rights of Women and Girls

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:25:00 +0000

ARI was featured in an article about "Cultivating Leadership" in the 2008 Global Ministries Newsletter on Women and Girls.

The full article is available in this PDF; the text of the article follows.

Raising livestock, growing corn, feeding her family. Nozuko Toli’s aspirations aren’t lofty, but they are important, especially in her village, Amalinda, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Here, unemployment hovers around 80 percent. Toli, 28,
from the Kei Region of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, is like many others in her area – farmers who, without additional work, cannot afford seed and fertilizers. Furthermore, the pesticides sold locally are harmful to the community and the very environment it depends on for its sustenance.

Today, however, Toli’s outlook is brighter due to the Asian Rural Institute (ARI), a 15-acre working farm in northern Japan. Toli is part of ARI’s nine-month training program that educates rural community leaders in sustainable organic agriculture techniques, leadership, and community development. Global Ministries, through One Great Hour of Sharing, provides financial assistance to ARI and this year’s grant is paying for Toli’s studies.

ARI’s philosophy and mission is “to build an environmentally healthy, just, and peaceful world, in which each person can live to his or her fullest potential. This mission is rooted in the love of Jesus Christ.” ARI has trained more than one thousand people since it was founded in 1973, through support from many Christian organizations.

When Toli’s ARI training is finished, she will return home able to help her community grow crops organically, using the resources available in the area while preserving the environment. By sharing her knowledge with others around her and through her church, Toli will be able to touch many lives by helping to
put food in many stomachs.

From Prophetic Vision to Sustainable Development: The Mission of the Asian Rural Institute in the 21st Century

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:32:00 +0000

G. Dean Freudenberger delivered the keynote address to the Annual General Meeting of AFARI - American Friends of the Asian Rural Institute at Wesley United Methodist Church in San Jose, California on June 20, 2008. We are pleased to make his address available online: From Prophetic Vision to Sustainable Development: The Mission of the Asian Rural Institute in the 21st Century. Reprinted with Permission.

Rural leaders' training centre wins Japanese ecumenical prize

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:25:00 +0000

Ecumenical News International
Daily News Service
25 July 2008

Rural leaders' training centre wins Japanese ecumenical prize
ENI-08-0592

By Hisashi Yukimoto
Tokyo, 25 July (ENI)--A Christian-based training centre for rural leaders
of all faiths and none, who come primarily from Asia, Africa and the Pacific
has received the annual Ecumenical Contribution Award from the Japan
Ecumenical Association.

"Though the term 'ecumenical' is a Christian term, we have people who are
not only Christians but also from other faiths," Toshiaki Kusunoki,
secretary general of the prize-winning Asian Rural Institute, told
Ecumenical News
International after receiving the award on 29 April. "It is good that we
have lived with people from other faiths for 35 years since our establishment.
The appreciation of this is shown by the award."

The institute was the 14th winner of the award. In 2007, the accolade went
to the Rev. Toshitsugu Arai, a Japanese pastor of the United Church of
Christ in Japan, who is also a former staff member of the World Council of
Churches, and one-time acting general secretary of the Christian Conference of
Asia.

The rural institute can take up to 30 students, who attend nine-month-long
courses in sustainable, organic agriculture techniques, leadership and
community development.

The St. Paul's parish of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tokyo
hosted this year's award ceremony, and Japan's weekly newspaper The Christ
Weekly reported that organizers said the institute had received the award
because of its open, Christian-inspired philosophy.

A Japanese Christian leader, Toshihiro Takami, began the Asia Rural
Institute in 1973. From the beginning, its mission has been "to build an
environmentally healthy, just, and peaceful world, in which each
person can live to
his or her fullest potential".

To carry out this mission, the institute, which is based in Nasushiobara, a
rural area north of Tokyo, "trains and nurtures rural leaders for a life of
sharing".

Christians make up barely one percent of Japan's 127 million people,
although there are many Christian-backed or founded educational institutions in
the north Asian country. [327 words]

ENI News Headlines and Featured Articles are now available by RSS feed.
See http://www.eni.ch/rss/
All articles (c) Ecumenical News International
Reproduction permitted only by media subscribers and
provided ENI is acknowledged as the source.

Ecumenical News International
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Email: eni@eni.ch

Three New Blogs

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:59:00 +0000

We have linked three new blogs on the AFARI Blogs and Links page:

Ram Pokhrel
iLEAP Fellows 2008
Maria and Rod's Space

Maria and Rod's Space documents the experiences of Maria and Rod Booth (AFARI Board Member) as volunteers at ARI.

AFARI Represented at the Presbyterian General Assembly in San Jose

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:24:00 +0000

AFARI had a table at the Mission network event outside the exhibit hall at Presbyterian General Assembly in San Jose for three hours on Sunday afternoon, June 22.

Here, Ram shares volunteer opportunities with a visitor while J.B. talks with a Rwandan pastor interested in how ARI's leadership training/sustainable agriculture focus enables pastors in rural areas to help their communities become healthier with local ideas and leadership.

Benefit Concert for ARI in CT

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:45:00 +0000

On May 18, 2008, the combined choirs of First Congregational Church (Branford, CT) and First United Church on the Green (New Haven) presented a stirring performance of Brahms' Requiem at the Branfourd Church. The Benefit Concert for Asian Rural Institute was made possible by the Friends of Music, United Church on the Green, and the Marjorie and Ford Dickie Memorial Music Fund of First Congregational Church, Branford. Pre-concert special gifts were given by members of both churches -- many in honor of Roger Manners, former pastor of the Branford Church and founder of American Friends of ARI -- and a free-will offering added to the support which will be received by ARI.

Both congregations had ARI-awareness events in April which familiarized many people new to ARI with its mission. So thoughtfully planned by choir directors Rev. Kathryn Nichols and Dr. Mark Brombaugh (at whose wedding Roger was best man :-) and the churches' music committees, the many ARI board members able to be present were delighted at this new way of sharing the good news of ARI in the world!

Rev. J.B. Redding, AFARI board member, joined Kathryn following the concert. Sister J.B. eloquently presented Asian Rural Institute's mission to all those assembled for the concert, in a way that beautifully augmented the written information shared in the programs. Our hearts were deeply moved at her sharing the depths of meaning of ARI's presence in the world.

Brass section of the accompanying orchestra

2008 AFARI Annual General Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:33:00 +0000

The 2008 AFARI Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday, June 20, 2008 at Wesley United Methodist Church in San Jose, CA. They keynote speaker will be Dr. C. Dean Freudenberger, Professor of International Development & Mission (Retired) who whose speech is titled: "From Prophetic Vision to Sustainable Development: The Mission of ARI in the 21st Century". An article about Dr. Freudenberger is available here.

For details about the annual general meeting, please see:

2008 Annual Meeting Information, Page 1 (PDF)
2008 Annual Meeting Information, Page 2 (PDF)

If you would like to attend, please complete Registration Form.

We also ask that you bring $10 per person to the AGM to cover the costs of lunch and dinner.

Indianapolis Couple Describes 15-month Stay at ARI

noreply@blogger.com (Craig D. Rice) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:14:00 +0000

Episcopal Life recently published an article about Meghan and Andy McConnell from Indianapolis who spent 15 months living and working at ARI. They "waded through rice paddies, cared for various barnyard animals, learned how to make charcoal and lived in community with people from at least 15 different countries."

Meghan comments, "A lot of what we did at ARI felt mundane -- cooking rice, getting up early to do exercises and farm work, sitting at meals together, but it challenged me to put spiritual meaning into those routines and to find a greater goodness in life."

You can read the Full Article or read more about their experience on Andy and Meghan's web site.

Reference: "Changing perspectives: Indianapolis couple learns about faith, chickens and computer ministry in Japan" by Kathryn Tietz Treece, March 25, 2008