Worship and Celebration

Reimei Church celebrates Mokichi Okada's birth on December 23 at Kyoto International Conference Hall.

	Regular worship services at Reimei Church are held on the 3rd of every month and a thanksgiving rite takes place on the 18th. The church also conducts a monthly memorial service on the evening of the 3rd for deceased members who passed away during that month. Fifteen-minute prayer services are held daily in the morning and again in the evening. In addition to the church staff, lay believers often attend on their way to or after work. The Reimei Church calendar is punctuated by annual festivals as well. The highlight of the church year is the anniversary of the founder's birth on December 23. Then in summer, on June 15, we celebrate the Paradise on Earth festival. We also gather for worship and group activities at New Year's on January 1, the Spring Festival in early February, the anniversary of Mokichi Okada's death on February 10, and at the spring and autumn equinox.
The officiating minister gives Johrei to the congregation at the Spring festival.

Members arriving at church for the Autumn Equinox festival.

Each service follows a liturgy established in the early 1950s by Mr. Okada himself. After the presiding minister offers a silent prayer of thanksgiving, everyone assembled recites the Prayer of Johrei and then sings several hymns appropriate to the occasion. The minister gives Johrei to the whole congregation for ten or fifteen minutes, followed by a reading of the passage from the scriptures on which the sermon for the day is based. After the sermon, the formal ritual is concluded with a prayer by the presiding minister, the whole service having taken about an hour.

A few members are given the chance to present testimonials immediately after all services except the December 23rd celebration. On February 10, when we remember the founder's passing, members can see some of his manuscripts, calligraphy, and paintings in a display that is set up once a year. During the spring and autumn equinox rites and the Paradise on Earth festival, the Reimei Art Collection is open for viewing by members. The annual nature-farming fair is held on December 3, concurrently with the monthly service.

The founder's anniversary celebration in December is a magnificent, joyous event held in the spacious Kyoto International Conference Hall. As many as 2,000 men, women, and children attend. In the morning, everyone gathers in the several buildings of the main church for prayers and then they go to the Conference Hall in chartered buses. There, the first event is an address by the director. The program often includes guests who speak on topics related to the life of the church, after which the Relmei Choir performs. The day-long program ends with a buffet meal for everyone and a chance to relax and socialize.


Utae Tada speaking at the December 23rd celebration.	Reimei Choir, with an orchestra, highlights the festivity.


Buffet at the founder's birthday celebration.	Children's party in another banquet room.

Finally, special services commemorate the great church leaders of the past. They are held on January 18 for the Rev. Kenji Tatsumi, who was a senior minister and secretary-general of the Society of Johrei; on April 4 for Rev. Teruyuki Tada, head of the church from 1955 to 1986, and on June 20 for Rev. Masako Tada, under whose leadership the Kyoto church was established.

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12/16/1997 Reimei Church