Japan Presbytery's Decisions on March 12, 2001
Concerning mainly to Mukonosoo evangelist

All elders except elder Kato were present, and Pastor Mitsumoto,
Pastor and Mrs.Kanamori attended by approval of the court. 

Japan Presbytery decided:
1) To welcome the fraternal delegate, Pastor Mitsumoto of 
Presbyterian Church of Japan, Central Presbytery.

2) To send Pastor Takiura to Chubu Presbytery meeting on March 20
at Yokkaichi city for our fraternal greeting.

3) To decide about Pastor Hiroyuki Kanamori's case as follows:

a. to accept the report of Ad-Interim Commission concerning to him:
According to previous interviews done by Ad-Interim and by January 
Presbytery meeting, Pastor Hiroyuki Kanamori is an ordained minister 
of PCJ. He was converted when he was a student under the ministry of RPES 
-PCJ mission. He graduated from Japan Christian Theological Seminary:
RPES-PCJ, and Covenant Seminary, Th.M. under O.P.Robertson. 
After serving as a pastor of a PCJ congregation in Sakai, Osaka, 
he again studied at Concordia Seminary for Th.M.in criticism against 
modern theology. He is strongly convinced in covenant theology, and 
a convinced student of Vantil's theology.  He accepts psalmody position
as scriptural and in process of accepting positive view of eschatology.  
He has studied about RPC with keen interest and reached his own conclusion 
to seek transfer to RPCNA. He has two daughters both studying in USA, 
and a thirteen year old son who holds dual Japanese/American citizenship.  
His wife is also a faithful Bible-believing Presbyterian. 
This case came from our fraternal relationship with PCJ Central presbytery. 
PCJ thought that it is better to use his talent in our doctrinally more 
strict circumstance than theirs. Practically his coming back from USA was 
so sudden, due to the problem in arrangement of further study at Concordia 
seminary, and there was no suitable place available among PCJ to place him 
appropriately.

b. After Hearing this report, Japan Presbytery
to admit one of our congregation to ask Pastor Hiroyuki Kanamori 
of PCJ to be an associate evangelist for preaching there under 
the session, in view of his transfer in near future.
(1) Initial place of his ministry is Mukonosoo congregation.
(2) While serving there tentatively, he and we will seek arrangement 
for his future ministry there or another congregation.
(3) While serving there Pastor Kanamori will seek to transfer his 
credential to RPCNA.  (His wife and family are members of PCA still.)

c. to direct Ad-Interim Commission to make concrete schedule plan
for his transfer exam.  Ad-Interim should present the plan to May 
presbytery meeting.

d. to ask FMB officially a limited amount of financial support for
his ministry. (Japan Presbytery is well aware of importance of 
self-supporting principle in Christian mission.) 

e. to direct Ad-Interim Commission to make plan for his housing and
financial arrangement as an associate evangelist for initial four months,
and to correspond related necessary requests to FMB before March 30th 
meeting of FMB.

If the case needs any direct expenditure from the presbytery at this 
stage, all members of the presbytery need to be informed by telephone etc.
The presbytery will have special meeting on April 16, pm7:00 at CCB.

4) To ask Mr.Greg Cumbee to come to Japan with his family from this July 
to August as Presbytery's summer intern for a theological student.

a. As necessary condition for this plan, Japan Presbytery is 
to ask FMB to help airfare for Cumbee family round trip to Kansai airport.

b. The presbytery will pay \100,000 living expense per month.

c. The presbytery asked Kitasuzurandai session to use their manse, and it 
was accepted, and the presbytery will consider necessary support to 
Kitasuzurandai congregation for utilities and telephone etc. on demand.

d. The presbytery agreed, as it is an exceptional case as a summer intern,
that Greg Cumbee may receive directly honorarium and transportation other
than Presbytery's payment for his expense. Each congregation, when it asks 
him to work, will consider freely some honorarium and transportation.

e. The presbytery expects him to be well aware of his position and work as 
a member of the team here in Japan under the leadership of the presbytery,
and positively participate/contribute to our fellowship and communication.
The presbytery members expect him and his wife to seek to be familiar with 
Japanese language and culture willingly. 
(About the matter of the Kitasuzurandai MS the leadership is of the session 
there; moderator:Pastor Sakai.)

Ad-Interim Commission asked Mr.Takiura to correspond these to FMB and to 
related persons.

Sincerely in His service,
Shgeru Takiura
Moderator of Japan Presbytery, RPCNA

==========================================
Ad-Interim Commission on March 22nd 

All members: Spear, Pennington, Sakai and Takiura were present.
Elder Fukuya of Mukonoso congregation participated in the discussion.

According to the direction of the presbytery,  
Ad-Interim responded and decided as follows:

1) To make Mr.Kanamori's position clear in accord with the church's law. 
He is now in the first step of two steps procedure of his transfer.
During this first step, his position is as follows:
(1) RPCJP admitted him to work as an associate evangelist among RP
congregation, in view of his transfer near future. (CG3-2-D-4-b,
CG3-2-E-4-q, CG6-13)  Pastor Kanamori expressed his desire of transfer.
(2) PCJCP voted to approve sending him to RPCJP as one of teaching elder. 
(3) The Japan presbytery decided to ask him to express his present 
obedience to our Covenant of church membership before Mukonosoo session 
as soon as his preparation is ready, even before getting into the procedure 
of transfer. This is according to Japan Presbytery's agreement about the 
session control communion.  This obedience does not necessarily mean full 
commitment now, but expression of his will to obey our church standard. 
The presbytery thinks it appropriate to see him promising this before 
participating any continuous ministry of the word at our church. 
Mukonosoo session may ask Ad-Interim to help preparing him for the study of
Covenant of Church Membership. When he disobeys against it, the session 
holds privilege of discipline as far as participation to the communion 
is concerned.
(4) His working jurisdiction is mainly under the Mukonosoo session by 
the sanction of Japan Presbytery as well as PCJ Central Presbytery.
(5) His position is transitional and Ad-Interim is planning his transfer.
The plan will be made at May presbytery meeting.  

2) About Mr.Kanamori's Housing:
(1) The Mukonoso Session and Ad-interim Commission decided to ask him
to live in Mukonosoo immediately. The Mukonosoo session is to find 
suitable rented small apartment and to make contract of the rent 
for their four months stay from April to the end of July.
(2) Mukonosoo congregation will pay for the four months rent from their 
extra fund. 
(3) Ad-Interim proposes to the presbytery to loan the keymoney, expecting
some loss when it comes back to the presbytery treasury.

3) Ad-Interim Commission's understanding of such "first step" period
before transfer as stated above 1) is four months, but at any unexpected 
situation it will be extended by the presbytery, but even so it will never 
go beyond one year period from this April. 
PCJ leaders expressed that in case the arrangement failed they might be
able to receive him again. 
The temporary housing arranged by Mukonosoo session's responsibility as
above 2) is decided up to four months.

4) About financing his four months work as an associate evangelist,
at first we agree that it is completely separated arrangement from 
the case of future possible call to him.  Such case needs to be 
discussed from completely different perspective.
(1) From our discussion based upon information from Pastor and Mrs. 
Kanamori, we estimated \1,060,000 needed for their four months living
as "first step" at Mukonosoo.
(2) So Ad-Interim Commission and Mukonoso session, under the direction 
of Japan Presbytery, decided to ask FMB/Synod's treasury to support 
\800,000 (about $6,500)for this initial project of Kanamori's four months
"first step" as an associate evangelist at Mukonosoo.
(3) We will arrange for "second step" before July FMB meeting, viewing
his work at Mukonosoo and his procedure of transfer.  We will need to
ask July FMB meeting to consider more comprehensive plan for him.  

Japan Presbytery is well aware of importance of consistency of mission's 
self-supporting principle in the field for the healthy establishment and
growth of future Japanese church.  FMB and we need to discuss the way of 
implimentation of the principle.  Mr.Kanamori himself is aware of such need.
What kind of help is real help, and what kind of help is rather harmful for 
the future church ?  We want to talk with FMB through this occasion.
Please give us your input about this principle.

5) Ad-Interim decided to ask PCJCP to send us Kanamori's detailed 
credential letter with their recommendation.  We are asked to send
our presbytery's official decision to PCJCP.  We will send it after we 
confirm the minutes at April 16 meeting.

6) Ad-Interim made Pastor Takiura to correspond these decisions to FMB
and to related persons.
 
Sincerely in His service,
Shigeru Takiura
Japan Presbytery, RPCNA
Ad-Interim Commission

ps 
Presbytery has not decided, but are discussing following requests: 
1)Theological Missionary's transportation and some expense other than 
  KTH's own exchange program.
2)Help Candidates for Pastor of future RPC Japan.
  a.Help RPTS Japanese theological student from Japan Presbytery
  b.Continue to recruit new missionary who will succeed present missionaries.
3)Request from CCB board to FMB through presbytery:
4)Following the agreement between FMB and Japan Presbytery, the presbytery
  is to ask FMB to propose to the synod with us the procedure of our forming
  own covenant or testimony, though we desire to stay in RPCNA.