The Sudden Passing Away of Dr Masao Takenaka

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

It is a great shock to all of us to hear, from Ron O'Grady, the sudden passing away of Dr. Masao Takenaka yesterday, August 17, 2006 afternoon at Kyoto Prefectural Medical School Hospital.

A service will be held tonight, Friday, August 18, 2006 at 7.00 P.M. at Kyoto Church with the funeral tomorrow.

Dr. Takenaka has been known to all of us as ecumenical guru in Asia. He is well-known for his support of indigenous arts in Asia especially through the Asian Christian Art Association, which he helped to found in 1978.   He wrote a number of books relating indigeneous culture to artistic expression of Christian faith and ethics namely The Place Where Gods Dwells, Christian Art in Asia, Cross and Circle and the Bible through Asian Eyes.  As an ecumenical leader in Asia, he has been a key figure in the urban industrial movement world-wide.

Truly, the untimely death of one of our ecumenical gurus Dr. Takenaka brings every one of us a clear message that our ecumenical journey will never come to an end.  It will gain a new face and dynamism as times pass but the passion will be the same as before rooted on the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and on our continuing commitment to unite all the people of different faiths and religions.   We give thanks to God for the life and witness of Dr. Masao Takenaka.

On be half of the Christian Conference of Asia, I wish to express our deepest sympathy and condolences to members of his family.   We continue to pray to God to strengthen them at this time of grief and mourning.

Prawate Khid-arn
General Secretary
Christian Conference of Asia                                                                   Monday, August 14, 2006 12:12 PM