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Virginia Bowen's Obituary

Below is Virginia Bowen's Obituary, as it will appear in the local newspaper in McMinnville, OR

OBITUARY FOR L. VIRGINIA BOWEN

       Lois Virginia (“Ginny”) Bowen was born August 13, 1923, in Santa Rosa, CA, the first child of L. Victor Bowen and Dr. Gwendolyn Thomas Bowen.  She died peacefully on October 9, 2013, at the age of 90 at the Hillside Retirement Community Skilled Nursing Facility.

       Ginny grew up in Santa Cruz, CA, where she graduated from high school.  Subsequently, in 1945 she graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA, with a B.A. degree in a pre-medical major.  During the next five years she taught elementary school for two years (one in Kentucky under the Kentucky Mountain Mission and another in public school in Tulare County, CA), completed the Graduate Program at the Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland, OR, studied Japanese language at the University of California at Berkeley, and took the Summer Institute of Linguistics at the University of Oklahoma in 1950.

       In 1950 Ginny sailed to Japan as a Christian missionary under the Conservative Baptist Foreign Missionary Society.  This was in response to General Douglas MacArthur’s appeal for America to send 1,000 Christian missionaries to Japan.  Her first 17 years in Japan were spent in the northwest part of the main island of Honshu.  She first worked in the cities of Aomori and Sendai but then spent the next 13 years in the coastal city of Ishinomaki where she was part of a team engaged in church-planting.  During this time Lorraine Fleischman became her missionary co-worker and their association continued for the rest of her life. 

       In 1968 she and Lorraine were invited to move to the Tokyo/Yokohama area and join the staff of Japan’s Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship working with university students.  They continued in this effort until retirement.   In addition, during this time they formed Neighborhood Bible Studies of Japan.  One of Ginny’s gifts was ability with the Japanese language, which was applied to editing and publishing a series of Bible study guidebooks in Japanese for this organization.  Much of Ginny and Lorraine’s time was spent with people in their neighborhood.  As a result of this outreach, many turned to Jesus Christ and eventually formed their own church.

       In 1987 it seemed time to retire from their work in Japan and leave it in Japanese hands.  They first retired to Corvallis, OR, where they were able to continue much of their Bible study work.  Finally, in 1998, they moved to the Hillside Retirement Community in McMinnville, OR.

       Ginny was predeceased by her parents and her brother, Bruce.  She is survived by a nephew and two nieces plus her long-term missionary partner Lorraine Fleischman.  Ginny suffered a minor stroke about ten years ago and her health began a steady decline.  She entered heaven and Jesus’ presence on October 9, and her memorial service will be held at the Hillside Retirement Community in the Manor Activity Room on Saturday, October 26, at 2 p.m.

ボーエン先生記念礼拝決定

皆様このブログを見てくださり有難うございます。

さて、フライシュマン先生からボーエン先生の記念礼拝に関して次の情報をいただきました。

２０１３年１０月２６日（土）２：００pm

オレゴン州マクミンビル町ヒルサイド・コミュニティーズのアクティビティー・ルーム。

礼拝担当はフライシュマン先生が出席するカールトン町のグレース・バプテスト教会のハーティー牧師です。集会後に軽食が準備されます。

尚、お花料などの変わりに聖書を読む会に献金をお願いしますとのことです。

・郵便振替口座

００１８０－９－８１５３７

ドルでの献金はフライシュマン先生宛に以下の住所へお願いします。

メモらんに「For SYK」と記入してくだされば助かります。

Lorraine Fleischman

845 NW Meadowood Circle, McMinnville, OR 97128

Please make out checks to Lorraine with the designation "For SYK"

有難うございます。

コール・テモテ

Virginia Bowen's Memorial Service

Thank you all for checking in on this blog.

Lorraine Fleischman's sister-in-law Ruth has passed on the following information about Virginia Bowen's memorial service:

"Lorraine is thrilled the way the Lord seems to be working to make everything go so smoothly.   She has the Memorial Service  for Ginny scheduled for 2 p.m. , Sat., Oct . 26, in Activity Room at Hillside Communities (in McMinnville, OR).   Their Grace Baptist Church of Carlton pastor  and  pianist, will be here and catering has been arranged through Hillside for refreshments afterwards."

Ruth

Anyone able to come is invited. Also, Lorraine requests that in lieu of flowers, any gifts be designated to Seisho O Yomu Kai (Japan Neighborhood Bible Studies), the ministry Ginny and Lorraine co-founded. 

Checks may be sent to:

Lorraine Fleischman

845 NW Meadowood Circle, McMinnville, OR 97128

Please make out checks to Lorraine with the designation "For SYK"

                

Thank you and blessings in Christ!

バージニア・ボーエン宣教師ー主に仕え、人に仕えた生涯

１９２３年８月１３日カリフォルニア州サンタクルーズ市で生まれる。父親は医師。同市で育ち、高等学校を卒業。１９４５年にサンタバーバラ市のウエストモント大学を卒業。卒業後の５年間にケンタッキー・マウンテン・ミッションをとおしてケンタッキー州で教育伝道師として働き、ポートランドのマルチノーマ神学校で学び、カリフォルニアでも教師として働き、バークレー大学で日本語を学び、ウイクリッフ宣教団の語学訓練を受ける。マッカーサー元帥の宣教師募集の呼びかけに応答し、１９５０年に保守バプテスト宣教団を通して来日する。１９５３年にフライシュマン宣教師とのパートナーシップを始め、宮城県石巻市で１９６０年代半ばまで、開拓伝道を続ける。キリスト者学生会（KGK）の働きに移り、更に聖書を読む会（SYK）を立ち上げ、松見が丘キリスト教会の開拓に１９８７年の退職まで協力する。１９９８年にオレゴン州のコーバリス市から同州のマクミンビル町に移転。２０１３年１０月９日に９０歳で召天。

保守バプテスト宣教団の独身宣教師たちと

Virginia Bowen - A Life of Fruitful Service

Born Lois Virginia Bowen on August 13, 1923 -  probably Santa Cruz, CA

Raised in Santa Cruz, CA and graduated from high school there

Graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA in 1945

During the next 5-year period:

        She taught for a year with the Kentucky Mountain Mission in KY

        Attended the 1-yr graduate program at Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland, OR

        Taught one year in public schools in Tulare County, CA

        Took advanced Japanese study at the University of California, Berkeley

        Attended the Wycliffe Bible Translators' Summer Institute of Linguistics at the University of Oklahoma at Norman in 1950

Went to Japan in 1950 under the Conservative Baptist Foreign Missionary Society (CBFS) in response to Gen.  McArthur's call for 1,000 Christian missionaries to Japan

Began her long-term missionary partnership with Lorraine L. Fleischman in 1953

Church planting in Ishinomaki City until the mid 1960s

Student ministry with the Japanese "Intervarsity" (KGK) until the late '70s

Ministry with Neighborhood Bible Studies and church planting in Machida City until retirement.

Retired in 1987 to Corvallis, OR, from Japan

In 1998 she moved to Hillside Retirement Community in McMinnville, OR    

 

Ginny with Conservative Baptist missionary ladies Evelyn Varney, Lorraine Fleischman, and Alice Foreman

Virginia Bowen Has Been Called Home

Veteran Japan missionary Virginia Bowen went to be with the Lord on Wednesday afternoon, US West Coast time. Ginny went to Japan with the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society during the Allied Occupation years and helped start the Ishinomaki Bible Baptist Church, did student evangelism and discipleship with KGK, co-founded the Japan Seisho O Yomu Kai (Neighborhood Bible Studies), as well as planting the Matsumigaoka Church in Tamagawa Gakuen, Machida City. She was also my adoptive "aunt" and earliest babysitter. Our loss is heaven's sweet gain.

Virginia suffered a stroke about 10 years ago, after which her health steadily declined. Last year she moved into the assisted living wing of her retirement community, and this summer into the skilled nursing wing. Speaking had become very difficult for her and her last words were about a week before she passed away. Thankfully her passing was peaceful and painless. To God be the glory!

In as much as Virginia's life spanned both Japan and the United States, and not many will likely be able to attend her memorial service in Oregon, this blog has been created as a place to share together memories about her life and testimonies of God's blessing through her. Feel free to make comments as God leads you. I will be posting more information as Lorraine Fleischman shares it with me, regarding memorial services and other items.

Thank you and may God bless you all richly.

Tim Cole

Ishinomaki Bible Baptist Church ca. 1962

McMinnville, OR with Frank Cole and Lorraine Fleischman, Sept. 2013

バージニア・ボーエン宣教師が召天なさいました

戦後の占領時代に保守バプテストの宣教師として来日し、宮城県の石巻市と東京都の町田市に住まわれたバージニア・ボーエン宣教師が米国西海岸時間１０月９日午後１：３０ごろ召天なさいました。

ボーエン宣教師は石巻聖書バプテスト教会と松見が丘キリスト教会の開拓宣教師の一人でもあり、聖書を読む会の創立者の一人でもあり、KGK（キリスト者学生会）の協力宣教師でもありました。退職後米国オレゴン州のコーバリス市に住み、１９９８年に同州のマクミンビル町のヒルサイド・コミュニティーに移転しました。そこで長年の同労者であったロレーン・フライシュマン宣教師とともに去年まで住みました。また、同じ施設内には、昔石巻の開拓の時に供に労をしたコール・フランク宣教師（私の父）もいます。

十年前の脳梗塞が原因で少しずつ健康が衰え始めていたボーエン師でしたが、去年から急激に悪化し、部分的なケアーを提供する施設に移り、今年の夏に完全看病の病棟に移りました。話をする能力も衰えていて、フライシュマン師が一週間前に「何か話したいことある。」と聞くと、小さな声で「あるけれど、複雑過ぎて話せない。」と言う返事でした。これが彼女の最後の言葉でした。そして、９日に平安の内に静かに去っていきました。

現時点では、記念礼拝の詳細などはまだ決まっていませんが、このブログを利用して、ボーエン宣教師の思い出や主が彼女を通してなさったことなどを分かち合うスペースにできればと思います。また、フライシュマン師からの情報が入りましたら、ここで掲載させていただきます。どうぞご自由にコメントなどをお書きください。フライシュマンさんもここを見て慰められるに違いないと思います。有難うございます。（コール・テモテ）

１９６２年ごろの石巻聖書バプテスト教会

今年の９月上旬のマクミンビルでのコール師、フライシュマン師、ボーエン師