During the week surrounding Church Headquarters’ November Monthly Service Day, many dioceses and directly supervised churches organized their respective group pilgrimages to Jiba.
On November 25, Mie Diocese organized a Besseki pilgrimage joined by 4,600 people. The diocese had installed in January this year a committee for promoting missionary work in order to inspire Yoboku in the diocese to actively perform their roles. One of the activity goals announced by the committee was making a group pilgrimage to Jiba that would be participated in by 3,000 people. The actual number of the participants in the pilgrimage turned out to be far greater than the goal set by the diocese; they included 650 followers who attended the Besseki lecture.
On the day of the pilgrimage to Jiba, the Mie diocese group performed the seated service in the North and West Worship Halls. Then, about 2,000 people did earth-carrying hinokishin, sowing seeds of sincerity at Jiba.
In the week surrounding the November Monthly Service Day, fourteen grand churches, such as Minami, Ikoma, and Meiwa grand churches, also conducted group pilgrimages to Jiba. Osaka and Shiga dioceses made their annual rice-donation pilgrimages on November 26. They brought a total of 13,600kg (29,956 lbs.) of rice.