Entire towns have been reduced to rubble and 10,000 people are still missing after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake sent a wall of water into Japan’s north-eastern region.

There are fears that the death toll will surpass that figure after two thousand bodies were reportedly found on the shores of Miyagi prefecture, the worst hit area.

International rescue teams are sifting through the debris in search of survivors, while international aid agencies including the Red Cross and World Vision have started distributing aid among the survivors.

Funds raised by the Methodist appeal will support the response of the United Church of Christ in Japan (UCCJ), which has sent a relief planning team to the devastated port city of Sendai and visited the sites of local churches in the area.

The Rev Makoto Kato, Executive Secretary for Ecumenical Ministries at UCCJ, appealed to Christians in the UK to pray for Japan.

“We truly appreciate your deep concern and encouraging prayer following the gigantic earthquake which we have never experienced before,” he said.

“Churches in Tokyo are okay, but we are still not able to get contact with people in Sendai where the earthquake hit most severely. Please keep on praying for us.”

Steve Pearce, Partnership Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific, said: “It is not possible to comprehend the scale of the disaster.

“Our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters there. Our mission partners in Japan are safe and well, but they are worried about people they know in the north and on the coast.

“I have assured my colleagues at UCCJ that Methodists in Britain and Ireland are praying for them and that we will respond to their financial appeal.”

The Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Japan, Nippon Sei Ko Kai, the Most Rev Nathaniel Makoto Uematsu, said people were “filled with grief and helplessness” as so many mourn the loss of loved ones or continue to search for missing family members.

Tohoku Diocese has been badly hit and there are particular concerns for the Isoyama St Peter’s Church and Kamaishi Shinai Church in Fukushima Prefecture, as well as the kindergarten in Iwate that was located close to the sea.

The Bishop of Tohoku, the Rt Rev John Hiromichi, said he had made little contact with churches in the diocese because power supplies and telephone lines are down.

“Priests have been frantically trying to confirm that their parishioners are safe,” said Archbishop Uematsu.

Some churches in Kita Kanto diocese have also been affected. Sendai Christchurch was badly damaged and held its service for the first Sunday of Lent in the diocesan office.

Bishop Kato is overseeing the church’s response in Tohoku Diocese, which includes plans to set up an emergency relief centre in the diocesan building.

The Archbishop is coordinating wider efforts to provide relief, recruit volunteers and raise funds for the long-term reconstruction of the north-eastern region.

He asked the worldwide church to pray for Japan.

“What we can do right now, however, is pray. Prayer has power. I hope and request that you pray for the people who are affected, for those who have died and for their families," he said.

“Pray for the people involved with the rescue efforts, and in particular pray for Tohoku and Kita Kanto dioceses and their priests and parishioners during this time of Lent.”