Dave’s address at the 2024 Iwate Church Association Day

This year our church plant hosted a gathering of Conservative Baptist Churches in Iwate prefecture for our annual “Rengo Day” fellowship meeting. It was a time of fellowship, worship, prayer and considering together how we can commit to reaching our prefecture for Christ. Dave had the privilege of addressing the group to share about the history of our church plant and the ways God has been leading us to reach out to our community. Below is an English Translation of his speech.

Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to Miyako! We’re excited to be able to host Rengo day this year and spend the day with you. While Miyako Megumi Christ Church is a church plant of Morioka Bible Baptist Church, all of the churches in the Iwate Rengo have played a part in this work so far, and we have been incredibly blessed by your partnership and prayers. In a way this church plant is the fruit of the work that began when the churches in Iwate joined together to start the Iwate 3.11 Church Network, and to support relief work in this city, something that all of your churches have been a part of.

Today I want to share a little about how Christian relief work in Miyako led to the start of  our church, and the ways that we as a church plant seek to meet the needs of the people in our community and lead them to Christ. I hope that by sharing the journey that this church plant as been on that you be an encouraged to consider the journey that your own church is on, and the ways that God might use you and your church to make a positive impact on your community.

In the years since the Tsunami, something truly amazing has begun to happen in Iwate. Almost every city that was effected by the Tsunami now has a new church being started in it. Right now on the Iwate coast there are new church plants in Ofunato, Kamaishi, OOtsuchi, Yamada, Miyako, and Iwaizumi. I believe this is a wonderful sign of God’s blessing and grace upon these cities, and reflects His heart to bring healing and relief to those who are suffering.

While I and my family began work in Miyako in 2018, more than 7 years after the Tsunami, I have heard that before the Tsunami people living in the coastal towns of Iwate were very suspicious of Christianity and other religious groups. As a missionary myself I was also sad to learn that when the Tsunami hit Iwate there were no missions organizations or missionaries who were doing any ministry in Iwate. It was said that Iwate was a prefecture that was too difficult to work in, and that there was too little fruit. However something changed when the disaster hit.

Japanese Christians, international Christians, and missionaries all began to come to Iwate to help with the desperately need relief work. Christians came not only from other prefectures, but from countries around the world to to partner with the Japanese Churches in Iwate and work together to serve the disaster victims. They worked to clean people’s houses, deliver supplies, and mourn and grieve with those who suffered the loss of homes, possessions and loved ones.

In the first months and years after the disaster there was no thought of starting new churches, or making new converts, rather Christians understood this to be a time of demonstrating Christ’s love in actions and service. Christians showed that they had come to serve the local people, and not to increase their own membership. Through this work many relationships were built and the work of Christ’s people served to elevate the reputation of Christ in the minds of the locals in these cities.

Miyako was one of the cities that the 3.11 Network sent teams, missionaries and volunteers to. Early on they established Shalom house, which became a base for international teams and national volunteers, including the Singapore EPJM teams. Additionally local Christians from Miyako who would later become founding members of our church plant also served as 3.11 Staff. Michio Nagata and Catherine Porter both made Miyako their base of ministry and spent many years in Miyako coordinating teams and helping to encourage survivors who had lost their homes. Together these faithful believers visited many the Kasetsu’s and ministered to survivors.

After years of relief work there came a time when the disaster relief needs had been met, and as a result secular volunteers slowly ceased to come. However while the survivors were placed into a stable situation physically, there remained many deep emotional needs. Rather than abandon those who were still suffering, Christians decided to continue hosting events and gatherings to meet the emotional needs of survivors. They sought to offer encouragement and to help them to form new relationships with their new neighbors.

As time went on Christian relief workers and Christian Churches in Iwate came to recognize the deep spiritual needs that these coastal cities faced. While Japan is a country with few Christians already, the cities on the coast of Iwate that were impacted by the Tsunami have among the smallest Christian populations of any place in Japan. Christians in Iwate began to be burdened for the spiritual needs of those they had been serving. They saw a need for new churches to be established to be a perpetual light in these places in the hopes that the residents of Miyako would find eternal salvation and peace through a new life with Christ. In 2017 Catherine Porter invited Morioka Bible Baptist Church to plant a new church in Miyako, and our family was sent from Morioka to work with Cat to begin the work of church planting.

The life of a church can go through various phases, but I think one of the most exciting phases is the planting phase. In the early life of a church there is an energy and a passion for evangelism that is unique. It is also a time when we have the chance to think about Christ’s purpose and vision for a church and consider how we can accomplish that vision. When Christ gave his disciples the great commission he commanded them to

 Matthew 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This command of Christ forms the basis for our vision as a Church. We believe that as a church we are ultimately called make new disciples of Christ. This means that we must support and encourage the spiritual growth of our members, to meet the needs of those who are suffering in our community, and to proclaim the gospel, baptizing new believers and welcoming them into the fellowship of the church. And in the book of Acts we see yet another mission handed to the church which is to support the work of planting new churches in areas that need them.

Miyako Megumi Christ Church is a new church plant that is the fruit of Christ’s work in other churches that came before us. We are still too small to stand on our own, but by God’s grace in the future we will grow to maturity and become a church that participates in planting new churches. I believe that this cycle of churches growing to maturity and reproducing is a central part of God’s plan to share His salvation and love with the world.

 My hope and prayer is to see not only our church grow in this way, but to see Christ bring this same growth to every church in Japan. I pray  that each of you will share a vision that Christ can transform you and the members of your congregation into His likeness, fill you with the power of His Holy Spirit, and lead you out into your community to accomplish His mission. My prayer and hope is not only that you and your fellow church members will grow in love, wisdom and spiritual maturity, but that your churches will grow by seeing new believers baptized and joining you in the rich new life that comes through a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

In closing I would like to share some of the ways that we have been seeking to carry out Christ’s mission here in Miyako by meeting the needs of those in our community, proclaiming the gospel, and humbly inviting people to consider all the blessings that God offers.

As we looked at how we might accomplish Christ’s work in Miyako, we were inspired by the way that God had already been working through the many Christian workers that had come before us. We saw the importance of building trust, sharing genuine love for others, and serving without any ulterior motives. By first demonstrating the truth and power of Christ through acts of love, we would hope to give people a reason to believe the message of the gospel.

To plan out our activities as a church we recognized a kind of path with a series of steps that a person might follow on their journey towards Christ.

The first step would be for someone to meet and befriend a Christian. Building relationships is something that each member of a church can do personally, by interacting with friends, neighbors and co-workers, and also something that the church can do together, by hosting events and programs that allow people to get to know the Christians in our church.

Whenever any non-Christian meets a Christian for the first time, whether they realize it or not, they have taken a step closer to meeting Christ, and I think that this is in itself a wonderful and amazing thing.

When we think of building relationships, we are not yet thinking about how we might share the gospel verbally, but instead simply looking to obey Christ’s commands and follow His example by loving our neighbors, serving them, and meeting their needs. Things that we have done as a church to build relationships include ministering to survivors of the 3.11 Tsunami, teaching English, and hosting cookie decorating classes. By simply identifying needs that people have, and lovingly and freely seeking to meet those needs we have been able to meet and befriend many people in Miyako and to show them through our lives that Christ loves them.

The second step we want to see people take is to have a chance to hear the gospel. Sometimes this chance comes up in personal conversations, when people ask questions or show an openness or a curiosity to hear about our faith or ask why we are doing what we are doing. Other times this happens by intentionally inviting people our non-Christian friends to church services and events that the Gospel will be shared at. We try to have at least four special church services a year where we make a special attempt to invite non-Christians and share the gospel. Two of these services are always Christmas and Easter. The other two may be days when we plan a special lunch, or a concert, or a team doing a special event.

Our hope is that by inviting people to these special events and sharing the gospel personally that we will be able to invite people to consider the third step, of attending church regularly. At this point we have had many people visit our church, but no seekers have begun to attend regularly, so we continue to focus on these first three steps.

In the future we hope to see people take additional steps on this path to Christ. We hope to see seekers place their faith in Christ, become a new Christian and be baptized. Next we would want to help that new Christian grow in their faith, and become equipped to participate in Christ’s mission. Lord willing we see others take these steps in the future.

In a minute Tomo will come to share some personal stories of people who have taken some of these earlier steps. But I also hope that as you hear this you’ll be encouraged to think about your own church, and people you might know who are on this path towards Christ, or who you hope will begin that journey towards Christ.

 What ways can you work with your Pastor and fellow church members to build relationships in your community? How can you give your friends a chance to hear the gospel explained? Are there seekers in your church now that are attending? If so, how can you encourage them and help them to find peace in placing their faith in Christ? Has a new believer been baptized in your church? If so, how can you encourage them to grow in their faith?

Pray for Workers!

We’ve got a lot of ideas. For instance we’d like to start a dinner fellowship where Christian topics can be discussed in a casual setting. We’d also like to expand our children’s Sunday school ministry. We want to start some sort of a mid-week Bible Study for both believers and seekers. We could easily expand our Children’s English Program to a fourth class. Our new church building has a little storefront that we could open up to serve Coffee and Desserts. We think it would be wonderful if we could start a monthly bi-lingual international worship.

However the reality is that we are already close to our capacity for ministry. Because of this we continue to pray and trust that if it is God’s will for us to branch into these new areas that He will either send or raise up workers to help us. Until then we’ll plan and pray while continuing to serve in the areas He’s called us to.

Please join us in prayer for Miyako. Pray that God would use our church to lead people to Salvation in Christ, that we would be able to disciple them to serve and honor their Creator, and that He would establish this church permanently in Miyako. Pray that He will provide all the workers necessary to accomplish His work. Pray that we will remain faithful to continue serving for as long as He has us here.

The Church-Plant is in Full Swing!

After spending two years meeting out of our home for private worship, building relationships and prayerfully laying the ground-work for the Miyako Megumi (“Grace”) Church plant, last year we began renting a building in the heart of Miyako and hosting weekly public worship services. Because Miyako is such a small town, and because our church building is located on one of the main roads, everyone in town has noticed our presence! By God’s grace we’ve seen an encouraging number of visitors over the last six months and we’re excited to enter into this new phase of church-planting.

Dave preaches three times a month in Japanese, while Tomo manages the church finances, Administration and Sunday School. Once a month we host an evangelistic worship service where we invite friends and people from the community to come hear a message from the Bible that’s both relevant to their daily lives and connected to the gospel.

In addition to the weekly worship service we also host regular outreaches teaching English to children and adults, and community events for elderly people. Our weekly children’s English program has also grown to three classes with 25 kids participating. Each month we host an “English Hour” where adults can come practice English Conversation while their kids watch a movie in another room. Additionally we’re working in three neighborhoods in Miyako to help put on monthly community events to support elderly residents. These involve tea-time chats, arts and crafts, and even a little bit of English lessons.

Through these events God has allowed us to get to know dozens of families in our city, and earn a good reputation for His church in the midst of a place where Christianity has historically been looked at with much suspicion.

In 2022 we look to continue these ministries while at the same time developing deeper relationships with families we’ve met in connection with teaching English and through our children’s school. We’ve already seen a few of our friends show some interest in learning about our faith, and our hope is that in 2022 God will work in their hearts to draw them to Himself.

2021 Financial Report

In 2022 we anticipate needing an additional $575/mo. to fully cover our budget for the new year. To meet our full budget we need $6,200/mo. To meet our full budget we need $6,200/mo.

In 2021 we were on average about $250/mo. under supported. To cover this deficit we used up $2,970 from our reserve fund, which currently contains $36,034.

If you feel led to help meet these needs, please click here.

Our ability to minister in Japan is dependent upon the generous support of churches and individuals who support us through financial giving. In a very tangible sense, those who give financially to this ministry are partners with us in the work of church planting here in Japan. Through both monthly financial giving, and special gifts given in 2021, along with gifts that were given in previous years (which make up our reserve fund), God abundantly provided for our family in 2021.

Our 2022 Budget has increased by about $380/mo from 2021. This is mostly due to a raise of $350/mo to our salary. With the birth of Evangeline, and increased expenses as our children grow we felt the need to ask JEMS for this raise, and they agreed that it was warranted.

2021 Financial Summary
2021 Support Received: $67,480
2021 Funds used: $70,450

Reserve fund
Used in 2021: $ 2,970
Current Balance $36,034

In order to remain serving in Japan uninterrupted we are required to maintain at least $15,630 in reserve at all times.

2022 Budget
Salary/Retirement $5,210/mo
Travel Fund $ 250/mo
Ministry Expenses $ 200/mo
JEMS Admin. $ 540/mo
Total $6,200/mo

2022 Anticipated Needs
2022 Budget: $6,200/mo ($74,400 total)
Est. Additional Needed Support: $575 /mo ($6,900 total )

SERMON: Mat. 16:18-19 “I will build my church”

Preached at LA Holiness Church, September 2, 2018

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
(Mat 16:18-19)

End of Home Service FAQs

When is Tomo is taking the US Citizenship test?

This Wednesday! Can anyone name one of the rights defined in the Declaration of Independence? How many representatives are in the House? When was the constitution written? Tomo’s been dilligently studying up on US government and history to take the civics test as part of her US citizenship interview that she will finally have this coming Wednesday! Please pray that she passes and that there are no further obstacles to her receiving her citizenship.

When will we return to Japan?

If all goes smoothly at the interview and test, the next step is for Tomo to be sworn in as a citizen. This takes place at an oath ceremony that we think will be sometime in mid September. Tomo then needs to get a US passport before we can leave. All that said, Lord willing our family of five will be flying back to Japan in early October.

If you are able to help give to help us with the cost of airfare and train tickets, a special gift can be given using the button below. As always we are incredibly grateful for your support!

Click to give towards return travel costs.

Will Tomo have to give up Japanese citizenship?

While US law permits a person to hold dual citizenship, Japanese law does not, so unfortunately this means that Tomo will have to surrender her Japanese citizenship. Many have asked why we’re doing it this way given that we live in Japan. Immigration laws are tricky, particularly in the US, and our current home assignment schedule has us returning to the US every 2 – 3 years for a six month period. This makes it very difficult to keep a green card active (as you are required to be living in the US), and in fact Tomo has already lost her green card once, requiring us to go through a very lengthy and expensive process to return to the US for this home service.

On the other hand Japanese immigration laws are a little more relaxed, particularly if you are of Japanese descent. It should be pretty easy for Tomo to secure permanent residency in Japan after giving up her citizenship. My current visa is Souse of a Japanese citizen, so I’ll be required to change to spouse of a permanent resident, but for there aren’t really any significant differences for us between the two statuses.

Still, even after going through getting US citizenship we’ll still have some work to do in Japan once we get back to get our new immigration status sorted out, so please be praying for that process as well.

What will we do when we get back to Japan?

As we’ve mentioned before, we’ll begin a working in a new city to help with a church plant that is being started by our receiving church, Morioka Bible Baptist Church. But immediately upon getting back, things are going to be pretty chaotic. As mentioned above there is a lot of immigration issues on the Japan side we’ll have to deal with. Additionally, all of our stuff is in storage in Morioka. Lord willing our house in Miyako will be ready by the time we get back, and we can get movers to take everything down to it. We’ll probably have to spend a week or two in Morioka to take care of these things, and then we’ll have a lot to do getting our house in Miyako set up, and getting Titus enrolled in Japanese school.

In the midst of all that we’ll be meeting with our partners to see how we can start getting involved in ministry, and try to help set a vision and direction for the church plant, which is still in the planning phases. We’ve really been enjoying the slower pace of things here the last month as we’ve been delayed in our return, but things will be pretty hectic when we finally return and it’ll be awhile before they calm down. Please be praying for the whole process of returning to Japan, moving into a new home in a new city and beginning a new ministry.

Preaching Through Malachi

This past Sunday I got to preach at my home church in San Juan Capistrano. It’s been wonderful to get the opportunity to preach there, and hopefully been an encouragement to them as well.  This is the second message in a series through the book of Malachi, where we’re seeing some of the amazing links between the Old and New Testaments, in particular this week by looking at the deficiency of the Levitical priesthood and how Christ succeeded where they failed.

2017 Miyako Vision Trip

We’ll be moving to Miyako this Summer when we return to Japan to help start a new church in the city. We made this video last year when we took our first tour of the city as a family to see how God might work. There’s still a lot of things up in the air, and the situation is constantly evolving, but this will give you a little bit of a look into what the city is like.