In December I began ministry at Shinagawa Bethel Church. I have known Pastors Nobuyuku and Hozue Shiraishi for as long as I have been a career missionary. They studied in the US where they first met and returned to Japan to eventually pastor the church. However, I did not know much about the church's history. Jackie Matthews, a former missionary from the UK, recently sent me information from an interview that she conducted with Pastor Shiraishi's father, who previously pastored the church.
The church was started by Mr. Savage, a missionary from the UK Assemblies of God after arriving in Japan in February 1951. He pioneered the church using children's ministry, literature evangelism, slide shows, English teaching, and open air preaching in the local shopping arcade. Within 8 months of moving to the area, the new church building for Shinagawa Bethel Church was opened on June 14, 1953. By 1960, the church was fully self-supporting and self-governing, and it was handed over to Rev. Sadao Shirashi, a Central Bible College graduate. The Savage family returned from the UK in January 1963 but then had to leave Japan after 18 months.
Presently, I am asking God what He wants to do here now. This is his church and He wants to cultivate it to grow. One sign of growth is that a new couple came last November. Mr. K is Japanese and Buddhist. His wife M is a Christian from Bhutan. Little by little, I am getting to know them. She is the first person I have ever met from Bhutan, a Buddhist country. I was so surprised to learn that she became a Christian in her country. At first, she experienced much opposition from her Buddhist family, but her prayers and faithfulness led to all of her family members becoming believers within 2 years!
This past Sunday she asked me to pray for her husband to become a believer. Last fall she asked him to take her to church. He went online, found Shinagawa Bethel Church, and attended with her. After their first Sunday, they announced that they would be back. They attended every Sunday while they were in Japan. Now that they are back in Japan, they are making arrangements for their two children to join them in Japan. Mr. K is so open and kind to his family, that we believe that in time he will accept Jesus. Pray that he will make a firm decision!
