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.