Christians in Japan 100 Years (1883-1983)

Beginning at the far north, we will attempt to list every missionary who has worked in Japan for one year or longer, excluding those already mentioned above.

Wesley and Margaret Walker (1955-1970) settled in Sapporo, Hokkaido and started two churches. His parents, Walter and Olive Walker, joined them in 1956. Walter died in Sapporo, 1958, but Olive stayed on until 1961.

Ernest and Neva Faber (1954-) also went to Hokkaido. They have established churches at Obihiro, Shin Tomakomai and are in their third church planting project in north Sapporo. Paul and Marcia Nielsen (1948-1966), who had worked with Mrs. Cunningham briefly before the war, returned in 1948. Paul taught at Osaka Bible Seminary, started a church in Nishinomiya and later the Asahigaoka church in Sendai, north of Tokyo.

Dale and Peggy Wilkinson (1970-1977 and 1980-1982) have served in Karuizawa, Sendai, Yokohama and Tokyo. Milton and Barbara Jones (1970-1974, 1976-1977, 1983-) have worked in Yokosuka, Karuizawa, Sayama and Sendai. After a long absence because of the illness of their son, they settled in Miyagi Prefecture, near Sendai, so they can continue to work with the Asahigaoka church and also start a new church in that area.

Tokyo area has always been a major interest for our missionaries. Harold and Ada Taylor (1949- 1954) started the Kamiuma church in Tokyo before going on to spend the rest of their lives in Korea.

Grace Farnham (1947-1960) continued her work with the Mabashi Mission until retirement. She turned the church over to Dr. and Mrs. Hideo Aoki (1957-1960). He in turn passed it over to an independent minister and it became a denominational church.

Claude and Evalyn Likins (1955-1973) worked with the Kamiuma church before moving south. William and Lois Walker (1955-1964) started a work in Isehara, 65 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, building on a base left by Likins. Walkers were with the Christian Missionary Fellowship.

Julius and Virginia Fleenor (1950-) started the Shimoochiai church, the Umeda church, established a camp in Karuizawa and have been with the church in Sayama since 1976 when they purchased the property and built a two-story building there. Dave Reynolds spent a year (1976-1977) working on the building. Dana Lee Fleenor worked with her parents for a year (1977-1978). Marvel Hurt worked with the Fleenors two times (1970-1971 and 1972-1975). She worked with the Warricks also in the latter period.

John and Deana Kachelmyer (1965-1970) came to Japan, after he had previously served here as a schoolteacher, to start a home for boys. For this purpose, he bought property at Sayama, a northern suburb of Tokyo. He also began a church there.

Robert and Joyce Warrick (1965-1981) came to Japan to start an orphanage. They used the Sayama property for this purpose. They worked with the Fleenors and then spent two years in Korea (1977-1979) with the C.Y. Kim family. They returned to Japan to work with the Christian Academy in Japan. This school is located in a Tokyo suburb. Their daughter, Barbara, was with them for one year (1971-1972) and then returned in 1977 to teach in the Christian Academy on a permanent basis. She is still on the faculty there.

Martha Yost (1968-1971) taught in Ibaraki Christian College, a non-instrument school. Barbara Courtney (1969-1974) worked in Japan as a school teacher and in the city of Sakai. Gloria Simon (1974-1976) worked with the Milton Joneses and the Fleenors. She married a Japanese and still lives here.

Al and Eleanor Hammond moved from Kyushu to Tokyo in 1958. They started the Kumegawa church (now known as the Onta church) and Al began publishing the Far East Christian Missionary on a regular basis.

Paul and Kathleen Pratt moved from Kyushu to Isehara in 1966 and took over the leadership of the church there. They have been active with the church, in correspondence course work, in area evangelism and in campus ministry. They also served one year each at the Higashi-Nakano and Onta churches. Harold Akers worked with them five months from March, 1978.

Mark and Lynn Pratt (1975-) started a new work in Machida east of Isehara and are also engaging in a campus ministry at Obirin, a Christian college in the city.

Sarah Burney (1978-1980) served in Machida and also in Isehara, Nishinomiya and Kochi. Also working in Machida were Robin Randall (1980-1981); Penny Boggs (1980-198l) and with Harold Sims, now back in Machida studying language for missionary service (1982-); and Lilah Scott with the Julius Fleenors (1980-1981) and in Machida for six months beginning January, 1982.

Churches in the greater Tokyo area are: Nakano, Mejirodai, Onta, Umeda, Arakawa, Sakurayama, Kamiochiai, Sayama, Kotesashi, Minato in Yokohama and, moving farther south, in Machida and Isehara.

Howard and Kathryn Davis (1951-1964) and Robert and Hazel Chambers (1952-1959) established four churches in Nagoya. One remains, the Nishi-Nagoya church.

George and Ethel Beckman (1948-) started the Sakyo church in Kyoto before moving on to work with the Koyoen church near Kobe and serve on the faculty at Osaka Bible Seminary.

Martin and Evelyn Clark (1950-) came for him to serve as President of Osaka Bible Seminary. Ray and Mattie Mings (1951-1981) also came to Osaka to teach at the Seminary. Others who served with the Seminary or taught missionary children were Jane Kinnett (1951-1956), Lucille Sherman (1952-1957), Betty Whittington (1953-1955), Hazel Rickard (1960-1961), Jan Felix (1968-1969), and Rose Najarro (1969-1970).

Churches in the Osaka area are Nakaburi, Moriguchi, Inano, Minami Senri and two in Daito.

Alex and Betty Bills (1951-1955) came to Osaka and prepared radio programs there for use world-wide. Later they moved to Korea, hoping to get a license for a radio station there. Exie Fultz (1952-) worked with them, living in Osaka and then Kobe. During her Kobe years she prepared religious radio programs. Also at that time she bought land on Awaji Island near Kobe, hoping eventually to have an FM radio station there. This did not become possible. She was instrumental in starting the Kariya church on the island with the aid of Claude Likins. She worked in Tokyo many years before returning to carry on her missionary work on Awaji.

Isabel Dittemore moved from Kyushu to Kobe in 1957, and produced radio programs which were used in Kagoshima and elsewhere in Japan. She left Japan in 1963 to begin a new work in Taiwan.

Harold and Leone Cole moved to Ono, near Kobe, in 1964 and started a church which since has become the largest, most active of our people in Japan. In 1974 they began a work at Asashina in Nagano Prefecture. Harold died in the U.S. in 1977 and Leone returned to Japan as missionary- at-large, November, 1981.

After a short term in Ono, Warren and Eileen Christianson (1971-) moved to Asashina to continue and build upon the work of the Coles there. Warren Christianson, Stephen Fleenor, Paul Pratt and others work together in the Kanto Evangelizing Association. They spend Thursdays and Fridays passing out tracts to homes and in front of schools. In rural areas they pass out 2000 tracts a day and in city areas from 3000 to 5000 per day. They get five responses for every 1000 tracts distributed.

Donald and Norma Burney (1955-) pioneered on Shikoku, one of Japan's major islands. They are the only ones of our people to serve on that island. They have established three churches: Gomen, Noichi and Tosayamada.

Robert West (1953-1966) and Audrey West (1953-) did language study and worked in Tokyo before moving to Hayashino, Okayama Prefecture, in 1956. They started churches in Emi, Hayashino, Gomyo, Sakuto and Katsuta. Audrey West's work now centers in the Okayama Christian Center in Hayashino. Penny West worked with her one year (1976-1977) and Keith Summers has been working with her since September, 1981. Daynise Holloway (1972-) worked in Karuizawa and also with Audrey West before starting her own work in Yoshii, which is near Hayashino.

William and Betty Turner joined us from the Philippines (1965-). After working in Osaka and Akashi they began to work in Hiroshima (1973). Now they have begun again, starting the Kote sashi church, north of Tokyo.

Continuing the work in Hiroshima are Carolyn Barricklow (1976-) and Sachiko Osawa (1977-) at the Hesaka Christian Center and Lee and Sandra Jones (1974-) starting the Higashi Hiroshima church. Jerri Lee Anderson also worked in Hiroshima (1974-1978).

Ben and Nobuko Hirotaka (1973-) have been working in Shime, a suburb of Fukuoka in northern Kyushu, establishing a good church there. Ben was born in the U.S., spent the war years m Japan, then returned to the U.S. to be with his father. He met Nobuko, who was studying in the United States, when both attended Mary Harding's English Bible Classes in Portland, Oregon. Filling in for them for periods of one year each were Kenneth and Ruth Fowler (1977-1978) and Howard Harris (1982-1983).

Mark and Pauline Maxey (1950-) arrived in Kanoya at the southern tip of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost major island, in October, 1950. They began their work with a group of believers baptized by Chaplain Paul Cook. Mark started the annual missionary convention in 1953. A Christian literature ministry has always been a part of their work.

Others who worked with them there were Mark Maxey's sister, Isabel Dittemore (1951-1963); Al and Eleanor Hammond (1953-1970); Paul and Kathleen Pratt (1958-) and Walter and Mary Maxey (1971-) who have established a church in Yoshino, Kagoshima City. Paul and Faith (Maxey) Axton served the Yoshino church one year (1981-1982).

Isabel Dittemore established churches in Sendai, Kushikino, Kagoshima and Kajiki before moving to Kobe.

The Al Hammonds worked in Kagoshima, Kanoya and Nishinoomote before moving to Tokyo.

The Pratts worked with the Kagoshima church and at Kajiki. They helped the Kajiki church to locate in new property and to establish a kindergarten before moving to Isehara.

Kagoshima area churches are: Kushikino, Kagoshima, Yoshino, Kajiki, Sueyoshi, Kushira, Kanoya, Tarumizu and Nishinoomote.

Harlan Woodruff (1949-) staked out Okinawa as his field while he was still a military chaplain. He and Emeline returned there September, 1949 to begin an outstanding mission work. Also working on Okinawa, Ie Shima and Miyako over the years have been Melvin and Marguerite Huckins (1951-1963), Carl and Grace Fish (1952-1958) and later in Kobe (1963-1964), Donald and Faye Rickerson (1953-1965), Cloyd and Helen Christman (1953-1957), Claire and Donna Boulton (1957-1974), Gerald and Erma Lee Downey (1957-1960) and Yoshimitsu Higa (1960- 1968).

Okinawa churches are Miyazato, Yabu, Genka, Makiya, Higashi, Motobu, Imadomari, Kise, Okinawa, Uchidomari, Ie (house church) and two on Miyako Island, Hirara and Nansei-En.

We have been blessed with an outstanding group of second generation missionaries. (Name in capital letters indicates a missionary son or daughter.) DONNIE and Charlotte Mings (1962- 1976), now serving in Hawaii; LONNIE and Coral Mings (1962-) serving on the seminary faculty; STEPHEN and Carol Fleenor (1971-) working with his parents in Sayama near Tokyo; WALTER and Mary Maxey; MARK and Lynn Pratt; David and RUTH (Beckman) Hinson (1980-) in their first term at Tanabe, south of Osaka, having replaced Larry and Joan Lambdin (1975-1979) who built a house there but were forced to return to the U.S. because of their son's illness; DAVID and Rika Cole (1981-) who are moving to Nagano after finishing his language study; JONATHAN SIMS (1981-) serving the church at Yokosuka, a naval port south of Yokohama and JENANN Beckman (1976-) on the staff at Osaka Bible Seminary.

We are also rejoicing in the newly arrived missionaries (1983 & 84): Al and Rhonda Juve, in language school and committed to Kyushu; Rick and Shinobu Kelly, committed to Hiroshima after he finishes language school; and William and Akemi Belew, committed to Niigata.

At present our missionary community numbers 60 hearty souls.