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On Aug 2, 2010, we left Tokyo for our scheduled one year home assignment in North America. But we first settled our three children into their respective universities (Rosemead School of Psychology and Biola U. in Los Angeles, and LeTourneau U. in Texas).

We have leased a car for the year from Missionary Tech Team in Longview, Texas (1999 Buick LeSabre).

We will be based in Cape Elizabeth, Maine (Ann’s home area) until the spring of 2011. Then we will make our base in the greater Vancouver area of BC, Canada (Dale’s home area).

During our home assignment we are visiting all our supporting churches and seeking church partners for our next church planting project in Tokyo (Tokyo Multicultural Church).

The Sky Tree

Our next church planting project, Tokyo Multicultural Church (TMCC), is featured in a June entry on the EFC of Canada Mission (EFCCM) blog.

Click here to see the EFCCM blog entry.

We plan to begin worship services at TMCC in the fall of 2011, after returning to Tokyo from our one year home assignment.

You can track with our vision and strategy by clicking here: www.tokyochurch.org.

The Sky Tree tower at the right is under construction in the target area for TMCC. The tower will be the world’s second tallest free standing structure. Completion is scheduled for spring 2012.

Dale's 2010 seminary class (JBS)

On June 24, 2010, Dale completed his tenth year of teaching his one semester class on Contemporary Theology at Japan Bible Seminary (website in Japanese only). His teaching is done in Japanese (and student papers are written in Japanese too). In the past 10 years, only two of his students have been non-Japanese. Most of them are now in the pastorate in Japan or serving as missionaries overseas.

After taking a one year break from teaching while on home assignment (Aug/2010 – Sep/2011), Dale will most likely resume teaching this class in the spring of 2012.

More on Dale’s theological education ministry here.

Ann's Evangelistic English Class, June 2010

On June 21, 2010, Ann completed her fifth year of teaching evangelistic English classes in Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo. During those five years about a dozen ladies gathered once a month to improve their English conversation ability while also reading the Bible and learning from Ann about Jesus Christ and his gospel.

Ann might continue this class when our home assignment ends in the fall of 2011. But this will depend on whether the ladies would like to continue (They probably will!) and whether Ann chooses to continue to invest in this ministry. Her desire is to see these ladies come to know and believe in Jesus.

On June 21, 2010, Kristy completed her second and final year as a staff member of Christian Academy in Japan (Tokyo). She has been the academic guidance counselor at CAJ since the fall of 2008. During those years she has also been a professional associate member of the Evangelical Free Church of Canada Mission. She has enjoyed her work at CAJ and done well.

Her next step is to settle into a doctoral program in psychology in the USA, beginning in August 2010.

Almost as soon as Matthew graduated from high school (Christian Academy in Japan), he began three weeks as a counselor at Joy Bible Camp (location: Okutama Bible Chalet). JBC is run by SEND International out in the “mountains” of western Tokyo. This is Matthew’s third year as a counselor there.

This time of year JBC holds a series of camps for international students, elementary through jr hi. International students begin their summer break earlier than Japanese schools, allowing this English based camp to run before the Japanese youth camps begin.

On Sunday afternoon, June 6, the English Department congregation of Musashino Chapel Center (Tokyo Musashino Evangelical Free Church) voted unanimously to become the primary partner church of this Tokyo Multicultural Church church planting project. This is great news for TMCC! It will especially help in recruiting overseas church partners for this exciting new project.

The English Department congregation directed the English Council (English Department board) to develop ways of encouraging and supporting TMCC. One decision made by the English Council immediately after the congregational meeting was to form a “church planting committee” (name may be changed) to act as the link between MCC and TMCC, and to continue developing TMCC strategy.

Click on the following two links to learn more about what is meant by ”primary partner church.”

• primary partner church
• commitment of various partners