In light of the EFC of Canada’s mid-January decision to lay off all salaried Canadian ServeBeyond missionaries, we had hoped to transfer our church planting project, Tokyo Multicultural Church, from EFCC ServeBeyond to EFC America ReachGlobal. This would mean transferring TMC ServeBeyond missionaries (3 households, soon to be 4). We were thinking it would be good to belong to a mission agency that continues to send salaried missionaries. However, on March 14 when we were finally able to dialogue with the Asia Division leaders of ReachGlobal it became clear that ReachGlobal could not become our landing place.
Read More…

On Feb 10, 2025, ServeBeyond Regional Coordinators sent a series of FAQ’s to EFCC churches, EFCC Board members, and the EFCC Executive Director. The focus of our FAQ’s was less on the content of the decision than how it and the process used in making it is impacting missionaries and ServeBeyond itself. Dale was the primary author of these FAQ’s, but with significant input and edits from other Regional Coordinators.

Go here to view these FAQ’s.
A pdf option is available from there.

In a Jan 16, 2025, announcement from Bill Taylor, EFC of Canada Executive Director, ServeBeyond missionaries were told…

…ServeBeyond will no longer be able to have missionaries who are salaried employees of the EFCC. If you are an employee of EFCC, this letter is notice that your employment with EFCC will end on April 30, 2025.

See the announcement here.

We are working through our options, considering what our next steps might be after April 30. In the process we are in touch with our ServeBeyond Director, who was not consulted when this decision was made by the EFCC Executive Director and Board. Read More…

2024 Christmas events at TMC included:

-Children’s event, including Bible story, games, treats, etc.


-Christmas meal together after worship service.


-And one baptism. PTL!

TMC young adults enjoyed a Japanese holiday on Nov. 9 by hiking up Mt. Takao on the west side of Tokyo.

Follow-up from Sep 16 post, “Possible Full-Time TMC English Ministries Couple.”


On Sunday Oct 27 TMC members voted to invite Matthew & Ai Hua as full-time English ministries pastoral couple. A few days later they accepted. Praise the Lord! The Wongs are from Malaysia and are native English speakers but also speak Chinese. They both have MDiv degrees from Malaysia and Matthew also has a DMin.

They have been pastoring a Chinese church north of Tokyo that has sponsored their Japanese visas. They will now need to find a sending mission agency in Malaysia. Their legal receiving agency in Japan can be ServeBeyond through a longstanding agreement with ReachGlobal (EFCA). TMC can only supply the Wongs with a stipend so they will need to raise funds before coming to TMC—perhaps spring next year.

On our last Sunday at Tokyo Multicultural Church during our October trip to Asia, David preached in Chinese while Lina interpreted into English. Most Sundays are in English with options for Japanese speakers. But bilingual worship is twice a month, once Japanese/English and once Chinese/English.


Sunday worship attendance numbers seem to be bouncing back.

From Friday-Monday, October 18-21, sixteen ServeBeyond global workers gathered in Krabi Thailand for our second Asia retreat. We were joined by ServeBeyond Director and his wife, as well as EFCC International Mission Committee chairperson and his wife. Sharing about our lives and ministries in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, and Canada was punctuated by prayer for one another and Bible-based devotional messages. We enjoyed networking, encouraging and onboarding. Judging from the desire of everyone, it seems we’ll try gathering again in one or two years

David & Lina, TMC Chinese ministries pastoral couple, had been living in temporary housing since their fall 2023 arrival in Tokyo. But in early October they moved into a brand new house purchased for missionary use by faithful supporters in their home country. What a surprise and a blessing for them! We enjoyed visiting them in their new home on Oct 15.

For the first time in over 10 years TMC gathered with Musashino Chapel Center (Tokyo Musashino EFC) for a retreat, this time Oct 12-14 (Sat-Mon) near Mt. Fuji. It was good for TMC people to join with a larger group of believers for fellowship. The total number was probably about 120, with 12 adults from TMC (pictured). We were able to participate Sunday evening and enjoyed renewing acquaintances with people from MCC.

We pastored the English Department of MCC from 2007-2010 with the understanding that MCC would help us plant our next (and third) church in Japan. So MCC became the “mother church” or “primary partner church” of TMC, and in 2013 we were sent out from MCC on the west side of Tokyo in order to launch TMC on the east side of Tokyo.

It was a joy to join in worship at TMC on October 13, this time with Becky leading the service.

On Sunday Sep 15 a possible pastoral couple for full-time English ministries officially visited TMC for the first time as candidates. Well actually, only the husband came because their two young boys caught a virus so were unable to visit as a family. Pic is of him preaching (black shirt) through interpretation. This young couple is from Malaysia and highly qualified. For example, they have both earned MDiv degrees and he also has a DMin. Their native language is English but they also speak Chinese and a little Japanese. They are currently pastoring a Chinese church north of Tokyo and are hoping to move to a church where they can minister primarily in English.

On Oct 27 TMC members will vote on whether to invite them. Dale will lead that Members’ Meeting when Dale & Ann are in Tokyo. Read More…

Dale is trying to transition from leading to advising at Tokyo Multicultural Church. Ann has already made the transition in her areas of responsibility. After this transition Dale & Ann would continue to connect with TMC in their role as ServeBeyond Regional Coordinators for Asia because TMC is a ServeBeyond project.

However, TMC’s current pastors cannot yet lead monthly Leadership Team meetings and quarterly Members’ Meetings, as well as provide general church oversight. Only one of them is gifted to take on that kind of leadership, and that would be too much for them. Nevertheless, one gifted couple is now interested in a full-time English ministries pastoral role at TMC.

Dale & Ann are well aware that guiding TMC through this important leadership transition is contingent upon their own good health and adequate financial income from their support team in Canada and the US.

Bob, who is from Zambia, is TMC’s part-time English ministers pastor. He is married to a gifted Japanese lady and they have 3 small children. He works as an English teacher. He preaches monthly at TMC, sends out email announcements, and leads a small group. Bob has a BA from Tokyo Christian University and hopes to continue his part-time online theological studies at a seminary in South Africa.

In the fall of 2023 David & Lina became TMC’s full-time Chinese ministries pastoral couple. David has an MDiv and DMin from Fuller Seminary, taken in Chinese mostly in Hong Kong. For the past year they have been patiently living in temporary housing, graciously provided by ReachGlobal (EFC of America). PTL that they will be able to move into their rental house this week!…miraculously supplied by donors in their home country. They are enthusiastic in serving not only in Chinese ministries at TMC, but also in overall church leadership. Read More…

Kevin from the EFC of Macau is TMC’s part-time Chinese ministries pastor. He and his wife Grace have been at TMC for more than seven years. Kevin has a BA from Tokyo Christian University and is studying part-time online for his MDiv degree at a Chinese seminary in Los Angeles. They are planning to move there for his final year of study beginning late 2025.

In June 1984 we arrived in Japan to begin our missionary life there under first the Evangelical Free Church of America mission (now ReachGlobal) and then the EFC of Canada mission (now ServeBeyond).

The Lord has been gracious to us through his people and we are thankful. With his help we think we have a few more years to go!

Dale taught the first half of his modular Contemporary Theology seminary class in Japanese Jun 24-26. The second half will be at the last week of Oct. This is his 22nd year of teaching part-time at Japan Bible Seminary.

He was particularly encouraged by the comment of one his students after his presentation on postmodernism, describing Japan as a soft postmodern culture in which personal relationships are illusive or shallow:

Your description of postmodernism and your classification of Japan as a soft postmodern culture fits me perfectly. Until I became a follower of Christ at the age of 26 I was indeed a soft postmodernist who desperately wanted to develop meaningful personal relationships because I had none. It was only when a Christian church and its people welcomed me into their circle that I was introduced to the love of God and his objective, universal truth.

It seems sometimes theology aligns with reality!…and might move toward doxology.

We were at TMC on the Sundays of June 9, 16, and 23, with Dale preaching on June 16. During the weekdays each of us met one-on-one with some members or attenders. David & Lina Cheng are taking the lead in many ways, not only in Chinese ministries. This is the kind of leadership we are nurturing at TMC.

In June David & Lina became Mission Associates with ServeBeyond, seconded under a Memorandum of Understanding with their primary mission agency, SIM in Singapore. You can donate to their account #2-2377 at efcc.ca. The two mission agencies are partnering in mission for planting and establishing TMC.

In the middle of our Tokyo trip Ann returned to Maine to care for her 95 year old mother who had been hospitalized shortly after we arrived in Japan. Her mother was discharged but needed Ann’s help at home. June-July is hectic strawberry season on the family farm, so Ann’s sister, who is mom’s primary caregiver, was grateful that Ann was able to help with mom. We are thankful that mom is now doing much better.

Tokyo Multicultural Church is like a one-room school (remember those?). We meet in one large room (at least by Japan standards) on the first floor of a business building. All TMC activities happen there, including children’s ministries. Some children come to TMC’s twice a month Sunday school and some only come during the worship service that follows (they live further away). The total number is about a dozen. For a few months a play corner was set up at the back of the church for them during the worship service, behind a divider. But hey, legos on hard table tops can be noisy!…as well as the excitement that goes with them. So recently the children’s ministry team has been focusing on how to incorporate the children into the worship service by preparing things for them to do. (In Japan and many Asian countries, the worship service is seen as for adults, not children.) This attempt to welcome the children into TMC worship services seems to be working, at least for the moment. Ann has been coaching the children’s ministry team along in this direction.