Fred and Evelyn Hersey planted this church in a suburb of Tokyo in the early 1960s, and since then it has become the cornerstone of FWB work in the Tokyo area. For the past few years the church has been under the leadership of Pastor Kojima, and is actively seeking growth in the community. The church has also been hosting English conversation classes for the community as a means of meeting a linguistic need and making new contacts.

>>>Visit the church's website (in Japanese)

The Tokyo Team (Ken and Judy Bailey, Don and Ruth McDonald, Mirial and Gainer, and Brenda (Wendlandt) Carney started the Good News Chapel (Fukuin Chapel) in 2001. Donnie and Ruth McDonald have taken over its leadership alongside national lay leader Etsuko Asahi, and have been assisted by Mirial Gainer and various short-term workers. The church hosts English classes and has weekly services and regular prayer meetings. Good News Chapel is currently being led by Ms. Asahi and Dale and Sandra Bishop while the McDonalds are on stateside assignment.

Ken and Judy Bailey have been working at a new preaching point along with the Osamu Nomura family, and Mrs. Sachiko Nomura. They have been meeting at the Nomura home, and will be moving into a new church plant near Kamifukuoka train station on June 1, 2007. The work is currently considered a "point of evangelism."

Koinonia Church was started in 1986 and grew steadily under the care of Dale and Sandra Bishop. It is one of the most established churches in the country and is currently led by pastor Hirabuki. The church recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and continues to play a strategic and active role in the Ebetsu community.

Started by Jerry and Jan Banks in the late 1970s, Kita-Hiroshima Church continues to be active in its area. Pastor Kimura leads the church with a vibrant testimony, and the church remains involved in its long-standing tradition among FWB works in Japan. The church has seen a recent increase in attendance and is considering relocation to accommodate its growth.

>>>Visit the church's website (in Japanese)

The church in Bihoro was one of the earliest FWB churches in Japan, also started in the late 1950s by Fred and Evelyn Hersey. It is more distant from the other churches in Hokkaido but continues to have a strong ministry and presence in its community. The church is currently led by pastor Ishii and his family. Please pray for this church as it grows in the town of Bihoro.

The Ai no Sato church was started in 1985 by Pastor and Mrs. Kawasaki. The church has regular meetings and Women's activities and is co-host for the FIC (Friends In Christ) youth group.

Miharashidai Chapel is a mission work started over 10 years ago in Ebetsu, Hokkaido. It is currently operated by the missionaries there who share responsibilities with Japanese nationals. The building itself was purchased as part of a vision plan to acquire an official "Religious Organization Registration" from the government, and serves as headquarters for the Japan Free Will Baptist Mission.

Taihei Chapel was started by Pastor and Mrs. Matsuda in 2005. This relatively new church is involved in regular church meetings as well as English classes for the community. The church also has a secondary ministry, Kan-Fu House, which ministers to members of the community with special emotional or social needs.

Abashiri church was started in the 1950s by the earliest FWB missionaries to arrive in Japan. It is located more remotely from the rest of the churches in the country, on the northeastern edge of Hokkaido. The church has struggled recently with the lack of fulltime pastor. Please keep the church members as well as the other church leaders in prayer as they seek the Lord's will for this church.

Our missionaries in Hokkaido are located in Ebetsu, just east of the city of Sapporo. The long-term strategy is to plant groups of believers throughout Ebetsu, and allow those groups to grow for themselves. Despite being foreigners, our missionaries are already becoming part of the Ebetsu community and are able to share the Gospel. Because of the unique social and municipal structures in Japan, forming groups of believers throughout Ebetsu should create a vibrant, organic church in Ebetsu that will be able to flourish on its own.