Our church is a Protestant Christian church located in Ichinomiya-cho, Fuefuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture. Since its establishment in 1956, the church has been sharing the words of Jesus Christ in this area.
In 1950, because of the outbreak of the Korean War, many young men from the Apostolic Christian Church were sent to the Far East. They believed that they should not carry weapons, and many of them worked as medics in the armed services.
Among them was our church's founder, Brother Willis Ehnle. He worked in a Japanese hospital and, during his time off, distributed tracts with Bible verses. Through this evangelism work, regular Bible study meetings were started, and eventually three churches were established. In 1956, the Apostolic Church of Japan was established (Ichinomiya-cho, Fuefuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture, rebuilt in 2013), followed by the Tsutsujigaoka Apostolic Church of Christ in 1959 (Tsutsujigaoka, Chofu City, Tokyo, reformed in 2001), and the Ryuo Apostolic Church of Christ in 1962 (Ryuo, Kai City, Yamanashi Prefecture, no longer in existence).
The number of church attendees increased significantly in the 1950s and 1960s, but diminished after the war as Japanese society became busier and more affluent. Over the years, evangelism has also been carried out through English conversation classes, Bible study groups, Sunday schools, and a kindergarten.
The church is a gathering place for people of all ages. Every Sunday, we gather for worship, listen to God's word through the Bible, pray, and express our joy and worship by singing hymns.
The church is open to everyone. Our faith can be a source of support and peace in a busy and stressful society. Above all, we believe we can find a truly joyful life in and through our relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Staff
Akihiro Ito
Minister
Hello! I have been a minister since 2008. I was born in Tokyo, and I grew up in Tokyo and Kanagawa. I spent six years at a university in Yamanashi. It was there that I came across this church. Our church follows the example of the apostles (disciples) of the early Christian church, who worked for their living while at the same time serving Christ. I chose to be a physician as my job because I wanted to do a job that would, by God’s grace, heal people's hearts. I studied in the United States for four years, and not only did I study the Bible and medicine, but I also found my beloved wife. I am currently a general practitioner and mainly work in internal medicine, psychosomatic medicine, and home care. I often read the Bible in my exam room and pray with my patients who are Christians or interested in the Bible. We have three boys, and they keep us busy! I have been a Christian for over 25 years and am often asking myself how I can do as Jesus Christ taught us to do--“love your neighbor as yourself”. I would like to help visitors find the true meaning of life and guide them to live as a joyful Christian.
Toru Saigusa
Sunday School Teacher
“Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Our church is in a small rural town. We want to make Sunday school an important part of our church, so three believers take turns teaching Sunday school each week. We study together with the children, hoping to sow good seeds in their hearts and that those seeds will grow strong like seeds planted in good soil. I have been a high school teacher for 40 years and am now retired. I have also been involved in counseling students who find it difficult to attend school. I look forward to seeing you at church.
