Tokyo Chiku Menonaito Kyokai Rengo, Japan
| Tokyo Chiku Menonaito Kyokai Rengo (Tokyo Area Fellowship of Mennonite Churches) | |
|---|---|
|
Country |
|
|
Members |
98 [1] |
|
Congregations |
5 [1] |
|
Presiding Officer |
Norihiro Miyazaki [1] |
The Tokyo Chiku Menonaito Kyokai Rengo (or Tokyo Area Fellowship of Mennonite Churches) is a group of Mennonite churches in Tokyo. It consists of churaches from, a General Conference Mennonite church and a Mennonite Church USA church [2].
History
In 1953, the Mennonite Board of Missions sent a missionary couple to found a church in Tokyo. They purchased property in 1954 and had the first three baptisms in 1956. Between this time and 1963, three Mennonite churches were in Tokyo which represented the Brethren in Christ church, the General Conference Mennonite Church and the Mennonite Church. Together, these three groups formed the Keihin Dendo Kyoryokukai (or Greater Tokyo Evangelism Cooperative Association) in 1964. In 1979 the Brethren in Christ left the conference to join the Japan Brethren in Christ Church (Nihon Kirisuto Keiteidan). After this, the remaining two churches formed a new conference called the Tokyo Chiku Menonaito Kyokai Rengo. They have sponsored a guesthouse called the Japan Anabaptist Center and the Friedmann-Sakakibara. Library.
Timeline
1953 - Mennonite Board of Missions send a couple to start a church in Tokyo.
1954 - The missionary couple purchased a church center and began work.
1956 - The first three baptisms of the church occur.
1964 - The church joins with churches from two other Mennonite denominations (BIC, GCMC)to form the Greater Tokyo Evangelism Cooperative Association (Keihin Dendo Kyoryokukai)
1979 - The Brethren in Christ church leaves the Keihin Dendo Kyoryokukai to join the Japan Brethren in Christ Church (Nihon Kirisuto Keiteidan).
1979 - The General Conference and Mennonite Church churches form the new Tokyo Chiku Menonaito Kyokai Rengo conference.
Challenges
Natural Disaster
While the Japanese Brethren in Christ was not directly harmed by the 2011 tsunami and earthquake, much of Japan was devastated and significant infrastructure damage occurred. As a result, there are many people in need in Japan. [3].
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Churches Worldwide, 2009: Asia & Pacific." Mennonite World Conference. http://www.mwc-cmm.org/en15/files/Members%202009/Asia%20&%20Pacific%20Summary.doc (accessed 11 April 2011).
- ↑ Inamine, Yoshihira. "Tokyo Chiku Menonaito Kyokai Rengo (Tokyo Area Fellowship of Mennonite Churches)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1989. Web. 18 April 2011. http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/T663.html.
- ↑ "Japanese Anabaptist churches safe, but communications cut to one house church ." Mennonite World Conference. Mennonite World Conference, 14/23/2011. Web. 15 Apr 2011.
