The Time is Now!

Robert and Lisa Stewart

Mission to the World Missionaries to Japan

Japan is a beautiful country filled with wonderful people.  The Japanese people are hard-working, resulting in a country that has very few poor people and low unemployment. They have almost a 100% literacy rate. Japan has health care for everyone, a lower infant mortality rate than the U.S., and the longest life-expectancy in the world.  

Yet, sadly, more than 99% do not know God’s grace through Jesus Christ.

The truth is that Japan also has the highest suicide rate in the industrialized world. More than a million young people are so traumatized by the pressure of society that they refuse to even leave their homes. Beneath the surface, the Japanese are hurting deeply.  Japan’s greatest need is the gospel of of Jesus Christ.  

Mission to the World is working diligently to bring God’s glory and grace to Japan.

MTW’s Tokyo church planting team has been working in the East Tokyo area since 1989. They have taken the lead in starting the following churches and church plants over the last 15 years: Oyumino, Chiharadai, Kokubunjidai, Makuhari, Honda, and Toke. Two of these churches, Honda and Toke, were started by the first church planted in Oyumino. Multiplication church planting - starting churches which start other churches - is one of the keys to seeing the small percentage of evangelical Christians in Japan grow.  This kind of church planting needs to be happening all over Japan. Toward that end, the MTW Tokyo Bay Team spun off of the Tokyo team in 2011, so that there could be another base from which multiplication church planting could begin.  

Outreach began in Shin-Urayasu in the Spring of 2011.

Urayasu City is best known as the home of Tokyo Disneyland.  However, there were other reasons calling the Tokyo Bay team to this location.  Shin-Urayasu is a section of Urayasu City being developed on a 1.5 square mile piece of land along Tokyo Bay.  When all of the building is complete, it is estimated that there will be 40,000 people living in this area, and there was no church of any kind.

The goal of the Tokyo Bay Team goes beyond a church  plant in Shin-Urayasu.  Many models of multiplication church planting are needed in Japan.  For this reason, the plan from the beginning was that the church planted in Shin-Urayasu would be a church which plants other churches.  Our prayer is that the Shin-Urayasu church plant will become the hub from which a network of church plants will be born, and that, within that network, many young Japanese church planters can be identified, trained and sent out.

Robert and Lisa Stewart, with their children William and Isabel, are a part of the MTW church-planting work in Japan. For many years Robert and Lisa worked with the MTW Tokyo team’s school for missionary children.  

In 2009, the Stewarts were invited to join the newly formed MTW Tokyo Bay team as assistant church planters. They moved to Shin-Urayasu City in 2011 eager to see a church started in a town that had no churches.  The Tokyo Bay team has focused on outreach through Bible studies, Bible programs for children, and participation in community events.  

Shin-Urayasu Grace Church started worship in March of 2012.  The church is establishing itself in the community as we seek to love God, love each other and our community.  Praise be to God.  

the time is Now! 

We pray that God would call many more Japanese to a saving faith in Jesus Christ and that Shin-Urayasu Grace Church would be a thriving, Christ-centered church committed to reaching the community, Japan and the world with the gospel of Jesus. “I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.”  2 Corinthians 6:2

We believe that God called us to start the church in Shin-Urayasu, Japan 

because the time for them to hear the gospel of Jesus is now!

We rely on the financial support of our church and individual partnerships.  Each year, we seek out new monthly support to fund ongoing programs and missionary support in addition to special gifts to make up our financial shortfalls for the year.  We are asking God to provide the following financial commitments by the end of 2014.

$1,500 in new monthly support

$12,000 in special gifts

Mission to the World Donations

P.O. Box 2589

Suwanee, GA 30024-0982

Give online at: www.mtw.org

Tax deductible contributions for 2014 must be received by 12.31.2014

Contact Information:

Temporary Mailing Address: Until March 2015

Robert and Lisa Stewart

1710 Alvarado Court

Longwood, FL 32779

Stewartjapan@gmail.com

Cell: 850-743-9749

Pledge Card: print and return to Mission to the World donations address