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Japan – A Mission Field Half a World Away February, 2005
Although we often think of mission work in nations and parts of the world that are economically as well as spiritually poor, Japan has a very small Christian population. Portable Vision’s trip represents an effort both to reach out to non-Christians in Japan as well as to support and affirm the small, but vibrant, existing community of Japanese Christians. PV will be keeping a video diary of their travels while on this mission trip and will be sending video email updates to keep the CTGS family informed, and we hope to share these with the congregation as they come in, so stay tuned!!!! Another part of PV’s mission is to establish a relationship with a mission church for CTGS. We hope that a direct and long-term relationship with one of these mission churches will be a blessing to both congregations. Please keep the guys in your prayers as they step out into the great unknown in an effort to assist mission churches abroad. If you would like to offer any assistance in this effort, please contact Pastor Whitfield. Sushi, Coffee, and Rockin’ Worship April, 2005
Brian and Dave also had the chance to witness to the students at Christian Academy Japan (Katy Milne’s high school alma mater), sharing their music and testimonies during the school’s Wednesday morning chapel service. On returning, the guys are looking forward to keeping up their relationship with the youth at TBC and the great people at Kick Back. Be sure to ask Dave and Brian about their experiences abroad the next time you see them. They had an overall wonderful experience and are deeply grateful to everyone at CTGS for all their prayers and support in preparing for this adventure. Haiti Mission Trip - October, 2008
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Some members of Portable Vision – an outreach of CTGS’ Mosaic youth ministry - will be heading far out into the mission field. For almost 2 weeks in the beginning of March, they will visit Japan in an effort to bring their own special brand of praise music to a wide range of Japanese youth. PV is in contact with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Board for Mission Services to establish contact with LCMS mission churches in Japan, in hopes of playing several special concerts during their visit. Already the Lord has blessed them with several opportunitites including a large concert at Tokyo Baptist Church, a special chapel service at Christian Academy Japan, and two shows at a fantastic Christian outreach coffee house called the Kick Back Café, designed specifically to bring the Gospel to the unchurched.
Brian Milne and Dave Jordan, members of CTGS and Portable Vision, recently arrived safely home from their music ministry trip to Tokyo, Japan. During their time in Japan, they were blessed by the hospitality of the Harimoto family (their hosts) as well as Tokyo Baptist Church, the Kick Back Café, and Christian Academy Japan.
While visiting Tokyo Baptist, Dave and Brian had the opportunity to sit in with the youth worship band, exchanging musical knowledge, sharing in fellowship, and leading worship together for two consecutive Sundays. They also performed a Friday evening concert for the youth of the church. The youth population at TBC includes children of both Japanese Christian families and foreign missionaries working and living in Japan. The guys were also blessed to share in the baptism of a new church member during their visit to TBC.
At the Kick Back Café, Christian outreach and witnessing in action is business as usual. The café’s all-Christian staff witnesses to the community by being extremely friendly, outgoing, and spending time personally with visitors to the café, whether they are there for musical entertainment, worship, or just coffee and a snack. An outreach arm of Calvary Chapel, Kick Back features weekly contemporary worship featuring a fantastic in-house band, led by Pastor Marre, a former Japanese pop music star. Kick Back Café played host to a double-set performance by Portable Vision, who were also invited to lead a few songs during Kick Back’s “House of Praise” contemporary worship the following night. Most of the staff members also belong to Committed Japan, a nearby Christian cooperative whose members live, work, study, and teach together. Kick Back’s history, as told by Pastor Marre, is an amazing story of faith. In his words: “I knew two things. The Lord was telling me two things. One, we had to come here to Sengawa to re-open the café. And two, we didn’t have ANY money.” Kick Back’s current success speaks for itself in showing the Lord’s providence in overcoming these financial as well as many other hurdles.