Shioda
 | |
|---|---|
| Branches: | ACCA |
| Date Founded: | 1956 |
| Formerly Called: | |
| Attendance 2024: | 19 |
| Address: | 692-2 Shioda, Ichinomiya-Cho, Fuefuki- |
| Shi, Yamanashi-Ken 405-0064 | |
| Website: | www.accjapan.org |
History
[edit]With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, many young members of the Apostolic Church of Christ traveled to the Korean Peninsula. Their faith discouraged them from carrying weapons, and many served as medics.
Among them was Brother Willis Enri, who founded our church. He was working at a hospital in Japan and would distribute pamphlets with Bible verses during his vacation.
Through this missionary work, regular Bible study meetings began to be held, and eventually three churches were established: the Japan Apostolic Christian Church (Shiota, Ichinomiya-cho, Fuefuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture, rebuilt in 2013) in 1956, the Tsutsujigaoka Apostolic Christian Church (Tsutsujigaoka, Chofu City, Tokyo, rebuilt in 2001) in 1959, and the Ryuo Apostolic Christian Church (Ryuo, Kai City, Yamanashi Prefecture, no longer in existence) in 1962.
Church attendance increased significantly in the 1950s and 1960s, but declined after the war as Japanese society became busier and more affluent. Currently, we continue to share the word of the Bible through two churches in Yamanashi Prefecture and Tokyo. Over the years, our evangelistic activities have included English conversation classes, Bible study groups, Sunday school, and kindergartens.
Our church is made up of people of all ages and genders. Every Sunday, we gather for worship to listen to God's word through the Bible, pray, and sing hymns to express our joy and worship.
Ministers
[edit](*) denotes Counseling Elder
| Name | Born | Baptized | Minister | Deacon | Elder | Retired | Wife | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Takeshita Ryohei | 9/15/1897 | 8/17/1958 | 8/17/1958 | 2/15/1965 | ||||
| Yoshito Inoue | 1/31/1940 | 8/17/1958 | 1/1/1960 | 1/1/1963 | ||||
| Toshio Uchida | 8/25/1941 | 10/8/1967 | 2/1/1969 | 1/1/1976 | Morie Odagiri | |||
| Andrew Klaus | 9/6/1967 | 6/4/1986 | 1/9/1994 | 5/28/2006 | Jana Kieser | Tokyo | ||
| Akihiro Ito | 9/4/1977 | 1/31/1999 | 4/6/2008 | 3/8/2020 | Carrie Sauder |
Attendance
[edit]| Year | Total | Members | Sunday School | Year | Total | Members | Sunday School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | - | 21 | 20 | 2004 | 21 | 12 | 2 | |
| 1977 | - | 22 | 20 | 2006 | 18 | 10 | 3 | |
| 1980 | - | 22 | 30 | 2008 | 18 | 10 | 2 | |
| 1983 | - | 20 | 54 | 2010 | 27 | 10 | 5 | |
| 1986 | - | 21 | 48 | 2012 | 20 | 9 | 2 | |
| 1989 | - | 17 | 35 | 2014 | 20 | 9 | 2 | |
| 1992 | 60 | 17 | 30 | 2016 | 20 | 9 | 2 | |
| 1994 | 32 | 12 | 10 | 2018 | 20 | 10 | 2 | |
| 1996 | 26 | 12 | 10 | 2020 | 20 | 10 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 22 | 12 | 6 | 2022 | 20 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2000 | 21 | 10 | 6 | 2024 | 19 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2002 | 21 | 10 | 0 |