New Hope Yokohama

New Hope Christian Fellowship has 140 churches worldwide. New Hope HI Kai in Honolulu has a close relationship w/​New Hope Yokohama (NHY), which is located right outside of Tokyo, Japan. I was fortunate to be part of a mission trip to NHY in May 2015 & experienced God’s heartfelt love & compassion for its church members.
NHY has the same mission statement & the nine core values as all other New Hope churches. Its mission statement is «…to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to non-​believers to become believers, believers to become disciples, & for disciples to become leaders to go out into the world to guide more people to Christ.»
Presently led by Senior Pastor Toru Majima, he was previously a high school teacher and an Intern for three years at the mother church of New Hope Oahu. At the end of his internship, he returned to Japan to assist in establishing New Hope Tokyo. Subsequently in March 2004, Pastor Toru, w/​the assistance of Pastor Tan Tan Yamaguchi, who presently is the Pastor of Equipping & Evangelism, established NHY.
With services in bilingual Japanese & English, there are three Sunday services: 11:20a (Ministers’ Service, which anyone can attend); 12:30p (Sunday School for kids provided); & 2:30p. As NHY does not have a permanent place of worship, it utilizes & rents one of four locations: Cliffside, Nigiwaiza, Yokohamashi Kyoiku Kaikan, & TVK Applause (Yokohama Media Business Center 1F). There are also mid-​week services at one of the locations. The 300 church members are notified of the service location via e-​mail & the church’s website. Service times are in the afternoon to allow sufficient time for its members to commute via train to the service location (some of them live far away); hence, the locations are within close proximity of a train station.
The creative church services include contemporary music, drama, hula, sign dance, multimedia & a sermon with biblical scripture presented with topics that deal w/​our daily lives. For 2015, the church’s theme was «unity» in sharing this vision, spending time together, & praying together so that experiences are pleasant & joyful.
At every service, there is a «Yes Table» for those who decide to become Christians. A packet of informational materials on the next steps in becoming committed Christians is given.
Some of the various ministries for members to participate are:
* Bookstore — sell bibles, life journals, DVDs, CDs, books.
* Camera — provide quality photos of church events.
* Dance — use hula, sign dance, jazz, hip hop to touch people’s hearts w/​love of God.
* Decoration — create warm atmosphere, e.g., using Hawaiian fabric according to season & special events.
* Drama — use creative ways to spread God’s Word.
* Facility — rent places for worship services.
* Finance — coordinate administrative responsibilities.
* Frontlines — lead worship by musicians/​vocalists.
* Greeters/​ushers — welcome people to services.
* Hospitality — coordinate refreshments/​drinks for fellowship.
* Interpreters — translate English/​Japanese languages.
* Kid’s Church — Sunday school for kids of two groups, ages 3 to 6 & ages 7 to 12 only during 1^st service from 12:30p to 2:00p.
* Levites — set up/​take down tables/​chairs for services.
* Multimedia/​Lighting — use film, music, Power Point, Internet to share gospel in making it understandable & interesting; use colored lights for stage.
In addition to the ministries, NHY offers specific classes, small group meetings, leadership workshops, barbecue picnics, hiking events, running events, & an annual Joy Festival in an open concert hall in Hibiya Park.
With less than 1% of Japan’s population being Christians & an average 70 people committing suicide daily, our itinerary included time spent at several churches in Japan to engage in fellowship & provide assistance in establishing small groups within the church’s membership in generating opportunities for biblical conflict resolution. In addition, one of our pastors from HI Kai delivered the sermon at the services.
Time spent w/​NHY resulted in caring & having compassion for people in another country. It was felt deep from the heart, & true friendships & relationships were formed. Our team shared our individual life testimonies of experiences & challenges w/​NHY small groups, & vice versa at church members’ homes. A few of the NHY church members stayed w/​us for several nights at a time at our hotel, as well as joining us w/​our daily meals & visiting various Japan attractions. The outcome was the outpouring of unconditional love — so rewarding and amazing!
I found the two pastors of NHY, as well as its church members, very passionate & committed to the church. NHY thrives as an «ohana,» which means that its church members & pastoral staff are considered «family.» Despite living in different countries, we were able to learn from each other, culturally & spiritually.
It is so amazing how God is able to create & maintain true friendships in different countries!