Japanese Park Ministries Offer a “Level Step” to the Gospel

Suzanne Pearson • Oct 13, 2022

In Japanese, “shiki ga takai” ( しきが高い ) refers to a “high step.” The phrase means that it’s difficult to enter somewhere – not literally, but figuratively. Shiki ga takai is something we’ve probably all experienced at one time or another. It’s that moment when you feel like an outsider. The situation is daunting, and it’s difficult to bring yourself to take that initial step.

For TEAM Japan ’s David McClanahan and his co-laborers, years of cross-cultural ministry have shown that exploring Christianity can be a “high step” for the Japanese people. Many come from Buddhist , Shinto , or atheistic backgrounds, and regard Christianity with a polite detachment. To visit a Christian church would be shiki ga takai – a step that most Japanese people are unwilling or unmotivated to take.

A More Level Step

One place that provides a more level playing field, however, is Yoyogi Park in western Tokyo. “Yoyogi is like the ‘Central Park’ of Tokyo,” explains David. The 133-acre public park is noted for its wide lawns, picturesque ponds, and groves of ginkgo trees. Japanese people from all walks of life, from the homeless and disadvantaged to business professionals and families, frequent the park each day.

And for the past several years, Yoyogi Park has played host to a pair of ministries known as “Sidewalk Chapel” and “Mobile Church.” David explains that both ministries began several years ago, prior to TEAM’s involvement, and each has its own audience and purpose.

Come for the Food, Stay for the Relationship

Sidewalk Chapel is a gathering in the park each Saturday morning and Monday afternoon. The time consists of singing, a short message, and small group discussion. Sidewalk Chapel is designed as a touch point for those most in need. Free bread and rice are provided for those who attend, and folks are encouraged to stay and fellowship after the service.

“Sidewalk Chapel [seeks] to reach out to the disadvantaged in society,” David says. “So mostly [this is ministry] to the homeless, but also to people that are on the border [of homelessness] or have gotten out of homelessness.” David goes on to explain that often people come at first for the free food, but then return as relationships form, creating more opportunities for the Gospel.

People sharing food at a picnic table.

As relationships form in the park, David and his fellow workers have more opportunities to share Christ.

Deeper Engagement

Mobile Church is another weekly gathering that allows for deeper spiritual engagement. “Because Sidewalk Chapel was more of an outreach, a few people thought it’d be nice to have something where they could have a deeper time. So they started Mobile Church,” David says.

Whereas Sidewalk Chapel draws crowds of up to 60 people, Mobile Church is a smaller group that consists of believers and those more serious about discussing biblical truth. Like Sidewalk Chapel, the time at Mobile Church includes singing, a message and discussion time, but also times for testimonies and prayer. David says the sharing times are very impactful. “People can hear about how God’s been working in their lives or what blessings or struggles they’ve had this last week,” he says.

After the service, people stay to enjoy lunch together in the park. Sinya Asai, an active member of Mobile Church, says he enjoys the fellowship that the weekly gathering provides. “We get to talk about the teachings with new people that participate,” he says. “After the event, we eat and talk with everyone. That’s how we enjoy ourselves freely.”

Location, Location, Location

Both park ministries serve as effective avenues to reach Japanese people because of the park’s visibility and accessibility. David notes that people are often curious when they hear praise songs being sung in Japanese, so they stop to listen. He shares a recent story of a man he met a few months ago.

“He just was walking by and someone said, ‘Hey, you want to join?’ And he did. And he’s been coming since,” David recalls. As David and his co-workers talked with the man, they learned that he had Christian ancestors, but no other connection to Christianity. However, even distant connections have meaning in Japanese culture, so the man’s interest was sparked, and he continues to engage with believers in the park.

David also shares that over the years, God has raised up leaders that began as attendees at Sidewalk Chapel. “One of the main people helping with Mobile Church stumbled on to a Sidewalk Chapel [12 years ago] and through that, got connected with a church nearby and now is helping with Mobile Church and some other ministries.”

In fact, David says, “A number of the main supporting staff are people that were homeless. They started coming to Sidewalk Chapel for food, and then became Christians and are now helping support the ministry.”

A Multicultural Effort

One particularly beautiful aspect of the park ministries is that they are truly a multicultural effort. The Mobile Church is led by a Korean pastor, and TEAM Japan workers as well as a number of Japanese churches help with both ministries. Japanese believers volunteer their time and resources to provide food as well as to help with various aspects of the weekly gatherings.

“The two ministries give people a lot of opportunities to serve,” David says. “People who maybe don’t have an opportunity at their local church to serve really get excited about being able to do music or lead small groups and interact with people.”

Sinya Asai says the diversity of Mobile Church is a blessing to him. “There are many people from different countries and different backgrounds,” he says. “I learn something new about different things.”

The park ministries also allow churches to work together toward a common goal. This collaboration is rare in Japan where individual congregations tend to stay siloed from one another. “There’s a feeling of power when you have all these little churches in Japan joined together, a power there that you don’t sense when you’re off on your own.”

By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
By Suzanne Pearson 23 Feb, 2024
Justin Burkholder, pictured here with his wife Jenny and their daughters Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey, has recently been named as TEAM’s next International Director. On February 19, 2024, with much excitement and gratitude to the Lord, TEAM announced that Justin Burkholder will become our organization’s new International Director, effective July 1, 2024. Justin, who is currently TEAM’s Executive Director of Global Ministry, will assume his new role upon the retirement of the current International Director, Dave Hall. ( Read the full press release here. ) We sat down recently with Justin to learn a little more about his background, his family, and the journey that has led him to TEAM. Q: Tell us a little bit about your “origin story” - Where did you grow up? What was your family like? A: I grew up in Mexico City as a missionary kid. My parents were focused on church planting. We were very close as a family. Both of my parents are still alive, and my dad serves as a pastor in southern Florida. I have one brother who is a pastor in Wisconsin, and the most special individual in my family is my sister, Amber. She was born with a very severe case of cerebral palsy and is entirely dependent on my mother...who is extraordinary! The three most impactful forces that have shaped who I am (outside of God’s grace) are growing up in Mexico, having parents who loved and planted churches, and sharing life with someone with a severe disability. My parents belonged at the time to a church and denomination that came with quite a bit of legalism and performance-oriented Christianity. Grace was a challenging concept to grasp. While I had an awareness of my sin and need for redemption, it wasn’t until I attended Moody Bible Institute that I began to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and His delight in His children. I have continued learning and trusting in the Gospel through formal education, like completing my M.Div., and through spiritual practices in community. Learning the Gospel and believing the Gospel has been a daily exercise. The Gospel is as beautiful and multi-faceted as a diamond! At an individual level, it is simple enough for us to live convinced that “Jesus loves me, this I know.” At a corporate level, it becomes the foundation that forms and informs our life as a spiritual family. At a cosmic level, it is redemption that reaches as far as the curse is found. It is hard to even grasp the multiplicity of goodness found in the Good News. Q: Share a little bit about your family life now. What does a typical day look like in the Burkholder household? A: My wife Jenny is my high-school sweetheart! She brings joy and kindness wherever she goes. She’s the best listener I’ve ever met, and we love spending time together. We have three daughters. Isabella is ten, Olivia is seven, and Zoey is four. Each of the girls is unique and has taught us a lot in our process of following Jesus together. We like to go out on walks and go to the park together. Once a month I try to get some alone time with each of my daughters which usually includes bowling or trampolines. A typical day in the Burkholder house starts around 5:00am. Because of traffic here in Guatemala City, we have to leave early for school. After school, the girls come home to different activities - sometimes swimming class, sometimes piano lessons. Four or five nights a week we have dinner together where we usually talk about our high and low moments of the day. On weekends, we enjoy time together, playing outside, or watching sports together. Go Cubs and Go Buckeyes! Q: What are your interests and hobbies? If you have the day off, what are you likely to be up to? A: I enjoy physical activity, running, strength-training and following sports. I also love music and, truth be told, am a bit snobby about my taste in music! I also am a very curious person and love reading just about anything that passes through my hands. A day off is usually an opportunity for time with family. Jenny and I like to cook something interesting together on our days off. Often there is time for some reading and watching some type of athletic event. Q: How did God lead you to TEAM? A: My wife and I were working in the Chicago suburbs. I was a youth pastor and she was a Spanish teacher. When we got married, we had already sensed God’s direction to serve cross-culturally, but it was a matter of discerning when and where. There was a driving desire in me to see a church deeply love the Scriptures and at the same time, be deeply engaged in loving and serving their city and the most vulnerable among them. As God directed our paths, we visited a variety of places and made some friends in Guatemala who opened up the path for us to serve here. While we were exploring, we knew that the International Director of an organization called TEAM happened to go to our church, so I decided I should probably invite him out for breakfast - his name was Charlie Davis. Charlie was extremely thoughtful, passionate about disciple-making, and very gracious in creating space for us as we stepped into this endeavor. Charlie connected me with Steve Dresselhaus, a fellow TEAM global worker who was at that time serving as the Senior Director for the Americas. I cannot express the debt that I owe Steve. He walked closely with me in the transition, encouraged courageous thinking about the church and her role in society, and blasted open the doors for us to serve in Guatemala. After meeting Steve, we spent some days praying about joining TEAM. One thing I will never forget – one night during the process, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. A peace like I have seldom experienced passed over me confirming that we should join TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind that God tied all of these pieces together to bring us into the TEAM family and community. Q: What roles have you held in TEAM? What have been the milestones in those roles? A: The most important role I have held in TEAM is that of a global worker. God in His grace has allowed us to help plant two churches here in Guatemala, serve in leadership development, counseling, and discipleship. Our greatest joy has been found walking with those who are learning to follow Christ more deeply. I served as the Ministry Area Leader in Guatemala from 2016 to 2019. We helped to establish and lead this ministry area as it grew from just four global workers to over 15. I then served as Senior Director for Mexico and Central America from 2019 to 2021, Regional Executive Director for the Americas in 2021 and 2022, and then transitioned to the role of Executive Director of Global Ministry which I’ll continue in until the end of June. Q: What do you love most about being a part of TEAM? Why TEAM rather than other organizations or job opportunities? A: The TEAM community is full of people who have faithfully served God’s mission and have given up a lot to do so. It is a privilege to know many of our global workers and be counted among them. I am also fascinated by the fact that TEAM has existed now for more than 130 years! There is something to be said about the resilience and faithfulness of an organization that has continued to impact the world for so long. The rest of our conversation with Justin will be coming soon on blog! We’ll hear more about how God called Justin to the role of International Director, and what Justin sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church.
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