HISTORY
In late 2004, some missionaries of OMF International, led by Louis and Chris Lau , began exploring the strategy of starting house churches in Tokorozawa and Matsudo. And in June 2006, the Laus led the birth of the Kanto House Churches Network. This vision of starting house church networks in the Greater Tokyo area, known as the Kanto region is not restricted to a few places but to all the cities and even villages in the Kanto area.
VENUES: Different venues were used such as homes, karaokes (cheap, accessible and easily available), restaurants, music studios, clinic’s rest apartment and any facility available without incurring huge financial costs. House churches can be started at any time and in any place. The philosophy is in simplifying the church and bringing it to where the people are.
LOCAL LEADERS: Japanese Christians were encouraged and empowered to lead and run each of the above HC with mentoring help from the missionaries as well as local Christian leaders. Leaders of all the HC (pic below) come together monthly for mutual encouragement and sharing of goals and ideas in expanding the work.
COMPONENTS: Each HC has the basic components of Worship, the Word (BS or message), Prayer and Outreach. Members are encouraged to meet up with non-Christians or Christians in Life-Groups or LTG, consisting of 2 to 5 people for evangelistic BS or discipleship. All the HC would come together for a CELEBRATION SERVICE to praise God and encourage each other.
SHORT-TERM TEAMS:
Short-term teams help us in friendship evangelism, university outreaches, open air meetings with music and drama and personal evangelism.
We have seen various talented people, especially in music and the arts to be good catalysts in reaching the youths and young adults. We also targeted different people groups such as street musicians, working professionals, families and the elderly too.