July and August in Tokyo have been hot, but they have also been a wonderful season of connection. Over the past few months, I have had the privilege of meeting individually with many friends and partners to share the Tokyo Marunouchi Partnership (TMP) 2024 Annual Report. These times together have been deeply encouraging—not only as we have reflected on what the LORD has done through TMP in the past year (2024) and over the five years since activities began in 2020, but also because they reminded me of the heartbeat of this ministry: partnership in the gospel.
When I was first praying, dreaming, and planning for TMP back in 2018–2019, it was this very sense of gospel partnership that seemed so needed here. Meeting one-on-one in recent months has renewed that vision for me, as I’ve listened to each person’s joys, challenges, and stories of how God is at work in their lives.
Here are some recent highlights from different parts of TMP’s work:
- Marunouchi Office Groups (MOGs): In June, we hosted the Inspire Marunouchi Summer event, where 72 people came to hear an excellent presentation on starting businesses from a Christian perspective. This included both excellent business wisdom, and profound wisdom about the love of Jesus Christ and the purpose of life. Encouragingly, about a quarter of the participants were not yet Christians.
- Samurai Projects (SPs): The first term of 2025 has concluded. Each of the 12 Samurai, along with their pastor and Makito Miyashita (SPs Director) took part in three-way interviews to provide feedback and reflect on how the apprenticeship is progressing.
- Marunouchi Church Tokyo (MCT): In addition to the monthly Sunday services, MCT has now added a Wednesday night service, a monthly house-church gathering, and 7 hobby groups. These initiatives are trying to help deepen relationships with friends and colleagues who are not yet Christians.
- General Administration (ADM): We are thankful to have welcomed two new members to the TMP Board of Directors in recent months.
There is much to give thanks for, and also many challenges ahead as we lay groundwork for the future. I am so grateful for your partnership in this journey and for your prayers as we continue to serve in the heart of Tokyo.
