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Missionaries Profile

Japan

Languages: Japanese

Religions: Up to 84% of Japanese claim no personal religion. Shinto and Buddhism predominate, with people practicing more than one religion; less than 1% Christian

Ethnic groups: Japanese, Ainu, Korean-Japanese, other

Location: The archipelago has four main islands and about 4,000 smaller ones off the coasts of Korea and the Russian Federation

Size: 145,870 square miles, 377,657 square kilometers, or about the size of Montana

Population: 126,772,000 (2001 est.)

Armagost, John and Tomoko Armagost John and Tomoko

John and Tomoko serve with the Japan Baptist Union (JBU) churches in the Kansai (western) area of Japan. Currently, they are working with the Nishi Okamoto Baptist Church in the city of Kobe, in response to a request that came during a challenging time for the church. The Kobe earthquake in 1995 took the lives of several church members, including the pastor, Rev. Hata. After the congregation had been without a full-time pastor for four years, the Armagosts came to assist in the church’s ministry.


Today, many of the wounds of the earthquake - physical, psychological and spiritual - have healed, and the Nishi Okamoto Church now actively engages in ministry in its neighborhood. Beyond helping with the leadership of the church, the Armagosts feel a call to reach out to the children and families of this community. Over the last few years, a Vacation Bible Club at the church has proved very successful in bringing children and their parents to the church for a first time experience. The Armagosts hope to provide more opportunities for people to learn about church, and to discover the love of God shown through Jesus Christ, and experienced through faith.


Language used in ministry: Japanese