Chiba, Japan
Chiba is a strategic city for reaching Japan with the gospel. With a population of 6.2 million, Chiba (the prefecture east of Tokyo) is one of the four prefectures that make up the 34 million people of the Greater Tokyo area. MTW’s work in Chiba started with the church-planting effort of the Keiyo Team under the leadership of former country director, Dan Iverson. This has given birth to multiple MTW teams and works throughout the prefecture and missionaries are working in different areas across this vast city.
Ministry efforts currently include the Chiba Academics and Outreach Team, which provides primary support for Covenant Community School International. This team also helps support existing churches and facilitates new church planting and development. The Chiba City team is focused on planting both a church and a college ministry in Chiba City. And then the Makuhari Team is hoping to strengthen the ministry of Kaihin Makuhari Grace Church and plant a daughter church.
Meet The Team
Angel & Wally Velez
Angel & Wally's vision is to teach the hope of the gospel to the Japanese through profound relationship and the arts.
Anthony & Sayo Odtohan
Anthony and Sayo are serving with the MTW Tokyo/Chiba Team in bilingual worship, evangelism, and in outreach activities for a potential future church planting project.
Audrey Sigler
Audrey will teach at CCCI in Chiba, Japan, a school supported by Mission to the World that seeks to create a space of affordable, Christian education for the children of missionaries serving in Japan as well as other students.
Beyongseob & Kyungsoon Han
Beyongseob and Kyungsoon Han serve through preaching, teaching, and church planting ministries in Chiba, Japan.
Craig & Stacy Pohl
The Pohls excited to partner with MTW’s Makuhari team reaching a densely populated residential area on the Tokyo Bay, east of downtown Tokyo.
Dan & Carol Iverson
The Iversons' vision is to have a church-planting movement throughout Japan.
Elizabeth Murray
Elizabeth is excited to go back to Japan and lead the dual language program at the school where she interned.
Heidi Hill
Heidi will be joining the Chiba City team in Japan to help build the campus ministry outreach for the students through a local church plant.
Laura Parker
Laura serves a local Japanese church through leading youth Sunday school, discipling women, and developing teaching materials.
Lauren Park
Lauren plans to serve in Chiba, Japan, and hopes to reach Japanese students through discipleship and fellowship.
Linda Karner
In Japan, Linda uses her talent in teaching English language classes to meet and mingle with Japanese people.
Mark & Megumi Bocanegra
Mark and Megumi Bocanegra work with the Presbyterian Church of Japan (PCJ) in Chiba, Japan to train up aspiring young men in the church to be future elders.
Matt & Carly Chase
Matt and Carly are part of a core team planting a new church in Chiba, Japan. They hope to engage and disciple young people on and off the college campus.
Melanie Johnson
Melanie serves in Chiba, Japan, where she helps with church planting, organizing the youth ministry, and assisting a local church.
O-Chan & Asami Odate
The heart of the Odates is to plant a gospel-centered international church (PCJ) in the downtown area of Chiba City with support from MTW Japan.
Oakley Pate
Oakley will serve at Covenant Community School International in Chiba, Japan, as an intern for 11 months.
Rachel Rabe
Rachel will be serving in Chiba, Japan, at Covenant Community School International teaching, encouraging, and discipling students.
Roberta Brown
Roberta Brown is a MTW missionary in Chiba, Japan. She teaches in conversational English classes and leads Bible studies in a grace-based church-planting movement.
Tom & Karen Mirabella
Pastor Tom and Karen Mirabella are part of a team that is working to bring hope in Japan, planting and strengthening gospel-centered churches in the Toyko/Chiba area.
Yuji & Eri Iwata
Yuji and Eri will be serving in Chiba, Japan as part of the church planting and school planting ministry of the MTW Tokyo/Chiba Team.
Yuma & Ashley Takei
Yuma and Ashley’s vision is to make disciples in Chiba, Japan, and to advance the kingdom in the East Kanto region.
