We seek your faithful support to sustain the work of Tree of Life Japan Messianic Congregation and Ministries
To all our dear friends and family in Messiah Yeshua,
As 2024 winds down we would like to reflect on the past year and share all that the Lord has been doing through Tree of Life Japan Messianic Congregation & Ministries (TOL) and to elaborate on our vision and mission from the Lord.
Our Vision:
TOL seeks to further the Kingdom of God by being a Torah-based, Messiah-centered ministry of Jews and Gentiles working together to shine forth the light of Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, in Japan.
Our mission is to:
- Lead Jewish people and others from the Nations into a relationship with the God of Israel and creation through Torah-based teachings that leads to confession of Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah and L-RD;
- Nurture and grow Jewish followers of Yeshua (Jesus) in their Jewish identity as disciples of the Messiah;
- Nurture and grow Gentile followers of Yeshua who have a confirmed calling to come alongside the Messianic Jews as a “foreigner residing among them” (Ex 12:49);
- Support Christians outside of TOL to connect with and understand the Jewish roots of their faith so that we may become One New Man (Eph 2:15) in the order of Yeshua’s prayer (John 17).
We are the Only Messianic Jewish Congregation in Japan
As the only Messianic Jewish congregation in Japan, we hold a unique position and responsibility.
- TOL is the only congregation enabling Jewish believers (i.e. Messianic Jews) and seekers to live and identify as Jews by encouraging them to “walk out their faith” in a Jewish way. We encourage Jewish believers to follow the Hebrew calendar and commandments covenantally prescribed in the Torah to the people of Israel.
- TOL prioritizes and actively engages in Jewish outreach through our intimate collaboration with Chosen People Ministries Japan / Beit Samurai.
- TOL is currently the only place in Japan where the Jewish identity of a Jewish believer can be lived out in community.
We Exist as a Tangible Expression of the ‘One New Man’
The specific calling and identity of TOL also includes bringing Jewish and Gentile believers together as the One New Man (Eph 2:15).
- TOL is a Jewish assembly welcoming of Gentiles who have a confirmed Messianic calling to walk out their faith together in community and mission. We are a rich blend of Jews and Gentiles gathered from all corners of the earth.
- TOL prioritizes and actively engages in ecumenical dialogue and relationships between Messianic Jews and Gentile Christians in Japan through our deep connection with the Toward Jerusalem Council II movement.
- TOL’s relationships with the Gentile churches in Japan are precious and our deep ties (40 plus years) to the wider Messianic Jewish movement makes us a touchpoint (icon) for them to Israel / the Messianic Jewish world.
We are a Modest Congregation Doing Big Things
Being “Messianic” in Japan is a unique calling and for this reason the number of committed members at TOL remains modest (24 adults). We therefore rely on the support of our friends throughout Japan and other Nations to support our ministry.
Would you prayerfully consider supporting our ministry with an end of year offering?
We invite you to continue reading to learn the details of the BIG and little THINGS our ministry has been doing. We also provide some direction on how to pray for us (please!).
- TOL Congregation – What’s New?
- How is the TOL Language & Creative Arts Studio (TOL-LCAS) doing?
- What has the TOL International Community Center (TOL-ICC) been up to?
- Beit Samurai – Nearly 1,000 Israelis hosted in two years! We have become the FIRST and MAIN community for Israelis in Japan
- A New-Old House – Beit Saffron
- What has the Leadership been up to?
TOL Congregation – What’s New?
These days we have over a dozen congregants of Jewish descent as part of the TOL assembly. Our weekly in-person services have an average attendance of around 20-30 people (children included). On Zoom we usually see another 20-30 accounts tuning in from other parts of Japan. Even with our limited size, different members have stepped up to take on new responsibilities and to share the burden of spiritual and physical needs in the community. We are currently prayerfully considering how to draw more physical and virtual attendance on a weekly basis.
This year, three families became full members of TOL. The Trubek family has been a part of us in spirit for some time but it’s great to finally have them on the ground in Tokyo with us as well.
There are home groups in Nagoya and Yokohama that are under TOL’s covering. They often join the Shabbat service by Zoom and then gather physically in their locations for prayer and fellowship.
Pray that as our flock grows that we will develop more ministries and programs to nurture, disciple and spiritually grow each member of TOL.
Preaching & Teaching – In the past, Paul-sensei and Isaac-sensei have been regularly alternating teaching and translating for one another. However, this past year, David Trubek and Casey Crawford joined the rotation of teachers to bring forth the message from the weekly Torah portion. Victoria Trubek will also join the teaching rotation from 2025. Two new translators in Raymond Regalado and Ryoko Ushio have been a tremendous addition and blessing.
Pray for God’s anointing to be on all the messengers and translators to bring forth the WORD and heart of the Lord to TOL.
Youth – The youth have been led by Dalia Haymov (Israeli fluent in English, Hebrew, Japanese and Russian) who has faithfully been coming up from Kansai once a month for the last two years. We have a half dozen or so “youth” (12-19 yrs) gathering for learning and activities.
Pray that our youth would grow into maturity as followers and lovers of Yeshua through the guidance of the teachers and parents.
Children / Shabbat School – Maki Takimoto and Yoshihito Miyakawa have been faithfully teaching our children in the Shabbat school for the last decade. Pray that the precious seeds of truth that are being planted each week will bear much fruit now and in the years to come.
Prayer Team – We have a team of five prayer warriors taking on the task of regularly lifting up the needs of the congregation before the Lord.
Worship Team – We have mostly relied on the ‘a cappela’ talents of Maki-san and Melissa-san to lead us in songs. We hope to eventually have a guitar or piano player as a regular part of the worship team to bring a balanced approach (mix of liturgy and contemporary songs) to the praise and worship offering.
Please pray that the Lord would provide an abundance of musical giftings dedicated to minister to the Lord.
Pastoral / Inner Healing – Paul-sensei and Sara-san continue to minister to the flock and to those outside the flock (in other churches) through Theophostic healing ministry. Through this ministry, many people have been set free by Yeshua of chronic negative emotions based on deeply embedded lies.
Pray that reinforcements for the pastoral care of the community would come forth as Paul-sensei and Sara-san are not getting any younger.
There are many more areas (ushering, dance, AV, Oneg, feasts etc.) where members are serving TOL but the above are just some of the core areas. We are so grateful for all that everyone puts into making TOL a community.
Please pray that all these areas of ministry and congregational service will grow and that we will have more people commit to TOL congregation as the Lord leads them.
How is the TOL Language & Creative Arts Studio (TOL-LCAS) doing?
Our second year running the conversational English classes (eikaiwa gakko) has been fulfilling but not without challenges. Consistent with the Conversational English school industry, we lost some students due to various reasons and we gained some students as well. We have plateaued at around 60 students and are strategizing about how to bring in new leads and students. To help with this we are hiring a language school business scaling consultant to provide us with some much-needed advice.
The vision of TOL-LCAS has been to serve and reach the local community while building relationships with the long-term aim of exposing them to the love of God. Casey-sensei, Rebekah-sensei, Melissa-sensei and now Claire-sensei (Jewish believer staff from US) have been faithfully and sacrificially serving the Lord through TOL-LCAS. Through Claire’s arrival we plan to introduce new programs including more creative arts classes (she is a theatre/acting specialist). We introduced Modern Hebrew classes earlier this year as well (useful for studying scriptures and for drawing near to Israelis).
Please pray that through the school would see spiritual fruit from the relationships made, gain new students (we need 100 students to break even) and hit its financial targets.
What has the TOL International Community Center (TOL-ICC) been up to?
TOL-ICC as a gathering place for the international community, namely Israelis and Japanese but also people of many different ethnic and national backgrounds has really grown in the past year. Ever since the October 7th attack on Israel, the Israeli community in Japan has rallied together and awakened to the need to be with one another and with those who adamantly stand with Israel.
TOL-ICC has hosted numerous events to commemorate Israeli national holidays, memorials and cultural events. At our Beit Samurai/CPM Japan Shabbat Dinners we have 30-40 people (mostly Israelis) gather on a weekly basis. As a result, every shabbat there are more Jews in the TOL-ICC (same place that Shabbat worship services are held the next day) than Gentiles, by a significant margin!
Representatives from the Israeli Embassy recently attended one of our latest events in an official capacity. The Ambassador of Israel, Gilad Cohen has personally thanked us for supporting Israel through our events. As a result of TOL-ICC gaining wider recognition by the Israeli/Jewish community, our teams have had COUNTLESS conversations about the Lord and Messianic faith. Many, many seeds have been planted and we must believe that the Lord Himself will send others to water those seeds in the future.
Pray that our “Center” will continue to be a bright light in Japan to which the Jewish community will be drawn to and exposed to the love of Yeshua.
Beit Samurai – nearly 1000 Israelis hosted in two years.
We have become the FIRST and MAIN community for Israelis in Japan
While Beit Samurai is a ministry partnered with CPM Japan, TOL members are vital to running the guesthouse and related activities.
Despite the war in Israel, the number of Israelis coming to Japan is still increasing (est. 55k in 2024). Historically, Israelis in Japan were few and often kept to themselves. However, after Oct 7 happened, Beit Samurai’s open arms have drawn Israelis together in an unprecedented way. Since Beit Samurai was launched in October 2022, we have hosted around 1000 Israelis (guesthouse and events).
As mentioned above, the TOL-ICC is where we host many of the larger events for the Beit Samurai community. Recently, an Israeli diplomat was heard describing Beit Samurai as “a vibrant community for Israeli travelers and locals in Tokyo”. For Beit Samurai to become so widely and deeply respected by the Jewish community in Japan is nothing short of a miracle. Israelis from all parts of Israel are coming to Isaac & Melissa’s home / Beit Samurai and saying that it “feels so much like home” or “it’s exactly what I needed after months of traveling away from Israel”.
At the Shabbat dinners, the team of Uchiyamas, Trubeks and Claire (our first visa-sponsored volunteer for TOL/Beit Samurai!) have been getting into deep and meaningful conversations about spiritual matters with countless Israelis. TOL members have been so faithful in preparing, co-hosting and cleaning-up week after week. A few times in the year, around the festivals, we are doing a joint TOL congregation and Beit Samurai community event to bring the two groups together.
Please pray that the TOL members would find purpose and joy in serving the Israeli community of Beit Samurai and that the love of Yeshua would shine brightly through each of them.
A New-Old House – Beit Saffron
Paul-sensei and Sara-san’s original ministry (pre-TOL) was called Saffron House, and its mission was to share the good news of Yeshua with Japanese people from a Messianic understanding. With the growth of opportunity to do Jewish outreach in Japan and the continued calling to evangelize Japanese people, a renewed Saffron House was launched in August. It’s a spacious two-story house in Nishigahara (not far from TOL and Beit Samurai) with a very large living room and two large bedrooms.
Paul-sensei’s vision is that over the next 5 years, he and Sara-san can host and commit more dedicated time to Japanese discipleship. The vision is to equip the next generation of Japanese believers tied to the Messianic Jewish assembly, how to live among them and play a role in Jewish outreach. With the guest room, they will also be able to host people from outside of Tokyo who come to them to receive Theophostic ministry (inner healing). This serves Paul-sensei and Sara-san better instead of traveling all over Japan visiting churches and homes like they used to in younger days.
Please pray that the financial needs of this new house (rental) would be met and that the number of Japanese disciples will grow and play a role in Tikkun Olam here in Japan.
What has the Leadership been up to?
Elders – With the Trubek family’s arrival to Japan from Israel, TOL has its first Jewish elder on the ground in Tokyo. David has been serving as an outside elder since 2022 but now that he is in Japan with his family, he transitions to become one of TOL’s onsite elders, joining Paul Uchiyama and Isaac Uchiyama. Rabbi Ira Brawer of Shalom Boca Messianic Congregation in the US remains as an outside elder and advisor to the Congregation.
The Elders cannot be effective and complete Elders without the faithfulness and giftings of their wives. Sarah Uchiyama, Melissa Uchiyama and Victoria Trubek are the sensitivity and insight behind our Eldership and their input as Elders’ wives are an immense blessing to the entire leadership and the community of TOL.
Please pray that the Elders will have a clear and unified vision to steer TOL into a new era of the One New Man. (Bios of Elders can be found here)
Deacons / Shamashim – It was recently announced that Maki Takimoto (TOL’s founding member and deaconess) plans to return to her hometown of Iwakuni next year to take care of her elderly parents. Maki-san’s shoes are impossible to fill and she will be greatly missed although we do expect her to come back and visit regularly (she will hopefully still be with us on Zoom each Shabbat).
Faithful deacon, Yoshihito Miyakawa married Emi Saito earlier this year and we could not be happier for them. Yoshihito-san has worked tirelessly to stay on top of the financial management of TOL (ministry and business).
Please pray that the Lord would raise up more deacons to share the burden of executing the practical and administrative needs of the congregation.
Servant Leaders – Leading various aspects of the ministry are the Servant Leaders comprised of members taking on various responsibilities for the ministry and running of the congregation. Casey & Rebekah Crawford (and Thomas) are expecting child number two in January! The Lord managed to nail down Dalia Haymov for another year (at least) as she was able to secure her first job in Kobe as a new graduate earlier this summer.
The leadership team comes together on a weekly basis to pray and plan for all the needs and activities of TOL.
Please pray for all our leaders that they would be protected from the schemes of the evil one, continually anointed by the Spirit of God to carry out the work required, and to be in unity of heart as we carry forth the vision of TOL from the Lord.
Final words
We know that the Lord planted TOL twenty-one (21) years ago but never did we imagine that it would become what it is today. There are of course many aspects of the ministry we hope to grow and improve as the Lord leads us into 2025 and beyond. We really ask for your prayers as we humbly do our best to fulfill the unique plan of God for the only Messianic Jewish congregation and ministry in Japan.
We hope that this update has been insightful and inspiring. We know that TOL has a kingdom destiny and we know that TOL is not called to walk alone. We thank God for every one of our friends and family from the whole Body of Messiah.
In Messiah’s love,
Isaac Uchiyama, Co-Leader & Executive Elder
Paul Uchiyama, Senior Pastor, Elder & Founder
David Trubek, Head of Jewish Ministries & Elder
Thank you for your continued support!
