Lifehouse International Church Yokohama

Lifehouse International Church Yokohama

Lifehouse International Church Yokohama service 2012
Country  Japan
Denomination Australian Christian Churches[1]
Website www.yokohama.mylifehouse.com
History
Founded 2010
Clergy
Senior pastor(s) Joshua and Yuki O'Sullivan

Lifehouse International Church Yokohama is an International Church located in central Yokohama.[2] It belongs to the Lifehouse International Church movement and is part of the Hillsong network of Churches. Lifehouse Yokohama is the third Church planted with the Lifehouse movement which now has 20 Churches across Asia and 6000 members.

At the Yokohama campus the Church has two services on Sunday at 11AM and 2PM and a midweek service on Tuesdays at 7PM .[3] It also has other Church campuses in Kanagawa located in Shonan,[4] Atsugi [5] and Yokosuka.[6] The Church reaches over 700 people every week across Kanagawa.

The Church is the largest foreign community in the area and connects with many of the foreigners living in Yokohama.

A Christian church growing and reaching young people is a rare case in Japan, a country with less than 1% of the population being Christian and the average Church size being 30 people. It is one of the largest Church in Yokohama city's history. The Church has an influence in Yokohama along with the Lifehouse movement as a whole across Japan.[7]

History

Lifehouse Yokohama was planted out of Lifehouse Tokyo in 2010 with a small team of 8 people.[8] The Church started on Friday nights, moving to Saturdays and then to Sundays in 2012. Joshua and Yuki O'Sullivan are the Lead Pastors at Yokohama with Ps Rod and Viv Plummer being the Senior Pastors over the Lifehouse Global movement.[9] Each campus of the Church also has local pastors and pastoral team.

Church Services

Lifehouse Yokohama has completely bilingual services with all parts of the service translated in English and Japanese multiple speakers or singers. Services are held on Sundays 11am and 2pm at Jouhou Bunka Center 6F and Tuesdays 7pm at Bukatsudo B1F, Sakuragicho Station.[10] The pastors have expressed their desire to find a permanent venue to fit everyone and help the Church grow.

Lifehouse Yokohama International Church Sunday Service
Lifehouse Yokohama International Church Sunday Service
International Church in Yokohama

Lifehouse Kids

Lifehouse Kids is run each Sunday at 11am with children attending to play games, sing songs, and learn from the bible.[11] Other services also have a kids care program so parents can attend the service. Lifehouse Kids is also an outreach to the local community as many Japanese families find the cost of English education too expensive, and at Church they can raise their kids in an international environment.

International Church in Yokohama

Lifegroups

Lifegroups are the Churches discipleship groups, where they help people to follow Jesus by understanding the Bible. Each Lifegroup leader helps members build their relationship with God through key principles such as Journaling, Simple Prayer, and keeping a Clean Heart (forgiveness). [12]

Language Exchange

Language Exchange is run 30min before each service as a service to the local Yokohama community.[13] Students attend from the local highschools and universities. They also have a meetup group which is the largest group in Yokohama, from which many internationals also attend.[14]

Street Live

The Church outreaches on the street using a band every Thursday evening at Sakuragicho or Yokohama station.[15] Their music has become well known in Yokohama and they draw a large crowd.[16]

Television

Lifehouse has been featured on national television several times with interviews of the Senior Pastors Rod & Viv Plummer and other members.[17] This has led to an increase of Japanese visiting Church to see a new style that is different than traditional styles of Church in Japan.

Podcast

The Church has a popular podcast of their weekly messages.[18]

Christmas Spectacular

Every year Lifehouse Yokohama presents their annual "Christmas Spectacular" production. The production is the largest in Yokohama and showcases different singers, dancers, actors and comedians while presenting the true meaning of Christmas.[19]

Lifehouse Yokohama Christmas Spectacular

References

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