Victoria evangelists Keiko and Taka Kajiwara

It’s still small, but it is certainly growing; last year, there were 10 conversions. Four people were baptized in the church; others went back to Japan and were baptized there.

Pastor Taka Kajiwara toldBCCN  there are more than 1,000 Japanese in Victoria, mostly students in schools and ESL institutes; he believes they are quite open to learning about the Christian faith. In fact, he noted, more Japanese turn to Christ while they are abroad than in Japan itself.

 Kajiwara and Keiko, his wife and teammate, invite Japanese people to their home – where some of them accept Christ. Every two weeks, ladies of the church lay on a Japanese meal – which attracts 20 to 30 students, and provides an opportunity for Kajiwara to run an Alpha Course, do a Bible study or just talk with them individually. He also hopes to offer ESL classes; and he expects his new evangelism committee will inspire more church members to reach out.

Kajiwara grew up in Japan in a non-Christian family. At age 18, he became aware of a great inner emptiness; he was struggling unsuccessfully to find meaning in life. At that point, he recalled attending Sunday school at age six; it had given him a very positive impression of Christian faith.

That memory inspired him to attend a church; he wanted to learn about God, and make him the foundation of his life. He soon committed his life to Christ.

When he was 32, he experienced a crisis. His brother-in-law had died in an accident; at the funeral, he says, “I realized that life is so short – I have to do something for God. That was my calling to the ministry.”  

But  how would he finance this calling? He had a good government job, to support his wife and two daughters. But Keiko strongly supported the idea; so he quit his job. God opened a door, and four years later, Kajiwara graduated from Tokyo Bible Seminary.

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While he was pastoring in Japan, two Americans became Christians through his ministry. This convinced him knowledge of English would be really useful – especially because it could open up to him the world of Christian literature, little of which was available in Japanese.

He and his family moved to Canada, where he attended Prairie Bible College in Three Hills, Alberta.

After graduation in 1998, he became pastor of a Japanese church in Calgary. His ministry was blessed, and after seven years the congregation had grown to 140.

At that point, he heard of the need for a pastor at the Victoria Japanese Church. Ron Patterson, a missionary to Japan who had started the church in 1994 after his retirement, now had health problems; and it was mainly Kajiwara’s respect for the man which caused him to accept the invitation.

BCCN  asked Kajiwara why the church in Japan has been  growing so slowly, compared to the Chinese and Korean churches.

“The Japanese economy is strong, and people work very hard and long to make money,” he responded, adding: “The education system is very competitive, so students have to study a lot. Often they go to a private school in addition to the public one.”

Most Japanese people, he maintained, “ are not very religious. They call themselves Buddhist or Shintoist, but that is nominal only. They are wary of religion, because of the many cults –  like the one that released poison gas in the Tokyo subway. Their image of religion is not healthy. They need to know who Jesus is, and what he has done for them.”

So, how can Canadian Christians best reach the Japanese in Victoria?

“If a Japanese student can live with a good Canadian Christian – that is wonderful,” Kajiwara said. “These young people are very open to come to church and learn about the Bible.” 

Taka and Keiko Kajiwara may be reached at 250-382-9439, or kajiwara7@hotmail.com.           – Jack Krayenhoff

July 2007