Nanae is a country town of around 29,000 people, surrounded by rice fields and apple orchards. Ever since OMF moved their Chefoo School for missionaries' children here in 1964, contacts and friendships began to build up in the town and special evangelistic events were held; but follow up was difficult because the nearest church was still in the city of Hakodate around 20 kilometres away.
So when OMF missionaries Young Ki and Hae Ja Ryu arrived in Nanae in 1989 to begin church planting in Nanae they found a warm welcome waiting for them! At first just about 5 Christians and seekers would meet together in a rented house for the weekly services. Work with children has always played an important part and now the Sunday School children of the earlier years form the nucleus of a lively group of around 20 teenagers meeting on Saturday evenings. Outreach through English teaching has continued to build links with the local community.
Since 1991 the church has been meeting in its own building. Around 40 people now join in the Sunday worship service, around a third of them being an enthusiastic group of Christian teenagers.