Kevin & Kaori Laverman
 Visit us on the web: www.lavermansinjapan.org

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Both Kevin and Kaori Laverman grew up in Christian homes and attended Conservative Baptist churches from a young age. However, Kevin’s home was in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, while Kaori’s was in the mountains of northern Yamagata, Japan. They met in 1990 during Kevin’s short-term missions service to Zao Christ Church, a CB church plant in Japan that was also Kaori’s home church. Kevin and Kaori were married in the United States in 1993.

After being appointed by CBInternational for career service in 1997, the Lavermans moved to Japan in early 1999. Kevin spent the first two years in language and cultural study at the International Christian University. Meanwhile, Kaori watched their son, Justen Keiji, and began some Bible study groups for young mothers whose children attended a local kindergarten. After Kevin completed language studies in August 2001, the family moved to the Yokohama–Kawasaki area to begin a church planting work. The Lavermans are working with a core group of believers to multiply leadership and Bible study groups using believers’ homes.

The group launched their first Sunday worship service as Grace Chapel in November 2001. Currently, the group of around 10 meets in the Lavermans’ home and local community center for Sunday services. Once monthly a lively evangelistic service, referred to as a Gospel Celebration, is also held at a community center. A Black Gospel workshop and English service also attracts many community seekers. Small group Bible studies for women, men, and not-yet-Christians are also being conducted. Believers are growing spiritually and becoming excited by the opportunities to reach their friends for Christ.

Ministry-at-a-Glance

Primary Ministry Focus Church planting through small groups in urban Japan
The People Yokohama is an area of strong foreign influence and wealth. People maintain a hectic lifestyle of professional and educational development. Several of the members of Grace Chapel are returnees from time spent abroad.
Major Challenges Work pressures on Japanese businessmen squeeze out time for spiritual priorities. For Christians, who make up a tiny 0.6 percent of the population, the task of touching the larger culture with the gospel can seem daunting.
Prayer Focus Pray that more Japanese men would be reached and take on spiritual leadership in their homes and churches. Pray that Christians of wealth in this area would use their financial means for the advancement of God’s kingdom.
The Land and the People

Japan consists of 4 main and 3,000 smaller islands covering a total land area less than the state of California. Packed into this relatively small space are over 126 million people. Fertile rice paddies stretch between picturesque mountains that cover 85 percent of Japan. Forty active volcanoes and their geological effects frequently shake the islands, accounting for 1,500 earthquakes per year, most of which are minor. The climate of Japan varies from island to island, with latitude and ocean currents being major factors for differences in temperature and precipitation levels.

Japan is a nation rich in cultural traditions that are rooted in a history stretching back thousands of years. Coming from isolation and the ruins of WWII, Japan in the past 50 years has quickly risen to be an important global player. Modernism is evident in its electronic equipment, car manufacturing and other leading-edge industries. However, after enjoying decades as one of the world’s most powerful economies, Japan’s financial bubble burst in the mid-1980s.

As a result, Japan today is struggling with employment instability and economic insecurity. Additionally, recent scandals have shaken the powerful political and business networks even though the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity. Moreover, Japanese youth are experiencing an identity crisis and lack of confidence in traditional structures. From the crowded yet tantalizing big cities of Japan to the spacious and beautiful countryside, the Japanese people are sensing a new era of suspicion and insecurity.