Agape Mission
Purpose statement:
To be a leader in genuine Christian wedding ministry that sets a standard of excellence in every wedding location by the love, grace, and life-changing impact of JESUS CHRIST.
While working with YWAM Tokyo from 1983, I, Nicholas Sillavan, became convinced of God’s desire to use Christian weddings—just becoming trendy—as an unthreatening opportunity for everyone in attendance to hear the Gospel. After marrying and attending Bible College together in England, my wife and I moved to Kansai in 1990. I then joined a bridal ministry, Cosmos Trust Co., established by a retired pastor, Rev. Koshio, who had a vision to reach young couples through this unique outreach.
Change
As the bridal industry expanded, our group also grew. Sadly, however, after 10 years together Pastor Koshio was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Entrusting the ministry to his core members, he went to be with the Lord in 1999. This necessitated the renaming of our company in January 2000 because it was a privately held company in his name.
In God’s infinite creativity, He has given our Millennium Ministries International (MMI)/Agape Mission* unique opportunities to share the Gospel in the marketplace. Partnering with bridal industry businesses, we are excited to reach people we otherwise might never meet.
Many lives touched
Between 1994 and 2013, our team has shared a short gospel message in 103,518 weddings. Guests at each ceremony can range from 20–120, but on average about 50 attend. This brings the potential audience over the last two decades to about 5,175,900. With hundreds of other Christian ceremonies being held besides ours, the overall number of mainly non-churched Japanese folk who have attended a Christian wedding ceremony in the last 20 years is remarkable.
Apart from the couples, their relatives, and friends we also get to minister to choir and music company employees, bridal-salon staff and photo/video personnel. Over the years, as our ministers have prayed and interacted with them, trusting relationships have grown. As time has progressed, chances to speak of God’s love and pray for individuals have increased. We rejoice immensely with every testimony of answered prayer ranging from personal encouragement and relationship reconciliations to physical healings and conception of babies! The number of these people coming to Christ and joining us in shining His light has given us tremendous joy.
Other ministries
Presently we have about 50 missionaries and 10 Japanese pastors ministering at around 60 regular venues from Kanto to Kyushu. Some venues welcome us to also conduct premarital seminars. Along with sharing biblical principles for marriage and God’s salvation plan, we distribute Bibles or Christian literature. Some places also ask us to minister at annual Christmas services for couples married over the year.
We are deeply grateful to our team. Many are involved in a broad-spectrum of ministries beyond wedding ministry from church planting and discipleship, prison and homeless outreaches, youth, educational and music ministries, to media, literature and English evangelism.
Many sending organizations face challenges to fully fund missionaries or pastors by offerings alone. We thank God for enabling us to provide opportunities to supplement their support through tent-making opportunities to help them continue their witness in Japan. In various regions of Kansai and Tokyo, our regional leaders organize regular gatherings of our ministers for prayer and fellowship, mutual accountability and support. These care groups are vital to the ministry of MMI/Agape Mission.
We believe Christian weddings will continue to play a part in God’s plan of redemption for Japan for the foreseeable future. Recently the 7MEDIA team* invited us to collaborate with other family-centered ministries to develop a series of Internet “landing pages” to provide information about weddings and marriage, healthy relationships and the raising of children. Please pray for us as we go forward.
http://www.agapesenkyokai.com
You can contact us at: agapemission@gmail.com
*MMI is our registered company name. Agape Mission is the name we use with churches, sponsors, and interfacing with mission organizations.
**7media.org
