Our Missionaries
Woody & Laurie Lauer
Woody and Laurie Lauer currently serve in the town of Yamamoto at the southern tip of Miyagi Prefecture on the border with Fukushima. In April, 2016, Woody succeeded Cal Cummings as the director of Nozomi Center, ministering to a region still recovering from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. He also serves as evangelist for the newly opened Yamamoto Nozomi Chapel while continuing his teaching at the Kobe Theological Hall. Laurie teaches cooking and English at the center and helps the Nozomi staff with various activities. They have seven children who live throughout the U.S. and Japan, along with six grandchildren.
Murray & Tsuruko Uomoto
Murray Uomoto is a second generation OPC missionary. His parents were OPC missionaries George and Fumiko Uomoto. Murray and Tsuruko serve at the Megumi Chapel, a small house church in Sendai. Murray preaches and teaches in the area and Tsuruko counsels, does translation work, teaches English, and leads Bible studies. The Uomotos, along with the help of MA JB Hellman, are currently working hard hosting seminars and concerts, doing student evangelism, doing translation work, distributing flyers and more. Please pray that God would bless this effort.
Kazuhiko (Kaz) & Katie Yaegashi (Emeritus)
Kaz and Katie Yaegashi served as members of the OPC Japan Mission sent by the Mississippi Valley Presbytery of the PCA. Kaz, a native-born Japanese raised in Japan, was the Evangelist-Pastor at Yamagata Reformed Chapel, he taught Bible, sat on numerous boards, was a pre-marital counselor and wedding officiant, and has done translation work for "Confessing Christ" into Japanese. Though the Yamagata congregation joined the Presbyterian Church in Japan (PCJ) in 2022, Kaz has continued as stated supply since that time.
Katie, grand-daughter of John W. Moore—one of the earliest missionaries to Japan in the late 1800's—continues to teach English, Bible Classes, and a cooking class at their home. They have five children, living in both Japan and the U.S., and five grandchildren.
Our Missionary Associates
We are currently seeking new missionary associates!