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
Kaz and Katie Yaegashi serve as Associate members of the OPC Japan Mission through the Mississippi Valley Presbytery of the PCA. Kaz, a native-born Japanese raised in Japan, is the Evangelist-Pastor at Yamagata Reformed Chapel, has taught Bible, sat on the numerous boards, is a pre-marital counselor and wedding officiant, and has done translation work for "Confessing Christ" into Japanese. Katie, grand-daughter of John W. Moore—one of the earliest missionaries to Japan in the late 1800's—currently teaches 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.
Daniel & Márcia Gomes
Daniel and Márcia Gomes serve as Associate members of the OPC Japan Mission through the Presbyterian Church of Brazil. Daniel is the pastor at Igreja Presbiteriana Cristo é Vida (Christ Is Life Presbyterian Church) in Obu, Japan. The church mainly ministers to Brazilians of Japanese decent that have returned to Japan, called dekasegis. They have two children, David and Ruth.
Our Missionary Associates
Sara Lauer
Sara Lauer is currently supporting the ministry of Nozomi "Hope" Chapel and the outreach activities of the Nozomi Center in Yamamoto. Additionally, she teaches both church and private English classes, offering the hope of the gospel as part of each lesson.
JB Hellman
JB Hellman serves as an MA in Sendai. He gives exhortations, teaches Sunday school and English classes, maintains the website, and helps in other ways as called upon. He is a graduate of Westminster Seminary California. He is engaged and plans to get married in the near future. He is working with the OPC in order to become a missionary.