Our church serves God and our neighbors (community)
Green Pasture Church Odate Chapel was founded in Odate City in 1992 by Noboru and Mayumi Muraoka.
It is a church where families of all ages, from young children to seniors, can gather. It is an independent, evangelical Protestant church. The church building, designed by Akita City architect Kazunari Kato, is tastefully finished while maintaining the solemnity and purity of a church.
It is a “power spot” where prayers and praises are offered daily and where God’s love and grace are poured out upon everyone. Weekly services feature contemporary hymns and easy-to-understand, uplifting Bible messages. We pray for solutions to problems, peace of mind, and healing from illnesses.
It also serves as a place of comfort for the local community, offering counseling, weddings, family and child-rearing consultations, learning support, and a community library.
CHURCH IDENTITY
The philosophy of Green Pasture Church Odate Chapel can be summed up in one word as “Respect God and Love People” (respect and worship the true God, love and serve your neighbors).
1. Encounter with the Creator
2. Discovery
You will discover your valuable and important self and acquire correct values.
3. Healing
We seek healing and restoration of mind, body, and home.
4. Growth
We aim for growth in character and faith. The Bible is the foundation for this. We will change from a “life of struggling” to a “life of strengthening.”
5. Independence
By praying, thinking, devising, and working hard, you can begin to live a victorious life.
6. Contribution
We will practice God’s love by being “light of the world” and “salt of the earth” in all areas of the local community.
CHURCH HISTORY
The Green Pasture Church Odate Chapel was originally a home meeting in Hinai Town, Akita Prefecture, and in 1992, when the couple Noboru and Mayumi Muraoka were sent from the Green Pasture Church in Fuchu, Tokyo, full-scale missionary activities began in Odate as the Green Pasture Church Akita Mission Station.
- 1990 Home gathering in Hinai Town, Akita Prefecture
- 1992 The Muraoka couple is sent to Odate City, Akita Prefecture, as the Green Pasture Church Akita Mission Station.
- 2008 Church dedication ceremony
- 2012 The church became a religious corporation and became independent as the independent Green Pasture Church Odate Chapel.
- 2020 Establishment of a church cemetery
- 2024 Takes over the Seikyodan Futatsui Church and begins home meetings in Futatsui
- 2025 The Pawson family is welcomed and pioneering missionary work begins in Kazuno City
PASTOR
Senior Pastor
日本 太郎
Noboru Muraoka
Career: Born in Hakodate, Hokkaido. Graduated from Hakodate LaSalle and Chuo Bible College. After serving in missionary work in Fuchu and Tachikawa, Tokyo, he started a church in Odate, Akita Prefecture, in 1992.
Missionaries
David ＆ Manuela Pawson
Position: Associate Missionary, Kazuno Branch
David
Originally from Suffolk, England. Hobbies include photography, hiking, and cooking. Graduated from the University of East Anglia in 2008. Graduated from Redcliffe College in 2014 and started a church in Odate City.
Manuela
German, born in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Hobbies include reading, knitting, and talking. Attended German school in Singapore from the age of six. Graduated from Giessen University Hospital in 2007. Works as a pediatric nurse. Came to Japan as an OMF missionary in 2020. Served in Sapporo and Hanamaki. Became an associate missionary at Midori no Mokujo Church Odate Chapel in 2025.
