“Our great Lord has done amazing things for us. He sent more than fifty Japanese to Urbana and established the ‘Urbana-Kai.'... I am convinced that this ‘Urbana-Kai' was initiated and gathered together by the Lord, and it will continue to exist until the Lord wills it.” This is an excerpt from the very first volume of the JCFN newsletter, published on January 16, 1991. The name of the newsletter was “Urbana,” written by Shigeru Tsugura, one of the founders of JCFN — at the time, a college student who had just been saved.
Thirty years have passed since then, and the trajectory of JCFN is purely the work of the Lord. There have been 11 staff, 21 board members, and 27 associate staff (a position established in 2000). The WIT Leadership Camp has been held 15 times with 373 leaders attending, and this is the 17th year of the Equipper Conference, which began in 1997.
FLOW
The theme for our 30th anniversary is “FLOW.” The theme scripture is Ezekiel 47:9: “Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows... so where the river flows everything will live.” The work of JCFN is a part of God's grand mission work that the Lord Himself started. The river begins to flow from its source and branches out to smaller and wider flows — this is how God's work is carried out according to His will.
We pray that returnees would be saved abroad, and even after they return to Japan or are sent to other countries, they will continue to serve as ambassadors of Christ. You are in His flow. God has placed you right where He wants you to be. Where that river flows, everything is made alive!
“Thirty years have passed since then, and the trajectory of JCFN is purely the work of the Lord.”
— Setsu Shimizu, North America Director
AI-condensed excerpt from JCFN's own Annual Report PDF — quotes are verbatim, condensed for length; the full PDF has the complete report and financial detail. Subject to JCFN editorial review before anything ships publicly.