Missions
Our global missions ministry helps send others to do what we cannot: reach across distance, culture, and language barriers with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We support disciple-makers who strengthen the church in places beyond our church's normal sphere of influence.
We aim for every tribe, language, people, and nation to believe in Jesus Christ. To that end, West Covina Christian Church supports missionaries at home in Lincoln Heights (Los Angeles, CA) and Orlando, FL, and abroad in Japan, India, Turkey, China, and Cameroon and sends teams to Arizona, Japan, and Brazil. Below is a listing of some of our supported missionaries; others cannot be publicized for fear of persecution.
Mitsuo and Akiko Fujishima (Japan) are with SEND International. After teaching at the Christian Academy of Japan for many years, the Fujishimas are relocating in June 2015 to Oshika Peninsula. They will minister the Gospel to people in a remote area that was devastated by the earthquake. Mitsuo, a Christian national born and raised in northern Japan, is familiar with their customs and is fluent in their dialect.
David and Ji Kitani (Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, CA) believe that the only way to make a difference in the lives of the young people in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, California (an extremely poverty-stricken area of L.A.) is to live and work there. David needs our prayers as he continues in his new role as Adult Discipleship Director at New Life Community Church (he formerly served as youth director). David and the adult leadership were able to go on a mission trip this past summer to the Dominican Republic, where the poor of the US evangelized to the poor of the DR.
Charleen Kiyabu (Orlando, FL) is a principal with CRU's JESUS Film Project in Orlando, Florida. She is responsible for all the preparation necessary for outreach with JESUS and other films. She usually travels to "dark" places of the world to help spread the gospel through these films. Although CRU has curtailed all travel to dangerous Muslim countries, Charlene continues her ministry by communicating with key national leaders.
Mitsu and Karen Nakamura (Japan) are serving with Japan Campus Crusade for Christ. Mitsu is CRU's Team Leader and the principal organizer for outreach programs. Karen helps in Christian Counseling. Their vision is to have every school in Japan praying in Christ’s name.
Pastors Adam Thallari, Bhaskar Rapalle, and Nireekshana Nukabathini (India) are local pastors who serve through Far Corners Missions, an organization making disciples & planting churches in unreached Hindu/Buddhist Indian villages. Adam Thallari’s church has recently become self-sufficient enough that the local congregation can support him without outside help. This is the dream of every mission that WCCC supports.
Daryl and Sun Young (Cameroon) are from Los Angeles Holiness Church. Daryl is a Wycliffe Bible Translators pilot who delivers translated bibles to Cameroon villages and transports missionaries safely around the country.