Abraham Liu and Sarah Liu
Rooted in Tokyo, Facing China, Embracing the World!
We are Hakka people from Taiwan. In 1970, we went to Spain to study. Two years later, we were called to study theology at Continental Bible College (CBC) in Belgium. Not long after, we experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit and received God’s calling to do missionary work in China. At that time, China was in the midst of the Cultural Revolution.
In 1980, we moved to the United States to further our pastoral training. With the arrangement of Pastor Yonggi Cho, starting in the New Year of 1981, we began a decade-long ministry of broadcasting the gospel to mainland China through Far East Broadcasting’s Jeju station in South Korea, airing every Sunday morning and evening.
Following the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S., we had the opportunity in the spring of 1983 to visit China with a team of church leaders, passing through Tokyo. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we joined the U.S. Assemblies of God’s overseas mission department and arrived in Tokyo in the summer of 1985, planning to move to Shanghai two years later. However, contrary to our plans, we remained in Tokyo while making trips to China, and this has continued to this day.
Thank God! His will surpasses all. It became clear that God had sent us to Tokyo for another reason: to lead overseas Chinese students to Christ. In 1989, influenced by the student movement in Beijing, nearly 50,000 Chinese students in Japan were shocked and disillusioned. We comforted and guided them, and many came to faith weekly. In 1990, the Tokyo Sunshine Christian Church was established on the ninth floor of the Ikebukuro Sunshine Building. We finally understood that God had us stay in Tokyo to minister to the growing number of Chinese in Japan.
The vision statement of Sunshine Church is: Rooted in Tokyo, Facing China, Embracing the World! God’s plan is to establish a mission base in Tokyo, engaging in missions to and from China as well as global missions. For nearly 40 years, our mission strategy has been driven by God’s love and calling, empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit. This has included ongoing visits to Chinese seminaries and churches, building sincere friendships with pastors, praying for their needs, and raising funds to assist them. Since 1987, we have supported the reopening of Kunming Seminary and have also visited seminaries in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Chengdu, Fuzhou, Wuhan, Beijing, and others, contributing to teaching, training, and fundraising for various projects.
Since 1994, we have closely collaborated with Wuhan Seminary, sending teams annually for teaching and construction. By 2019, Wuhan Seminary had nearly 500 students and a newly completed, beautiful campus on 70 acres of land. After the catastrophic floods in Hubei Province in 1998, we helped with disaster relief and began partnering with local churches to rebuild dozens of churches in the province. Our mission teams were also involved in training and evangelism.
In Hanyang, an industrial area of Wuhan with a population of nearly 3 million, there was only a small church of about 200 members meeting in two cramped apartments. When I preached, half the congregation couldn’t see me and sat on the floor due to limited space. Our team helped the Hanyang church purchase a 7-acre site with an old factory, which was renovated over six months. At the Christmas dedication service, the space was packed with 600-700 people, with over 200 standing due to a lack of chairs. Many were curious neighbors, and 300 people accepted Christ that day! A few years later, a large church with a capacity of over 2,000 was built.
That Christmas evening, I preached at a seminary-affiliated church in the Wuchang university district, which had been open for only six months. It was filled with nearly 2,000 attendees. After the sermon, about 200 university students responded to the altar call and accepted Jesus! We were blessed to witness the revival and growth of the Chinese church—this has become the new norm of church revival in China after the Reform and Opening-Up. God is truly gracious and merciful!
Before the pandemic, we also established a Master’s of Theology program in Wuhan (2010–2019) to train senior pastors, equipping them with theological education, Spirit baptism, and international pastoral connections. All of this was the result of the Holy Spirit’s commissioning, guidance, and provision. Glory to God!
We originally planned to retire in Taiwan in 2020, contribute to campus ministry, and occasionally visit the churches we pioneered in Europe and the U.S. However, the pandemic kept us in Tokyo, teaching us anew to submit to the Lord’s will, trusting in His good purpose.
Since the pandemic limited travel, our live-stream ministry, established just over a year ago, has been highly effective in reaching China, Southeast Asia, and even former Sunshine Church members and their families in Europe and the U.S. From June to August 2020, only 7-8 people were physically present in church for worship, broadcasting, and sermons, while others joined online. Later, the church reopened for in-person gatherings.
In the summer of 2020, Sunshine Church volunteers worked together to dismantle the rooftop garden, clearing heavy stones, soil, and turf—all during the pandemic. This saved costs, strengthened bonds, and helped overcome pandemic fears. Renovations, including painting, flooring, and utility upgrades, were completed in November 2020. Principal Kitano joined us for the dedication ceremony, and the church fully reopened, resuming Sunday school and fellowship meals. Weekly prayer and Bible study groups were also established.
Many pastors and missionaries have been sent out from Sunshine Church, now serving in the U.S., Malaysia, China, and Japan. Tokyo currently has six ministers, and several seminary students in training. In the summer of 2024, we collaborated with Tokyo Central Bible School to expand its Chinese department.
Since 2024, pastors from Southeast Asia, China, and the U.S. have been visiting Sunshine Church almost monthly, sharing blessings and affirming that Japan’s great revival is near! God loves the world—all nations and peoples are descendants of Adam and Eve. We believe that after years of prayer for Japan, revival is imminent!
The Lord is coming soon! Recent world crises—pandemics, the Russia-Ukraine war, tensions in Southeast Asia, and the Israel conflict—sound the alarm of the end times. Angels are protecting Israel, and the Holy Spirit is empowering the church to fulfill the Great Commission. Soon, the trumpet will sound, the church will be raptured, and during tribulation, families in Israel with the seal of God will be saved! Let us pray for peace in Jerusalem. When Israel has peace, the world will have peace, and we will see revival in Japan, China, and a global harvest of souls. Let us intercede for one another!
感想・コメントはこちらに♪