Mission Organization
ReachGlobal in Japan
Ministry Overview
Church Planting
Supported by First Free since
2002
Ministry Experience
Andy and Lorna were married in 1985 and together began their preparation for missions. Andy completed his BA in Bible and Missions at Columbia International University and his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Lorna received a certificate from Moody Bible Institute and completed her MA in missions from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Andy and Lorna have been with the Free Church Mission since 1991. While in seminary, Andy served as Outreach Director at the Naperville (IL) EFC and Lorna worked with the short-term program developing and implementing Outreach English Camps. Together they led teams to Hong Kong. Upon graduation they served a term in Japan doing church planting. They had been working with the recruitment, placement and training of new missionaries at the Home Office for 3 years before returning to Japan as church planters in 2002.
Country Profile
Japan is an island chain, located in Eastern Asia, between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan.
While retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After its devastating defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become the second most powerful economy in the world and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. Japan has the second most technologically powerful economy in the world after the US, and third largest economy in the world after the US and China.
This nation has a population of approximately 127 million, of which 99.4% are Japanese. There is also a small minority of Koreans.
The majority of Japanese observe both Shintoism and Buddhism. Christians comprise on 0.7% of the population.
Testimonies
Andy grew up in a religious home, the youngest of 6 boys. He came to know Jesus as His personal Savior after moving to Chicago and beginning work at AT&T as an engineer. At the Naperville Evangelical Free Church, Andy heard a missionary speak about his ministry and was challenged to respond to share the gospel worldwide. While pursuing mission opportunities he met Lorna.
Lorna came to know the Lord in Junior High School when invited to church by a friend. Her vision for missions began while attending Illinois State University. Through her involvement in Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship Lorna committed herself to missionary work and served a summer in Japan in 1982.
Home Church
EFC, Naperville, IL
Contact
Andy.Gilbert@efca.org