Pastor James Miyabe:
Hi my name is Jim Miyabe. I'd like to invite you to our spiritual community. I believe a person can grow, recover and mature under the guidance and direction of Jesus Christ. Our vision is to be a "Community Growing in Christ" and I know that Jesus Christ can change your life too,

I serve as one of the pastors of our church which is located on the westside of Los Angeles. I am a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary and Cal State University-San Jose. I am a firm believer in continued education and enroll in classes, seminars or conference every year. I enjoy sports and have dabbled in many different types through the years. My wife, Suzanne, is a native of Mississippi and teaches first grade in the Los Angeles Unified School District. We like to go on exercise walks at the beach together and to visit antique malls on our days off. We have two daughters, Aimee and Julianna.

I was born in Osaka, Japan in 1953. While growing up, my family moved many times for my father's business (although we were not in a circus.) In 1970 when I was in high school, we moved to Los Angeles; leaving Japan for the first time. Since I did not speak any words in English, I attended ESL classes to learn English.

Later, I moved to Seattle to study architecture at the University of Washington. Although I graduated there, I could not get a job in the architectural field. I went back to Japan and worked in a Japanese company where I did not fit at all. I was “too Americanized” and was called “Gaijin,” a foreigner. I felt rather lonely because I had not been accepted by my own people.

Then, God led me to Osaka International Church where I found a whole bunch of “Gaijin” there, and I blended right in. In this church I met my wife Etsuko (she is not Gaijin, rather Nihonjin), and later we were married. We both accepted Jesus and became Christians a few years after we were married in this church.

After being a businessman for 10 years, God called me to be a pastor. I quit my job and went with my wife to Columbia, South Carolina, and attended Columbia Biblical Seminary for 4 years. Upon a graduation I was called to be an associate pastor in Faith Bible Church in Seattle. 5 years later in 1998 we moved again to Maui, Hawaii to a small Japanese speaking church, Maui Nikkei Christian Church. Amazingly, 30 some years later, we were brought back to Los Angeles; my original destination. God’s plan is awesome!

God uses all the different stages of my life for His purpose. Now I can understand and be identified with Japanese students studying in the United States, hard working Japanese businessmen, and returnees back to Japan having a reverse culture shock. God employs every step of my experience into the ministry.

As the pastor of the Venice-Santa Monica FMC Japanese language division( Nichigo), I am willing to grow together with the congregation. I want to serve, love and care each one of them as my extended family. Japanese language division collaborates with the English division to serve the community of both languages. Please join us for the Sunday morning worship service.