Bethel Fellowship International

Bethel Fellowship International would like to update you on a very recent and important project about which we’ve just been informed. It comes from our missionaries in Japan, Nils & Andrea OLSON. 

We encourage you to read the following and pray about participating. As small as this church on an island in southern Japan is, they are doing their very best to prepare for the promised ingathering of souls into the Kingdom of God. 

And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh . . . and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. —Acts 2:17-21

Remote Japanese Island Bethel Parsonage Roof Needs Replacement Badly

The Miyanoura Christ Church is located on the island of Yakushima in southern Japan, only reachable by a two to four hour ferry ride, or by airplane. Where in the world is Yakushima? Notice the little red circle.

Both the church and parsonage were built more than 50 years ago by a missionary who went to their reward many years ago. The former 78 year-old pastor of the church is no longer able to work due to illness. He has asked the Japan Bethel Mission (JBM) to become its overseer. JBM is a small group of four full-Gospel churches in Japan including Tokyo, Rikuzen Takada, Kurume and Munakata cities. All are directly related to the Bethel Fellowship International in Washington state. JBM has no available ministers to go to the island and oversee the flock of four believers. However, since retiring the pastorate of a JBM church, as a missionary I am able to visit the church at least once a month to build up and encourage the faith of the believers.

L to R: Missionary Nils Olson, Believers: Etsuko KURISAKI, Kimiyo KINBARA and Daisuke SHIBA.

Upon my first trip last month, I slept in the church parsonage (left). It was an unhealthy couple of nights sleeping in the moldy, mildewy and leaky-roof former pastor’s residence. Because of the leaky roof, the entire house is in DIRE NEED of remodeling (new walls, ceilings, floors and bathroom). I asked for a local architect to come over and give an estimate for remodeling, however, he said, “Remodeling would not be wise until the entire roof is replaced.” Thus, I asked him for a new roof estimate.

Moneys from this gofundme project will be fully used (with the exception of gofundme’s 2.9% portion) for the replacement of the parsonage roof. From the photo above the roof may look fine, however, photos of ceilings on the  inside of the house show clearly that it leaks badly in every room.

Living room ceiling-1

Living room ceiling-2

Bedroom ceiling-1

Toilet room ceiling

Washroom

These are only a few photos of ceilings, but every room has this kind of water damage due to the bad roof. I will also post a photo of the floor plan of the parsonage. The building is not that large, for which we are thankful, because if it were any larger, the replacement cost would be much higher.

In 1993 Yakushima was recognized as a World Heritage Site since which the island has seen a tremendous increase of travelers from around the world. Perhaps the oldest cedar trees in the world are found in the mountains of the island. As in many places in Japan’s countryside, especially islands, young people leave to go live and work in the metropolises. Yakushima has suffered the same plight, leaving only a small number of believers in the church. However, there are still some 13,000 inhabitants on the island, and only this one church to reach them with the Gospel.

Since summers are so extremely hot and humid in southern Japan, the architect said a good time to replace the roof would be in the fall, perhaps beginning in mid-September, 2018. Here is a copy of the architect’s  estimate to replace the roof:

Roof Construction:   ¥  897,150
Overhead Expenses: ¥  134,573
Sub Total: ¥ 1,031,723
Tax: ¥ 82,538
Discount: ¥  -14,260
TOTAL: ¥ 1,100,000

Estimate Cost: ¥1,100,000 @ 110.65 ¥ per $ (6Jul) = US $  9,941.26
We have rounded up the estimate to $10,000 for this particular gofundme project.

Perhaps taken out of context, but I think this verse relates well to this roof replacement project. Nehemiah 4:10 says,

In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the (roof) wall.”  ESV (parenthetical is my edit).

Your consideration of participating in this project, plus your believing that all things are possible, will be a tremendous encouragement to the Miyanoura Christ Church on the island of Yakushima, JAPAN.

https://www.gofundme.com/replace-yaskushima-jpn-church-roof&rcid=r01-153158208668-4398d5cd342b407c&pc=ot_co_campmgmt_w

Thank you so very much for taking time to read through this project description. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Nils OLSON, Missionary
Japan Bethel Mission, Tokyo, Japan
Bethel Fellowship International, Federal Way WA, USA

e-mail: nilsand@nilsolson.com

BFI would like to thank Tim BENTZ for the following downloaded photos from his FaceBook photo album titled Old Bethel Temple Photos. Many of us remember Bethel Chapel Mirror Lake Park in Federal Way, but the church has been renamed and is now called Bethel Christian Center of Federal Way.

Overseen by Pastors Dennis & Sue Austin, the former Bethel Temple Camp Grounds at Mirror Lake now not only includes the church building, but the K-12 Life Academy of Puget Sound and the Bethel Christian Center Daycare Center for children from infant to twelve years old.

The following two photos highlight the dedication of the then Bethel Chapel at Mirror Lake on October 21, 1963.

Dedication Services of the NEW BETHEL TEMPLE

Seattle Times, May ** date unreadable.

** notes unreadable print

Far-left column reads:

Pastor W. H. Offiler was called to the pastorate of Bethel Temple in 1914. At that time the Bethel Temple was known as the Pine St. Mission. A continuous revival of spiritual power was in constant  progress the ** following years.

Pastor Offiler has operated the Bethel Temple Bible School and has graduated several hundred Ministers, Pastors, Evangelists, Bible Teachers and more than ** hundred missionaries all ordained for the  Foreign Missionary work. The Missionaries have labored in all parts of the world: New **, Borneo, Sumatra, Celebes, **, Java, **, China, Japan, Africa, British West Indies, South America, British India and Alaska. The ministry from Bethel Temple has reached around the world.

Pastor Offiler also built the Bethel Temple Gospel Park, Mirror Lake, Washington for a great Evangelical Camp Meeting grounds. More than one hundred cottages have been built, and homes have been provided for the aged pensioners.

A great Tabernacle seating two thousand people has been built, a large dining hall and a great park set aside for the enjoyment of the people. A resident pastor is maintained on the park grounds at all times.

The Bethel Temple Gospel Park is the finest camp grounds in the west.

For more than twenty years Pastor Offiler has been on the air in a great Radio Ministry. He broadcasts from Bethel Temple daily and Sunday. His constant subject on the air is “God and His Bible.”

This is the thirtieth year of ministry as Pastor of Bethel Temple’s congregation.

Hundreds of congregations and assemblies have been established in Dutch East Indies.

Pastor Offiler is the author of several books, and a prolific writer on Bible subjects. He is also the editor of the “Pentecostal Power” which he has sent out for twenty-five years.

—W. H. OFFILER, Pastor

Far-right column reads:

HON. W. F. DEVIN, Mayor of Seattle

DR. HAROLD JEFFERIES **

Dedication Week will be prefaced by a great meeting Saturday, at 7:45 P.M. with the Bible Crusaders and

FIRST MATE BOB of the Haven of Rest Radio Program

Dedication services will continue Tuesday and every evening throughout the week at 7:45 conducted by

REV. ARNE VICK of Hollywood, Calif.

Following the Dedicatory services a continuous program of Evangelism, Bible teaching, Bible school and general Gospel work will be carried on.

RADIO SERVICES are held daily over station KRBC at 7:00 A.M. and on Sundays at 9:30 A.M.

All ** work on the great auditorium has been done by Pastor Offiler and the Bethel Temple Congregation. The ladies deserve special mention for the wonderful work they have done in upholstering the leather covered pews and painting and decorating this great Gospel Tabernacle.

The Bethel Temple will have one of the finest pipe organs in the Northwest.

W. W. PATTERSON, Asst. Pastor

Click this link to read about the pipe organ’s history and its dismantling from old Bethel Temple, plus what happened to the original building that housed Bethel Temple for decades.

From Federal Way News archives, the above photo gives record of W. H Offiler’s purchase of 55 acres of property at Mirror Lake. It was know in those days as Bethel Gospel Park.

Our second photo from almost 70 years ago was submitted as “Courtesy Bonnie Branner” (possibly Brannen). It shows attendees of the Bethel Gospel Park Camp Meeting in July 1948, as they pose sitting in front of the old Tabernacle, which is no longer standing.

Mirror Lake Gospel Park is still active today, but is known these days as Federal Way’s Bethel Christian Center, formerly Bethel Chapel.