A special look back at some of the ECC highlights

There would follow, as reported in our October 2006 edition, the commissioning of our next missionary family, namely Bhab Ghale, together with his wife Kumari and daughter Ichchha back to their native country of Nepal. Bhab had been studying for a theology degree for five years in London, during which time he was an active member of ECC.

Since that time we have covered the amazing expansion of the work throughout Nepal. Establishing an NGO in that country, called United Vision Nepal, it has gone on to become a highly respected organisation by the national government, and it successfully combines practical, community, social relief projects with church planting. At the same time, Mark Dishley, after training with Oasis Trust, was commissioned for mission work in Zimbabwe for an extended six-month term.

This would lead to a challenging effort, first reported in Issue 50 in June 2011, of two members of ECC, who on different occasions embarked on a sponsored climb to the Base Camp of Mount Everest on the border of Nepal, which is 5,364 metres high. First, Katariina Sabah, who at the time was ECC’s administrator, spent several months training for the event and successfully achieved it, and subsequently Samir Chovan, who had had training in the military, also completed another such sponsored climb. Between them they raised thousands of pounds for the work of UVN.

Street Evangelism

Nearer home, the ECC street team had now become highly active and effective in reaching people with the Gospel, going out each month to different locations in the surrounding boroughs in a group of about 50 people. Not only did the teams give out tracts, but also had a street artist, and took chairs to invite sick people to sit and be prayed for (pictures below). At times there would be a queue for the seats for prayer, with many testimonies of healings taking place there and then in the Name of Jesus.

ECCJ starts... with one family

As we moved into 2008 and 2009, two ethnic churches began to feature. Pastors Aogu and Chisato Tateyama and

their daughter Aoi moved to ECC, having just completed studying at Regents, our national Bible College, with the desire to start a Japanese church. From that small beginning, reported in Issue 33 for August 2008, our Japanese church, ECCJ, has

grown to become a pioneering church in different countries, reaching out to the Japanese Diaspora.

One ECC member gave a gift to pay towards the costs of financing this new church plant, and another offered accommodation to this Japanese family for the first year. Within that one year, the church had not only got off the ground but was flourishing. Not only is it now helping another Japanese outreach in Finland, but with over 200 Japanese having gone through the ECCJ church, and getting saved and built up spiritually since its commencement, they are now planting churches in Japan itself through these returnees.

Chinese Church begins

At about this time, there was also a small Chinese fellowship meeting regularly on Sunday afternoons in ECC. They were made up of a group of students who had come to the UK to study. One of my favourite photographs is of the Japanese and Chinese churches together, which was taken after a joint service between them in English, Japanese and Cantonese, and they are sharing food together. Given the hostilities between the two countries in the twentieth century, it was wonderful to see Japanese and Chinese functioning as one in the body of Christ.

Here is an extract from the article one of them wrote at the time: “Although we speak different languages, and some of us do not even speak English, we laughed and enjoyed time together. It was a priceless reminder of all I have ever learned theologically about the Church being a family. It was a very special time for me to see and experience that