We Are...
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A Christian congregation in Kobe, Japan.
International – we have people from all over the world, but we are also the church home for many Japanese. Interdenominational – we have people from many different Christian traditions and churches. English-Speaking – we are primarily but not exclusively English-speaking. We offer Japanese translation in our services and Bible studies. A Family – we are people from every age and stage of life. We are a big family! A worshipping congregation – we meet in a beautiful building in the hills of Mt Rokko, overlooking the city of Kobe. |
We are a Christian congregation in Kobe, Japan, which is international in every sense of the word. From our beginnings in 1871, we have been the church home for people from many different countries of the world, and from many different Christian traditions. We are also the church home for many Japanese. We will provide you with the stimulating experience of worshipping and serving Christ in the midst of great diversity. Central to the church's life is worship which tries to capture the breadth and depth of our cultural and liturgical traditions.
History
Kobe Union is the oldest continuing serving Protestant Church in Japan. It started with a small international group of two Americans, two Germans, three British, and on Dutch citizen in April 1871. They were given an area of land in the “concession” (as the foreign settlement was called), close to the present Daimaru department store. The building was completed in July 1872 at a cost of US $4,121.
At first the church was considered the home church for missionaries living as far away as Hokkaido and Kyushu. In 1903, Kobe Union Church adopted the name it still carries today and became a self-sustaining, international, interdenominational congregation worshipping in the English language. Our sister German-speaking congregation, der Evangelische Kirchengemeinde Kobe-Osaka (EKK) has shared the building from the beginning, as it still does today.
In 1927, the church found itself in the middle of its increasingly busy (and noisy) Motomachi location. This site was sold in 1928, and a new building was erected on land in Ikuta-cho. The third move, in September 1992, took the congregation high above the city to Nagaminedai in Nada-ku, where it stands today.
At first the church was considered the home church for missionaries living as far away as Hokkaido and Kyushu. In 1903, Kobe Union Church adopted the name it still carries today and became a self-sustaining, international, interdenominational congregation worshipping in the English language. Our sister German-speaking congregation, der Evangelische Kirchengemeinde Kobe-Osaka (EKK) has shared the building from the beginning, as it still does today.
In 1927, the church found itself in the middle of its increasingly busy (and noisy) Motomachi location. This site was sold in 1928, and a new building was erected on land in Ikuta-cho. The third move, in September 1992, took the congregation high above the city to Nagaminedai in Nada-ku, where it stands today.