Who We Are

Makio Haitaka

Pastor Haitaka was born in Kumamoto Prefecture.  He became a Christian during his freshman year at Soka University where he studied in the Law Department.  He went to seminary school at Tokyo Seminar School and was ordained in 1981 at Saitama Evangelical Free Church.  He was sent as a missionary to Hiroshima in 1986 by the EFC Council of Japan and he started Koyo Chapel. Today Pastor Haitaka continues to lead the Hiroshima Evangelical Free Church and is also very active in the Christian community in Japan. 

Pastor Haitaka enjoys reading and tennis.  He and his wife, Keiko have two grown children, Juunichi and Megumi.

Kenji Kitano

Pastor Kitano was born in Osaka in 1967 and raised in the suburbs of Nagoya.  He was saved his freshman year of high school at Nagoya Gospel Free Church.  He received his undergraduate and Master's degree in Engineering from Hiroshima University before moving to the US to attend Trinity Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL, where he received his Master of Theology.  Pastor Kitano returned to Hiroshima in 2000 to lead the church plant in Kabe Green Hill where he still pastors today. 

Pastor Kitano enjoys fishing, raising Rhinocerous beetles, and soccer.  He and his wife, Masae, have four children: Kenshin, Sougo, Rise, and Seima.

Yoshiteru Yamada

Pastor Yamada was born in Kyoto in 1971.  He was baptized his freshman year of college at Doshisha University where he graduated from the Law Department.  In 1999 he graduated from Japan Bible Seminary and was ordained at South Nagoya Evangelical Free Church in 2005.  In April of 2010 he arrived in Hiroshima to head the new church plant in Asaminami-Ku. 

Pastor Yamada enjoys reading, playing Shogi (Japanese chess), and watching sports.  He and his wife Izumi have a daughter named Yui.

John and Kyoko Clendinnen

John grew up in New York as an unhappy pagan until Jesus completely changed his life at the age of 19. After graduating from Penn State, he served 5 years as a U.S. Naval Officer, and in 1991 he became a missionary with Cru High School, serving 12 years before moving to Japan in 2004. Kyoko grew up on the west side of Hiroshima. She became the first in her family to believe in Jesus, in Sydney, Australia at the age of 24. While working in translation and kitchen design, and serving faithfully at her church, the Lord called her to missions.

She and John met, were married in Hiroshima, and now have 3 active boys, JJ (Josiah), Micah and Andrew. After ministering in Tokyo for 9 years, John and Kyoko relocated their family in 2014 in fulfillment of a 17-year dream to LOVE Hiroshima! by proclaiming Jesus in the City of Peace! They serve on the Leadership Team of ABC, and as the Pioneers Hiroshima Team Leaders.

Jessica Lee

Jessica came to Japan in June of 2011 from Philadelphia, PA, where she did biochemistry research.  But she's also at home in the rainy Northwest, having been born in Oregon, raised in Alaska, and now her parents live in Seattle, WA.  She loves music, the city, football, and food, especially with a healthy excess of butter, sugar, and friends with whom to share. 

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