OMF Billions Audio

Serving overseas reshapes family life in unexpected ways. Working with OMF in Japan since 2017, John Timothy shares his experience of fatherhood in cross-cultural ministry – the joys, pressures and the faithfulness of God along the way.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Richard, a worker serving in East Asia who has just finished four years serving with OMF.  Richard wrestled with many questions as he sought to understand fruitfulness in this season of life and ministry. Listen to discover what he found out.

Meet Adam. Based in rural Hirosaki, Japan, he fulfills many roles alongside language learning. Listen to find out more about what he does, and the challenges he faces being a single missionary.

In 1885, the China Inland Mission recruited seven remarkable upper-class young men in Cambridge who left behind prospects of international cricket, army service, the enjoyment of large estates, ecclesiastical advancement and commercial success to preach the gospel in China.  In 1975 OMF asked for single men willing to go into Cambodia to minister in a time of revival whilst the Khmer Rouge were ad...

Can I really make a difference if I don’t go long‑term? Ben, a senior waste management consultant based in the UK, wrestled with this question. For nearly 10 years, Ben has found great joy and satisfaction in offering his time and skills to God in Mongolia through short-term mission. Listen now to find out more.

Little Nam watched longingly as foreign missionaries passed her family shop in Tak province, on their way to share the gospel with hill tribespeople. She wished they would stop and talk to her about Jesus. Later, she accessed a postal Bible course, and much later when she was a business-woman selling Thai silk, a client-friend invited her to church, and Nam believed in the Lord. Listen to Re-Tyrin...

Our OMF UK office moved to Manchester this autumn. Listen to find out some of the mission initiatives in the city.

Many people are on the move from one place to another and one country to another. What is God doing through this movement? He is increasing opportunities for the good news of Jesus. Hear from Ian Prescott, OMF Beyond Boarders Champion, as he talks about three ways God is doing this.

Want to help your church to grow as an intercultural community? Here are 12 ideas from the OMF (UK) Intercultural Ministries team to get you started.

When people hear that I am developing OMF UK and Ireland’s intercultural ministries, I am often asked: how is this relevant to our vision, mission and values? Isn’t it just another passing fad that we are latching on to? Listen to find out about Intercultural Ministry. Why we do it, and why it's vital to our work.

Over 150,000 Hong Kongers have moved to the UK since January 2021. For many, a warm welcome from a local church has opened the door to friendship and faith. Yan and Mina from Welcome Churches tell us more.

Although Joey and YuRa grew up in the USA, where their parents became Christians, their families’ roots are in China and Korea respectively. As they explain, OMF’s Beyond Borders short-term mission placement in Dublin last summer gave them space to explore how God might use them in the future.

For many who move to the UK, there is much to learn and a new culture to get used to. For Geoff, he wondered how he could continue to Serve God here. After being welcomed into a church, he discovered some of what God had in store for him. Listen to find out more.

Are you interested in seeing the UK Church become increasingly intercultural, and have a heart for people of every nation to come to know the Lord as their Saviour? Check out what opportunities we have and get involved with our Intercultural Ministries team.

Earlier this year on the Serve Asia Podcast we explored intercultural church across a four-part series, bringing together a range of voices from around the UK and Ireland Church. Here's a taste of our conversations.

Resourcing and sending cross-cultural workers to Japan continues to be a necessary part of God's global plan. For many years now, the Lord has also been enabling the Japanese Church to send workers to other nations. A third exciting strand is the growth of intercultural mission within Japan - recognising the many opportunities to introduce people of all nationalities to Jesus there too. Listen...

Over the past 18 months, Intercultural Ministries Director Nathaniel Jennings has put together a course on how Churches can be equipped to faithfully and fruitfully share the good news of Jesus with people from different nations and cultures who live around them. Listen to find out more details on what this course entails, and where to find it yourself.

In five years’ time, half of Japan’s Protestant churches may have closed. That’s the stark message from Christians there facing the reality of an ageing population and Church. So what does the future hold for the Church in Japan? To find out more, we spoke to Kenji Kondo, a Japanese missionary with Operation Mobilisation and advocate for church collaboration and Pastor Nakanishi, who leads one of...

Chris Pain, Japan Field Director, gives us an update on what has happened since OMF Japan published the results of their research ‘Church Planting and Partnering in Japan: Learning from Pastors’ and Missionaries’ Perspectives’ in both English and Japanese in late 2022. Listen in to find out more. Read the article. Find more content from this edition.

Audio of the article 'Roots and Fruit' in Billions magazine May-August 2025, Crossing Japan. Read the article at https://omf.org/uk/billions/articles/when-ministry-feels-fruitless-persevering-in-gospel-work-in-japan/ Read more content from the edition: https://omf.org/uk/resources/billions/?_filter_by_year=2025&_filter_by_month=may-august

‘How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?’ (Romans 10:14). When Chris Pain read these words as a student in the UK, his immediate response was ‘Lord, I’ll go to Japan.’ Keep listening to hear the joys and challenges of mission work in Japan, as well as the opportunities there are to share the gospel.

Have you ever considered moving to Japan? For Vietnamese people it’s become the top destination for workers, admired for its safety and appeal. According to the Japanese government, there were 518,350 Vietnamese people working in Japan by October 2023. That number keeps growing as many Vietnamese move overseas to study, work, and pursue their dreams. What is God doing through this movement of Viet...

When a new OMF worker arrives in Japan– somewhere they have prayed and dreamt about– the reality sets in. Far from their friends and family, this is now their home. A language they can’t yet understand fills their ears, and a new range of food awaits them as they enter the local supermarket. Find out how Rosanne's role in Japan helps these new workers settle and find their feet in a new countr...

‘You’ve got three people in church. Why don’t you just close up?’ ‘If we do there’s no Christian presence in this town.’ OMF worker Steve Manders shares how this exchange with Japanese Christians in one shrinking town deeply challenged him. Listen to find out about the revitalisation project, and the stories they have to share.

If you ask a Japanese person living in Japan if they know a Christian, most of them will say no. But for many who have moved abroad, they have more opportunities to meet Christians and go to church. Keep listening to hear Richard East's story and find out some of the opportunities to share the gospel to your Japanese neighbours.