Jun and Mayu Sawada
About Our Ministry
We both grew up in Christian families in Japan. Growing up, we found it challenging to live as Christians in a country where only about 1% of the population identifies as Christian. Outside of church, it is often difficult to find other believers, and discussing religion can feel taboo. For this reason, we initially kept our faith private.
After we got married, our passion to share the gospel grew stronger, and we began praying about how we could serve. Through prayer and reflection, we realized that building a supportive environment where Japanese Christians can connect and encourage one another is an essential first step for evangelism in Japan.
We started our ministry in 2017 and named it MESHRASH, inspired by Ecclesiastes 4:12. We initially created apparel and goods with Bible verses to help people turn back to God and encourage Christians in their everyday life. While the product line is currently on hold, the vision and mission of MESHRASH continue to guide all of our ministry work, including cafe C&R operations, church planting, discipleship, and relational evangelism.
VISION: To encourage each Japanese Christian to share their faith with others.
MISSION: "GOOD NEWS WITH GOOD VIBES" – creating a natural environment for sharing the good news.
What We Do
・cafe C&R (2023): From Matthew 11:28, “Come and Rest”; a casual space for people to meet Christians and experience the gospel naturally.
・House Church (2023): At our cafe C&R location, we also run a house church where believers gather for worship, prayer, and discipleship. Some of our cafe customers have begun attending the church, showing how the cafe and church complement each other. Having both ministries in the same space allows us to build relationships naturally through the cafe and provide opportunities for spiritual growth and community through the church.
Through our ministry, we hope to help many Japanese Christians live for Jesus and share their faith. We also pray that more Japanese people will come to know God through the lives and testimonies of those around them.
See our ministry in action and learn more: https://youtu.be/9ZlENhDings
Websites:
How You Can Help
1. Visit Our cafe
If you have the chance to visit Japan, please stop by our cafe C&R in Osaka. Meeting Christians from overseas encourages both Japanese believers and non-believers. Many of our cafe customers are also interested in English.
Opportunities to serve:
Teach English conversation lessons at the cafe
Organize English events during a short-term mission trip
2. Pray for Us
If you would like to support us in prayer, please sign up for our newsletter by emailing us at jun.sawada@meshrash.com. We will share updates and prayer requests every 3–4 months.
3. Financial Support
Support through JEMS helps us remain fully engaged in long-term ministry in Japan—such as cafe ministry, church planting, discipleship, and relational outreach.
Our cafe is not a profit-driven business but a missional space for building relationships and sharing the gospel naturally. Income from the cafe is used for its own operations.
We are deeply grateful for your prayers and support. If you feel led, we would be thankful to have you partner with us financially to help us continue this ministry and reach more people in Japan.
Give online here or if you prefer to give by check, make the check out to “JEMS” and write our name on the memo line. Mail the check to P.O. Box 86047, Los Angeles, CA 90086-0047. If you have any questions please call the JEMS office at 213-613-0022 or email info@jems.org.