Creative Ministries

30 Oct Creative Ministries

This month, we want to tell you about two creative ways that we share the Gospel with unbelievers. We hope and pray that this will inspire you to use the skills & talents that you have, for reaching out to your circle of influence.

Skate Ministry

Hello everyone, my name is Jordan Thiesen and I’m a skateboarder from Canada. For a long time, I used to watch others use skateboarding as a tool for sharing their faith, but I wasn’t sure how to start doing it myself. Since moving to Japan and serving with YWAM, I’ve had the opportunity to try my hand in skate ministry. The purpose and vision is to create friendships through a common interest, with the hope of having an opportunity to share the Gospel. Furthermore, I search to find a few people who would be interested in growing deeper with God through discipleship so that they can go out and influence the culture that they are a part of.

Most skaters are consumed with watching skate videos, reading skate magazines, filming their friends skating and of course, skateboarding themselves. They often feel like skateboarding is the only thing they have in life. My desire is to introduce them to a God who loves them and created them to experience the life that He intended for them (John 10:10). Since skate culture is apart of almost everything skaters do, I think it’s really more of a lifestyle than a hobby. With that in mind, I take my skateboard with me wherever I go because I never know when or where I might meet another skater; and if I can identify as one of them, it often opens the door for me to share my faith. Feel free to follow me on Instagram @jthieskate

Media Ministry

Jordan / Laura / Adam / Sam

Stories are powerful things. When we hear a story, we often put ourselves in it, allowing us to connect and experience the story on a deep and personal level. There’s a reason Jesus used parables to teach. He saw stories as powerful tools to communicate God’s heart. I believe that God still wants to use stories to connect with us and to show us more of who He is. Media is a tool for sharing those stories on a widespread, wide-reaching scale.

It was with this belief that I came to start the media ministry at YWAM Tokyo in 2017. I wanted to communicate how God was working, moving, as well as to share His heart through media. It started small, but God did some amazing things in a short time and laid the groundwork for even more! I saw that we could share how God is working by highlighting different ministries through film and social media. In doing so, we could share testimonies of how God has transformed peoples lives. As well, we could communicate God’s heart through creative stories — “digital parables” you could say.

Though our Media Ministry had been in operation for a couple of years, it wasn’t until 2019 that a team began to form. That was when Jordan, who came with a passion for bringing the Gospel to the skate community, joined the team. He coordinates and contributes toward our monthly blogs and also gives great ideas on how to reach out through social media.

Not too long after, Sam joined! Sam is a multicultural, multilingual and multitalented guy with a heart for discipleship. He is our social media coordinator and he helps with video editing. He also believes that media is a key to sharing God’s heart.

Last but not least, Adam has joined us! He’s currently in the United States and won’t be moving to Tokyo until the beginning of 2021, but he has already begun working with us remotely. He’s got talent in website and logo design, he’s a fantastic artist and if that’s not enough, he’s also got amazing baking skills!

While we may still be a small team, I’m so excited for God to use this ministry in big ways! In less than a year, God took the team from 1 person to 4. With that kind of multiplication, we can’t wait to see how God will multiply His work through us!

Laura Uechi (Media Team Director)

In closing, if you have a talent or skill set that you can use for reaching people and building relationships, we encourage you to step out in faith and watch the Lord use your “yes” to advance His kingdom!

For Jesus & Japan,

YWAM Tokyo