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Makoto Okura |
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He was born in 1969 in Seoul between Korean father and Japanese mother. His father passed away soon after his birth and they returned to Japan. His mother was a pastor. At Tokyo Bible Institute, he was a classmate and a buddy with Pastor Paul Yokota (EC19 Speaker) for three years. After he has graduated, he served as a pastor at Okinoerabu Church in Amami. When he was young, admiring Ryoma Sakamoto, he wandered about in Japan, then admiring Top Gun, he wandered about in America, and he was completely captured by a book titled “Mid-night Express Train (Shinya Tokkyu)” by Kotaro Sawaki, known as a backpackers’ Bible, he wandered about in China and India. He wanted to “see and experience” with his own eyes, he wandered about in Israel. He came to know God after wrestling with Him like Jacob did. He is coming to EC19 as a speaker, grasping the Word of God and the answer he found for his questions. He has three children. In 1998, he came to North America for Japanese ministry and currently is serving as a Japanese Pastor at San Diego Japanese Christian Church.
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Paul Yokota |
Born in Fukuoka City in 1966. Graduated from Kyushu University and its Graduate program. He also graduated from Tokyo Biblical Seminary and Kansai Bible College. After studying at the United Mennonite Theological Graduate School, he received Ph.D. in the field of New Testament at St Andrew's Graduate School of England. Returned in 2003, since then, he has been serving as a pastor at Fukuoka Church of Jesus Christ Church in Japan. He also serves as a lecturer at Kansai Bible College, and a president of NPO Kyushu Christ Disaster Relief Center.
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