About The Light of Eternal Agape
Our Start
The Light of Eternal Agape is a protestant church. Pastor Paul Akimoto was led by God to plant a church. It was founded as the "Kokubunji Christian Center" in April 1984 in Kokubunji City, Tokyo, Japan. Our church was started with Christ as the head of the church and as Chief Pastor. In the beginning Pastor Paul Akimoto was told by God to live by the principle of hearing and obeying the Lord for a plan of our church. God also showed Pastor Paul Akimoto that it daughter churches were going to be planted throughout the country and that we would be involved in overseas mission work. In June 2002, we moved to Suginami Ward, Tokyo, and soon after that, the name of the church was given by God TLEA Tokyo Antioch Church.
Our ministries
As of Feb. 2017, TLEA churches number 109 in Japan and 29 abroad; New York, LA, San Diego, Denver, Baton Rouge, Hawaii, the Philippines, Brazil, the Middle East ,Zambia and Prague(Czech) (London, Chicago, San Francisco and Toronto are temporary cessation). There is a prayer house in one of TLEA churches in Gunma prefecture, Japan.
TLEA started a seminary in 1985, and later it was named TLEA Seminary. It has been operated centrally in Tokyo and has branch schools at TLEA churches throughout Japan and overseas. Seminary classes can be taken through the Internet and be given credits. The total number of registered students is about 300.
We have as arm of overseas mission work "The Water Flowing From The Sanctuary (WFS) Mission", which was established in 1989. Many short-term mission teams have been sent as the doors to mission were extensively opened in Asia, America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Oceania. Long-term missionaries have been sent to the Middle East, the US, Cambodia, Brazil, Czech, Zambia and Canada (temporary cessation). The WFS Mission also supports some seminary students and missionaries of other mission organizations abroad.
The work of orphanage started in 1997 as a part of works of the Water Flowing From the Sanctuary Mission, and in March of 2001 the name "Cornerstone Orphanage" was givin and it started the work as an independant department. In April of the same year it was admitted by Tokyo Metropolitan Government as a non-profit organization, and in August 2011 we got a license of "incorporated non-profit organization." We started the work toward building children's nursing homes in April 2011. We are supporting the social welfare corporation, "Karashi-dane no kai" which will install the home. In July 2014 we are now planning to build a small scale facility (group home or family home) in accordance with the government's downsizing policy of children's nursing homes.
Missionaries are sent to Cambodia, Brazil, and Zambia, and they are working with local staff. In the Philippines, local staff are helping children to study at schools, and they have about 40 children. Our Cambodian Orphanage was lisenced as an international non-government organization, and they have 28 orphans in July 2014. Among the children are some who are suffering from HIV and other disorders.
A Japanese TV station covered a story about our Orphanage in Zambia in July 2013. A special TV program entitled "Sekai Naze sokoni nihonjin?" featuring our staff Ohko Mutale and her orphanage was aired on Decmeber 30, 2013. Also we are supporting orphanages in Rumania and India, and we are preparing to start orphanages in other parts of the world as well.
Our publications' ministry was established in 1996 called "A Rainbow in the Clouds". So far we have published: a monthly magazine titled "The Appearance of a Rainbow in the Clouds;" five books written by Pastor Paul Akimoto; "Prophecy-Its Reality and Use" "Obedience to His Voice" "The Second Version Obedience to His voice" "Charisma" “Ladies who are Led by God: Stand as Pastor, Evangelist and Missionary!”; "Blessing of Sickness and Blessing of Healing", "The end of the world", "The Cornerstone" by Pastor Isaia Kihara Makoto; comic books in two volumes on Japanese Christian History; Booklet "I have been healed. vol.1-3" ; DVD on Prophecy Seminar by Pastor Paul Akimoto. This publishing company also translated and published the Japanese version of Rev. Merlin R. Carothers' books "From Fear to Faith", "What's On Your Mind?”, "You Can Be Happy Now", "God's Secret Weapon" and “AMAZING POWER OF FAITH.”
We have our newspaper issued weekly through The Mikoe (The voice of the Lord) News Press, Inc. which was established in 1998. It has 70 national branch offices and some correspondents stationed abroad. The Mikoe is given a task of telling about the end-time movements of the world from the viewpoint of the Bible. The Mikoe has published "Martyrdom" serialized in the Mikoe and "Letter from the Orphanage" is still being serialized and "Prayers were responded. Vol.1-5", "The Real Facts of The Davao Jail Incident: Missionary Jackie Hamill's Martyrdom."
TLEA also ministers over computer through a computer company "A Stone Cooperation" established in 2002. They offer websites service, PC classes, PC repair and Web Shop.
Our music outreach is run by a music production company called "Rivers in the Desert Music," established in 2003. They promote Praise & Worship songs from Japan and sell CDs of original Japanese gospel songs titled "Yasuragi-no-uta(Peaceful songs)" "Kaze-no-hibiki"and its song books and scores. As of October 2016, the number of the lyrics are 1,549 original songs. A Gospel group called "Praise Band" perform live on streets in various places every week. The praise band has performed live on the streets in Hollywood and Santa Monica in the US. At the same time, they are praising in hospitals and facilities so that many people are pleased. Also God uses them as music therapy.
Lastly, we have a film company called "TLEA Film Mission" established in April 2004. Its aim is to produce an animation film from Hollywood concerning a story of Japanese 26 martyrs who were crucified in Nagasaki, Japan in 1597. God miraculously opened the door to be related with the people in connection with Hollywood movies, and TLEA Film Mission director has been invited as a guest from Japan every March since 2002 to the Movieguide Awards Gala in Hollywood.
TLEA has started a ministry of prayers called "Mission of Prayers" in 2009
TLEA has started production called "The Vision" in 2014
Our Principle
TLEA is a Protestant charismatic church. We believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God, the sole basis and the final authority of our beliefs. We acknowledge the pastoral ministry of Jesus Christ who is the head of the church. Therefore, our walk is guided and directed by obeying the voice of God, based on the Bible and prayers. Further, we acknowledge that the gifts of the Holy Spirit should be active and exercised in the church. We also believe the restoration of a New Testament Church with the Five-fold Ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, and we have been led for that direction.
Our Vision
There will be great revival, a huge harvest of reaping of souls in the world and in Japan. The churches in Japan will greatly change in number, scale and functions. Some churches in Japan will have thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of members. We at TLEA are told by God to achieve such a level of work and to make preparations for it. We have been also shown that TLEA was called for the end-time work and revival, and that over 90 Mission offices would be established worldwide. We anticipate in God outreaching the general public through publication and music ministry and on the Internet evangelism.
Origin of Our Name
In starting a church, God told Pastor Paul Akimoto to name this church "center" because He was going to use this church with a function of a center. What the Lord showed to him has been true. The Light of Eternal Agape has been playing the role of a center in the country and overseas. At the start of the church, we were not shown a full name of this church. Since we were located in Kokubunji-city, we temporarily named our church Kokubunji Christian Center. After one or two years passed since the church was started, we were given an instruction through prophecy, saying that we should name this church the full name God would give.
As a result of praying for the name, we were shown the word "the Lord's cross, "which implies that we will walk by taking up the Lord's cross just as a Cyrenian Simon in the Bible did so. This also means that we will share the Lord's pain and suffering as we follow Him.
That is our calling and is our desire. We hope to follow the Lord to the end by taking up the cross, and at the same time, to completely carry out His plan for us.