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General Information |
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Directions to our church Wesley United Methodist
Church is located at 566
North Fifth Street (between Empire and Jackson, on the east side of
the street) in San Jose's
Japantown neighborhood. We are conveniently located close to
highways 87, 280, 101 and 880.
If you take Light Rail we are 4 blocks east of the Japantown/Ayer stop. Take either the Alum Rock-Santa Teresa line or the Mountain View-Winchester line. Bus line #66 also serves the same stop. Other bus lines within one mile include #180 (the Fremont Express), #22 (serving El Camino Real), #23 (serving Stevens Creek Blvd), and several others. For more transit information 511.org
 Keith Inouye was
born in San Jose, CA and grew up in Wesley United Methodist
Church. He graduated from San Jose State University with a BA in
Psychology and minor in Asian American Studies. In 1985 he
received his Masters of Divinity from Pacific
School of Religion.Rev. Inouye's previous appointments have been at Palm United Methodist Church in Dinuba, North Gardena UMC/Faith UMC in Gardena/Torrance and most recently at the United Japanese Christian Church in Clovis. He began his service to Wesley UMC in January 2009. Keith's wife, Viki, also grew up at Wesley. They have a college aged daughter and son who is in high school. Hobbies include music (playing guitar, singing, listening to), photography, snow skiing, and camping You may contact Rev. Keith at keith@wesleysj.net
Rev.
Michiko Nishinosono graduated from Tokyo Union Theological
Seminary
with a master's degree in Theology in 1990. Prior to her
appointment to Wesley in May, 2009, she served as an
associate pastor at Shimizu Church and taught Bible at a private girls
high school in Shizuoka until 1996. She has served as a pastor at
Bangkok Japanese Christian Church in Thailand in 1996. Since her
return from Bangkok she has served as a senior pastor at Kambara church
in Shizuoka, Japan. She also served as a lecturer in Christianity
at Shizuoka Eiwa Gakuin junior college.
Rev. Michiko is excited about serving at Wesley Church and the Japanese American community, not only because it is a new experience but also because it is an opportunity that she has been looking forward to since she was a high school student. Rev. Michiko may be contacted at michiko@wesleysj.net
Wesley
United Methodist
Church was established in 1895 by the evangelical spirit and vision of
pioneer Issei (first
generation Japanese-American) Christians and the struggles and hopes of
immigrant families who had come to farm the rich soil of the Santa
Clara Valley.
With a simple faith, sincerely felt and expressed, these early Issei gathered to worship God, to have fellowship, and to nurture each other in Christian love. In 1913, their sacrifices and labor built the first modest church structure at our present site. With the help of Christian community workers, they began Church School for the children. From the church's earliest beginnings, its women organized to provide care and support for almost every aspect of church life. After World War II, spurred on by a steadily growing congregation, Wesley Church burgeoned with programs and ministries and new facilities. The Choir was born; lively youth fellowships developed for junior high, high school, and young adult ages; the congregation continued to reach out with mission programs for world hunger, for abused women and children, families of prisoners, and Vietnamese refugees. In 1952, church members built a Chapel with an entry tower, followed by a Church School building in 1959 and its second floor addition in 1964. By 1974, our congregation had purchased more land for a parking lot and had completed a large, much needed Fellowship Hall. And in 1989 construction of the current Sanctuary and Chapel were completed. Many dedicated ministers of the gospel have served and guided Wesley Church during its history, and our church has influenced and nurtured several of its young members who have chosen to pursue the pastoral ministry. Today, Wesley Church, in its English-speaking and Japanese-speaking congregations, actively serves and ministers to our community, drawing people together from all parts of the Santa Clara Valley for worship, education, and fellowship. We rejoice with the energy and activity of our youth groups, Church School, and Young Adult Fellowship. We find Christian nurture in Bible study groups. Our activity calendar is filled with youth and adult conferences and camps, the church picnic, family camp; Aki Matsuri (fall festival) and Mochitsuki (steamed rice making); workshops, discussions, and special speakers. As Christians, we believe that we are called to a ministry of healing and reconciliation, and Wesley Church strives to be true to its call, reaching out with social concerns programs such as that for the homeless. We make our facilities available to senior citizens', educational, service, and cultural groups. Wesley United Methodist Church seeks to glorify God through a diversity of programs - and all serve as a testimony to the vitality and commitment of our Church in addressing the needs and concerns of our community. While remaining true to its Japanese heritage, Wesley Church in recent years has become a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-generational church family. All are welcome to worship and fellowship at Wesley, where people of diverse backgrounds seek unity in the common ground based on the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. Wesley United
Methodist Church Web Team
This page last revised November 11, 2009 Wesley United Methodist
Church - 566 N. 5th Street, San Jose, California, USA (408) 295-0367
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