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Answering the Call to Missions: Part 2
Tim Bentson ’02
Growing up at Faith Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, WA with Pastor Robert Rayburn, Tim heard about missions all his life from his pastor who emphasized foreign missions, missionaries who spoke at Sunday evening services and Wednesday night prayer meetings, or family friends who were missionaries.
Tim was first approached about becoming a missionary to Japan after graduating from Covenant College in 2002 by Bill Jackson, the father of his friends who grew up as missionary kids in Japan. For four years, Tim and the Jacksons attended the same church, and Bill asked Tim multiple times about being a missionary in Japan. Finally, much like God’s call to Abram, “go from your country and your kindred, and your father’s house to the land I will show you,” Tim’s mindset about becoming a missionary changed.
Tim began his ministry in Japan and remained there for seven years total. Beginning in 2006, he spent two and half years in Chiba involved in college ministry at Chiba University and teaching English through the church as part of their outreach. Members of the Oyumino Church began to join the classes. Once the lessons were over, the real questions about God, the Bible, and being a Christian came up.
Tim returned to the U.S. for about eight years before going to Osaka, Japan in January 2017 with MTW. His first two years in Osaka, Tim interned with Osaka Church under Pastor Wako. He taught children’s Sunday school, organized kids events, and other forms of outreach. Following the internship he entered language school which he just finished in March 2021.
After a year of disruptions from COVID-19, he is looking forward to assisting the church again. He feels that his work in Osaka is his long-term calling. It is a wonderful privilege to be working with the Seibu Presbytery and he one day hopes to be a pastor in the Kansai region.