A Brief History of ABC

The beginning…

The Akagi Bible Camp is a camp facility owned and operated by our Covenant Church here in Japan. ABC is now 45 years old. The present land and main structure were purchased from another individual who had operated a sort of lodge/guest house on the site. It is located on top of Mt. Akagi in central Japan inside a designated national park area. We have mountain peaks on all sides as well as two lakes and a nature preserve right nearby. The building was old at the time we purchased it but by doing some renovations and constructing an additional unit we have been able to make use of this camp for 4 and a half decades. Each summer, camp programs for elementary, junior high, and senior high students are held. In addition there are camps for those interested in studying English, and denomination-wide retreats. The Lord has greatly blessed us through this camp!
In the early years the maintenance of the camp site as well as over-all direction of the program were handled by Harry Engeman, Covenant missionary, who also received assistance and cooperation from a number of Japanese pastors and laypersons. Offerings from Covenant churches in the U.S. and Canada, in fact, made possible the purchase of the camp as well as the construction of an additional wing. Over the years there have also been a number of designated offerings that have come from individuals and churches to help purchase various items for the camp.
For the next almost 20 years the managing of ABC (both the physical plant as well as all financing) was turned over from missionary staff to the Japan national church organization. During this period Pastor Matsumoto managed the operations of the camp while pastoring one of our Covenant churches in the city of Maebashi nearby. Presently, a board of directors continues to deal mainly with the physical aspects of the camp and long range planning while the denomination's Evangelism Committee handles the summer scheduling and actual planning/directing of the summer camp program.

Dreams of a new facility…

For the past decade we’ve discussed options for rebuilding and renovating the camp facility. While the pace of this planning has sometimes seemed painfully slow we are beginning to see how God has His hand in the timing as well. Back in 1997 we decided to make some much needed renovations to part of the buildings while continuing to plan for a larger scale rebuild. Shortly after making that decision we received word through the world mission department that we would be eligible to receive a special offering from our group of ECC North American camps. What a blessing that was and such a confirmation of God’s direction! Since that time some exciting things have happened:
1. We have been able to continue renovations each year on parts of the facility that we expect to continue to use for several years yet.
2. God provided us with a wonderful manager in the person of Pastor Tatsuya Kogure. He and his wife Megumi served faithfully for seven years and helped move the camp forward in so many ways. They resigned on March 31, 2007 due to struggles with asthma and respiratory problems that were not helped by the high altitude and weather conditions on top of the mountain.
3. We were able to embark on a special project in 2003 that included both renovating several areas of the camp as well as rebuilding the bath and shower areas. Although the bath and shower area took a bit more time and planning this project was completed in the Spring of 2006.
4. Recently God provided us with yet another wonderful couple to take over as manager of the camp. As of April 1, 2008 Ken and Mie Tsuruki have moved on site and Ken has become the new manager. He comes to us from another different retreat facility and so has fresh ideas and experience.
5. Now, with this 2008 project we are purchasing an adjoining piece of land and a building as well as tear down the oldest section of the camp. The Tsurukis are busy getting used to living on top of the mountain while planning for our summer season.

The bottom line…

But here’s the real scoop: We’re excited about land and buildings and making ABC a really good facility…but our real heart is in the camping itself and the folks that come each year to enjoy fellowship and learn of God together in a special environment. The goals of ABC in abbreviated form are the following:

1.   To be a place of decision

2.   To be a place of leadership training

3.   To be a place of rest

4.   To be a place of fellowship and identity

5.   To be a place where many are challenged and become committed to global mission.

          (Updated 4/15/08)