“There is work for you to do in Japan.” This was the message Jorge Ortega, a former world-cup soccer player, heard from God while he walked down the street in his native Argentina. Without knowing where to go or who to see, Jorge flew to Narita, Japan, during the 2002 FIFA World Cup. While teams from around the world played matches in Japan and Korea, Jorge made contact with the Hongodai Christ Church (founded as a house church by Liebenzell missionaries in 1964) in Yokohama. The church was actively evangelizing during the event and was searching for ways to incorporate evangelism and sports to reach the younger generation. The partnership was natural.

In May of 2003, the soccer school “Esperanza” (“Hope” in Spanish) was established. In spite of the scarcity of flat land in Japan, the soccer school was allowed to use a field owned by a construction company.

Ezperanza grew. By 2007, a branch was opened in a nearby city, while churches in Osaka and Okinawa were challenged to start their own programs. This year, 288 students, aged 4 to 15 years old, are participating in the Ezperanza Soccer School. Most importantly, since its founding, the school has brought over 1,800 students plus their families into the Hongodai Church for worship.

Two years ago, the Lord began to make things very interesting. First of all, the city informed the church that the site of their original building would need to be razed in order to accommodate a new underground highway. Soon after that, the construction company announced its plans to sell the soccer field land. Company officials offered the land to the church. Leadership viewed this as the perfect opportunity to build a facility which would meet the needs of the church’s various ministries – including the Esperanza Soccer School. “Project Yokohama” includes a new chapel, nursery and school building, a club house and community center, parking, a pair of tennis court (to meet zoning requirements, and a full size soccer field. Although the cost of the project is five times more than what the church will receive from the city for its old building, church leadership has accepted the challenge.

Liebenzell USA has been invited to partner with the Hongodai Christ Church on the Yokohama Project, helping them to raise support in the U.S. for this large – by Japanese church standards – undertaking.