About the Lord's Cross Christian Center
Our Start
The Lord's Cross Christian Center(TLCCC) 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. TLCCC 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 TLCCC 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 TLCCC Tokyo Antioch Church.
Our ministries
As of Dec. 2011, TLCCC churches number 109 in Japan and 123 abroad; New York, LA, San Diego, Denver, Hawaii, Chicago, Virginia, the Philippines, Rio de Janeiro, the Middle East and Zambia (London, Prague(Czech), San Francisco and Toronto are temporary cessation). There is a prayer house in one of TLCCC churches in Gunma prefecture, Japan.
TLCCC started a seminary in 1985, and later it was named The Lord's Cross Seminary. It has been operated centrally in Tokyo and has branch schools at TLCCC 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, and the Middle East. Long-term missionaries have been sent to the Middle East, the US, Canada (temporary cessation), Cambodia, Brazil, and Zambia. The WFS Mission also supports some seminary students and missionaries of other mission organizations abroad.
A ministry of orphanage which had been part of the work of the WFS Mission was separated to be another department of the whole church movement. In March 2001 an orphanage division was started under the name of "The Cornerstone Orphanage," and soon later, it was registered as a specified non-profit organization by Tokyo Metropolitan. On August 2011, the orphanage was approved as an authorized nonprofit organization. As of today, we are advancing for building an orphanage in Japan. The missionaries have been sent to Cambodia, Brazil and Zambia, and they are planting churches and working together with local staff members. In the Philippines, some local people are working as the staff of the orphanages to take care for children in four places. The Cambodia Cornerstone Orphanage was registered as International NGO organization in 2002. And the Cornerstone Orphanage supports the orphanage both in Romania and India.
TLCCC has a publications' ministry through The Appearance of a Rainbow Publishing Co., Ltd., established in 1996. So far we have published: a monthly magazine titled "The Appearance of a Rainbow in the Clouds;" three books written by Pastor Paul Akimoto; "Prophecy-Its reality and use" (Prophecy-Its reality and use by eBook only in Englsih)" "Obedience to His voice" "the Second version Obedience to His voice" "Charisma"; "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" and "God's Secret Weapon."
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."
TLCCC 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)" and its song books and scores. As of Ougust, 2011, the number of the lyrics are 795 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 "TLCCC 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 TLCCC Film Mission director has been invited as a guest from Japan every March since 2002 to the Movieguide Awards Gala in Hollywood.
TLCCC has started a ministry of prayers called "Mission of Prayers" in 2009
Our Principle
TLCCC 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 TLCCC are told by God to achieve such a level of work and to make preparations for it. We have been also shown that TLCCC 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 Lord's Cross Christian Center 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.