Camp Raphayada Intro

  The Japan Evangelical Baptist Ministries [JEBM] ministry team appreciates your visit today!

While you are here, check out the "History of Camp Raphayada" photos on our additional photo pages [Photo History 1-5].  Camp Raphayada is the ministry of the Mino Seki Grace Baptist Church, Inc. and was started in conjunction with the international ministries of Japan Evangelical Baptist Ministries.  (Former Evangelical Baptist Missions facilitated the initial project.) Thanks for visiting us at our homepage.

If you come by, drop us a note at:          philmelton@aol.com
because we would love to hear from you.

Over 24 years since the land purchase and beginning of construction, and after hundreds of hours of labor, dozens of volunteers working above and beyond the call of duty, and after many large and small donations making up a huge ministry, Camp Raphayada has become a beautiful place to visit and a self-sustaining outreach ministry of the church.

Our current ministries include three churches, the Mino Seki Grace Baptist Church (Japanese), the International Grace Baptist Church (Sakahogi Church -- international), the Filipino Grace Baptist Church and the Grace Community Family Fellowship (Visian language services), and of course, the English and Bible classes, youth programs, community outreach, literature printing and distribution, and construction of and directing the new Camp Raphayada. 

Plans for the final major building projects (finishing the outdoor chapel, building an extension to the kitchen, two guestrooms, and a bit of storage, extending the parking/recreation area, and adding a barbecue area and a pool) took a little longer than planned, but have been able to be accomplished through help from church friends and volunteers (except for the pool, as circumstances has caused the pool to remain incomplete).  Since completing the projects, there have been small projects done around the camp, such as maintenance and adding a few extra guest rooms around the camp buildings.

Our children, Stephanie (serving in Japan with her husband, Kyohei, and their seven children, Marie, Erika, Anna, Serina, Alissa, Ken, and Karen in the ministry in Seki), Danielle (living in the States since 2012, and serving with her husband, Eric, and their three children, Dakota, Lilliana, and Levi),  Sharon (married and serving in the Seki and Sakahogi churches with her husband, Noel, and their 5 children Sky, Eira, Azaleya, Autumn, and their new born (since August 7) Forest), Nathan (who, along with his wife, Stephanie, and their 4 children, Aiden, Micah, Liora, and Eli, is currently making plans to return to Japan as a missionary), Natalie, and Andrew (and his new wife Rina who live and work in Japan). 

It is truly a delight to serve God here, and a privilege to be able to minister in the country of Japan, in the cities of Seki and Minokamo. We look forward to having more workers to join us in our ministry of reaching the Japanese with the wonderful news that God loves them and cares for them personally, in spite of their seeming economic difficulties at the moment.  Pray for Jared and Nozomi Vanning, with their 5 kids, as they are living and serving as missionaries in Chiba. 

Debbie and our families, co-workers, friends and I have the privilege of ministering to the wonderful people of the cities of Mino, Seki, Sakahogi, Minokamo, Kani, and surrounding areas, and area churches through our christian campground, Camp Raphayada.  But at the campground, the construction, the progress...much of this work is due primarily to the efforts of my brother, Sam, who worked tirelessly and without salary for most of two years.