View source for Yanada Hiroshi (b. 1934)

Yanada Hiroshi was one of the first leaders of the [[Nihon Menonaito Kirisutokyo Kyokai Kaigi (Japan Mennonite Christian Church Conference)|Nihon Menonaito Kirisutokyo Kyokai Kaigi]] (Japan Mennonite Christian Church Conference, GCM) and was born 23 December 1934 in Tokyo. His father, an engineer, influenced his entering Kobe Institute of Technology. But his baptism on 5 October 1952 in the "unofficial" Kobe congregation prompted a change. He attended Japan Christian College (1956-1960), then went to the [[Miyazaki Prefecture (Kyushu, Japan)|Miyazaki]] area to work with literature. In 1960 he married Takako Ushijima.Their two daughters later attended [[Bethel College (North Newton, Kansas, USA)|Bethel College]], [[North Newton (Kansas, USA)|North Newton]], KS, and both married American Mennonites.

The family moved to Miyakonojo in 1961, continuing with the Literature Committee work and pastoring the Namiki congregation there. In 1962 he became pastor of the Aburatsu congregation in Nichinan, and, in 1964, of the Oyodo congregation in Miyazaki, where he was serving in 1986. In 1975-1976 he studied at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries, Elkhart, IN.

He was widely known and respected as a pastor, interpreter, translator, and leader. Some of the posts he has held were: chairman of the Japan Mennonite Christian Church Conference, executive committee member of the [[Mennonite World Conference|Mennonite World Conference]], and chairman of the Asia Mennonite Conference (1984-1986). His translation work includes the article "[[The Anabaptist Vision|The Anabaptist Vision]]," by [[Bender, Harold Stauffer (1897-1962)|H. S. Bender]], and the book <em>Evangelicalism and Anabaptism, </em>C. Norman Kraus (Scottdale, 1979).


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