GCIS Japan

Jonathan Wilson - Principal

Jonathan Wilson serves as the pastor of Grace Christian Fellowship in the city of Ome-shi, Tokyo. He has been serving in Japan for more than 20 years and has been principal of GCIS since it began in 2004.

Belinda McBade - Vice Principal; Homeroom Teacher, Highschool

Belinda McBade has been teaching at GCIS since 2005 and is now Vice-Principal overseeing teachers, curriculum, student activities and discipline,  and performing many other administrative duties.  Belinda studied languages at the University of California in Santa Barbara.  She has a great love for teaching, and home-schooled her three children who are now grown and living in California. She and her husband are full-time missionaries serving at Grace Christian Fellowship in Ome.

Ashley Rechten - Homeroom Teacher, Jr.Highschool

Ashley has been teaching at GCIS since Autumn 2008. After graduating from Rutgers University with a degree in Linguistics, she followed the Lord's call to Japan where, in addition to teaching at GCIS, she also teaches English to Japanese speakers. Her desire for her students is that they develop a love for learning and will both increase their knowledge and improve their language skills by reading reading reading.

Eric Myers - Homeroom teacher, 4th Grade

Anna Benedict - Homeroom teacher, 3rd Grade;

Anna was raised in Nagano, Japan where she attended Japanese elementary school for several years. She was home schooled through high school and took a number of college courses and certificates by correspondence. Anna taught first grade at GCIS in 2008, and has now returned to teach the third grade. She's excited for the opportunities of telling her students about the love the Christ, and watching them grow strong in the Lord.

Nao Teruya - Homeroom teacher, 2nd Grade

After graduating from a Christian school in Okinawa, Nao attended Pensacola Christian College in Florida to study Biology. She returned to Japan after receiving her degree in May, 2008. Nao taught 1st and 2nd grade Japanese classes as a substitute teacher during the spring semester of 2010 and has returned this fall to teach full time. She is excited for this opportunity to be a 2nd grade homeroom teacher.

Erin Shaver - Homeroom Teacher, 1st Grade

Erin Shaver has been teaching at GCIS since August of 2009. This is her second time living in Japan. Her first was when she moved to Okinawa to study karate. She came to know the Lord during that time, and is now excited to be able to serve Him in Japan again.

Justin VanSlooten - Science; History; Economics

Justin VanSlooten has been teaching at GCIS since 2003.  Originally from Idaho in the United States, Justin has a degree in International Business that he received from Boise State University.  He has nearly ten years of teaching experience and enjoys teaching at a Christian School where he can equip students with the tools they need to be effective followers of Christ.

Teruko Smith - Japanese

Teruko Smith has been a Japanese teacher for GCIS for several years. She has been also serving the Lord as a missionary through a missionary organization since 1980. Her aim as a Japanese language teacher is for the students to be able to read and write Kanji correctly, and to increase their Japanese vocabulary so that they will communicate well through reading and speaking in Japanese.  She also wants them to know that it is a privilege to be able to use both languages fluently.

Tomoko Warren - Japanese

Tomoko Warren has been teaching Japanese at GCIS since Fall 2007. She graduated from Ottemon University in Osaka with a degree in literature. In 2003, she, her husband, and three children moved to Yokota AB in Japan. Tomoko says, “Since the Lord gave me a desire for teaching children, I really have enjoyed it and it is such a big blessing when I can see the children develop.”

Miho Hattori - Music; Japanese

Miho has been teaching Japanese and music at GCIS for several years. In addition to her work at GCIS she also is an assistant teacher for the Christian dance group All Nations Dance, and teaches private piano lessons.

Kevin Galvin - Bible, 3rd and 4th grade, Jr.High and High School; 

Joining GCIS in 2010, Kevin has a total of 18 years life experience in Japan, including three years as an ALT in Iwate Prefecture. Kevin came to know the Lord while living in Japan and is looking forward to sharing the Word of God with our students. He graduated from Kenyon College (Ohio) in 1993 and from Grace Theological Seminary (Indiana) with a Master of Ministry in 2009. Kevin also earned an advanced course diploma from the Tokyo School of the Japanese Language (Naganuma School) in 1997.

John McBade - Bible, 1st and 2nd Grade

John is one of the full time missionaries at Grace Christian, and along with his wife Belinda, has served in Ome-shi for four and a half years.  This year his focus is teaching Bible to the elementary students at GCIS.  He finds it both challenging and rewarding teaching students who speak English as a second language.  The scripture he has noted for the year is: I Peter 3:15