Salem = Peace

The name of our congregation, Salem, is from the Old Testament Hebrew word םוֹלשָׁ Shalom which means Peace. At Salem the peace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached, taught and lived. This is the Gospel of full and free forgiveness of sins by the death and resurrection of Jesus. This peace was prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled by Jesus in the New Testament:

For to us a child is born. To us a son is given. The authority to rule will rest on his shoulders. He will be named: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no limit to his authority and no end to the peace he brings. He will rule on David’s throne and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from now on, into eternity. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.
(Isaiah 9:6-7)

Surely he was taking up our weaknesses, and he was carrying our sufferings. We thought it was because of God that he was stricken, smitten, and afflicted, but it was because of our rebellion that he was pierced. He was crushed for the guilt our sins deserved. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all have gone astray like sheep. Each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has charged all our guilt to him.
(Isaiah 53:4-6)

Rejoice greatly, Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your King is coming to you. He is righteous and brings salvation. He is humble and is riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The battle bow will be taken away, and he will proclaim peace to the nations. His kingdom will extend from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth.
(Zechariah 9:9-10)

There were in the same country shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified! But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. For behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all people: Today in the town of David, a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude from the heavenly army, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward mankind.
(Luke 2:8-14)

Then they brought the colt to Jesus. They threw their robes on the colt and set Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their robes on the road. As he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began to praise God joyfully, with a loud voice, for all the miracles they had seen, saying, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!
(Luke 19:35-18)

On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together behind locked doors because of their fear of the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, Peace be with you! After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you! Just as the Father has sent me, I am also sending you. After saying this, he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven. Whenever you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.
(John 20:19-23)

Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:4-7)

We welcome all people to our worship services, every Sunday at 9:00 am.

Our online resources include video recordings of our worship services, sermon podcasts , Bible history podcasts and Christian Truths In Japanese podcasts.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.