Answering and Obeying God’s Calling
Pastor Caleb was born in Bogor, West Java, as the second of eight children in a non-Christian family. In 1983, he left for San Francisco, United States, to pursue his studies.
In 1986, during a revival service, he was touched by the grace of Jesus and eventually believed and acknowledged Jesus as his personal Savior. From that moment on, as a member of the IFGF San Francisco church, he grew in the true knowledge of Jesus Christ and God’s Word. God began to place a burden in his heart to share the message of salvation with many people.
In 1989, he enrolled in the Bible school ‘Portland Bible College’ in Portland, Oregon.
In 1991, he was sent by Ps. Fendy Hutomo, who at that time was the pastor at IFGF San Francisco, to serve in Japan, becoming the pastor of IFGF Tokyo. In Japan, God brought Pastor Caleb together with his life partner, Lusiana Budiastiti. They got married in December 1992 and were blessed with two sons, Joshua and Steven.
For all that God has done in his life, in his family, and through the church, Pastor Caleb continues to express his unending amazement at God. It has always been his desire to be a channel of God’s glory and a blessing to many people.
History of IFGF Tokyo Church
It all began with a few Indonesian students in Tokyo who had a longing to gather, worship the Lord Jesus, and study the Word of God together. This fellowship, called Agape, eventually became IFGF Tokyo, a local church, in 1989.
In February 1991, Pastor Caleb became the pastor of IFGF Tokyo. By God’s grace, the congregation continued to grow in their Christian faith. As faith grew, God also opened opportunities to reach out to people from various segments of Indonesian society in Tokyo and its surroundings. The gospel of Christ, offering God’s forgiveness for sins, was preached, and hundreds of people accepted Jesus, and their lives were transformed by God’s grace.
From 1997 to 2002, several members who responded to God’s call to become His servants were discipled and sent out. They were commissioned to reach out to souls and start local churches in several cities in Japan, East Asia (Korea, Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong), and also Indonesia.
To this day, the congregation of Christ at IFGF Tokyo continues to have a deep desire to reach out to souls, and the church continues to equip God’s people to grow in their Christian faith and become blessings to their families and the nations. May God continue to empower the development of IFGF’s core mission: People is our mission – Connect to God, Make disciples.
With love,
Ps. Caleb & Lusi
