Steve Metcalf, OMF International missionary to Japan for 38 years and a pastor of the Japanese Christian Fellowship, London, died on June 7, aged 86.
As a teenager Steve was interned by the Japanese, following their occupation of north China, during the Second World War. In his first internment camp Steve made a personal commitment to Christ. In a second camp at Weifang, Shandong Province, Steve met the Olympic gold-medallist, Eric Liddell, who had a profound influence on his life.
Eric Liddell’s running shoes
Stephen Arnold Metcalf was born in Kunming, south-west China, in October 1927, the son of China Inland Mission missionaries. He was a keen sportsman, which brought him friendship with Liddell, who was also in the Weifang camp. Liddell gave Steve his own running shoes when Steve’s footwear was in tatters and Liddell challenged Steve to pray for his enemies – the Japanese. When Liddell died in February 1945, Steve promised God that he would go to Japan as a missionary.
Church planting in Japan
Steve served in Japan from 1952 to 1990. He married his colleague, Evelyn Robinson, in 1957. He is survived by Evelyn, four sons and a daughter. The couple planted churches all across North Honshu Island, including the Urayasu International Church in Tokyo. Following retirement, Steve was asked to pastor the Japanese Christian Fellowship, London; a post he held for 15 years. He was an engaging preacher, with a genuine love for the Japanese.
In 2005, Steve published his story, Taking the Torch Shining in the Dark (Emiko Yuki, Inochi-no-Kotobashya, 2005), to educate young Japanese about the Second World War and the Christian concepts of forgiveness and reconciliation. In 2007, OMF International commissioned an English biography of Steve, In Japan the Crickets Cry (Ronald Clements, Monarch, 2010).
Steve was a constant evangelist, highly regarded by the Japanese church and the Japanese Christians he served throughout his life.
