Our History
In the 1940s the Imperial Navy of Japan swept through the Pacific for the purpose of domination and control. From the late 1950s through the mid 1970s the Holy Spirit led a faithful couple and their daughter from the Ryukyu Islands of Japan to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific to bear witness to the Living God revealed in and through Jesus Christ. This time the only weapons were the Christian Scriptures, prayer, faith, and love. The greatest of these was love for the Japanese and Pacific Island people living beyond the reef.
Today, their faithful obedient response, over 60 years ago, has flourished into a vibrant and growing faith based ministry called Beyond the Reef. Its sole purpose is to provide Biblical training opportunities for the isolated island pastors of Micronesia and the South Pacific.
In 1958, Reverend David Bush and his family (Maxine and Lynette) responded to the “Macedonian Call” to the island of Yakushima, Japan. Since then this missionary family served on Okinawa, Guam, Solomon Islands, Nauru, Chuuk, Kosrae, Fiji, Tuvalu, and Hawaii.
In 1977, Reverend Bush established Beyond the Reef Theological Center/Missionary Memorial Church in Aurora, Oregon by purchasing a 17 acre Methodist Church Camp. After remodeling the buildings, Beyond the Reef trained over 75 Micronesian and South Pacific island pastors from 1981-1988, while reaching out to multiple islands along the way.
From 1989-2017 Beyond the Reef responded to God raising up the people of Chuuk in the Northwest as its main mission. Missionary Memorial Church became the focal point of the ministry. Missionary Memorial Church for the past 28 years was God’s instrument in reaching the Chuukese people. The faithfulness of this Chuukese congregation has seen the birth of 5 new Chuukese churches from Washington, to Idaho, to Colorado.
As of 2017, Beyond the Reef is now established on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The ministry’s house provides residential rooms for Micronesian and South Pacific island pastors to receive bible training and spiritual leader development.
Ministry impact over the years
