Keishi Kasuya（Chairman）
Keishi Kasuya was born in Hyogo, Japan and graduated from Ritsumeikan University with a degree in business, and he earned a master’s degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. His career with IBM spans widely over 38 years from engineering to marketing and sales and business strategy to global operations. He retired from IBM Corp. June of 2018. Keishi established and began leading the VIP International Club Atlanta chapter in 2005. He became a member of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, GA in 2001 and was ordained in January 2010 as a deacon. Keishi and his wife Andrea moved back to Japan in 2020 as missionaries and are currently serving at TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission) and Word of Life Press Ministry. Keishi is also serving at Family First Japan ministry as a vice chairman. Keishi and Andrea reside in Mitaka, Tokyo and have 2 adult children: Leo and Mari. His hobbies include: golfing, traveling and reading.
Mayumi Pohl (President /Executive Director)
Mayumi was born and raised in Osaka. She accepted Christ as her own savior during college. Since then, she has involved in evangelism and discipleship in local churches and participated in various ministries. Her experiences in teaching Japanese as a foreign language, Bible studies, and piano, have convinced her that the biggest burden and calling is to teach the Scripture above anything else (II Timothy 2:2).
She has served as the President of Second Level Ministry since 2006. The ministry has been expanded by God’s guidance, with the vision of raising “disciples” of Christ. She serves as a mentor for many disciples and as a trained spiritual director.
She’s been married to Chris, since 2003. She and her husband began a church plant in Atlanta, Georgia in 2011. The Lord has blessed her with 4 children. Published books: “15 Step Lessons“, “Identity in Christ“, “Meal Time Prayer” and “Morning Prayer“, which she dedicated to her children. クリスチャントゥデイ搭載記事
Gary Baughman
Mr. Baughman was born and raised in central Kansas. He received a Congressional Appointment to the United States Air Force Academy in 1958. He graduated from the Academy in 1962 as a Second Lieutenant. He completed USAF Pilot training in 1963 and was assigned to Strategic Air Command at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, flying KC-135 aerial tankers. He flew missions worldwide including 154 combat missions in support of Southeast Asian operations.
In 1970, Mr. Baughman left the Air Force and went into the real estate business in Colorado. He held various sales and management positions with a large regional real estate firm headquartered in Denver. He moved to Atlanta in 1987 and continued work in the real estate field. He retired from real estate brokerage in 2005.
In 2005 Mr. Baughman began work as a professional fine artist. His paintings have won acclaim in exhibitions across the United States. He is in demand as a public speaker, teacher, and demonstrator of various art disciplines. The name of his business is Gary Baughman Fine Art. His website is www.garybaughmanstudio.com.
Gary and Jennie are the members of First Baptist Church of Atlanta. 4 children and seven grandchildren. His spiritual gift is mentorship and encouragement to young people. “All that I have ever done or hope to do will be to His Glory and to His Honor. May it be pleasing in His sight.”
Bruce Brownlee
Bruce was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1953 to Wally and Helen Brownlee, who served as Christian missionaries to Japan. He was raised in Hokkaido and Tokyo, Japan, until coming to the US to attend college. He graduated from UCLA and was engaged for 41 years in various businesses in Hawaii, Tokyo, Dallas, Texas, and Ann Arbor, Michigan.
He became a committed follower of Jesus in 1977 and is continuing to grow more in love with Jesus while transforming into the likeness of Christ Himself. Bruce has been married to Suzy for 42 years. They have three grown children, two married, and eight grandchildren.
Chris Pohl
Professed faith at the age of five and was fortunate to be trained in a Christian home in Milledgeville, GA. He graduated from Covenant College in 1993 with a degree in business and sociology. After college he was called to be a missionary in Japan with Mission to the World for four years. While there, he taught missionary children at an international school, English to Japanese, and helped start a college ministry at Chiba University. Upon returning to the states, Chris attended Covenant Seminary, where he received a Master of Arts in Theology. He also graduated from Mercer University with a Masters in Teaching.
Chris has been teaching 3rd grade at Intown Community School since 2001. He came to love the Japanese people and the culture. Chris married Mayumi Ishimoto from Osaka. They have two boys and two daughters: Joshua Makoto, Nathan Kazuki, Hannah Emika, and Grace Ayune.
Alaska 49 States and four continents traveled to 19 countries together. Time spent abroad is heavily into his life and given new view diversity and vastness of God’s creatures.
Robert (Bob) Ramsey
Bob was born and raised in Charleston, W.VA. After graduating from the University of Detroit, Over the years Bob worked for several different companies. Bob and Bonnie have been married for forty-seven years and and currently live in Atlanta, GA. They have two grown children and two grandchildren. Bob and Bonnie have served in the youth ministry as teacher, chaperone and mentor, as a deacon, as an adult Sunday School teacher and leader and participated in many other church activities. Bob has served on the Ministry Board for Eastside Christian School and is currently an active Stephen Minister.
Soichi Fujiwara
Soichi was born in Osaka in 1977 and graduated from Kansai University’s Department of Economics in March 2000. When enrolled in school, he gave his life to Christ in 1997 as the result of an MTJ homestay program and Campus Crusade missionary team. He mainly experienced the Bible and Christian life through American Christians, and as he was troubled by the spiritual and cultural gaps with the Christianity of Japanese culture.
He returned to Japan as a Christian, and he learned the history of church and its doctrine, and confirmed his own spiritual leadership to serve the Lord with peace of mind. In 2007, as a member of the Japaneese Four Square Organization Osaka Chapel church plant, he was blessed to be involved in the start of Jesus Cafe House. He is blessed with his beloved wife and four daughters.
Emeritus : Wayne Smith (Founder)
Born in Gainesville, Florida. Born again at the age of 8 years and raised in a Christian family. Married 1971 Sheila B. Smith. Completed BS degree at Texas Wesleyan University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Served in different ministries on staff and non-staff positions. Owned and operated a private business for 5 years. Currently a private investor in the stock market.
In 1988, my wife and I started hosting Japanese students in a homestay program. As we hosted through the years, it was revealed to me that there was need for an online Internet Japanese Christian growth ministry to help new Japanese Christians grow in their faith. The ultimate founder of Second Level Ministry is God, who exposed a need to me and put the burden on my heart to deal with it. He showed me that new, young Japanese Christians felt disconnected and had few or no options to grow in Christ. Second Level was founded to deal with that purpose.