Church in Tarumi (垂水の教会)

The church was founded in 1952 by a missionary of the Norwegian Lutheran Mission. It first settled in Chimori-chō, right next to Suma station. In 1993 the congregation moved to its present address, in Shioyakita-machi, Tarumi Ward, into a building designed by Tadao Ando; the ageing of the old chapel was among the reasons for the move.

It belongs to the West Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church (西日本福音ルーテル教会).

The building is of bare shuttered concrete. At the centre of the chapel stands a cross of striking presence, which has become the congregation's emblem. For the congregation, this bare concrete helps to calm the mind and turn one's thoughts to God.

It is a working Lutheran church. Besides the Sunday service, the congregation runs children's clubs and a Bible-reading group, holds a charity bazaar and visits care homes.

The Sunday service, at 10.30 am, is open to everyone, including people who have never set foot in a church or who belong to another religion; there is nothing to pay, and giving is optional. The church stands in Shioyakita-machi, just north of the district's primary school.