Matt Murton has done as much for the Kingdom of God in Japan through FCA as anyone. Since 2010, when he signed to play for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league after a five-year Major League Baseball career (2005-09), he has been eager and intentional to share Jesus with the Japanese people, using his influence as a professional ballplayer to help start FCA there in 2012. He has used his gifts for God’s glory in one of the least evangelized countries in the world, where less than 1% of the population are Christians. When Japan suffered a devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in 2011, Murton tirelessly shared the hope of Jesus through school visits and baseball clinics and donated rice to tsunami survivors.

Now living in Palm Harbor, Florida and working in the Philadelphia Phillies’ player development department, he continues to support FCA Japan as a Tom Landry major donor, returning to the island nation almost annually to share the Gospel and support sports ministry development there.