2010 Committee
The organising committee for the 2010 conference comprises the following:
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Teresa Sherrill - Committee Chair
I love the Women’s Conference and have been attending off and on since 2001. I love connecting with the many kinds of women who come and share deeply over this winter weekend. Each year in addition to the excellent speakers and workshops, I laugh more and get a chance to chat more than most of the rest of the year. I have a mission worker in Japan for 17 plus years off and on since 1980. I am an ordained Mennonite minister and my most recent calling has been to the “domestic church” as cheerleader for my family and in the other ministry opportunities that the Lord opens up around me in Tokyo. Previously our family was involved in church ministry in gorgeous Sapporo. One of my joys is creating liturgies for worship services and prayer times. A daily spiritual discipline that I enjoy is listening to Taize podcasts. Thank you to all of you who are making this year’s Women’s Conference a rousing success and I look forward to spending time with you! -
Winnie Shiraishi - Workshop and Activities Coordinator
I have attended the Women’s Conference for the past few years and each time has been a wonderful experience for me. When I first attended I had no clear idea of what to expect and was pleasantly surprised at the friendship and camaraderie as well as the engaging speakers. It has been a yearly opportunity to engage my mind and serves as spiritual renewal. I am happy to serve on the committee this year. I encourage as many people as possible to share their talents and skills in workshops and I look forward to working with you. - Sarah Oba - Treasurer/Registrar
Being part of the Women’s Conference of me at first was a continuation of the legacy of its founding over 50 years ago by UMC missionary Betty Swain and other ecumenical missionary wives. They were committed to having a weekend for women to explore their faith and make friendships in a retreat setting in Japan. This was the time before e-mail, Skype, and such fellowship in English was indeed rare. Many were from rural areas and from different regions of Japan. Nowadays, I am glad to see the purpose shifting to women getting away from the “busi”-ness of their lives to spend quiet time and reflection, while continuing the time of fellowship. It is amazing what happens in our lives with an “unplugged” weekend break away from our usual routines and how it re-energizes our faith journey in our homes, at work, and in our communities. What has been inspiring is to see the growth from being an ecumenical group of women to an international and intercultural group of women. Those who join based on scholarship support is another wonderful tribute to the spirit of the Women’s Conference and those who generously give for that cause. It is tremendous to see the sisterhood that grows in one weekend and continues as we leave Amagi Sanso. Enjoy! (Sarah is a missionary of the Presbyterian Church USA. She helps Women’s Conferences with the finances and assists committees with any logisticial questions in general while working from an ecumenical mission office in Waseda. She was pleased to attend with one of her 3 daughters Fiona last year. She treasures seeing her four children grow up year by year with oldest son in university in Canada and youngest in Japanese public school . She and her husband Naoki celebrated their 20 th wedding anniversary in Japan and considers Tokyo her family home.)
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Julia Hargreaves - Website Updater
The first time I went to the Women’s Conference 5 or 6 years ago I was quite shocked. I thought a retreat was a quiet place where we go to listen to God, but here it seemed everyone was so busy talking. However, as soon as I returned home I knew I would go again the year after because the contrast from my rather quiet daily life was so dramatic that this adventure was not to be missed and I have attended each year since. I am a British climate scientist working at a Japanese government laboratory. I live a man’s life in a man’s world, and almost all the people I work with are men, and it has been this way for some years. I’m analytical, and relatively logical, and I enjoy talking to my computers. So if you have any complaints about this website please send them my way.
To contact us please email us at amagi2010@gmail.com