230 Asian American Women in One Room

Two years after the idea was first conceived, this past Saturday we finally hosted More Than Serving Tea:  Asian American Women Sharing the Journey.  It was great for me to see Kathy again and be blessed by a word from her.   The day itself was sort of a sampling of various experiences:  worship, keynote speaker, focus groups, ministry opportunities.  Certainly a whole day could have been devoted to just one of these.  The planning team recognized this limitation right from the start.  Our hope was that the conference would provide a nexus to initiate a series of conversations that would continue on.  It was quite amazing to see so many talented individuals converging at one place:  leading women in regard to counseling, social justice, pastoral ministry, racial reconciliation, spiritual direction all sharing their expertise and gifts of ministry with others.

My highlights from the day:  1.  Worship.  I’m not all about numbers, but for those who may at times felt marginalized, I imagine it was quite incredible to worship alongside 230 other AA women led by an all AA women worship team.  2.  Recognition of Retired Ministers.  During lunch we recognized some honored guests in our midst.  We invited some retired female ministers who reside in the Seattle area and a friend who would read a short bio of them.  After their introduction their friend placed a lei around their neck and they shared some brief words – quite moving.  Among the women honored were Perla Belo, the 1st Filipino woman to be ordained in the PCUSA, Jean Kim, a lifelong advocate for the homeless and national educator for PCUSA on this issue, and Umeko Kagawa Momii.  I must say that I was a bit starstruck to be the same room with Rev Momii.  She is the daughter of Toyohiko Kagawa, the famed Japanese evangelist, theologian, and social and political activist – a sort of Japanese Bonhoeffer. These women were truly pioneers.