Roberta lives in Yokohama where she has a variety of ministries. She serves with the Japan Baptist Union Women in their ministries, and since she lives close to Kanto Gakuin, an American Baptist related educational consortium, she is engaged in a variety of other ministry opportunities. These include telling Bible stories to kindergarteners, leading Bible studies with their mothers, and speaking at chapel services at Kanto Gakuin university. She works with the Sigma Society on the university campus, helping them to prepare for volunteer work in Thailand. She also recruits volunteers from the U.S. to work in partner churches of the Japan Baptist Union. Her framework for all of these ministries is comprised of biblical literacy and personal evangelism.
Roberta’s first assignment was to work with students at a mission school called Shokei Girls’ School in the northeastern city of Sendai for 18 years. She taught English conversation, spoke in daily chapel services and worked with small groups and a Bible club. She also coordinated the Shokei Abroad American home-stay program through the school.
Her second assignment focused on working in small churches located in rural towns outside of Sendai. This led her into leadership of a small gathering of believers called Shichigahama Preaching Place. There, the numbers in Sunday worship gradually increased to the point where the group bought its own building and have hired a Japanese pastor. During this period of ten years, Roberta particularly enjoyed evangelism and discipleship through Bible study.
Language used in ministry: Japanese