100th Anniversary of the Korean March 1st Movement
This Friday marks the 100th anniversary of the Korean March 1st Movement. The March 1st Movement was one of the earliest public displays of Korean resistance during the rule of Korea by the Japanese Empire and was sparked by the words of President Woodrow Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference in January 1919.
At the end of World War II, Korea fell victim to the Cold War and was divided into two. The division of North and South Korea is a difficult situation to understand, and as Unificationists it is important to champion God’s desire for unification across political and religious boundaries, and to bring the two Koreas back together.
Mother Moon opened this New Year with a tearful prayer about God’s hand in the providence of Christianity and the independence movement of Korea. And she continued to share her sense of urgency during the Foundation Day celebrations by directing the providential organizations of the Unification Movement in Korea to concentrate on unifying North and South Korea before 2020. How can the American Movement support our Korean brothers and sisters? A good place to start is by understanding and uniting in heart.
A movie entitled ‘Ode to My Father’ can help connect to that kind of heart. It’s a story centered around a son whose family was torn apart as they escaped their hometown in North Korea during the Communist invasions. Throughout the son’s life, he is caught up in the major events in modern Korean history. The hardship of 50 years resulting from the Korean War personified through this one family shows the day-to-day reality of True Parents’ lives at that time in history.
As Dr. Ki Hoon Kim and Rev. Demian Dunkley shared recently, “We don’t always remember when we are here, but every progress that America makes advances the worldwide Providence. If America rises, Korea, Japan and all the other nations rise with it. With every inch of victory that we bring, the entire movement [for peace] benefits. True Mother is asking daily about the work of our Unificationist Families in America and how we are doing. She’s excited to visit Los Angeles in April and has asked that we prepare 5,000 couples to be Blessed on that occasion.”
The National Ministry Team will be viewing this film on Friday and we encourage everyone to do the same and support the April 6 rally in Los Angeles by first uniting in heart with the movement towards one Korea. To learn more about how you can be part of the efforts to welcome True Parents back to America, please connect with your local pastor or Subregional Director.