West Coast IW Supports Local Tribal Messiahship

Rev. Larry Krishnek, Cheon Il Guk IW, spent the month of April visiting Unificationist communities along the West Coast and Hawaii. As part of his care ministry, he visited families, attended Sunday Services, and took part in local activities to check in on how they are doing and find out what individuals, families, and communities may need in terms of their events, small groups, everyday lives and Tribal Messiahship.

After attending the 430 Tribal Messiahship National Leadership Conference in Las Vegas, Rev. Krishnek and his wife traveled to the Honolulu Family Church in Hawaii at the invitation of Rev. Kazuo Takami. They arrived on the evening of Saturday, April 16, and got to know one of the families who accommodated them during their stay by spending time together and exchanging stories.

Rev. Krishnek gave the Sunday message to the Honolulu community on April 17. “Before service,” he remarked, “everyone joins into groups for a Sunday school study that is prepared in advance by the pastor. The bulletin contains the reading for study as well as questions for discussion. The study was very animated, and I could see that people enjoy and get a lot from it.”

Rev. Krishnek also noticed that while there is plenty of space at the school where they hold their Sunday services, they have a time restriction and need to move to another location in a park for potluck and fellowship.  “They have been looking for another location for quite a long time, but appropriate properties are hard to find in Honolulu and the costs are very high,” he said.

Later on Sunday, the Krishneks joined the Church Council meeting, where Rev. Krishnek shared about the 430 Tribal Messiahship meeting and about his work as an IW. Over the next two days, they visited several families in the area.

“I felt one of the most valuable gatherings was on our last evening when we were invited for dinner at the home of one couple, who also invited another couple that they are very close with,” said Rev. Krishnek. “I know both of these men from when they first joined in the late 90’s and I was working with CARP.  They are both Blessed to Japanese wives and are parents of small children.  We had a good opportunity to renew relationships.”

After Honolulu, the Krishneks spent a brief time in Kona, Hawaii, as well. “Our hosts shared with us their history on the Big Island. The husband loves the Ocean Providence and I suggested that he look into involving himself in the newly revived ocean activity somehow, which sparked his interest.”

Pastor Chuck Frumin and his wife, Mayumi, met the Krishneks for lunch, and Rev. Frumin arranged a meet and greet at the Kona Family Church that evening. “Everyone introduced themselves and then I explained about our work as IWs and gave a report on the 430 Tribal Messiahship Leaders’ meeting,” said Rev. Krishnek. “Later we answered questions and just got to know the community and what their roles are.  I was especially happy to meet Farley and Betsy Jones.”

The next morning, a local Unificationist took the Krishneks on a tour of the Kona Coffee Farm. They visited the two main fields as well as the processing plant and the office in town. “As we drove around he shared about how he joined the Unification movement and his history with True Parents,” said Rev. Krishnek. “It was very inspiring.”

Later in the day, Rev. Frumin drove them to King and Queen Gardens. They ended the day over dinner with their hosts and celebrated Mrs. Krishnek’s birthday with a beautiful meal and a surprise birthday cheesecake. “We had more opportunity to talk about how to develop Heavenly Tribal Messiah activities,” said Rev. Krishnek. “Our host is also very interested in IW work and how to create a network on the community level. We discussed the importance of families connecting to one another and how IWs can encourage that.”

Back home in Bellingham, Washington, Rev. Krishnek arranged Tribal Messiahship activities to inspire the local community to reach out in different ways. On April 24, two young adults began a weekly discussion about “what Tribal Messiah means to us” based on a reading from the Cham Bumo Gyeong. Their goal for the week was to think about what activities they can host that will support Tribal Messiahship work, and then settle on concrete plans at their next meeting. “We are in the process of making our trinities,” said Rev. Krishnek. The Krishnek family is also starting their personal Tribal Messiahship by inviting old friends and renewing relationships with relatives in the area.

Up next for Rev. Krishnek is a visit to Alaska in May, where he and Mrs. Krishnek will be supporting the development of Tribal Messiahship activity as well as doing IW home visits.