CARP Chapter Hosts Winter Divine Principle Retreat

Where might a young college student go to explore questions of faith? At the recent Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP) event, a group of 23 young adults found out. On December 17, CARP students and guests gathered at a vacation home in Las Vegas for five days of intense Divine Principle study. Lecturers, including Rev. Andrew Compton and Rev. John Jackson, answered the students’ questions about the purpose of life, the concept of free will, and the cause of human suffering through the lens of the Divine Principle, the core teachings of True Parents and the Unification movement.

CARP students, who took the lead in organizing the retreat, shared their deep heart of love toward the 10 guests who were learning about the Divine Principle for the first time. Evenings were filled with a variety of activities, including Christmas caroling, skits, a mental breakthrough challenge, and a repentance and forgiveness exercise. Each activity opened up the hearts of attendees so that they could receive inspiration from God.

During his lectures, Rev. Jackson, District 9 Pastor, often shared personal stories about his time spent with True Parents. Several of the students expressed that they were moved to hear about True Parents’ love for humanity and their determination to share God’s message with all people. On the last day, the entire group visited the International Peace Education Center (IPEC), where they heard testimonies from four Unificationists who had learned Divine Principle in the early days of the movement.

At the end of the workshop, some of the students who had studied Divine Principle for the first time expressed their commitment to learn healthy life of faith habits and study more during their winter break. Others who had previously heard Divine Principle reflected that the workshop was empowering and gave them a renewed appreciation for the teachings of the Unification movement. CARP students and staff-in-training learned a lot from the experience and look forward to organizing more retreats in the future, and offer special thanks to Mrs. Sharon Pace who flew in from North Carolina to cook for the entire group.

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