Culture Wars Seminar Galvanizes Diverse Audience

It has been a divisive year for American politics. Whether you lean left or right on the political spectrum, there’s no denying that we as a nation are struggling to come together and reconcile our differences. That is just what a group of Unificationists, liberal and conservative, young and old, attempted to do over a recent weekend in California.

On Friday, November 18, 70 registrants gathered at the Bay Area Family Church in San Leandro, California for two days of study and discussion. Among them were supporters of both presidential candidates—including some who had taken to the streets to protest the latest election results. Gerry Servito, a Unificationist known for his lectures on Unification Thought, led the group in a seminar which covered the topics “Intro to Culture Wars” and “Intro to Unification Thought.” He focused on the modern conflicts of our nation, and called for Unificationists to unite not under a specific political party, but instead under a God-centered philosophy known as Headwing Thought.

From Friday night through Sunday, Gerry gave a series of lectures that explained this Headwing philosophy. He was surprised by how enthusiastically this group of differently-minded individuals came together in support of Headwing thought, which seeks to discern how to bring the left and the right “wings” together harmoniously, like siblings reconciled by a common parent; namely, the “Headwing” or God.

The sessions got the group thinking and talking with one another. “This was one of the most intensive weekend workshops I’ve ever done,” Gerry said. “Sessions ran pretty much non-stop…. and after dinner was served, most people lingered and shared with each other.”

Many participants felt a call to action after the weekend. “Especially important now is understanding the hope that Heavenly Parent has for the future. We are living in a pivotal time and…together we will build the ideal world that God wants and that we need,” said Kieran Calavan, a young Unificationist from the Bay Area. Other attendees recognized the importance of strengthening modern families in order to bring about peace. “Family is really the building block of this world. There is so much misalignment and order destroyed in the family that creates many issues in this world,” said Megumi Homma, a young Unificationist from southern California.

Participants who shared their enthusiasm for this introduction look forward to Gerry’s return to the Bay Area Family Church, when he can lead the second workshop of this series.

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