Global Leaders Echo Sense of Hope
Contributed by Mi Young Eaton
On the second day of the Cheon Il Guk Leaders’ Assembly, regional and organizational presentations continued in the main hall of the Cheongpyeong Heaven and Earth Training Center throughout the day.
The first day’s spirit of hopefulness continued into the second, as regional and organizational directors shared about the progress of their many initiatives to testify to True Parents and to create a world founded on a culture of filial heart in the years leading up to 2020. In the morning, presentations were given by the regional directors and presidents of FFWPU in East Africa, West Africa, South America, Central America, the Northeast (including Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Mongolia), Korea, Japan, and America.
Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, Continental Chairman of FFWPU North America, presented America’s Vision 2020 goals, explaining the sequential outcomes in social impact, witnessing, and education we have committed to as a nation. He also shared a clip of a recent Jeopardy! episode in which a question was asked about Dr. Young Oon Kim, a prominent theologian of the early Unification movement. Dr. Kim was very heartened to see the Unification movement featured on such a mainstream platform of American media and entertainment, an encouraging sign of changing times and perceptions in the United States.
Just before Dr. Kim began his presentation, the American delegation of National Ministry Team staff, district and local pastors, and Apple Heaven USA band members sang “Generation of Righteousness,” a musical offering to energize the assembly. They also passed out copies of the 2016 Year in Review booklet as gifts for the audience, which will soon be available in America.
Dr. Bakary Cambara, Regional Director of FFWPU in East Africa, shared about the revolutionary success of Tribal Messiahship in Zambia, a strategic nation where outreach to tribal kings and chieftains has opened the hearts of many Zambians to True Parents. The efforts of FFWPU affiliate Universal Peace Federation (UPF) have been so successful that on several occasions in 2016, more guests arrived to events than the organizers had anticipated. “A positive problem,” commented Dr. Cambara, who explained that the success of UPF in fostering domestic peace has caught the attention of the Zambian government, which now wants to collaborate with UPF to foster greater progress for its people.
Exciting news also came from Japan. FFWPU Japan has begun to generate positive attention from the news media as its initiatives to offer social value begin to inspire trust and respect across the nation. Dr. Yong Cheon Song, Regional Director of Japan, also shared that no Unificationists were kidnapped in 2016, a very encouraging development in a nation where over 4,000 Unificationists have been abducted by deprogrammers seeking to break their faith in the last few decades.
In the afternoon, presentations continued with updates from the international Unificationist organizations UPF, Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), the Hyojeong Global Tongil Foundation, the Hyojeong World Peace Foundation, and the Hyojeong Academic Center.
The presentation given by Dr. Thomas Walsh, President of UPF International, on the 2016 accomplishments and 2017 goals of UPF encapsulated the spirit of the second half of the day. At the beginning of his reports about the Sunhak Peace Prize, IAPP, and the global efforts of UPF to shift the world to a more God-centered and unified reality, Dr. Walsh stated with a joyful conviction that he already senses a shift to a new time, in which the efforts of True Parents and Unificationists are bearing rich fruit as we build lasting connections with world leaders and create avenues for reconciliation among enemy political parties and nations.
In a similar vein, a representative of the Hyojeong Global Tongil Foundation revealed the blueprints and plans created by True Mother for the continued development of HJ Cheonwon. True Parents have long envisioned the area becoming a global village that would model God’s dream of a united, international human family to the world. In keeping with that vision True Mother has made plans to create a five-star hotel and resort, premiere restaurants and housing, as well as a major cultural center for the arts and museums and monuments that will tell the story of True Parents’ lives to the generations to come.
Between sessions, the FFWPU USA National Ministry Team caught up with some of the younger members of the American delegation to hear their reflections on attending the assembly for the first time. On the whole, they shared their appreciation for the sincerity of the presentations, and expressed empathy for the challenges taking place around the world.
“I felt so much sincerity from the different reports,” said Jessica Sattinger of the National Ministry Team. “It was very interesting to get almost like a health checkup of our entire world. I felt like it helped us connect in heart. In some presentations I felt so much heart, and saw just how challenging some situations are. It really helped me reflect on America as well, and our strengths and challenges.”
“I think all this information and commitment to peace people have strengthens many of us here,” said Gary Chidester, District Pastor for District 5. “I think it helps all of us to go back to our districts with some new determination for this new year 2017.”
“Everything that was shared was essential for us to get the sense of the big picture of what’s going on in our movement,” said Rev. Edner Pierre-Louis, District Pastor of New York. “I was very grateful to hear reports from Africa, and the difficulties that are going on in the Northeast region. That’s something we need to pray about.”
The 2017 Cheon Il Guk Leaders’ Assembly will close tomorrow afternoon, following remarks by True Mother. Stay tuned for more updates this week on familyfed.org.