Joint Sunday Service Celebrates Rally Anniversary
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Washington Monument rally, members of the Korean Evangelical Association (KEA) of Tacoma, Washington, invited the Seattle Family Church to a joint Sunday service.
More than 100 Unificationists from both churches celebrated and enjoyed this special occasion together on Sunday, September 11. The event had the theme of “America Is God’s Will.”
The service began with worship songs led by the Seattle Family Church Praise Band. Since the service was held in the KEA church, American participants had the chance to sing a couple of Korean songs, including a song with motions.
The service officially began with the combined congregation singing the Cheon Il Guk Anthem. Next, Pastor Gerhard Wiesinger offered an Invocation. Pastor Wiesinger, who works for the American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC) in the area, reminded the congregants that it was the 15th anniversary of the tragedy of September 11, 2001, and emphasized that we need true peace.
In the welcoming address, Rev. Inchan Park, the FFWPU district pastor and former Tacoma KEA pastor, mentioned the significance of the joint Sunday service by quoting Chambumo Gyeong, in which True Father said, “At the time of Jesus, the Roman Empire and Israel united to attack Jesus, and now Koreans and Americans are uniting to attack me.” Rev. Park said, “However, now we Americans and Koreans are uniting today not to attack True Parents but to attend and testify to True Parents. Today is the day when Heavenly Parent and True Parents can really be happy.”
The main speech was given by Mrs. Paulette Wiesinger, a veteran of the Washington Monument rally campaign who was also a member of the New Hope Singers. Mrs. Wiesinger looked back on that time 40 years ago and recalled how victorious and joyful it was. She also spoke of her personal experiences with True Parents before and after the rally.
The Sunday service was followed by lunch and then sports and family activities. Most of the participants stayed late and enjoyed the fellowship and being outdoors in the beautiful fall weather.
Rev. Nelson Mira, the pastor of the Seattle Family Church, said: “I was very excited and inspired to witness our Korean and Western members celebrating the 40th anniversary together. For me, it represented unity between the East and the West. I was also very grateful for the hospitality of our Korean brothers and sisters in hosting the event.”