Origami Workshop Builds Sense of Community

On Thursday, December 21, the Philadelphia Family Church hosted an origami craft workshop. In total, 16 participants gathered to enjoy each other’s company and learn more about the traditional Japanese art form, which dates back to the seventeenth century.

The craft night was just one of a series of workshops organized by the Thinking Thursday club, a passion-based meetup group that has been going strong since October of 2015. Each week, members of the club take turns leading a meeting. In the past, topics have included passions such as Healing Through Reiki, The Evolution of Consciousness through Art, Open Heart Meditation, Parenting as a Spiritual Practice, Celebration of the Equinox, and Poetry for Your Mind.

“What is unique about our group is that… everyone feels a deep sense of belonging and acceptance,” says Shota Iwasaki, a member of Thinking Thursday and the pastor of the Philadelphia Family Church. On Thursday nights, he says, there is no judgement of another person’s passion. After years of sharing authentically with each other, the group, made up of both Unificationists and non-Unificationists, has grown much closer.

“Expressing our passions is the key to building tribal messiahship,” explains Mr. Iwasaki, who encourages readers to share their own passions with their communities.