The Birthplace of God’s Work

This week in history, January 18-24:

• True Father leaves North Korea with a loss of followers, and calls it “the saddest day” (January 18, 1951)
• The Cheongpyeong providence begins (January 19, 1995)
• The Barrytown property is purchased (January 21, 1974)
• America honors True Father on his 80^th birthday (January 22, 2000)

January 18, 1951

The Saddest Day

Refugees from North Korea.

There have been many “saddest days” in God’s providence. During morning devotions in 2012, True Father referred to one of his early sermons, “Hometown We Miss,” in which he spoke about his life in Heungnam labor camp in North Korea and his subsequent journey to South Korea. He said then, “January 18 … is the saddest day for me.” He explained that he offered great devotion to his followers in North Korea “in front of Heaven … but all of them betrayed me.” True Father recalled that he “wrote a long letter expressing heavenly love and tried to get in contact with them three times” following his release, “but they returned my third letter to me.”

True Father left North Korea carrying that letter with him. He carried it until crossing a bridge in Yeongcheon city in North Gyeongsang Province in the southeast part of the Korean Peninsula. There, he tore up the letter after having read it again and proceeded to Pusan, where he began his mission again in the South.

January 19, 1995

The Cheongpyeong Providence Begins

The land on which the Cheongpyeong Heaven and Earth Training Center now stands was purchased in the late 1960s. On July 12 1971, Unificationists completed construction of the original service hall under True Father’s direction. True Father mapped out his plan for expansion to the west on mountainsides and other locales surrounding Cheongpyeong Lake. The land also served as a Holy Ground and workshop site.

What is termed the “Cheongpyeong Providence” or “Cheongpyeong Works” commenced on January 19, 1995, centered on the spirit world ministry of Soon Ae Hong (known as Dae Mo Nim or “Great Mother”), True Mother’s mother, who ascended in 1989, and Mrs. Hyo Nam Kim, who served as her earthly embodiment. On that day, Dae Mo Nim through Mrs. Hyo Nam Kim removed evil spirits from three Japanese members, marking the first of what would be hundreds of workshops that included not just “separation of spirits” but healing and the “liberation” of ancestors. Cheongpyeong today is the spiritual center of the Unification Church, residence of True Parents and capital of what Unificationists envision as Cheong Il Guk or the “nation of cosmic peace and unity.”

January 21, 1974

Barrytown Property Purchased

An aerial view of UTS.

The Unification Church purchased the former St. Joseph’s Normal Institute, a novitiate and high school run by the Christian Brothers, a Roman Catholic lay order, on January 21, 1974. The purchase included 250 wooded acres bordering the Hudson River 90 miles north of New York City and the historic Massena House, a Hudson Valley mansion originally constructed in 1796 and where 10-year-old Theodore Roosevelt spent the summer in 1868.

True Father had been searching up and down the Hudson River for locations suitable for educational purposes. The Barrytown site met one of his criteria, with mountains, water and woods all visible. True Father reportedly visited the site seventeen times before deciding on the purchase. The “Founder’s Rock” marks the place where he made his decision.

The property initially served as a site for 3-, 7- and 21-day workshops. It later hosted 40-day and 120-day workshops for overseas missionaries and “Barrytown pioneers.” Unification Theological Seminary (UTS), which now offers fully accredited bachelor, master and doctoral degree programs, opened its doors on September 20, 1975, and has graduated some 1,500 students. In recent years, the Barrytown facility has hosted parents’ matching convocations, a variety of educational workshops, and sports festivals.

January 22, 2000

America Honors True Father on His 80^th Birthday

A celebration of True Father’s 80th birthday.

More than 3,000 people from across the United States and more than 100 nations packed the ballroom of the Hilton Towers Hotel in Washington, D.C., for America’s celebration of True Father’s 80^th birthday on January 22, 2000. Participants included former U.K. Prime Minister Edward Heath, Zambia’s founding President Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, representatives from numerous U.S. universities, institutes and societies, state legislators, international scholars and government ministers as well as representatives from most of the world’s major faiths.

The program included birthday greetings from Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony A. Williams and a City Council resolution detailing True Father’s contributions to the District of Columbia, the United States and the world, proclaiming “Live for the Sake of Others Day” in his honor. True Parents received large bouquets and cut a huge, 8-tiered cake, representing his 80 years and the eight stages of cosmic victory. True Father delivered a message, “The Path for America and Humanity in the Last Days,” in which he explained the meaning of living for others, God’s love and purpose for the United States, and challenged America to fulfill God’s Will. Afterward Sir Edward Heath and Dr. Kenneth Kaunda were joined by U.S. state legislators and representatives of world peace organizations that True Father founded to present him with the “Peacemaker of the Millennium Award.” Founding American Unificationists, together with current and former Unification Church presidents, honored True Father’s investment in America with the “Forty Years Foundation Award.”

This Week in History briefly lists significant events in the history of the Unification Church, the lives of the Founders, and world events that are momentous to Unificationists. Most items are marked according to the solar calendar. Items marked “H.C.” correspond to the Cheon-gi or Heavenly Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. This installment covers the week of January 18–24.