The 50th Heavenly Parent’s Day celebrations were a time of great joy, inspiration and hope for members of the Chicago Family Church community.

The festivities began with a small Pledge Service at the Learning Center on Saturday morning, January 28. At noon, they held the 21st Annual True Family Values Awards Banquet on the south side of Chicago. This event is a hallmark of their ongoing outreach work with religious, political and civic leaders through the Chicago area. The event was scheduled on this historic day to begin the new year centered on Heavenly Parent and True Parents’ deepest desire to bring all of their children home.

On Sunday, nearly 250 Unificationists gathered for the Sunday Service celebration at the Hattendorf Community Center. It was a joyous time with families of all ages, a clear new-year message, a delicious pot-luck brunch, and dynamic entertainment. Everyone was very moved as they watched True Mother’s messages given during the 2013 and 2014 Heavenly Parent’s Day events in Korea.

Rev. David Rendel shared about the many achievements in 2016 and thanked everyone for their faithful devotion and investment. He also encouraged everyone to prepare for the many opportunities destined for this new year.

“We’re grateful for the steadfast leadership of our True Mother and are very excited to be a part of this incredible movement in building God’s Kingdom!” said Rev. Rendel on behalf of the Chicago Family Church community and ministry team.

 January 28, 2017 was a very sunny day after a week long rain in Southern California. Families start gathering at the church from 8:30 am. The offering table was prepared with Mrs. Jung Ju Yang and volunteers who worked the whole day before. At 10:00am, the pledge service started with the Cheon Il Guk Anthem and prayer by Rev. Young Tack Yang, District Pastor. Rev. Yang then gave sermon titled “Advancing Life.” He quoted words from the Bible verses Genesis 19: 15-26 and True Parents’ words. 

After a cake cutting, an entertainment program took place. Many talented musicians performed on the guitar or sang songs. The community also enjoyed dance performance videos by young Unificationists from Los Angeles.

The FFWPU families and the Universal Peace Federation of Western Canada hosted the 4^th annual True Parents’ Birthday Celebration at the Hilton Hotel in beautiful Vancouver, BC. Celebrating on the 28^th of January, the Lunar New Year and Heavenly Parents’ Day, added to an already significant gathering. Rev. Katsumi Kambashi together with a very motivated community, brought together Ambassadors for Peace, religious leaders, friends and family to come to a deeper understanding of the significance of our True Parents.

Canadian National Leader, Dr. Moon Shik Kim, traveled from Toronto to deliver the keynote address in which he shared the mission, the projects, and history of the True Parents. His report was not just informative, but gave us personal insight into True Parents’ nature as well. 

Cindy Song, Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) practitioner, offered a congratulatory message. She spoke of her three years of imprisonment in China and how she and Father Moon both understand the evil of Communism and the need to continually work to end abuses of human rights. 

Rev. Larry Krishnek, Cheon Il Guk IW for the Western U.S. shared his personal testimony. He showed photos and told stories of some of his personal encounters with True Father and True Mother and spoke of his sudden transition from purposelessness to hope and clarity upon hearing the Divine Principle in 1973.

The final speaker of the evening, Rev. In Chan Park, FFWPU District Pastor from the Northwest US, gave us some perspectives on the Marriage Blessing Ceremony. 

The musical offerings from opera singer Julie Duerichen stirred their souls, and the performance of Mr. Slava Alexandrov and his Balalaika studio was delightful.

Once again the Western Canada families lifted the understanding of our True Parents to a higher level. The spirit of the evening was delightful and no one was in a hurry to leave. Many who hadn’t met before were engaged in warm conversation as the evening ended.  Truly Cheon Il Guk took a step forward in Canada.

FFWPU and Korean Evangelical Association (KEA) members joined together for a Holy Day service in Dallas, Texas, where they celebrated both Heavenly Parent’s Day and True Parents’ Birthday.

Rev. Jin Young Lee led pledge and prayer. The Dallas – Fort Worth (DFW) Family Church band led songs with a very high spirit. “There was so much heart in the worship that many were moved to tears,” said DFW Family Church Pastor, Rev. John Jackson. “It was so inspiring to hear about the upcoming events that will be taking place in preparation for the Holy Days in Korea and around the world.”

Pastor Jackson delivered the sermon titled “Saving the Lost”. He shared that True Parents come to save the lost God and humanity. He spoke about three parables of Jesus in the book of Luke: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, to illustrate that the heart of a parent is so deep, forgiving, and determined.

After the service everyone celebrated True Parents’ Birthday “with the same heart that we celebrate the birth of Jesus,” said Rev. Jackson. He purchased gifts for every family. Everyone also participated in small family activities and shared gifts and baskets with candy. Fellowship came next with a traditional Korean feast and the community’s annual Yut tournament. Eight teams battled for the the prize and cash awards were given to all participants. The winning team won $500 dollars!

“The day was filled with so much fun,” said Rev. Jackson. “Thank you True Parents. We love you. Happy Birthday from Dallas Texas!”

 The Charlotte Family Church combined their Cheon Il Guk Holy Day celebrations into one, celebrating all on Sunday, January 29 this year, while planning to watch the live broadcasts of True Parents’ Birthday and Foundation Day in the coming weeks.

The local celebration included congregational songs and musical offerings, readings about the significance of the Holy Days, and a commitment to the community’s 2017 goals: “For our families to experience more unconditional love of Heavenly Parents, and True Parents. Secondly, that we will grow our membership. Thirdly, for all Blessed Central Families to finish writing his or her Spiritual Journey by the end of the year.”

The Sacramento Valley Family Church Heavenly Parent’s Day Celebration was held on Sunday, January 29 during their Sunday worship service. After a few worship songs, the pastor, Charles de Watteville, introduced the Family Pledge to the guests and all rose and recited Family Pledge to begin the community celebration of Heavenly Parent’s Day. Pastor de Watteville then shared some words about the history and meaning of Heavenly Parent’s Day, and proceeded to show video excerpts from True Mother’s prayers and talks from the January 28 Peace TV Weekly update. After the pastor shared more about Heavenly Parent’s Day and True Mother’s recent directions, they watched the remaining Peace TV update and the FFWPU USA weekly update. After the service, the community enjoyed a Chinese buffet lunch and performances from families and the worship team. Finally, the young people watched a movie and played board games for the rest of the afternoon.

The Louisiana Family Church celebrated the 50th Heavenly Parent’s Day, the 34th Day of Victory of Love and the 16th Anniversary of the Enthronement (Coronation) Ceremony for God’s Kingship with family from near and far. They welcomed new members and a team of four young men participating in the International Leadership Training Program from the Philippines and Japan, as well as one Unificationist who was between assignments with the U.S. Army.

The blessings continued with great food (Brazilian, Japanese, and American dishes) and conversation that followed the service.

“We are looking forward to continuing to celebrate the Holy Days in February with the same high spirits,” said Rev. John Monestere. “It was a wonderful celebration with wonderful people who are truly living for the sake of others and practicing the Divine Principle in their daily lives. We thank you, True Mother, for these words which inspired us as I read during our celebration today: ‘The ones who can endure and reach the finish line will be a champion of filial piety. Please be the victorious one, ancestors of Cheon Il Guk.'” 

The Salt Lake Family Church celebrated Heavenly Parents’ Day on Saturday, January 28 with a short service and potluck lunch. Each family brought a guest, and Rev. Mike Stovall gave a message on the meaning of Heavenly Parent’s Day. A video about True Parent’s birthday was shown and gave an explanation of the work and life of True Parents. The church’s children’s choir performed “God Bless the USA”, and the string quartet presented two classical music pieces. A wonderful lunch followed with all enjoying the day and the beginning of a New Year.

The Worcester Family Church had a wonderful pledge service and breakfast celebration on January 28, 2017. “We thanked God, our Heavenly Parent, and True Parents for giving us the opportunity to celebrate such an important occasion,” said Pastor Machado. The District 4 (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont communities) also had a celebration together at the Boston Family Church the next day, Sunday, January 29.

The Indianapolis Unificationist community celebrated Heavenly Parents Day in their local church with a pledge service, food, and games. They had an Uno competition with prizes after their celebration.

On January 29, the Triangle Family Church held their Heavenly Parent’s Day celebration. Pastor John Pace gave a Holy Day message, which was followed by a meal and celebration. Assistant Pastor Josh Angelucci helped coordinate the program.

A happy and high spirited time was had by all at the celebration of Heavenly Parent’s Day, the 16th anniversary of the enthronement ceremony for God’s Kingship and the 58th True Parent’s Day, celebrated simultaneously in Columbus, Ohio on January 29.. Over 170 attended the event.

Emcee Michael Vlasic shared the meaning of the offering table and then a group photo was taken. City and organization leaders were called up to the stage to cut the offering cake. Nathan Bratcher prayed for the day and the blessing of the food.

Lunch was more than a lunch – it was a feast of Korean and Japanese cuisine. Everyone happily filled their plates and enjoyed the different tastes while chatting with friends.

As lunch grew to a close there was a slide show of memories from 2016 of sermons, town hall meetings, activities, Special Grace Ceremonies, and more. At 1:00 pm, the entertainment started and included poetry, songs, and a piano solo.

Finally the moment arrived for the long-awaited raffle!  It was held in an orderly manner with numbers called chronologically so people could come up to the stage to receive their prize. The earliest numbers received one of the eight textbooks of Cheon Il Guk, and later numbers received food – rice, ramen, frozen fish, etc. These prizes were donated by several affiliate organizations in Columbus.

Garrun Abrahams gave closing remarks to end the festivities. After the celebration, the chapel was cleared of tables and chairs, and a Yut Nori Tournament was held for the youth and the young at heart. It was a very loud and exciting tournament. Not only the winners but all participants went home with a very nice cash prize.

Pastor Frank Sanchez said, “We thank everyone for their participation and for making this special day, Heavenly Parent’s Day 2017, a day to remember.” 

Ten local Unificationists gathered for a Heavenly Parent’s Day celebration in Reno, Nevada. They prepared an offering table and shared a cake together after a morning prayer.

The Washington, D.C. Family Church Heavenly Parent’s Day celebration was on Saturday, January 28. The celebration began with holy songs followed by family pledge in both Korean and English and by prayer and sharing of the True Parent’s words by Rev Jean-Pierre Sonna. Many brothers and sisters attended.

Fifty-five members of the South Florida Family Church attended their Heavenly Parent’s Day celebration. District Pastor, Rev. Gary Chidester, gave a Holy Day message. They also had a pledge, offering table, offering of flowers, and shared a lunch together.

Over 100 Unificationists attended the Belvedere Holy Day celebration. Rev. Drissa Kone gave the message and all enjoyed cake together.