40th UTS Commencement Ceremony Message

The following address was given by Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, FFWPU North America continental chairman, on May 28, 2016 at the Unification Theological Seminary in Barrytown, NY.

Good afternoon.  Congratulations to all students and faculty members for your successful efforts of the last few years or 40 years.  Since founding the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) 40 years ago, True Parents poured out their hearts for the sake of Christianity and the other religions of America.

I remember my 2 and a half years at UTS, when I came here as a student in 1993 after 16 years of experience in the field in America as a pastor.  I prayed for 40 days over what to do here during the next few years while my wife was babysitting to raise money for my tuition.  Before I started my new life here, I felt I wanted to have a new and clear vision.  God’s and True Parents’ answer to my 40-day prayer condition was “Become the best Unification Church pastor.”

After I received the answer from God and True Parents, I could focus on my studies, especially on True Parents’ teachings.  I asked myself, “How can I become the best pastor without knowing True Parents well?”  In the final semester, three months, I had only one class and I prepared my thesis and took more time for my future mission with a lot of time for meditation.  My thesis was about the family theory of Rev. Sun Myung Moon.  The same day as my graduation, my family and I stopped by East Garden in the afternoon to greet True Parents and show my thesis to them.  True Father looked at a few pages and signed the thesis and said, “Study more.” 

Last week I met a student from Japan.  He told me he has already submitted his résumés to International Headquarters for a new church mission.  I thought he has had the same good experiences here at UTS that I did.  Thank you again, students, for your good experiences centered on God.

According to True Parents, the years 1975 and 1976 were the most difficult years of their life.  But they founded UTS for the education of God.  God called them to save America, which He had prepared not for 240 years but rather for 2,000 years.  Even though God prepared America and blessed it, it is losing, maybe already lost its Parent and the core values of God. 

What is the outcome today? 

There is confusion everywhere—in government, schools, churches, communities and families—you name it.  How can we bring God back to America? Two thousand years ago Jesus’s first message was “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Forty years ago at the Yankee Stadium rally, True Father, in his talk titled “America Is God’s Hope,” warned us, “America and Americans are falling away from God. I am here as a doctor and a firefighter to build a new America centered on God.”  True Parents led our movement to save this nation and the world with the power of Forgiving Love.  And they won over all. 

Next Sunday, June 5,  at Belvedere where True Parents started the American providence 40 years ago, we will celebrate, centered on True Mother, a 40-year memorial service with the theme of reviving America and bringing God Back to America. Please join us to rebuild the nation centered on God and True Parents.

Rebuilding the great values of a God-centered life is our mission commissioned by God.  Let us be passionate to do our mission.  Let us be positive to do our mission. Let us be creative to do our mission.  With the spirit of a righteous people, and with the spirit of the saints, we should march forward with all our might.

Above all, I dare to ask each one of you to become Jesus, True Parents and even God Himself.  We are sons and daughters of God our Creator.  He wanted us all to be His only begotten sons and daughters.  This is the teaching of our Founders. 

Once again, congratulations to each one of you.  God bless you.