Dallas Outreach Team Off to a Good Start

After a successful kickoff event, local and visiting Unificationists in Dallas dove right in to fulfilling their commitment to outreach in 2015. On February 24, 2015, the team prepared their materials and headed out into the community. The group split into teams to connect with locals in different places, including Southern Methodist University. Several young Unificationists helped navigate the campus, and the group was able to meet several students, one of whom set up a meeting to learn more.

After lunch back at the church, each team shared their experiences. With the effort of the 12 people who participated in the outreach initiative, they were able to reach out to 10 guests.  It has been a learning experience for everyone involved, as many people are recommitting to outreach after years. One participant said, “I haven’t witnessed in a long time; it is very rewarding. It is amazing! I don’t know why I have not done it for so long. I didn’t realize what I was missing.”

The response has been positive, many of the students eager to hear more. Unificationist Daniel Castillo, met a young 22-year-old man who responded to the question, “If you had an opportunity to share one thing and the whole world would listen, what would it be?” His answer was, “Stop killing each other.” They spoke for about 15 minutes and both parted very excited. 

A group of seven people participated in outreach in Dallas the following day, splitting up between downtown Dallas and North Lake Community College. Once again, there was a good deal of interest and participants were able to get contact information and have some interesting conversations. At the end of the day, the teams met back at the church for dinner and Bible study.

The Bible study focuses on connecting to the heart of God as a Father and Parent, and understanding that God is always there for us and wants to keep us safe. One young guest who had met the local church several months ago attended. It was inspiring to see him and hear his enthusiasm. Several young Unificationists also attended the evening program.

The team spent the rest of the evening preparing for the next day and the programs planned for the next few days, including an evening program on Thursday, a Friday open house, and a BBQ on Saturday.

The next day, Dallas Family Church Pastor, Rev. John Jackson, took the group sightseeing before outreach activities began in the afternoon. He was a great tour guide and took the participants around downtown Dallas to see the JFK museum, and treated them to authentic BBQ food for lunch.

While sightseeing, the team had a chance to meet some nice people, the spirit of outreach still going strong even during their down time. During daily outreach, participants invited guests to the evening programs and the BBQ on Saturday. Some of the new guests have already confirmed that they will attend.  The outreach team is working hard to reach out to more people and expects Saturday will be a fun way to celebrate their first week of activities.

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