National Ministry Team Prepares for Seonghwa Anniversary
On July 15, 2015, the national ministry team held a morning meeting to regroup, share updates and upcoming opportunities, and welcome Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, Continental Chair of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) North America, back to America after his recent visit with True Mother in Korea.
Mari Curry, FFWPU USA Vice President, acted as emcee for this month’s meeting, and Angelika Selle, Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP) USA President, offered a prayer to start the day. The group of over 100 leaders from around the nation re-centered on their common goals by reciting the FFWPU motto and singing the Cheon Il Guk anthem, Open the Eyes of my Heart and Song of the Young People.
Miilhan Stephens, Vice President of FFWPU USA, then shared a Hoon Dok Hwe (scripture) reading from the Cheon Seong Gyeong that expressed the significance of a life of gratitude, and described the key concept of living in unity, both with others and between mind and body. Then the group had the chance to hear what is on True Mother’s mind and heart by viewing the latest iPeace TV weekly update video, which featured True Mother’s message at the recent leaders’ meeting in Korea. There was a sense of inspiration and a collective open mind to the bigger picture of True Parents’ vision. As always, the monthly meeting was an opportunity to connect everyone’s work to this bigger picture and to assess, inspire and plan together.
Dr. Ki Hoon Kim concluded the meeting with a message about the importance of communication, knowing one’s value as a leader, and building good relationships. He shared that, throughout history, words have been used both to help people and to hurt people, and it’s up to us to make the right choice and recognize how important it is, now more than ever, to spread God’s truth around the world. He also shared about the upcoming Top Gun Leaders’ Workshop, the importance of the Holy Scriptures and the incredible value of the Holy Marriage Blessing in spreading God’s vision to the world.
Top Gun Leaders’ Workshop
Demian Dunkley, the National Director of Evangelism, shared about the opportunity for current and aspiring leaders between the ages of 20-50 to attend the upcoming Top Gun workshop from August 7-27, 2015 in Cheongpyeong, Korea. Participation in this workshop also includes events leading up to the third anniversary of True Father’s Seonghwa (ascension), and its main objectives are to: raise and support global leaders, establish an identity of faith in our Heavenly Parent and True Parents, and connect internationally. Culturally, this workshop will equip and build up professional peace-builders who can inherit True Parents’ tradition, become leaders of virtue and create an embracing culture. Those who cannot participate can support this important initiative by contributing a donation of any amount and sharing the news with friends and family.
Blessed Culture & Sports Festival
Karlsun Allen gave an upbeat sneak-peek into the upcoming Blessed Culture & Sports Festival (BCSF), August 5-9, 2015 at the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS). He emphasized the cultural aspect to this popular event, which includes a family day, movie night, Artists’ Village, Art Blitz, Mud Run, Battle of the Bands, dancing and open mic. The beauty of BCSF is that it creates a heavenly environment for youth and promotes the idea that young people can have fun without drugs or alcohol. This year, already 300 people are registered, with over 700 expected to attend.
Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles
Teresa Ferrete, Vice President of CARP USA, shared the latest updates of this collegiate organization. She informed the group of the reinvigorated World CARP (W-CARP) association, which held a recent inauguration in Korea. Naokimi Ushiroda, President of CARP USA, was able meet with the president and staff of W-CARP, and CARP leaders from Japan, Korea and the USA had the chance to bond and create an international identity. The international W-CARP assembly will take place on August 28, 2015.
Teresa also shared about the next 7-day Divine Principle workshop in Las Vegas, July 25-31, 2015. She described the support process following the workshop, which includes weekly webinars to discuss continuing education in small groups.
United Nations Concert
David Eaton gave an overview of the recent concert by the New York City Symphony at the United Nations on June 30, 2015. This concert commemorated the 70th anniversary of the United Nations under the theme of “The Transformative Power of Music. The orchestra’s appearance was at the invitation of the President of the General Assembly. The concert featured thirty international artists who joined in the singing of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) inaugural song,One World of Peace as the concert’s finale. It was an significant outreach opportunity as maestro Eaton was able to meet with ambassadors and diplomats, proving that culture and music truly do open the doors to connecting with others. As True Father said, “It is culture and art that move the world.” (As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen)
Congressional Leadership Conference
Dr. Michael Jenkins of the FFWPU Office of Business Investment and Asset Development described a recent congressional conference held in Hawaii, where seminars, panels, and testimonials gave congresspeople the chance to receive education about True Parents and the Divine Principle. He also shared about the first Sunhak Peace Prize press conference and banquet in Washington, D.C., which celebrated two awardees this year.
Third Anniversary of True Father’s Seonghwa
Dr. Michael Balcomb, President of FFWPU USA, tied it all together with the current focus and main event: the upcoming third anniversary memorial celebration of True Father’s Seonghwa. With just a few days until the 40-day countdown to August 30, Dr. Balcomb encouraged everybody to commit to a 40-day prayer leading up to this day. He also enumerated the various ways one can participate in this event in the upcoming weeks: Peace Road events are going on around the world; the Universal Peace Choir is an opportunity to sing for True Parents; the Cham Bumo Gyeong, the third of the Holy Scriptures, will become available; and the Top Gun workshop from August 7-27 is a chance for young aspiring leaders to connect, grow and inherit True Parents’ tradition.