National Council Member Survey Results and Follow-Up

November 7, 2016

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Greetings to you and your families. 

We would like to thank you for taking the time to complete the National Council Member Survey, and for your thoughtful feedback. 

Your investment is greatly appreciated. We received over 500 responses, and each one is highly valuable. In a joint effort between FFWPU-USA HQ and the National Council, we are now going through your responses in depth and are taking the time to seriously consider your comments, concerns and suggestions.

There were many heartfelt reflections and suggestions offered. Overwhelmingly, the top four concerns we found were the need and desire for: 1) improved communication on all levels; 2) greater emphasis on Divine Principle education on the district and local levels; 3) better member care on all levels; and 4) more relevant programs for our younger generation.

All of these points are very important and we are taking them seriously. In order to address these concerns, we are currently taking the following steps, some are already in place and some are planned for implementation in the near future:

Communication

1. A review of the current communication plans being utilized on the national, district and local levels, to determine best practices going forward. 

Divine Principle Education on District and Local Levels

1. Further development of DPlife.infowebsite.
2. Encouraging and equipping district and local pastors with the tools needed for Divine Principle training and program development through the National Evangelism Department.
3. Ongoing workshops at IPEC, including additional languages such as Spanish and Japanese. Click HERE for more information.

Member Care

1. Pastoral counseling training and education being made available for all pastors through the UTS Continuing Education online courses and weekly pastors’ support calls. The next online continuing education course will be on Pastoral Counseling from December 5 to January 18. Also, in 2017 we will introduce a new intensive-based UTS program that will allow busy pastors to improve their skills in ministering to the needs of our families, and be more astute representatives of our True Parents in the field.
2. CARP and FFWPU have partnered on a national tour to every district where they hold meetings with young adults to connect, hear their concerns, make plans for the next steps, and provide them with general support. They have already visited districts 1, 3, 9 and Las Vegas.
3. Currently, there are four CIG IWs (Itinerant Workers), who travel around the nation with their spouses especially to meet and care for members. They meet with families, hear concerns and support the District Pastors. They are: Rev. Richard Buessingfor the East Coast Region, Rev. Hiroshi Inose for Japanese members, Rev. Larry Krishnek for the West Region, and Rev. David Rendel for the Midwest region. 

Relevant programs for the next generation

1. Further development of the GPA program.
2. Strengthening of the GPA alumni association under a new staff member, Tasnah Moyer.
3. CARP USA is also working on new programs.
4. The development of effective, relevant weekend programs geared toward the needs, interests, and future of our next generation (such as Culture Wars, Apologetics, Unification Thought, Inter-Generational Cooperation, etc.)

We are doing our best to rectify and improve on these issues and we are going to continue to develop our services in these areas. However, we cannot do this without your help. Teamwork is critical. Here are some ways you can contribute to make this community a better place for all of us, and a wonderful offering to our True Parents:

Communication

1. Make it a point to check Familyfed.orgweekly.
2. Subscribe to the FFWPU Daily e-news. (Subscribe using the form on the right-hand side of familyfed.org).
3. Read correspondence from your district and local pastor.
4. Please feel free to communicate with your pastor and district pastor as needed.
5. Offer to help with communications in your local community.
6. Share your story!https://2021.familyfed.org/share-a-story/

Divine Principle Education

1. Work with your pastor to put on a DP workshop.
2. Start a Divine Principle small group in your area or home.
3. Attend an IPEC workshop and bring back the spirit to your local community. IPEC was True Father’s last endeavor while on earth and he envisioned it to be a place for the education of our members and leaders worldwide. We have such a special opportunity to be able to study there and to invest in our spiritual development through attending these Divine Principle workshops. Check the website for IPEC Workshop Schedule.

Member Care

1. Communicate and coordinate with your pastor to see how you could support in this area of caring for members in the community.
2. If you have not seen someone in a while, either at church or in a small group, check in with them by calling, text or email.
3. Visit brothers and sisters in your area.
4. Start or join a small group.
5. Cook a meal or bring a treat to a family in need.

Relevant programs for the next generation

1. Work together to gather input from 2nd gen as to what type of programs would catch their interest, and initiate a pilot program.
2. Make a point to invite out a young person in your community and listen to them.

As we further unpack this survey, we will share more information with you. You can observe some of the results in the attached graphs.

We are a one family team trying to fulfill the desires of our True Parents, and we are so grateful to be working with you to accomplish it.

Let us keep our precious True Mother in our thoughts and prayers, and pray for unity with and within the True Family.

Thank you again for sharing your heart and for your insights. 

God Bless you,

Dr. Michael Balcomb                                     

President, FFWPU-USA                                  

 

Teresa Yamane 
Chair, National Council