The Northwest Welcomes FFWPU USA President

On the first weekend of June 2017, FFWPU USA President Dr. Michael Balcomb and Mrs. Fumiko Balcomb received a warm welcome from the Unificationists of the Northwest. Over the course of three days they had the opportunity to connect with Unificationists in Seattle and Portland, OR.

After arriving in Seattle on June 2, Dr. and Mrs. Balcomb visited the home of District 10 Pastor Rev. Inchan Park and his wife, Julie. Together, they shared their had lunch together.

“I had a wonderful time,” said Mrs. Park. “Not only as a wife of a church leader but also as one of the younger Unificationists, I could openly and freely tell them some concerns and realistic issues about the church. They were listening kindly. I really enjoyed hearing Dr. Balcomb’s personal experiences with True Father and True Mother, too. It was a very intimate moment.”

Afterward they drove down to Westport, WA, to meet David and Mitsue Wolfenberger, the co-directors and sponsors of the High Noon Summit. The High Noon Summit is a national-level event that was held in April at the International Peace Education Center (IPEC) in Las Vegas to promote sexual integrity and address the issue of pornography. The Wolfenbergers also sponsor the online website Pure Mind Online for the same purpose.

The next morning, Dr. and Mrs. Balcomb joined a monthly meditation program at the Portland Family Peace Fellowship. The meditation is led by Gary and Nancy Spanovich, who are friends of the church and Ambassadors for Peace. Afterward, Dr. and Mrs. Balcomb had lunch with the Unificationists of the Portland community and delivered the recent providential news from Japan and Korea. He invited all the families to attend the upcoming event with True Mother in Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 15.

In the afternoon, Dr. and Mrs. Balcomb drove back to Seattle and had dinner in the Windermere mansion with the Unificationists of the Seattle Family Church and ministry leaders. After reporting on recent providential events with True Mother in Korea, Dr. Balcomb encouraged all in attendance to record their own personal experiences with True Parents.

The following beautiful Sunday morning, Dr. Balcomb gave the sermon at the Seattle Family Church under the title “Chosen Nation.” “God has chosen America,” Dr. Balcomb proclaimed. “God is asking us to live up to our calling to respond to His choice with our responsibility.”

The day also featured a celebration of 2017 graduates from high school and college. Dr. and Mrs. Balcomb shook hands with every graduate who participated in the Sunday service, and Mrs. Balcomb offered a prayer for all the graduates.

The celebration continued outside with a barbecue, where Unificationists had a chance to chat with Dr. and Mrs. Balcomb.

“It was a great blessing to have Dr. and Mrs. Balcomb to the community this time. They told us wonderful stories of True Parents and the recent providential events and showed their warm heart too. I believe that from now on, more families will feel connected to National Headquarters and the national leadership,” Rev. Park said.

Contributed by Rev. Inchan Park, District 10 pastor