New England Welcomes Back Rev. Richard Buessing

It was a homecoming for the Boston Family Church on August 27, 2017, as around 150 Unificationists from all over New England welcomed back one of their own, FFWPU USA President Rev. Richard Buessing.  

The chapel was filled with joy and a sense of unity as they welcomed other important guests, including Pastor Catherine Ono’s spiritual child, Rev. Dr. Tina Saxon as well as her husband George, three fundraising teams from Generation Peace Academy, and Dr. Lek Thaveetermsakul, a Unificationist leader from Thailand.

After the church band created an atmosphere of love through music, three participants of this year’s Global Top Gun Youth workshop shared their testimonies regarding their experiences. Reika Hiroi, a rising senior at Brown University, discussed how the diversity of the workshop allowed her to view the Unificationist movement on a global, rather than local level. Luc Jean, a soon-to-be freshman in high school and one of the youngest participants in the workshop, shared about his experience meeting True Mother and his newly found desire to inspire others to live their lives in accordance with the Divine Principle. Takahiro Kudo, a rising senior at University of Massachusetts Lowell, explained how his experiences motivated him to embrace, serve, and bring joy to True Parents. Click here for their complete testimonies.

These testimonies moved the hearts of the congregation, including Rev. Buessing, who joked that the sermon had already been delivered upon going on stage. Inspired by the young Unificationists, Rev. Buessing reflected on the impact of learning about True Parents’ life course and the hope the youth provide for all Unificationists, and especially True Parents. His sermon focused on the beauty of creating intimacy with God through prayer, referring to True Father’s experiences with prayer and also sharing personally about how much he has prayed since being appointed FFWPU USA President.

It is through prayer, Rev. Buessing insisted, that we can build our faith and heart so that God can work. Ultimately, Rev. Buessing said, it is this life of prayer, faith, and heart that can create a positive outlook on life, paving the way for positive results:  “Look at the cup half full, not half empty. If you look at the glass half empty, your entire life, it will always be half empty. If you look at the glass half full, just by your attitude, you can attract things around you that you could never expect.”

Pastor Catherine Ono raved about Rev. Buessing and the significant role he played in developing a curriculum to educate Christians on the Divine Principle, lauding his beautiful heart and unrelenting support for others. She later introduced three newly elected members of the Boston Family Church Council: Sophie Maes, Sayaka Shiseido, and Takahiro Kudo. As all of the new council members are second-generation Unificationists, half of the council is now comprised of Unificationist-born youth.   

Welcoming back Rev. Buessing, a longtime member of the New England community, and ushering in a new era with their newly elected council, the Boston Family Church appears to be on a journey in which the glass will always be half full.

Have an inspiring story to share? Share your story with the Unificationist community and the world by clicking the button below.