Carrying On the Spirit of True Parents

Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, Continental Director of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU North America) delivered the Sunday Service sermon on October 12 at the Las Vegas Family Church. He spoke on True Parents’ desire for the Shining City and True Mother’s plans to return to America in December. Watch the video of Dr. Kim’s sermonor read the transcription below.

Yesterday we visited a hilly park. When True Mother comes back here to Las Vegas, she’s always walking here and there. Even today, this morning in Korea in Cheongpyeong, True Mother woke up at 4:00 a.m., while it was still dark, and then, using a flashlight, she walked for over an hour. Yesterday morning I went to a park and this morning, to another park to walk for an hour. Whenever Father went fishing, first he had to find out where he could go fishing. I tried to walk this morning for over one hour.

When I returned to the Cheon Hwa Gung (Home of Heavenly Harmony), Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP) members were packing to go somewhere and I asked, “Where are you going?”  They replied, “We are going to Death Valley.”  I was reminded of when the God’s Hope for America pilgrimage traveled to 55 Holy Ground sites in 48 states this summer, and Death Valley was one of the sites. It’s an amazing place. In February 1965 True Father came to Death Valley and prayed there for the sake of this country, America. I was wondering, “Why did True Father stop at Death Valley, when there are so many beautiful cities in America?”  I was praying about that. I was really very happy this morning to see that everybody came back safely from Death Valley. Let’s give them a big hand.

That’s good news because this is another great condition that is being made for the sake of True Parents and for the sake of this country. When you hear about these things, please come and participate.

This morning I’d like to remind you of the first day when True Mother spoke with Las Vegas Unificationist families and all Unificationists around the world. Let us prepare for True Mother’s return to Las Vegas in December.

Prepare for True Mother’s Return to America

Let us prepare well internally and externally to welcome True Mother. We should not just show up and present ourselves before True Mother, and scramble to sit in the front row and kyungbae (bowing as a sign of respect according to Korean customs). I respect that kind of attitude, but how can we prepare internally and externally to welcome True Mother, so that when True Mother sees us, she will say: “Oh, you did a wonderful job. Thank you, Las Vegas Unificationist families, for listening to me and doing a great job.”  True Mother will bring more than 200 young Unificationists from Korea and Japan to meet Las Vegas Unificationist families, as they did last year, according to True Mother’s direction. Don’t you think we have to prepare more? 

Yes, Las Vegas, you have done a wonderful job. Whenever I wake up, at 3:00 a.m. or 4:00 a.m., always my first email is the Las Vegas Family Church Daily News. I read that one paragraph excerpt of True Father’s message in the Cheon Seong Gyeong (Holy Scripture), and I see announcements about what the Las Vegas Family Church is doing, and about campus work and the Shining City. Many people are wondering, “Why did Dr. Kim come this week?” Because I saw the Las Vegas Family Church daily news. They are looking for a driver to take missionaries to campus at 10:00 o’clock and at 2:30 to pick them up and bring them back to the missionaries’ house. That’s what I did yesterday, take them to their home, and I will try to do it tomorrow, but tomorrow they have a off day, so  I will try to do it Tuesday too.

We do not rent a car. With True Mother’s car I’d like to treat them. They are representatives of heaven and True Parents. Think about it. It is not simple to make a determination to come over here from Japan. Sometimes we think, “Oh, they are missionaries, they are used to doing that. The Japanese church has a good structure and organization, so they can do it.”  Sometimes we don’t appreciate these missionaries enough.

Also we have Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP) members here. How much is True Mother really looking for a way to make a foundation here in Las Vegas for the sake of this country, America, and for the sake of the world?  True Mother wants to make this city of Las Vegas a model for tribal messiahship (ministry for ones extended family), CARP movement and missionary movement. The same thing True Father did. Over the last four years, how many of True Father’s autobiography did you distribute?  Over 100,000 copies, more than any other city did. Be proud of that. And True Parents, especially True Father, remembered that, and True Parents held a special event only for this celebration.

Let us carry on the spirit of True Parents

This Cheon Seong Gyeong is very impressive. Even though I’ve been in the church for over 50 years, and it seems that I’ve never had this kind of God-centered message. You will find yet another new way to see True Father and True Mother. So please strive to inspire so many people.

Las Vegas family members are so blessed, more than any other city in America. So please let us prepare to welcome True Mother. Whose way?  Our way? God’s way and True Parents’ way and True Mother’s way. When I checked what I should share today with Las Vegas Family Church members, spirit world told me, “Remind them what True Mother told us to do this year. The first thing she mentioned is that every day we must cultivate a good relationship with Heavenly Parent.

So what is our job?  Witnessing. Witnessing and witnessing. Without that we cannot claim we are the owners. You want to be the owner, and then you have to think, “How can I become the true owner of the Las Vegas Family Church?” I don’t want to just praise what you did, but at the same time I’d like you to remember God’s way to understanding our dear True Parents.

Offering Our Thanks and Gratitude

Last year we celebrated 40 years since Japanese Unificationist missionaries came to America. True Father mobilized them to come over here to America. We celebrated this at Belvedere. Some leaders were saying, “America, we did it for the sake of the world.”  Can we really analyze this? Japanese Unificationist supported the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) for the last 30 years. I suggested, “UTS, what are you going to do?  How can you express your thankful heart to Japanese Unificationists?”  I suggested, “We cannot pay them back, but let us honor them. Let us prepare three honorary doctorates from UTS for the Japanese leadership.”  We prepared, and Dr. Michael Balcomb and Dr. Richard Panzer and I went there and we gave the doctorates as a very small token of gratitude from American family members. The Japanese leaders were really inspired. They said, “We never heard that kind of sincere gratitude from America for the sacrifice made by our Japanese Unificationist families.”

Without relationships, we cannot produce the power to do anything. That power of love, give and take relationships—Divine Principle and True Father’s message are saying this. I was shocked. One witnessing director gave me a small USB drive. You heard that many Japanese families donated to the International Peace Education Center and the Holy Ground Pilgrimage, twice a month, and they keep sending more. This director said, “I’d like to give you the names of those who donated for the sake of the International Peace Education Center.”  I told him, “Yes, we’ll put their names on the wall to remember their donations.” I expected a maximum 1,000, maybe 2,000 names. I was shocked to hear that 30,000 people had sent donations for this building.

I was so deeply moved. This is the heart of Japanese Unificationist families. They are giving money not for Japan but for America. For America they mobilized all their families. Because of this kind of heart we came this far. Of course, this was True Parents’ education, guidance and blessing, and this blessing made them really respond to God and True Parents. All conditions you set up, must be laid down in God’s way. And then America can make a strong spiritual foundation for the sake of America. This is True Parents’ dream, God’s dream for America.

True Parents’ Dream for America

That’s why the Second Coming of the Messiah, True Parents first came here and had their first steps in America in1965. True Father said, “I committed myself to come to America already before I founded the Korean Unification Church in 1954.” He didn’t just step on this land in 1965. When True Father received Jesus’ mission to continue and complete it, at that moment already he received this message from God and Jesus to  go to America and saving this land for the sake of America and for the sake of the world, and, of course, for the sake of God. This is the value of God, this is the value of True Parents, and this is the value of America, which was formed 236 years ago in 1776.

That’s why True Father likes General George Washington. Before the last battle, he prayed, “God, I have only a few thousand soldiers, and the other side has over 10,000 soldiers. I am confronting them in the next few days. God, I am in your hands. One condition I make is, yes, I will give my life for this battle. And the other side, God, you take care of that.” And God gave into the hands of a righteous person this land of America.

Please, let us make our own commitment, welcoming True Mother in True Mother’s way. This is God’s way. If I prepare in my own way and if the Las Vegas Family Church prepares in their own way, it will cause disharmony.

I was very impressed with the Japanese Unificationist families and what they are doing. When I check my emails and the first emails are coming all the time from the Las Vegas Family Church and the church leaders are asking for drivers—please, we really need to give our attention to whatever the church leaders are asking, and we must appreciate these missionaries who came from Japan and also the CARP members who came from the Bay Area, from Michigan and from Alabama. Please let us take care of them like our own children. Can you do that?

Many people are discovering that this city of Las Vegas is the center of God’s providence. Can you feel that?  With the same spirit of going to Death Valley—we remember before True Parents came to Las Vegas, only a few Unificationist couples lived here. But now we have 100, and more people would like to come here. True Mother asked some people to come here to Las Vegas. This is your city and your church, and no other city or nation has this International Peace Education Center. I’m very proud of that.

So who wants to claim ownership of the biggest Unification Church in the world?  This is my prayer now. Should the National Church Headquarters move here from New York and take over?  Or do you want to take over?  Las Vegas Family Church, you should have ownership and care for it. True Mother really wants us to take God’s viewpoint, True Parents’ viewpoint, True Mother’s viewpoint. That is what we call faith.

This Cheon Seong Gyeong, how much do we value it?  It is priceless. We didn’t believe—did you believe when you started as state leader, that the providence would expand and become bigger and bigger?  Did you believe families would be gathering like that?  (No idea.) But we brought results centering on True Parents. Now you have no idea that we’re going to have a congregation of 2,000. Do you have an idea?  You will have a better idea than 10 years or 30 years ago. Before we have people, we have this. This is True Parents’ blessing. So please let us focus on what True Mother told us last time, and what True Mother wants to see when she comes with 200 young people from Japan and Korea, what True Mother is looking for from the Las Vegas Family Church, show them. “Yes, True Mother. Yes, Japan and Korea. What True Mother told us a year ago, we fulfilled today.”

True Mother’s Plans for December

True Mother would like to have a big Christmas party, inviting Unificationists worldwide to Las Vegas. This is a big job. We must prepare. We have everything we need to prepare.

True Mother said, “Invite all the Ambassadors for Peace and the American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC) pastors and the WFWP and Universal Peace Federation (UPF) contacts. We are not waiting until this International Peace Education Center is complete. I already prepared people to come, and whether the building is ready or not, I am coming to Las Vegas and celebrating.” Las Vegas Family Church, whether you are ready or not, True Mother is coming. If we are not ready, True Mother and True Mother’s guests and Las Vegas Unificationist families, we will have some hard time because of not being ready.

I’d like you to remember these things. When True Mother comes here, we should not just show up in an external way. We must prepare to welcome True Mother. This is my big desire for Las Vegas Family Church members because Las Vegas is the great hope for the sake of America. So we have invested so many things here in Las Vegas. The heart of True Mother and True Parents is here in Las Vegas.

So please, be proud of yourself and your family being here in this city of Las Vegas, and at the same time, let us have the power of True Parents and show it. Many times we don’t act like tribal messiahs. This is our shortcoming, my shortcoming and sometimes your shortcoming too. We don’t act, even though True Parents prepared everything. True Mother really appreciates those who are listening to her and have brought about great foundations. True Mother is inviting those who have fulfilled their tribal messiah responsibility of blessing 430 couples to a rally in Korea on Oct. 26. I am honoring the families of these brothers and sisters who listened to True Parents and who fulfilled this.

So please, let True Mother honor each one of you. Please remember this and then let us bring our heart to True Mother.

Every day I am praying for Pope Francis. The other day at a leaders meeting in New York, the first thing I said was that on September 14, Pope Francis for the first time officiated at a mass wedding ceremony in Vatican City. Do you know how many couples?  Twenty couples. I told the leaders that this pope is following True Parents’ pattern by officiating at a mass wedding ceremony.

Of all the top religions around the world, Catholics are very strict about the family. They do not allow many things. But Unificationism is stricter about family values. The new pope really wants to modify the Catholic regulations to open the gate to more people. The pope said that he will continue to officiate these mass wedding ceremonies in Vatican City.

So this Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony of Jeung-jin Moon and Yeon-jin Moon, True Parents’ two youngest daughters, came on the foundation of their attending a 40-day workshop with their fiancés. True Mother told them, “You must fulfill a minimum condition in my way: a forty-day condition.” What kind of condition?  Not a prayer condition. Not a separation condition. Witnessing? No. Attending a 40-day Divine Principle workshop was True Mother’s minimum condition.

So they came to Cheongpyeong in early September. Already on the first day there was a lot of tension: “Oh, I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to hear this lecture. I don’t like this lecturer. Can you change this lecturer?” Their spouses, even Jeung-jin Moon, became very sick internally and externally. The first seven days was really a battle between evil and goodness. This is my analysis. Finally they changed lecturers. But this, I believe, was God and True Parents. After seven days they started changing, opening their hearts. They received about Divine Principle and True Parents’ messages. After a total of 21 days, they were really ready to receive True Parents and Divine Principle.

After 21 days, True Mother called these two couples to the International Peace Education Center, to True Mother’s office, and explained God’s 4,000-year providence in one hour. After that, True Mother gave them the engagement blessing. Another 21 days after that, the Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony for Yeon-jin Moon’s couple and Jeung-jin Moon’s couple took place.

In the beginning they were so tense. I could see they were somewhat anxious and worrisome. But after 40 days, they were marching together and they knew how to bow three times, how to give a full bow. I see their faces were so bright. After Jeung-jin Moon’s couple returned to New York, I invited them to dinner, and she said, “I can come but not my husband.” Anyway, her husband, Joseph, came with her and we had dinner and discussion for two hours. This couple was so amazed how the workshop had affected them. Joseph said, “These 40 days changed my life.” God had planned these 40 days to really change this spouse’s life, thinking of Divine Principle, thinking of True Parents.

Two weeks ago when I met True Mother, she said, “Dr. Kim, you must educate Unificationist families very clearly. Our church is centering on True Parents, but I heard that some people have one foot on this side, one foot on that side. How can you work like that?  No way. Don’t straddle the fence. Stand firmly on God’s side. I must move fast, centering on God and those who stand firmly on God’s side. So we have to be very clear about our position centering on True Parents and moving forward.

I really want to understand True Mother’s heart. True Parents are the Second Coming of the Messiah. True Father mentioned very clearly, “My messiahship started after the Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony on April 13, 1960.”  So without True Mother, the messiahship cannot be completed.

I very much appreciate being here, and I really hope you can understand True Mother’s heart, and let us deeply welcome her here in December. Your support is required. Thank you. Please welcome and honor the Japanese missionaries here. Who wants to give them a ride to campus on Tuesday?  How about Wednesday? Thursday? CARP members, thank you so much. Let’s give them a big hand too.