Local Leaders Stand Up for Peace in Philadelphia

Rev. Shota Iwasaki, Pastor of the Philadelphia Family Church, hosted the third Ambassadors for Peace Conference in Germantown, Pennsylvania on June 1. More than 60 Germantown community leaders in Philadelphia gathered to address local issues and discuss how to promote peace and improve the quality of life in Germantown.

Together they signed the Germantown Peace Declaration, a written agreement based on the recent Mt. Fuji Declaration issued in Japan in 2015. Also, 26 Ambassadors for Peace leaders were recognized for their efforts within the community. Rev. Iwasaki was interviewed for a story by MediaNews Group on montgomerynews.com. It was featured front and center in Northwestern Philadelphia News (The Leader).

When posting about the event online, Rev. Iwasaki was harassed for his religious beliefs and ethnicity. “I had an absolute obligation to report it to Facebook management,” says Rev. Iwasaki. “It is so important for Tribal Messiahs to engage in the building of a positive community and make efforts to put a stop to ethical and religious harassment and bullying.”

Rev. Iwasaki hopes to “…create a family-like community where people no longer need federal laws to regulate bad behavior such as bullying, discrimination, and online harassment because people in the community will act and behave with unconditional love and empathy.”