Presentations Regarding the Growth Stage Level of Cheon Bok Goong (Unification World Temple)

Hyung Jin Moon
April 18, 2009
Headquarters Church, Seoul Korea
Transcribed by: Naoko Isa Brazil
Edited by Bruno Klotz

Welcome Remarks:
Hyung Jin Nim:

Brothers and sisters, good to see you!

Yeon Ah Nim:

Good afternoon, brothers and sisters,

It is a beautiful spring day. Don’t you think so? (Yeah!!) This afternoon I saw a beautiful white butterfly flying around.

Hyung Jin Nim:

Let’s give it up for the butterfly!

Yeon Ah Nim:

Today we are blessed with beautiful weather and wonderful company around us. I hope this week will be filled with God’s blessing and love! We are always honored to have you here in this sanctuary and for those joining us, wherever you are, we are welcoming you as well.

Hyung Jin Nim:

Welcome, brothers and sisters! We are so happy to see the white butterfly today. Of course we’re much happier to see all of YOU guys here today, because when we take time to honor God, He always honors us back. And you know, whenever we take time on Saturday (we could be doing other things instead) to give Him praise, give Him honor, then that gives Him strength, that makes God excited. So in the coming week God is going to be helping us. We’re going to get more things done, in a less period of time. We’re going to be more successful, we’re going to get more creative ideas. If you believe it let’s give it up for God and True Parents!

Brothers and sisters, I’d like to start with Cheon Seong Gyeong, Page 703. Father says here in the "Fruit of Life and Divine Spirit" Section:

"This lifetime is but a moment. This lifetime will determine whether we are connected to eternity or to the moment. You are all the historically resurrected bodies of your ancestors. How long is this history? The purpose of this long course of history was eventually to create one person, you.”

I love that, I love that! Whenever we feel discouraged, whenever we feel weak and beaten down with our troubles and our challenges and our work, we’ve got to remember the purpose of our long history. Wow! God is there to create me, to eventually create me, so that I can bring joy to True Parents and God. "This lifetime is but a moment," Father said. When we take that into heart, we realize that it is such a precious moment. It is so precious. You know, we have here with us today Sun Jin nuna, her nickname is Santa Komo. That means Aunt Santa. Our kids call her Santa Aunt. That’s because she’s always so giving, and wherever she goes she’s showering blessings.

Yesterday they made brownies and ice cream with my daughter. She was in heaven! And I realized how amazing God is. Because Sun Jin nuna actually bought all those ingredients for another thing, not for making brownies. But yesterday my daughter was in the cooking mode and she was making egg sandwiches and everything, so she inspired Santa Komo. And Santa Komo said, "You know what? We’ve got chocolate chips and brownie mix, and we’re going to make some brownies," and she was just on cloud nine! She was so happy! And I said, "God is good. He organized all that, so that we can see and experience this incredible moment."

That’s how God is! Let’s remember that when we take time to give God goodness, to give Him thanks, He always repays that. That always comes back two times, three times, four times. Multiplied it comes back to us. Brothers and sisters, today I want you to be encouraged, I want you to shake off those chains of the news reports that say that this is going to be the worst year yet. We’re going to have our best year yet. How about this? We’re going to have our greatest year yet! And in this year we’re going to rise to higher levels of victory. We’re going to have deeper connections this year. This year we’re going to get more intimate with our children. We’ll build stronger bonds of love and relations; we’re going to have miracles this year. In 2009, this year, we’re going to see more fruition in many different aspects of our lives in which we had not seen any growth in.

If you believe it, let’s give it up for God and True Parents! I’m ready. I’m ready for 2009. I am totally ready, because we’re halfway through it. I’m ready for it. Brothers and sisters, it’s good to see you all today. Welcome once again.

Opening Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for allowing us to come here together. Father, we come here to give You joy. We want to come here to give You praise and thanks for all You’ve done in our life, Father. We know we could be sitting at home and worrying about what’s going to happen in our future. We could be worrying about all of the things we should do.

But, Father, we choose to be strong. We choose to have faith; we choose to believe that our future’s going to become better. Father, we choose to believe that You are planning things, that You are planning people for us to meet, people who will bring us to new levels of victory and blessing. Father, we choose to believe that those chains of the past are broken, and that we can move forward in 2009, not as the victim, but as the victor.

And, Father, we pray and we choose to believe that we will be stronger this year, that we will have deeper connections this year, that You will prepare more wonderful relationships for us. Father, we pray and believe that we can become all that You have designed us to be, destined us to become. And, Father, we want to get that into our hearts. We do not want to leave here today the same way we came in. We want to leave here with more victory, more hope, more strength, more encouragement, more blessings, so that we can become greater blessings to this world.

We thank You so much, Father, for bringing us here today, for allowing us to participate with You. We thank You so much for giving us strength today, giving us love today, giving us hope and inspiration today, giving us what we need today. We thank You so much. We want to thank You in advance, and we honestly want to offer all glory to You. We want to do that every day. We’re going to start each day with that victorious mind, offer every day up to You. We thank You so much. We do the same this day as we do every week, we offer all the glory to You with an everlasting love and tremendous gratitude. We pray this in our own names, as central blessed families, aju.

Hyung Jin Nim:

You know, brother and sisters, when we sing those songs of praise and victory, think of what you’re doing. You’re speaking power over your life; you’re declaring words of strength and words of hope and words of power over your life. You’re saying, “I’m not going to live in guilt and condemnation in 2009; I’m going to rise above." You’re saying, "I’m not going to let the enemy, who tells me that I’m inadequate, weak and abandoned, steal my joy anymore. In 2009 I’m going to rise higher, I’m going to become stronger, and I’m going to become a true child of God."

See brothers and sisters, I want you to know what you’re doing when we’re singing those songs. We are declaring something powerful over our life; we’re changing the direction that our life can go. And that’s what we really want to do. That’s what we want to do when we pray. When we pray sometimes we have to do it by faith. Sometimes we’re praying for something like, "God, I know You’re going to help that friend." "God, I am praying for that child to come into his own, to accept You and move forth into victory and strength." "God I’m praying that You’re going to get us through these tough times, and not only get us through, but that You’re going to get us through even stronger, even more successful. "

That’s what we’re doing when we’re praying. We’re declaring words of strength, words of faith over our life. We’re shedding the old shackles of despair and the chains of guilt and remember that we are forgiven, and we move on into our futures, to the new horizons that God is opening for us.

This is the thing that is happening when we pray. Brothers and sisters, we’re going to take time out to pray. If you need to pray, if you’ve been lied about, if you’ve been cheated in your life, if someone has talked behind your back sometimes, then you need prayer today. If you need to pray, we want you to come on up, receive prayer, to come pray with us, and share your heart. Let God KNOW your troubles, for He will redeem you from them.

Let us let Him know. Don’t just keep it all inside, but express it. Let it out. But we’re not going to just let it out. We’re going to move on. We’re going to move on with strength in our prayers, strength in our lives. We’re going to move on so we’re not the victims moping around in 2009. We’re going to be the victors, that are strong and victorious. If you believe it, let’s give it up for God and True Parents this day!

So I want you to come for prayer. Maybe you feel, "Hey, I never prayed before, but I want to do it today," maybe something inside of you is tickling you to say, "I want to pray today." If you feel that, I want you to come up. Not with a heavy heart. If you have things that you are going through, you need to pray about it. You need to pray WITH US about it.

And when we pray we don’t want you to go back to your seat and say, "Did something happen? I don’t know if something happened. I prayed about it but I don’t know if something happened." That’s not what we want you to do. We want you to go back and say, "You know what? God started something today. From today, I’m not going to be weak anymore. From today, I’m not defeated. From today I’m born again! From today I’m strong; from today I go forth with hope." That’s the way we want you to go back to your seat when we pray.

Brothers and sisters, if you feel that you need prayer today, please come up to the front. We’re going to pray with you. Let’s take this time for prayer. For those who are in their seats, let’s continue to sing the song, continue to offer our prayer, and if you really feel that you want to give the person next to you a prayer, please do so as well. Let’s take this time for prayer……

(Prayer time)

We pray all these things, Father, we pray and we are grateful in 2009. Thank You so much. We pray these things in our own names, Aju.

Thank you, brothers and sisters, for extending your heart. I hope you declared some powerful things over your life. I hope you declared, that all those negative things people were saying about you in 2008, all those things that came up in your mind and said, "I’m not going to make it this year, next year," I hope those things are disintegrating today. I hope that in 2009 we’re going to become stronger, we’re going to become more victorious, and we’re going to be able to share God’s true love even more.

Let’s start with that right now. Let’s all stand up! It’s time to share God’s true love. Let’s encourage each other, encourage the person next to you. If you came with your spouse, it’s time to say "Thank you" and "I love you,” at least 3 times! Start the week off right, brothers and sisters. When you do that, God is going to bless you this week!

Main Sermon by Hyung Jin Nim:

Brothers and sisters, we have a very special group of presentations today about the growth stage level of Cheon Bok Goong (CBG) that we will be moving into in December. So we have the professional teams from the different companies that will be helping us with the interior and the exterior. We have today with us the representatives from the company Isaac; let’s give them a round of applause! They’re going to be helping us. They’re one of the top companies in Korea. They have a tremendous reputation and have come up with such creative designs for the CBG growth stage. Yeah, komapsumnida (thanks).

So we’re going to share that with you all today. Are you a little bit excited about that? (Yeah!) Okay, it’s only our World Temple, well, the growth stage. I’m going to speak very briefly and we’re going to have a couple of other speakers here today.

In the Age of Liberation it’s so important for us to realize that True Parents have opened this age. Actually they opened this Age of Liberation, because they were able to inherit God’s true love. And they were able to become His true object partner. So the thousands and thousands of years of loneliness that God had to endure, True Parents were able to liberate God from that. They were able to console Him, to be with Him, to allow him to participate in that kind of reciprocal relationship. That’s why the liberation age has come.

You know, one of the things that we also feel that we have to do in the liberation age, as our 5%, is to now liberate True Parents. That really means that we must be able to give them more joy, it means we should be able to be proud of who we are, proud of our faith and share it. Did you know, by the way, that True Parents' autobiography book is now a national best-seller? Let’s give it up! Oh my God! I think our little birdie may have told you that before. A blue jay may have told you that the other day. But I tell you, it’s an amazing age. And it’s an amazing age for us here in Korea. Because there’s no other situation like this in the world.

We’ve been to the American church, we’ve been to the Japanese church, to many, many churches around the world, but there is no situation like this that we have here in Korea. We have a turnaround with the media. We have a really increased relationship with wonderful people in the Korean society, professionals, politicians, etc. They are really getting much closer to understanding. And we are able to discuss and share our faith. We’re now at a stage where True Parents' book is a national bestseller -- what an incredible age. It’s the age of liberation, brothers and sisters!

And this age of liberation is really our time. It’s our golden age, like we talked about last year. It’s our time to come forth; it’s our time to be proud of who we are and whose we are. It’s time for us to shake off those old feelings that say, “We’re not going to be able to do it… it’s not possible." Well, with men it may not be possible, but, as you know, the old Scripture says, “But with God all things are possible.”

We have to know that this year 2009 is the beginning stage of the Age of Liberation in this perfection stage. We’re now moving forward to actualizing that vision that True Parents have given us for 2013. That’s the reason why today we want to share with you the progress that has happened.

We have brothers and sisters from all over the world, from all over the world -- incredible! Just amazing! You know, we have so many victories coming in from Europe and America, South America, of course Korea and Japan. All these families really coming together! Let’s build our temple, let’s build the new temple for the entire world to see. Let’s not stay at this level anymore. We’re not going to just stagnate at this anymore. I’m tired, I’m done with that. We’re going to move into our new age of blessing, our new age of confidence, our new age of liberation, our new age of success and victory. That’s what we want to move into. Brothers and sisters, that’s exactly where we’re going today.

Today we have some incredible presentations, but let’s always remember that this is now the liberation age. When we enter into this Temple, it’s only the growth stage, but it’s a totally different level. This was the former city hall of Yongsan, which is one of the most incredible areas in Seoul, right in the middle of the city; there is nobody who is not going to see this Temple. And when you look at the design, you’ll say, "Oh, I can notice that on the screen. I can notice that and I can see, wow, Tongil-kyo IS developing, it’s improving." Let’s give it up for Unification Church!

So brothers and sisters, we want you to be encouraged today, we want you to be strong and encouraged. We know all the team of Isaac. They’re basically like preachers, so they’ll come and they’re going to inspire you. I hope so, I’m praying for that. I’m praying! They’re really professional people, wonderful brothers and sisters, who came up with such creative designs.

We had a whole group of companies that were bidding. We had three exterior and engineering companies, that made up different designs, concepts for the growth stage CBG Temple, and we also had four top Korean interior design companies that came and reported and gave their presentations.

Basically our top leadership was there, and we elected. And these were not only the old leadership; it’s also the new leadership that’s in place. So we have a lot more young people, young professionals, that are in the leadership, and so there was a great balance. We did an election. We did a democratic election to see which one was the most popular. And Isaac won the day and another interior company, Kukbo, won the day, and they came up with the most creative concepts. They were right on in understanding that now the Unificationism is moving to the next stage. We’re not going to stay in the past anymore, we’re moving into the future. Let’s give it up for Unification Church once more!

We’re not staying in here. So they understood that, they were right on with that, and they came up with the concepts that represent and express that. So we are going to be proud to move into that Temple on Opening Day and really to be proud to worship together, to be able to witness together, to share our faith together, and be proud Unificationists, the way we should be!

I want to give it up now for the next brother, who’s going to come up and give you a brief report about all our blessed central families. Remember, this is not a Temple that one leader can claim to have made. It is not like in the past where we have the building of something, and then the picture -- no, no, no. WE built this, the brothers and sisters of the world built this for True Parents. Let’s give it up for brothers and sisters! This is OUR Temple. This is OUR Temple! You see, you have to understand that. This is different. And this is a temple that we’re going to be able to minister in, share our faith in, commune in, do activities in, etc.

So we’re now going to invite Jeong kukjang (department leader) from the Chedan (Tongil Foundation) team, to give a brief report about that kind of a bid. Let’s give him a warm welcome as he comes up.

1st PPT Presentation:

Annyeong haseyo. I’m the Special CBG Project Group leader of the Tongil Foundation, Jeong. This is the initiation of the CBG Project. The present stage is the formation level, and we are moving into the growth level toward the end of the year. Hyung Jin Nim has developed this Church into having services with over 2000 people a week, and over $100,000 in donations per month. Hyung Jin Nim became the International President [FFWPU] and we’re now ready to move into the growth stage. As a foundation of faith we are planning to raise 210,000 members as an offering to God.

Until today at HQ Church you have donated close to 7 million dollars, out of a total of 20 million dollars in Korea. Thank you so much! We have just recently purchased this civic center for 85 million dollars. It had been appraised for over 100 million dollars. We’ll be investing an additional 15 million dollars for renovation. We are beginning the remodeling renovation process on June 15th, at a cost of about 10 million dollars. We actually need an additional 10 million dollars. So Kook Jin Nim is spearheading the efforts to raise money for the renovation.

Situated next to the civic center there is a park. It is currently a US military base, but it will be developed as a park. That takes place 2015. The park area is huge, like the area of the Central Park. So naturally, when people stroll around the park, they are going to stop at our church; therefore the 210,000 new members!

We are now trying to raise 500 million for the completion stage CBG, and we’ll be accepting donations from members as well as from people in the society. So far from July 2008 to March 2009 we have raised money for the growth level CBG, and for the completion stage CBG we’ll be raising money until 2010, January 2.

Actually the HQ Church has donated the most. The other regions donated from $1.4 millions all the way down to $300,000. Members have generously given over $20 million, and actually HQ Church has given over one third of it. God bless you!

2nd PPT Presentation:

Good afternoon, everyone! My name is K. S. Kim, interior designer from Kukbo Design Company. It’s a very fine day, nice wind, and it is very pleasant for me to have time to share with nice people like you. Let me explain about the design of the new HQ Building.

There are 3 concepts for us to build the growth stage Unification Church HQ Building: The first is about harmony of time. We wanted to make harmony between ancient and modern concepts. Second is unification culture: We wanted to make the CBG in harmony between oriental and western culture. The third point is the balance of space.

We wanted to make a space that shows harmony between something opulent and moderate, between something social and contemplative, between something open and closed. As you can see from the circles, we wanted to make harmony among all of the three points, not just focused on one point. At the center of this circle, there is always the Unification Church HQ.

As you can see, this is the bird’s eye view of the growth-stage CBG. It has 5 stories, one basement floor and four above ground. This is the 1st floor; the composition plan shows the main movement and the side movement of the visitors. In the middle of the first floor there is a café and a meditation room. At the upper part there is the office area. The top of the first floor is planned as a VIP area. On the right there is a nursery, and children can enter the building through another main entrance. In the very middle of the floor there is a circular hall that people can approach from any direction; its form looks like it’s floating on water. The large area of the first floor is designed as an open area where people can communicate freely.

We can see the 3 movements of visitors. These are some images of the first floor and the left side view of the first floor when they enter the building. It’s designed to give an impression that people are warmly welcomed. Here is the right view of the first floor; on the left you can see the circular hall and on the right an open café to communicate freely.

In the circular hall we tried to express holiness, through the water image. This is the inside of the hall which looks like it’s floating on water, where people can pray.

This is the 2nd floor; an area for VIPs and space for workshops and training. On the right there is a lecture hall and a video center. This is the plan for the 2nd floor; you can see the movement of visitors. The greatest characteristic here is a space for meditation. This is the main lecture hall on the 2nd floor.

Let me explain about the 3rd and 4th floors. There is an auditorium, some public space and roof. This is the plan of the auditorium and the movement of visitors. The auditorium will have a vertical element to express holiness. There is the hallway to approach the auditorium, on the 3rd floor. We tried to use natural materials. We really hope that you can gather your hope and faith to build the completion stage CBG. Thank you!

The left-side view. Upper view of the auditorium. This is the medium-size lecture hall. In the basement there is space for community and a restaurant.

Next the VIP room; we tried to use eco-friendly materials to give a feeling of nature. Nursery for children, our future leaders. This is the image of the nursery. I hope your children can play here and plan your bright future.

These are finishing materials -- we try to use natural materials. Thank you for your warm heart and donations and we will try our best to build a good building.

Hyung Jin Nim:

Brothers and Sisters, let’s give it up again for Kukbo Company -- they’re helping us with the interior designing. The next company will be Isaac, with the exterior and engineering part. Remember, these are preliminary designs which will be modified as we go along. Let’s welcome Isaac.

3rd PPT presentation:

Let me explain about the construction area. There is a saying, "Things that are most Korean are most international." The building will be located in Yongsan; that is at the center of Seoul. We participate in this project thinking we will build a building at the center of Korea, embracing east and west. The previous Yongsan-gu Community Center is a typical office building. Since this building will be located in the center of the city, we tried to consider the religious aspect and the city aspect, too. This building should be able to show its own quality regardless of changing trends. We tried to express people’s life course as a religious way through its front view.

Let me explain the surroundings. There is a green zone to the north, an open space to the south, Yongsan City Park to the southeast, Yongsan Park Tower to the northwest area. This building will be located in the center of a high-ranking housing area which is currently attracting a lot of social attention. Our main design concepts are Faith and Unity. First, we expressed faith by praying hands, and unity is shown by open arms, embracing the world regardless of east or west.

The basic form of the building expresses the message of hope. We can have hope when east and west make harmony. There are three main colors, white, yellow and blue.

The landscape architecture plan; there is a deck, narrow path, water fountain and entrance. Here people can enjoy nature in the middle city. In the backyard there is an open place where people can meet their inner self through meditation and prayer.

This is the roof floor; the ceiling design expresses future and vision for the world. There is a cloud garden, outdoor concert hall and meditation path. On the roof there is an open space that can be home to people who seek tranquility and peace.

People can see the character of this unique building from everywhere. We’ve separated the movement of visitors and movement of cars. Now you can see the landscape architecture plan. The elevation plan of the building expresses peace, which is the Unification Movement’s ultimate goal. It’s made of yellow marble. Glass and granite express clearness and purity of religion, symbolizing holiness and spiritual authority. There is a dome in the upper part, symbolizing hope in the form of praying hands.

Thank you very much!

Hyung Jin Nim:

Let’s give Isaac Company a big hand. Brothers and sisters, at the top of the building there is going to be the Unification Mark. So all the brothers and sisters who live in those apartments, when they look down and see our Temple, they’re going to see that beautiful thing illuminating the night sky. Let’s give it up for Unification Church! It is now our time! 

Submitting items related to True Parents’ life course

Hyung Jin Moon
April 17, 2009

Ref. No. FFWPUI 2009-23

To: Regional presidents, National messiahs, National leaders
From: FFWPU International Headquarters
Date: April 17, 2009
Re.: Submitting items related to True Parents’ life course

May God and True Parents’ blessings and love be with brothers and sisters in all regions, mission nations and providential organizations.

In keeping with True Parents’ instructions, Cheon Jeong Gung Museum is collecting items related to True Parents’ life course from the mission nations. Regional presidents and national leaders are asked to actively cooperate with this request, and to let members know that the museum will be grateful to accept donated items to include in the public, official collection.

1. Requested items

1) Any documents personally written by True Parents including calligraphy, signed documents, drawings, letters, memos, etc. (original copies only)

2) Anything containing True Parents’ DNA including their blood, hair, fingerprints, fingernails, toenails, etc.

3) Everyday utensils, tools, clothes, electronic appliances, dinnerware, books used by True Parents.

4) Video, audio recordings, photos, visuals, or audio files recording True Parents’ daily life or activities.

5) Any other items that have providential significance in relation to True Parents’ life course.

2. Administrative matters

1) Submitted materials will be preserved and put on display at the Cheon Jeong Gung Museum in the name of the contributing organization (or contributor), and will be used for educational purposes.

2) A photocopy of the submitted material will be sent to the contributing organization (or contributor) upon request.

3. Inquiries

1) Point Person: Mr. Chong Keun Park (Manager of the Exhibition Team, Cheon Jeong Gung Museum)

Hyung Jin Moon
International President

Making Victorious Teams

Hyung Jin Moon
April 11 2009
Headquarters Church, Seoul, Korea
Transcribed by: Rev. Beatrice Clyburn
Edited by: Rev. Bruno Klotz

Yeon Ahn Nim’s Welcoming Remarks:

Good afternoon brothers and sisters! (Good afternoon!)

It is really great to see you all. Today is the 50th wedding anniversary of True Parents. So this morning we went to Chung Pyung to greet True Parents. They did a small ceremony with some of the True Family members and some members at Hoon Dok Hae.

Looking at them cutting their 50th wedding anniversary cake, I felt really great to attend, not just one man but two, one man and one woman, our dear True Parents. They show us what true husband and true wife is with Heavenly Father. Brothers and sisters we are always honored to have you here, and for those who are joining with us via internet, wherever you are, we are welcoming you as well. Welcome brothers and welcome sisters.

Hyung Jin Nim’s Welcoming Remarks:

Welcome brothers and sisters! Today is Cheon Seong Gyeong 1041. Father speaks today. He says,

“You should not feel lonely or sad just because someone does not pay much attention to your words, even after you poured your whole heart into that person. The principle of heavenly law is that you will never lose your investment. Those who understand this will be blessed”.

See brothers and sisters, when we do good, when we invest in other people, we may feel at times that’s wasting our energy or it’s not going to pay back, but you see God keeps track of all the things that we do. And particularly when we invest in others, when we plant good seeds of hope in other people, when we give them strength, when we mentor that child, when we encourage that friend, when we support that loved one, then God is being excited by that, He’s being inspired by that. And that causes Him to want to give back. That causes Him to want to inspire us in our lives.

It’s the same process. Father says that this heavenly principle, this law, is that we’ll never lose our investment. When we do goodness, that investment is never lost, it’s never wasted. At the time we may not see its full reward but in the process of time, we will see that its fruits are more and more abundant. That is one of the secrets that Father is giving us today.

Brothers and sisters, every time before service, let’s always remember that we have to be strong in the way we look at ourselves. In the world, we work hard, we study hard, we have to compete with other smart kids at school or at the work place, whatever, and we may feel at times very down. We may feel very inadequate at times.

Particularly in those times we need to even more strongly give God the glory, because it’s in those times when we take the energy off of our inadequacies, and focus on the fullness and the goodness and the liberation of God, it’s when we get filled up with that strength, it’s when we start reaping the benefits of those incredible facets of God.

So it’s so very important that we see ourselves in that light, that we see ourselves as strong in 2009, getting more victorious in 2009. Even though the situation may look tough, even though we may not see a way, we see ourselves growing, growing every year. Every day we see ourselves stronger. In one year from now, in April 2010, you’re going to be stronger, you’re going to be more victorious, you’re going to be more mature, you’re going to be more able to handle anything that’s in your path. If you believe it, let’s give it up for God and True Parents. (Applause)

We always have to hold that in our hearts. We always have to keep that in our hearts. That’s the age of liberation. That’s when we can truly can bring glory and joy and inspiration to God. Once again brothers and sisters, welcome, and let’s return that glory and happiness to God this day during the service. Thanks once more. Welcome!

End of First Meditation Practice:

Let us always remember that God and True Parents are with us. The changes of the seasons are now at hand. It is time now for a new season even in our own lives. Let’s remember that True Parents have given us the blessed life to truly inherit the true love of God and to become greater blessings to our family, community, nation and to our world.

Hyung Jin Nim’s Prayer:

Let us join our hearts for a brief prayer. Heavenly Father thank You so much for bringing us together today. Father we are here from all over the world. We are joined here by brothers and sisters in Africa, and the Philippines and South America and the States. Father we are here together as one global Unification community centered on True Parents, and Father we are here to truly be able to bring glory and happiness to You.

We know that when we do that as our life purpose, then we are fulfilled in our deepest heart. Then the great potentials and the dreams and ambitions that You have bestowed and given to us become fulfilled one by one. Father we know however that, that does not mean there won’t be difficulties, that does not mean there won’t be obstacles, that does not mean there won’t be challenges. Father, there will be challenges, we know that.

But Father we know that You always give us more talent than those challenges can handle. We know that You have always given us exactly what we need to overcome those obstacles. Father it is important for us to believe in ourselves, that we can overcome the hardships, the difficulties and become stronger, brighter, and more victorious every day for You.

We thank You so much Lord because we are here together as brothers and sisters, and we hope that today You may smile upon us, and You may be glad, and You may look upon us and truly be proud that we are Your children and that we call You our Parents. Thank You so much. We thank You once more from the deepest part of our hearts. With an everlasting love and a profound gratitude we pray in our own names as central blessed families. Aju!

Interesting story:

You know we always start with something just a little, a little interesting. I heard this wonderful little story. There was a story about a mom and she was reflecting on her two little boys. She said that, “Years ago when my two little boys were very small, they were taught how to say their blessings before eating their meal. One night I was very busy scurrying around the kitchen so I told them, ‘Hey! Boys, say your prayers before the meal without me’.” And then she took a moment to watch them as they both squeezed their eyes tightly, and folded their hands and began to pray.

The elder one, the 4 year old, finished very quickly, but the 3 year old kept on praying and praying. After about another minute or two passed, the 3 year old lifted his head, looked at his plate and was very angry. He said, “Hey! God did not take away my broccoli!” (Laughter) Now you know what he prayed for, right?

Main Sermon:

Brothers and sisters, today I want to talk to you about making victorious teams.

You know in order to live the blessed life, we have to learn how to make our lives victorious for God. In order to do that, we have to realize that life is not a solo activity, it is a team effort. There is no one, no company, no sports team, no religion that succeeds just because of one person. It is a team effort!

Great teams have a purpose. They have a strong sense of direction and each member has a strong sense of responsibility to pull his or her own weight for the team. Poor teams have weak purpose, weak sense of direction and each member wants personal glory over team glory.

To know that one does not know everything and to be willing to work with others who have expertise in the portions that I don’t have, for example, is one of the real keys to making great teams. To have the humility to recognize that life is full of things to learn and full of people to learn from, is one of the most essential keys to the blessed life.

Let’s take a look at some of these world scriptures today: Let’s take a look at Christianity. This is Matthew 25-28. Let’s read it together. That’s Jesus speaking, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the son of man came not to be served but to serve.” He‘s talking about when we work together, when we build the kingdom, it’s not only about my glory. It is about serving, helping the greater have glory.

Let’s take a look at Taoism today from the Daodejing 81. Let’s read that together. “The sage does not accumulate for himself. The more he uses for others, the more he has himself. The more he gives to others, the more he possesses of his own. The way of heaven is to benefit others and not to injure.” Once again, although we may think that accumulating for ourselves that’s beneficial, in the end, what he’s saying is we lose our friendships, we lose all the things that are really precious. And when we use for others, when we help others even succeed, then we are getting the benefits of benevolence and the way of heaven.

Let’s take a look at Islam from the Hadith of Bukhari. Let’s read this together, “The best men are those who are useful to others” says this hadith. Once again those who can participate in helping others, be useful to others, can themselves be the best in God’s eyes.

Let’s take a look at Confucianism today. This is from the Analects 6.28.2. Let’s read it together, “The man of perfect virtue, wishing to be established himself, seeks also to establish others, wishing to be enlarged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others.” Once again, connecting the success of others with the goal and purpose of oneself.

Let’s tie that together on True Parents’ words (10.20.73) Let’s read it together, “God’s definition of goodness is total giving, total service and absolute unselfishness. We are to live for others. You live for others and others live for you. God lives for man and man lives for God. The husband lives for his wife and the wife lives for her husband. This is goodness. And here, unity, harmony and prosperity abound.”

Notice, this is a symbiotic relationship, this is a give and receive relationship, you live for others and others live for you. In that synergy, then there is prosperity. In that synergy there is unity and harmony.

You know, award-winning journalist, columnist and author of three Pulitzer prizes, Thomas Freedman, wrote a book that was entitled, “The world is flat!” I’m going to repeat that title to you, “The world is flat”. This was a book about globalization and there were many many many insights in this work.

But one of his main points is that we usually think that the world is round. All of you at least learned that the world was round, right? And we may learn that there are hierarchies in the world, the first world countries, second world countries, third world countries, etc... But his point was that in this new market, in this new global economy, this view is actually wrong. The world is now flat; flat because everybody is now able to play on an equal plain field. Everybody now can compete with each other on an equal plain field.

He gave one example: people in first world countries not only have to compete with other people in first world countries, they now have to compete with people in third world countries as well, for jobs etc... In America, he gave the example of phone companies that hire thousands of Indians as phone assistants over Americans because they speak English, they’re polite and take less wages, etc... And he warns the first world countries that this is the case whether they like it or not, whether they think it’s unfair or not, this is the case of the present world situation.

And he challenges -- he actually challenges Americans -- to train their citizens to work harder, to train their children to study more, to become more creative, to make them more competitive for the global age where the world is flat, where it’s an equal plain field.

He goes on to say that in this kind of global world, only the ones who are able to think, prepare and develop themselves for synergy and teamwork are those who will win. Essentially, leaders that are trying to do everything alone or by themselves or in their own countries will not be able to have the competitive advantage that other countries, who make synergies, will. In this new global market, this expectation believes that leaders are looking to create the best teams and teammates that play to win for the team, and create success regardless of the new and modern challenges that they face.

“But in these rough times things are tough. I’ve got to look out for myself, I’ve got to look out for my family!” But we’ve got to remember, brothers and sisters, these times are also rough for leaders. They are looking for people who are skilled and also willing to sacrifice for the team’s success. They want to keep this kind of people, and they want to reward this kind of people.

“But I can’t help my team succeed. I have to succeed first, myself! I’ve got to get my thing done first!” Sure it’s always great to be your best. It’s always great to actualize all the potential you have. But don’t forget that no matter how great you become, you must always work with people. You’re always going to have to work with people. And that involves creating teams, partnerships, synergies, win-win relations, etc... That is one of the keys, and one of the realities in actualizing all our God-given potential.

In the midst 5th century, a man named Herodotus, traveled all over the Mediterranean from Scythia to Egypt, creating what are known as the histories of the Greco-Persian wars. Here, in this age, the Persian empire was humongous. It dominated nearly half of the world. In 490 and 480 the Persians, as one of the most powerful empires, invaded the Greek territories. At this time the Greek territories were all split up. They were all different city states. But they realized that they had to bind together, they had to work to repel the invasions off.

In the battle of Marathon -- for any of you who like to run the marathon, this is where the name came from, from the battle of Marathon - the Persians attacked, sending a fleet to sack Athens, to destroy Athens, and they landed on the bay of Marathon.

The Greeks had to defeat them quickly and they had to protect Athens at the same time but this was impossible. The Persians outnumbered them by enormous amounts and they were more skilled, etc...

Miltiades, who was the general on the Greek team, sent 2 teams to block the Persians and they used the double encirclement. They totally surrounded the Persians at the bay of Marathon. And they attacked them as a united front. Because of this unity, the Persians at that bay were defeated and they were forced to flee.

Miltiades then sent the troops to run to Athens -- they had to run to Athens, from Marathon to Athens -- and then they had to block off the Persian fleet that was coming in. The battle showed here that, when united, the Greeks could defeat a larger and more powerful empire and preserve their culture and their nation.

By 445, just a couple of decades later, the Greeks quickly moved into what is known as the Greek golden age, a time of great prosperity, great security and great development. But they would have never ever reached that age if they were not able to work together, to unite, strengthen their purpose and to repel the invasions.

At the time, Persia was so powerful. And because of that unity, the Greeks were able to enter into their golden age and have a tremendous, tremendous history.

You know, in the Biblical tradition, we also see this at work. Even in the Bible, we saw Rev. Walter Fauntroy last week speaking about it, that this is now the Joshua generation. When entering the promised land, the 10 spies said, ”We cannot go in, we cannot defeat them, they are like giants and we are like grasshoppers.” They saw themselves as weak, defeated. They saw themselves as incapable of taking on the kings in the Promised Land.

But Joshua and Kaleb, they disagreed. They had what Rev. Fauntroy called “the minority report”. But they knew that even though they were a minority, because they had God on their side, they were a majority. And so they convinced the Israelites; they had to convince them, they had to argue with them. They said, “No, we can do it! We can get into the promise land. We can get into that land of milk and honey that God has promised our people for generation after generation.” And they created a condition of unity to lead the people into victory and they did.

Even though the other 10 spies, they continued to say, “We can’t do it, you are crazy, you are going to lead us all into suicide, this is insane. We’re not going to make it. This is definitely going to be our worse year.. 2009 we’re not going to be able to make it through this. It’s going to be terrible!” They were saying that. But what did Joshua and Caleb had to do? They had to block that out, and say, “You know what? I believe that I will make it into this Promised Land. I believe that I will lead this people into that land.“

I remember in 2005 when Father announced I had to take responsibility for the religious side of the church, and Kook Jin Hyung for the economic side of the church, and I remember Kook Jin Hyung coming up to me one day. It was in America. He came up to me, and tried to talk to me, trying to sense whether or not I was open to the view and to saying, “Yes we can! Yes we can liberate the members from irresponsible leadership! Yes we can liberate True Parents from false reporting! Yes we can liberate many from the idea that the True Children can’t work together! Yes we can liberate and grow the church, we can liberate True Parents, show success, that our movement can become successful while They are here. Yes we can do that!“ and he wanted to sense me out, whether or not our hearts were united.

And there were so many who said it was impossible, ”There’s no way we can move the outside world. It’s impossible! They are like giants in our view, they are huge out there. We are like grasshoppers. There’s no way we’re going to be able to inspire them and move them, no way we’ll move them and make them understand the role of True Parents.”

But we continued to work together, and just like Joshua and Caleb, we continue to believe that we will get into the Promised Land. We believe that we will be able to move the outside world, we believe that Unificationism will be victorious while True Parents are here. If you believe it, let’s give it up for God and True Parents. (Loud applause)

See, God is preparing us for our golden age, the age of liberation and complete release. That’s the age that True Parents opened for us, and that is our golden age. It’s an age that True Parents started by liberating the heart of God because they revealed that He was a lonely God. He was high and mighty but He was totally alone. By revealing His divinity which is true love, a love that is selfless, and can bring even Satan to voluntary surrender, they’ve afforded us that chance to inherit that true love and become equals to God, become his partners in love, that can reciprocate love with Him.

And now as True Parents’ children we have a responsibility in the age of liberation, to do for them what they did for God, and that is, to liberate True Parents. How do we do that? We do that by making our movement truly, truly successful. We do that by having their tradition recognized, we do that by all the efforts and up until now, all the blood, sweat and tears that our first generation shed. We allow that to be acknowledged by truly showing success in our movement, truly showing growth in our movement, showing that we can make a difference, we can make a tremendous impact in society in positive ways.

And it’s not just about giving birth to new children, we have to also raise them to be filial children, and also raise those children so that those children can become and make new filial children, like that, who can become true owners of this kind of cycle of liberation.

And now we are going to enter the growth stage Cheon Bok Gung. I’m sure all of you heard about it. By the end of this year we’re going to be moving into the growth stage Cheon Bok Gung. It’s going to be a whole new level in terms of how we’re going to be able to communicate with the nation.

And at that temple, we’re going to have to share our tradition, we’re going to have to truly become proud and confident in who we are, in what tradition we represent, and being able to share that with confidence with a smile on our face and with a 2-step and a 3-step. We have to be able to really show who we are, and have commitment in our own selves as team members.

You know in the Buddhist tradition, there’s this beautiful iconography, this beautiful picture of the Buddhisattva of compassion. In Chinese Buddhism, the “he” is a “she” and the manifestation of this Asian Buddhist iconography has 1,000 arms -- has 1,000 arms, very scary for many people when they see that!

How come she has 1,000 arms? I’ll tell you why she has 1,000 arms. She has 1,000 arms because the 1,000 arms reach out in 1,000 directions and they save 1,000 beings who are drowning and suffering, so the hands represent a savior’s hand that is reaching out and helping those people who are suffering.

In this thing that you’re going to see next, I want you to keep in mind that this performance was done by Chinese performers, and the wonderful and amazing thing about these performers is that all these people, that you will see, are handicapped. Some of them are deaf, some of them have other types of handicaps. They are disabled individuals, but watch what happens when they come together. Watch what happens when you see the unity of power, when you see this team effort come together, watch how they shine. Let’s take a look at this video now.

Let’s give it up for those disabled individuals (Applause)

When we look at these performers, of course it would be amazing on its own, without them being disabled. Even people like us trying to coordinate something like that, is so difficult but when you take into consideration that all these performers were disabled, many of them could not even hear. The lady in the front she’s completely deaf, she cannot hear, and that’s why you saw the coordinators at the side, signing them on and showing them the beats of the music, etc...

By coming together and bringing together this work of art, shining this iconography, making this figure come to life, they not only challenge or inspire other people to live and become like this -- to be able to even despite challenges to come together, work together and continue to reach out hands in help -- they inspire tremendously many many people who watch this performance to live up to that potential that everybody has within them.

Brothers and sisters that is really one of the keys in working together in a team, to really be able to see that team glory as greater than personal glory.

Brothers and sisters what can we learn today? Learning how to work together as a great team will be the key to living the blessed life. In order to create them we need to recognize that we can’t do everything alone. We have a mission as well. We have to create as Rev. Fauntroy was so excited, doing so much peace activity for the last 40 years, being involved in human rights and civil rights, working in the peace process and knowing the inadequacies of the current types of processes -- he was so excited to hear about the World Peace and Unity Temple. And there it’s not only a building. It is also our responsibility there to be able to share our tradition, to be proud of our tradition, because that’s going to be the world stage, that’s going to be the stage where people are going to see and recognize Unification tradition in a greater and greater way.

Now as we are moving to the growth stage Cheon Bok Gung by the end of this year, it’s time for us to bring the lonely children of the world and meet True Parents, to be able to understand our tradition, not only as people who participate and go through education program, but really become part of our community and really be able to allow us together to work to substantialize the world towards peace and unity.

You know, it’s now the time for Unification golden age. It’s time for our time, it’s time for Unification Church’s time. Right now in Korea, True Parents’ book has already reached the best-sellers’ list. Last week it was number 4 on the best-sellers’ list. It continues to rise. (Applause)

So we have to know that now is the time. Now is the time to be proud of who you are. Now is the time to know that people are interested in us as a tradition. They want to know what we’re about. And now the True Parents have liberated God and now it’s our turn, in this age of liberation and complete release, to be able to liberate them, that is, to really be able to raise filial children who can raise other filial children, and become those kinds of children of God and True Parents.

By inheriting the true love of God, witnessing and building the Cheon Bok Gung together, we will be able to move forward towards that world of peace, move past the war-stricken world into a world of unity, filial-piety towards heaven, and a true pride for our Unification family.

Brothers and sisters I do believe that if we do move forward with this kind of victorious team effort, we will find ourselves and we will bring to our world more victory, more illumination and more peace and we will live that blessed life that True Parents have blessed us to live. If you receive it let’s give it up for God and True Parents. (Applause)

Ending Words of the Final Meditation Practice:

True Parents have blessed us with the blessed life to inherit the true love of God and to become greater blessings to our families, community, to our nations and to our world.

Hyung Jin Nim’s Final Prayer:

Let us gather our hearts in our final prayer. Heavenly Father thank You so much for this day that You have given to us Father. Father, we thank You for being able to be together here as brethren in communion with You, feeling Your spirit, feeling You being inspired by our song, by our joy, by our inspiration.

Father we know that you are a God that seeks to be in a give and receive relationship with Your children, not a God that sits high and mighty above us all, lonely and distant. But Father, You truly wish to be able to share Your selfless love with us. Father let us be able to inherit that true love, a love that is so powerful that it can overcome any enemy, any obstacle, any challenge by natural surrender.

Father when we inherit that, we know that we will become greater blessings. We’ll become greater blessings to our families, we’ll become greater blessings to our communities, we’ll become greater blessings to this world, we’ll become greater blessings to You. We are so grateful for that opportunity.

Father thank You so much for this time. We are praying for 2009 for if we were down last week, Father we know that we are still standing today and we are facing this new week with a new hope, and Father a new spirit, and a new strength knowing that in this year where everybody tells us we’re going to fail, and everybody tells us we’re going to go and decrease, Father you promised us we’re going to increase, Father You promised us we will have more victory, Father you promised us that we will have more peace in our hearts and be able to share that to this world.

Father we pray that we may be able to keep our eyes open and find those victories, find that peace that You are giving to us every single day. Father, we pray and offer all our gratitude to You for we know that we are here together as a team, and not only a team that is here for its own purpose, but truly bring victory and glory to You.

We thank You so much. We thank You to be alive at this time, and we offer up all the glory with an everlasting love, and a tremendous gratitude. From the depth of our hearts, we pray in our names as central blessed families, Aju! 

Announcement of Change of Leadership – Joon Ho Seuk replaces Chang Shik Yang

Hyung Jin Moon
April 10, 2009

Ref. No. FFWPUI 2009-22

To: Regional presidents, National messiahs, National leaders
From: FFWPU International Headquarters
Date: April 10, 2009
Re.: Announcement of Change of Leadership

May God and True Parents’ blessings and love be with brothers and sisters in all regions, mission nations and providential organizations.

This is to announce a change in the presidency of FFWPU-Korea according to True Parents’ instructions given on April 9, 2009.

True Father appointed Dr. Joon Ho Seuk to the position of President of FFWPU-Korea, a position that has been held by Dr. Chang Shik Yang. The appointment is effective from April 9, 2009. I appreciate Dr. Chang Shik Yang’s hard work and sacrifice during the time he has held this position and wish him God’s blessings in his new mission.

Hyung Jin Moon
International President 

Hoonsa and Spiritual Power for Church Growth

Hyung Jin Moon
April 2009

In the following excerpts from extensive remarks Hyung-jin nim made to those who accompanied him to a hilltop in Seoul for his early morning meditation, bows and prayer, he outlined his vision for a movement supported by the devoted efforts (Jeong Seong) of a dedicated group of members. The concept of this core group, Hoonsa, sprang from Hyung-jin nim's concern for the future of pastors in Korea (some of whom are early followers) who face mandatory retirement as the churches in Korea are consolidated.

Is there a way in which early members, now in retirement, can devote themselves deeply to God's providence and will for the remainder of their lives? There are very good people, such as Seo Yoo-ahm, who has been a church leader from the early days. But because he is sixty-five years old, he would now retire and become a general member. Yet retirement seems an inadequate step for someone who has followed such a path in life. I have thought seriously about this. After praying about it for several months, an answer suddenly came in January. The completion stage is from 2009 to 2013. The answer came at the very beginning of the completion stage.

The title of Hoonsa may be unfamiliar. But through the efforts of those who qualify to be Hoonsa, our church will surely rise to the world level. Our church leadership here at present would not be able to lead religious people on the world level.

Church leaders are like masters degree holders, and Hoonsa are like the doctoral degree holders.

Returning to their hometown and relaxing after retiring is not the path by which church leaders can become Hoonsa. True Father has not retired or stepped back, has he? When you reach sixty-five, there is now the opportunity to begin anew.

A new beginning after a long career

Right up until you go to the spirit world, you can devote your life completely to Heaven. You can offer Jeong Seong, fight it out, deny yourself, and follow the ascetic path of a monastic for True Parents' sake. However, because you follow this difficult path, you will rise to the highest position. You will have mastered yourself. After going to the lowest place, you will rise to the highest. Through taking the most difficult path, you will find yourself marvelously elevated.

Not everyone will be able to qualify as Hoonsa. There may be church leaders who do not qualify. You have to pass through a four hundred-day course; it's a four hundred-day test. You must gather your resolve in order to accomplish this. Those who are of a mind to follow this ascetic path will find joy, gratitude and honor in becoming Hoonsa. This is not a path for those who are merely interested in the title or for those who prefer to remain at home and watch television. It is for those who can truly feel the joy and gratitude of the training course. It's training that lasts until you ascend to the spirit world.

This is a way for the early church leaders to have a victorious life. Their sons and daughters will support their parents during the program. Let's gather our sincere devotion to support our fathers and mothers in this last stage, the completion stage, on the way of God's will. For the sons and daughters, it's a concrete act of filial piety. Up until no our parents have raised us and put us through university; now let's do something for them. Such a family culture is emerging.

I'm saying that the first-generation era is not over. This way bodes success for the sons and daughters, for the church leaders, for the families involved -- and for our church. For the sake of church development we are cutting down on expenses, so the sons and daughters will support their parents on the Hoonsa program, which is both their sincere offering and helpful for the church.

When I explained this idea to Kook-jin nim, his response was "Oh good. Very good!"

A revival of the church

We are working to develop our church, as you know. We are developing a system, seeking the best methods, and creating programs based on a scientific approach. But in so doing, if we lose the spiritual aspect, we will just become like a business. There must be core personnel who maintain a genuine spiritual lifestyle. Without such people, religion descends into practical science and methodology. If the lifestyle of sincere devotion disappears, the church will become a business venture. I am saying that the Hoonsa nims will revive the church. They will save our church. They will continue to strengthen the root and center of our church.

To put it simply, these Hoonsa nims are the ones following the steepest path of asceticism. They don't have anything for themselves. They cast everything aside and go this way, but because they leave everything behind, they gain everything. Because they follow the path that involves the most suffering, they become wonderful people. Because they go to the lowest position, they ascend to the highest. In fully investing themselves in a course on which they must die to themselves they can save the Unificationist community.

The power of a focused spiritual tradition

Hoonsas will be those who have first been church leaders for at least thirty-three years. Then, they must offer the four hundred days of Jeong Seong without missing even three days. As you know, our vice-president [Rey Lee Dong-han] and our church leaders here have been following this way already for many months....

The elder leaders have certainly endured hardship. We can by no means say that the era of precious people such as Rev. Seo Yoo-ahm has come to an end. I have prayed about this a great deal. Finally God has showed us the way forward.

Recently I was in America. At East Garden, there is a church brother who has worked very sacrificially on the upkeep of the buildings for thirty years. He told me he had originally wanted to be a priest, as many of his relatives were. He was planning to become a priest when he met and joined our church. He is now sixty years old. He feels that his physical strength is waning and he should prepare for when he goes to the spirit world. He wants to be able to offer more Jeong Seong. He was very excited to hear about the Hoonsa program.

I have to think about this in relation to those who have not completed thirty-three years of church leadership. If someone is sixty now, they would have to lead a church until they are ninety-three before they could begin Hoonsa training! ...

We need a huge foundation of Jeong Seong at Cheon Bok Gung. There is a need for people who make this their lifestyle. In the future, at places such as the Chung Pyung training center, conditions must be made to protect True Parents, don't you think? Such places could incorporate training for widows who are focusing on prayer (hoon-nyeo) and Hoonsa. If that were possible, many members would want to go there to train. They would truly be places of God's grace. If there were Hoonsa and hoon-nyeos all over the world, what a heart-warming situation that would be!

We should even make special clothing, so that whenever people see the Hoonsas, they will know this person is a practitioner from the Unificationist tradition. The path of an ascetic is quite different from church leadership.

Everyone, no matter who he is or how great he is, will inevitably bow his head to those who are following this way of training and asceticism. Hoonsa will not need to be able to speak well, as a church leader does. Even without saying a word, their devout, austere lifestyle will surely compel others to bow their heads. Even the nation's president would surely respect them.

As these people with a completely different lifestyle emerge, they should wear distinctive clothing. They will be like Jesus or Buddha walking on earth. They must be able to give sense of that to others.

Even as the church is still developing, the Hoonsa nims will be able to guide renowned people of the world. They will also be able to teach young church leaders -- not by being arrogant or by taking power, but by providing wise spiritual leadership. Can young people who have just graduated from university do this kind of work? Can those who have graduated from the church leaders' basic training do this? They cannot.

The early church leaders should not just retire to their hometowns. There is still a much work to be done!

Note:

Mrs. Daek Seon-ja, referring to the day Hyung-jin nim received an answer from God about what recently retired pastors might do, reminded him, Hyung-jin nim in the early hours of that day you suddenly called out, 'The way has opened up! The path has appeared!' You were going urgently back and forth. You looked so happy as you ran in and out of your tiny office, genuinely joyful and excited." 

Introduction to In Jin Moon

Hyung Jin Moon
March 28, 2009
Las Vegas, Nevada

The following is Rev. Hyung Jin Moon’s introduction of Rev. In Jin Moon on March 28, 2009, followed by her remarks before she read the Thirteenth Peace Message (A Providential View of the Pacific Rim Era in Light of God’s Will -- The Way Forward: Vision, Family Values and Leadership for America and the World) to over 1,200 people at the Sonoma Ballroom in the South Point Hotel-Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Brothers and sisters, family, district leaders, guests, ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming out today. I’m so happy to see you here in this very special venue in Las Vegas. I have the real pleasure of introducing my sister to you. She will be the keynote speaker.

Before I get into that introduction, I’d like to just first briefly talk about a very special book. It is the autobiography of Father Moon, published by the top publishing company in Korea, Gimm Young Sa. There are now 2 million copies in print; within one week after publication, the book skyrocketed to being a best-seller. Let’s give it up for Father and Mother Moon.

The book goes into tremendous depth about Father’s life and the beginnings of his ministry. All the things that we have heard about him -- the teachings of True Family, true husband and wife, true son and daughter, True Parents -- stem from an incredible spiritual root. W hen he was a young child in North Korea, many different types of experiences and events led up to his revelation, with God coming down and asking him to receive his mission. It was so inspiring reading through this autobiography, seeing it written in Father Moon’s own pen to describe some of the incredible experiences that he had when he was a young child.

At the age of 11, he was feeding homeless people in his own home, creating a shelter for them in the wintertime with his family. They always had a heart of service, shim-jung, of sharing and giving back to the community. When they left in the spring, Father would really yearn to see them again in the next winter. He says that in sharing a bowl of rice, he may have given them material sustenance, but they gave him and his family love, and that love has given him great strength throughout his entire ministry. Now at the age of 90, he has 12 active children, studying and also working in ministry and with different roles and responsibilities. He also has over 40 grandchildren. Truly a remarkable story.

Within this story is his own experience of being unjustly incarcerated, particularly in the U.S. prison in Danbury, Connecticut, in the 1980s. During that period of time, Father Moon, as you saw in the video, took the most humble position. He would scrub the toilets of the prison cells as a spiritual practice, in order to keep his prayer life active and to truly take the servant-of-servants position. In that experience, Father Moon taught our leaders and the various visitors who saw him there.

One of the incredible things that happened during that time was that many religious leaders from differing faith traditions stood up and began protesting on behalf of Father Moon and for religious freedom. Rev. Jerry Falwell, Dr. Joseph Lowery, and other notable religious leaders stepped up and spoke on behalf of Father and Mother Moon.

During this difficult time in the history of the Unification movement, there was an outstanding young woman leader who was fighting on behalf of this great spiritual leader. That young woman was hand in hand with the religious leaders such as Jerry Falwell, Dr. Lowery, and others, walking alongside them, speaking on behalf of religious freedom. After Father was released, she attended him as he resumed his ministry in America.

She went on to study at Columbia University, getting her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and philosophy. She then went on to study world religions at the Harvard Divinity School. She is an incredible woman and a gifted leader. She is the mother of five beautiful children, who are in attendance today. The eldest son is at Edinburgh University, getting his undergraduate and graduate degrees in business studies. The second and third children are currently at Harvard University and are world-class pianists. Her younger children are on their way to tremendous success.

This woman is at the forefront of the Unification tradition. She has been recently appointed by Father Moon as the president of the American Family Federation for World Peace and Unity (FFWPU-USA), and she is also the CEO of FFWPU-USA. She is a passionate leader, a wise mother, a tremendous sister, a truly filial daughter, and an incredible woman.

Let’s all rise to welcome our president of the FFWPU-USA, the Rev. Dr. In Jin Moon. Let’s give it up for her.

In Jin Moon:

I am delighted to be here in Las Vegas with all of you, with such an illustrious gathering of men and women from all around the world. I feel quite privileged and honored, most importantly to have been introduced by my younger brother and the new spiritual head of our movement. He is doing such a phenomenal job in re invigorating the Second Generation of our movement and re inspiring the First Generation as well with his message of love, compassion, and healing.

I believe that it is with great insight and great wisdom that my father has chosen the youngest son of our family to be just that. He has always been called “Lovey” of the True Family simply because he was too pretty when he was a baby. I still remember my mother pushing the baby stroller with so much pride, as most mothers would. He was such a vision of love from the moment he was born. He has carried on that vision of love throughout his adolescence and his young adult life into his marriage with his beautiful wife. And he also has five children. W e have an ongoing joke in our family, asking ourselves the question, “Why is it that the ones with five children go into ministry?” But truly I am totally inspired by his work.

Today in attendance are not just Hyung Jin but also so many members of my family -- my brothers and sisters and the grandchildren. And in particular I’m so grateful to have Kook Jin, who’s also my younger brother but also a financier extraordinaire who has single-handedly revitalized the financial foundation of our movement in Korea. With him in place as an incredibly strong backbone, the rest of us can be like the hands and the feet that can usher in and truly harvest everything that our True Parents have been working for and sacrificing for these many years.

As the chairman of the American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC) reiterated just a while ago, this year we celebrated the 90th birthday of my father, who has invited all of you to come to Las Vegas, which many call Sin City. It is truly in the style of my father to not sit by the sidelines but to plop himself straight in the center of everything and ask all of us to interject a bit of heaven into Sin City, into the culture and the entertainment world of Las Vegas.

He is asking us to re-imagine what has been called Sin City by asking us, Why not introduce something heavenly? Why not introduce the letter H? Instead of sin as a noun, why not introduce a verb, ING, and turn the Sin City into a Shining City? A city that does not have to hide in the darkness, but a city that can truly be infused with the light of the divine and with the beauty of what my parents have been living for, which is true love. We can turn the city of darkness into the city of light, a shining example of what America can be.

My father has always been a pioneer, ever since he was anointed by God to take on the mission of Jesus Christ when he was 16 years old. From that very tender age of 16, he has never, ever wavered in his dedication, his devotion, and his commitment and conviction to live for God and to truly usher in a world of peace.

As my father goes around the country talking about the Pacific Rim Era, he is also stressing the importance of women in leadership, which is the reason why he is pushing me and challenging all my sisters to step up to the plate and do many wonderful things on behalf of our Heavenly Parent.

This is the dawning of a new era, an opportunity that God has given us to rephrase or re-brand Las Vegas. We have an ongoing commercial nowadays that says, Whatever happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas. My father is challenging all of us to re-brand that phrase ; if this city can re-brand itself as the Shining City of God, then it’s no longer going to be a city where everything that happens here stays here. In fact, it’s going to be a city where whatever happens is going to spread to all four corners of the world.

I am truly honored to be standing at this podium, and I know that my father would love to have been here with all of you himself, but he asked me to read a speech that he would like to share with all of you. I would like to take a little bit of your time to do just that. Thank you. 

Greeting to Members at the Renew-America Campaign

Hyung Jin Moon
March 28, 2009
South Point Hotel, Las Vegas, NV

Brothers and sisters, it’s a real honor to be with you all here today. Thank you so much for coming out on such short notice to really support our True Parents here in Las Vegas. We’re really so grateful. I’d like to extend a great round of applause to all the blessed families that are out here. Let’s give it up for all the Blessed Families. (Applause)

Today we just want to be able to greet you, to really extend our gratitude. We know all of you have really done so much behind the scenes to make everything possible with all the events that have taken place today. And also such enthusiasm and such great love and filial piety for True Parents. We are always so moved and so grateful to see so many families from around the world really carry on the mantle of filial piety to True Parents. Thank you so much for that constant loyalty and that constant fidelity.

One of the things that we just want to share briefly is that, you know, True Father has been very excited about America. And we are also very excited about America. We love America. We really believe that America has an incredible potential. And we’re so happy to see In Jin nuna stepping up as the guide, the leader, of America. Let’s give it up one time for In Jin nuna. Come on. Let’s give it up. (Applause)

In Jin nuna has always been kind of like a mother figure in our family. She’s raised really the half of the family that was born in America. She’s always been kind of guiding us and helping us, whether it be with school or even in our faith life, etc. Really, we are so happy that Father is very enthusiastic about her ministry that will be starting soon. And we’re so happy to see that we can really focus our energies on church growth and really be proud of ourselves as Unificationists, really moving towards the age where our True Parents can be glorified and also our tradition as well, all the Blessed Families that have sacrificed until now, really serving and attending True Parents. We really want those families to shine.

You know, one of the things we always tell the leadership wherever we go is that if our families shine, then the movement shines. And that’s very important because as leaders of the Unification Church, it is really our responsibility to not want or to expect our families or the people who are in our congregations just to serve and attend us. That is not the right type of Abel. But it is the opposite. It is really the leaders that are serving. We really wish to see the Blessed Families succeed and to be successful and also have very strong faith lives as well. This is the kind of ministry that we really have been encouraging all over Korea, Japan, and also in America.

In Jin nuna has been at the forefront of those discussions always, and she has always been very adamant and clear about that kind of direction in ministry. We’re so happy that America can have a really great and bright example. I loved her incredible wit when she spoke just today and, you know, turning the Sin City into the transitive verb: the Shining City. What an incredible -- In Jin nuna, you’re such a genius! You’re so incredible.

She is so amazing. And she’s my sister -- she’s my sister, by the way. So we’re so very proud to have her to really be able to lead America. She’s not only a great charismatic leader, but she also has a tremendous mind. She has a tremendous educational background. She’s very learned. But also she’s very down to earth because she’s a mom. And she raised five beautiful kids. Let’s give it up for those guys. (Applause) And so she’s just such a beautiful mother. Truly, truly wise in her wisdom.

And so we’re so very proud that America has a really anointed, appointed and approved leader, who just happens to be a woman by the way, and so it’s such an incredible time for America to really revive itself and to move to the next stage. America, I really want to congratulate you and congratulations to your new leader. We’re so happy for you all. God Bless you guys. Thank you guys. 

The Joy of Blessings

Hyung Jin Moon
March 28, 2009
Headquarters Church, Seoul Korea
Transcriber: Vera Sawaya and Snezhana Olatunji
Edited: Regina Shin and Bruno Klotz

Welcoming remarks
Yeon Ah Nim

Good afternoon brothers and sisters, Good afternoon, it’s really great to see you all. Today we’re in America with True Parents, for the 50th True Parents day. Happy True Parents day to all of you! Today we hope that all of God’s blessings will come to you and that we will be a bigger blessing to the world. We always love to have you here in the sanctuary, and for those who are joining us via Internet, we also welcome you as well. Welcome brothers and welcome sisters.

Hyung Jin Nim

Brothers and sisters, good to see you all today, Pastor Michael, good to see you. Today we are going to start from Chung Seong Gyeong page 703:

“Our lifetime is but a moment. This lifetime will determine whether we are connected to eternity or to the moment. You are all historically the resurrected bodies of your ancestors, wearing their faces. How long is this history? It is said to be hundreds of thousands of years old. The purpose of this long arduous course of history was eventually to create one person who is you.”

Brothers and sisters, let us remember these words that Father speaks, let us remember that the purpose of this long arduous history was eventually to create that one person which is you. Let us remember that meaning and that value, brothers and sisters. Let us start seeing and building ourselves with the power of the purpose of God.

When we do that we are going to have greater meaning, greater strength, and we are going to start to have greater enthusiasm for life, and we are going to start to become great blessings.

Brothers and sisters, I found it so important that whenever we start a service we begin by remembering to be like that. Let us always remember, when we give service to worship God and True Parents here on Saturday, to elevate joy to Heaven. And we do believe that those blessings come showering down. Can we say Aju at this point?

Yes, brothers and sisters, it’s always good to have you here in the service, welcome once again, and let’s be that great blessing for God and True Parents today. Thank you brothers and sisters.

Hyung Jin Nim’s Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for this day You blessed upon us. Father, we are gathered in this sanctuary on this beautiful Saturday and we pray that You may bless each one of the brothers and sisters here today. We pray that You may bless all the nations that they are connected to. Father, we pray that you may be with all the families joining us all across the world, and, Father, we pray that we may be that victorious people, victorious as we move into the spring season, not moving to it with a victim mentality but with a victorious mentality.

Father, we are here to truly give glory and honor to You, to inherit your divine true love to spread that to the rest of this world. Father, we pray that today we may realize our incredible purpose and value. May we stand proud and tall as Your sons and daughters. Thank You so much for this time. We offer all these things in tremendous gratitude and everlasting love in our names as central blessed families. Aju!

Interesting Story:

Good to see you all here today. Before we start I always like to start with something a little interesting. I heard an interesting story, a story about a Sunday school teacher. She was teaching her young students about Noah and the Ark. She asked them what they thought Noah may have done to pass time on the Ark for 40 days. After waiting for few moments the teacher suggested: “You know maybe he did a lot of fishing. How about that, children?” One little boy gave her a funny look and he raised his arm up and said: “Teacher, I don’t think so. It’s kind of hard to fish with just two worms!”

Sermon by Hyung Jin Nim:

Brothers and sisters, today I’d like to talk to you about the joy of blessings. You know, in order to live a blessed life we have to learn how to be a blessing. You know, living just to fulfill one’s own needs, one’s own dreams, one’s own goals and ambitions is a very boring and unfulfilling way to live our lives.

See, God is delighted when we live our live to be a blessing to others. That’s when we get more blessings from God. Try to find at least one person to bless every single day. Isn’t it an exciting, creative and blessed way to live? And it’s one of the keys to live a blessed life.

Let’s take a look at some of the World scriptures today. We start with Christianity, Luke 6:38. Let’s read it together. “Give and it will be given to you. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” Notice that give and receive action! It will be given onto you; the measure we give will be the measure we get back. God is taking toll, God is watching.

Let’s look at Buddhism today. It is Itivuttakha, Sutra 18. Let’s read it together. “If beings knew, as I know, the fruit of sharing gifts, they wouldn’t enjoy their use without sharing them, nor would the taint of stinginess obsess the heart and stay there.” Once again we see “the fruits of sharing gifts,” the joy.

Islam, Qur’an 92:18-21. We will read it together: “He who gives his wealth to purify himself and confers no favor on any man for recompense, only seeking the face of his Lord, the Most High, he shall surely be satisfied.” See once again how important it is to be able to share.

Let’s look at True Parents’ words today. This is from the 46th book. Father here is speaking”: You become happy by giving. You cannot get true happiness from receiving. That is why the person who gives is more blessed than the person who receives. Why is there blessing in giving? It is because you stand in the position of being with God.”

This is what True Parents speak to us today. "But you know how am I going to bless somebody else? I can’t even take care of myself. Let alone bless another person!" But it is the opposite way. Once we start blessing others you‘ll see how valuable you are to God. You are going to start seeing and noticing how valuable you actually are to others. You’ll start respecting yourself more and start having a stronger sense of purpose and self value.

“Well, I don’t have anything to give,” -- you may say. No, you have a smile! You can give somebody an encouraging word or you can give somebody courage when they don’t believe in themselves. You can call an old friend. There’re so many small things we can do. We can give our seat on a bus to some elderly person. We can help somebody drive their way to church that can’t drive. One thing we like to do is to check our closet and give away the clothes that we don’t wear regularly. You may say, “I can’t give away these clothes. I looked so good in that dress 10 years ago.”

Brothers and sisters! It’s time to let it go! It’s important to be a blessing. Remember, not the item that we give but the fact that we give blessing is going to improve our blessed life. Remember, no matter how small, God sees it all!

See, Jesus was always a blessing wherever he went. Wherever he went he was healing the sick, he was feeding the poor; he was spiritually enriching and guiding many people there, comforting lonely people there as well. But you may say: “I can’t perform miracles like Jesus; I’m not a son of the highest God!” You don’t have to heal the sick and perform miracles to be like Christ, brothers and sisters! You can have compassion; you can help somebody in small ways.

In True Parents' autobiography that came out -- now it’s a bestseller, number 6 bestseller in Korea and keeps on going. Let’s give it up to True Parents! -- Father speaks about one story. When Father was young there was his grandfather and his parents in that old village in North Korea. They had such a habit of being a blessing to others. He said how in the winter season always there were homeless people who were traveling. And they would stop and stay in their house. His family created a space for people, just in case for people who had no shelter and were passing by. And they would always feed them. They tried to give some food, even a bowl of rice.

This chapter is titled “A joy of sharing a bowl of rice.” In that chapter Father spoke about how his parents and his grandparents were always compassionate to the needy. They were always sharing as much as they could. They never drank, they didn’t smoke cigarettes. They used this money to provide more food for the people who were passing by. And Father said how he, as a young child of 11 years old, would sit in that space with the homeless people and listen to their stories. He would help his mother bring the food to those people and he would find joy in it.

But the real joy he received was the love that those people would return back. They gave gratitude, love and real thankfulness for being a blessing to them. And also he mentioned that when the winter season passed, he would actually start missing the winter season as all people would leave and travel where they needed to go. Father said: “I started actually missing these homeless people and their stories. And I would wait for the next winter.” He would anticipate with joy in order to give and to be a blessing again.

See, we don’t have to do big things. We don’t have to do huge things. You can pray for somebody. You can buy soccer boots for another child whose boots are worn out when you are buying these boots for your child. You can spend your time to be a listener to elderly people. It can be a great strength for them and a great sense of friendship. You can write a surprise gratitude letter to your children. Just out of the blue, no reason, not because there is a birthday or Christmas. Just because it’s worth it. Because they are worth it. You can fix an air conditioner in somebody else’s room. You can do very small things and you can be a blessing for other people.

A few years ago my wife told me how she was filling up gas in America at a gas station. All of a sudden a senior man came up and said: “Young lady, I am so sorry! But I desperately need 20 dollars.” She hesitated at that moment. Something inside of her, God, spoke to her: “You know, plant a seed of goodness in this man’s life!” And she said: “Okay, wait here!” She went to the gas station but there was no AT machine. So she actually had to go the supermarket 3 blocks away. She had to get in her car, drive 3 blocks away, park her car, get into the supermarket, go to the ATM, and pull out 20 dollars, get back into the car, get back to the gas station and give the man these 20 dollars. She went out of her way to get this man 20 dollars. He was so elated and so grateful that this woman that he even didn’t know drove to the supermarket which was 3 blocks away, came back and gave him 20 bucks he really needed.

Of course we don’t know what exactly his situation was and how things turned out. Maybe it was his grandson’s birthday and he needed a little more to buy that toy he promised. Or maybe he forgot his wallet and he needed to pay 20 dollars for extra gas to get home and nurse his sick wife. We don’t know. And really it doesn’t matter. What we know is, that on that day God was watching that blessing and He was happy. God was smiling on her that day.

When we moved to Korea, one day my wife told me that she went to pick up our first son from school. And she bought him this yummy Hottokk. Yes, here it is. It like a rice cake with honey on top of it and inside there is yummy sweet bean paste. So yummy! All Korean members know what that is. And she was a blessing to our boy that day. She gave him this wonderful thing and he was so happy. It was fantastic! While they were eating this in front of the school he said: “Mommy, I want just one more! Just one more!” And she said: “Honey, you’ve been doing your homework very well lately so I will buy you one more.”

She bought it and as soon as he received it he ran off. “Where are you going?” she said. She came to look where he was going. Actually he ran to one elderly grandmother who was standing on the side of the street. And he held this Hottokk up that his mommy just gave him and said: “Grandma, please have this! It’s cold today, please have it. It’s warm.” That grandma just lit up with joy and she was so happy. And you know when she told me that story I was so moved. I was moved that he was inspired to share his passion and joy with other people. It didn’t cost us even a dollar but that fact that he did this compassionate act was so inspirational and really important in his own life.

Whenever it’s our kids’ days -- you know, every week we have our kid’s day when we take one of our kids out and spend one-on-one time with them -- we always challenge them -- can you be a bigger blessing today? At the end of dinner we always go to the Seven Eleven where they can choose a snack from the whole store for themselves. Yummy potato chips or whatever, you know. Then they always not only do that, but also they choose a snack for all their siblings. And then they choose them for cousins. And also they choose snacks for the security guards who protect our Hannam-dong Training center. I see them when they run to these security guards and deliver those candies and potato chips and whatever they bought that day for them. Those security guards are so happy. And I know that it’s probably not going to change these guard’s life forever, or make some profound impact in their life but I do know that it will change my children’s life forever.

They are learning to be givers and not getters. They are learning to be compassionate and not selfish. It doesn’t really take any extra time to teach them that giving is a key to living the blessed life. And it doesn’t even cost a lot more; it costs a few cents or a few dollars more. When your children start practicing a life of intentionally blessing others in small ways then what you get in return is absolutely priceless.

We were walking up to Hannam-dong Training center one day and that day my sister Sun Jun had the flue. So we went out just buying her a cake. And in front of the gate there was a Japanese sister who was coming out. She greeted us and told us that she came for some errand and that she was so happy to see me. We expressed our thanks and gratitude and we said: “Oh, my goodness, we would love to give you something but we don’t have anything. We have this cake but it’s for Sun Jun and I have got to give it to her. She is sick.” And my wife at that moment takes a scarf that she actually really likes and that True Parents gave her. And she said: “Please, take this scarf. It’s really cold and True Parents want you to have it.” And the Japanese sister started crying in that moment and saying thank you. But the most important thing was that she was saying not only thank you to us but also she was saying: “Thank you, True Parents!” She said: “Thank you, True Parents!” And that‘s what it’s all about.

And it was wonderful to see my wife’s compassion and it was wonderful to see that True Parents can work through us when we start being blessings to others. I know that God was smiling that day again and I know that True Parents really truly wished for that sister to have that scarf.

We were in Dongdaemun market one day making training robes, and I remember that while I was waiting for a couple of minutes for the person to arrive, there was a man lying down on the other side of the street. And this man was crying and crying, literally wailing on the street very loudly. And there was a group of people standing around looking what is going on. We wanted to do something for this man. But right in that moment other ministers came and other people came, so we got busy and moved on.

But that man stayed in my heart. I felt terrible that I could not do anything for this man. I could have just asked the police to come or could give him what I had in my wallet. You know, I could have done something. But we just got busy. And that night I repented to God that I could not have done something, that I should have done something. And a few weeks later we were finishing early devotions on the mountain and we were on the way back walking to Hannam-dong Training center. It was still dark, about 4:40 am. And as we arrived at the bottom of the Hannam-dong village there was a man lying on the street on the cold steps in front of this cupcake shop. We passed him and he immediately reminded me of the guy that I saw at Dongdaemun and who was crying and for whom we could not do anything.

While we were waiting at the intersection I turned to the ministers and said: “You know, we should do something for this man. It looks like he is going to freeze.” It was really cold that day. And one of the security guards immediately called the police. And we found a towel that was hanging on the glass door about 5 yards away and went to cover up this man with the towel, at least his hands. He looked very cold. He immediately got on up and said: “I’m fine. I’m fine. Thank you. Thank you.” And he started walking off. What we realized was that no profound things happened after this, no showers of blessing coming down from Heavens after that. Actually we quickly forgot about this situation. But I realized that deep sense of gratitude that arose in our hearts at the fact that we tried, we cared, at least we tried to do something for this person.

Usually when God asks us, when He inspires us, when He puts this feeling of warmth to try help another person we hesitate at that moment. We say: “Oh, you know, God, I need a sign. Why do I need to help this person? He can help himself. He doesn’t need my help. He looks healthy. I need a sign. Give me a sign. Or maybe I need a prayer. Let me pray for 10 days. I will do a 10 day condition and then decide whether I will do it." Or I need God to tell me directly. Brothers and sisters! Today God is telling us directly: “Be a blessing today. Be a blessing everyday to somebody!”

I’m not saying that you have to go extreme, like giving thousand dollars to those who are lying on the pavement. It doesn’t have to be that extreme. It can be something very small. The fact that we GIVE is important. It can be just calling 911 for help and asking police to come and help the man. Or giving him a scarf or buying him a cup of warm coffee. It can be something very small. That’s the important thing.

One of our wonderful Han-il couples here (Korean husband and Japanese sister who were blessed by True Parents) goes out of their way to drive a 94 year old grandmother-member to the church every single Sunday. But they not only do it on Sundays. They do it on Tuesdays for prayer, on Wednesdays for service, etc.

The 94 year old grandmother has a very hard time walking. She needs help to get up the stairs. So always she needs people around. Since she doesn’t have these people around, this family literally adopted this elderly person, our member. And she says that if she doesn’t come to the church she feels like she is going to pass away early.

And this family goes out of its way without any recognition. Actually this is the first time I’m talking about them in public. They drive across town 30 minutes to the grandmother’s house and they have to bring her to the church on Sundays and bring her back after the service. It’s not a one time thing. They haven’t missed even ONE service. We’ve been here for a year. They are here for every single week. Let's give it up for our Central Blessed family!

This kind of blessing makes our community stronger. This kind of giving, this kind of sharing, this kind of family-hood truly allows us to become that blessed community.

You know, our vice-chairman of Tong-Il group who works with Kook Jin Nim is now the head of finance in the Headquarter church. And he meets with presidents of our companies, all Tong-Il group companies, like Il-Hwa and the Construction Company, etc. And after the service they discuss how to become bigger givers and greater givers. And he created a plan of action where presidents and staff of the companies do service work at church. Every week they help with the welcoming ministry, they help with parking ministry, they help with passing out flyers ministry and food ministry (you know, green tea and cakes after the service).

And just on the Tuesday meeting one of the Il-Hwa presidents’ wives told us that usually they have about 25 participants from Il-Hwa Company for the first service on Sunday. But this time, because they were directly doing the service, because they were becoming truly owners of the church, leaders of the church, even though they are presidents of the company, this inspired those members. So there was double of attendance and 40 members came and helped with the service and others ministries.

They go into more humble work even though they are established businessmen. For the second service we have a lot professional working men in the congregation who volunteer to help. We have all sorts of brothers and sisters from our other services helping and volunteering in cleaning, Sunday school teaching and choir and etc.

All this is creating that culture, that empowering realm and a community of giving blessings. It’s so inspiring to see these people who are presidents and other people who can make other people do the work for them. But they step up as the owners of the church; they take personal action to serve and to attend the community. And that is true leadership. When we see that we are truly inspired.

A few years ago I knew this brother from UTS, his name is Chris. He was a wonderful brother who had a very deep interest in inter-religious work, just a wonderful fellow. It was a winter day. And I noticed that Chris didn’t have a jacket on. And it was freezing that day, so cold. He said he was fine. But I thought: “I have to do something for him.” So I gave him this expensive jacket that True Parents bought for me just a few days ago. He was so surprised. He said that just the other day he gave away his beat up old jacket to a homeless man on the street. And actually he didn’t have any money to afford another jacket. And he told me that he prayed to God: “God, I know that you’re going to provide all my needs and supply what I need.” He didn’t know that a couple of days later God was going to give him a wonderful jacket sent directly from True Parents. Let’s give it up for God and True Parents, brothers and sisters!

You see, God is great! God is great! Chris gave away his old jacket in compassion. He gave his old jacket away to this man who he knew needed it that day. And God brought him back a bigger blessing, double. See, when you bless others, when we get into the habit of giving blessings to others, God always blesses us back. He never forgets. He always keeps this record of what we are doing and how we are blessing others.

Just a few days ago someone sent me this video from You Tube about these two Chinese dancers. The man lost his leg when he was a young child. And the woman lost her arm in a car accident. And they could have got depressed at their lives and given up their lives, gotten addicted to self-pity. They could have done all that. But they overcame their respective handicaps and became great blessings to this world. How? By dancing and teaching. They teach that when something is going wrong in your life don’t blame God or get angry with yourself. Just keep dancing on! Keep pushing on! See that God is challenging you to become a greater blessing in a unique and more creative way. And they actually won the first prize in the International Dance competition in Beijing just a couple of years ago. I am not a huge ballet enthusiast but when I saw this video it brought me to tears. Let’s take a look at this video right now.

(Video is shown)

Let’s give it up for these incredible artists!

Just think about how easy in their situation it is to get down on their life and give up and become depressed. But they overcame those obstacles and became truly victorious and real blessings to this world, inspiring so many people.

Actually I sent this video to a group of my friends. And one of my friends is a priest and he told me that he loves this video. And he wrote me back telling me that after he watched this video he typed in my name in You Tube and saw a couple of interviews that we’ve done with Korean journalists. And he wrote me this incredibly encouraging letter based on these interviews’ content. And I realized: “Wow, God is blessing me with encouragement. Because these dancers are inspiring people I end up becoming blessed because of their blessing.” And really it took no extra time for me to send this video. It didn’t take any extra effort on my part. But I’ve got a blessing of encouragement back from God through my friend because of these wonderful artists.

Let’s give it up once more for these artists!

Brothers and sisters! What can we learn today? Learning to be a blessing is the key to living the blessed life. Living to just fulfill our own needs is boring and actually very unfulfilling. Living to bless and thus be blessed by God is an exciting way to live. Every day is exciting. Everyday we are on the secret mission from God to bless somebody. It’s like you are Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible” and you have a secret mission to bless somebody.

It doesn’t have to be something huge. It can be the smallest thing. It can be something very small. But that blessing, remember, God can use that seed to create an incredible tree of blessings for that person in his life. And He can use that small blessing that you bestowed on another person and create a miracle from that blessing.

Let’s remember, brothers and sisters, that already today we are blessings to another person. Let’s act on that and truly exercise to give those blessings around us today and every day. If we do that I do believe we will find the joy of blessings and we will live this blessed life that True Parents have given us. We will find more victory and illumination and more peace and we will inherit the True Love of God, being a great blessing to this world. If you receive the message let’s give it up for God and True Parents!

Hyung Jin Nim’s Final Prayer:

Heavenly Father thank You for this day that You have blessed upon us, Father we thank You for speaking to us today, reminding us to be a blessing. To be a blessing doesn’t have to be in huge ways but we know it can be in the smallest action, in a smile, in an encouraging letter, in a thank you, Father it could be in helping somebody stand up walk up the stairs, if they are elderly.

We pray that we may inherit your true love and be able to be a greater blessing to this world. Father we know that true love is not a feeling, true love is a power. It’s a power that is strong enough to overcome and make naturally surrender even the worst evil, Father, for true love is dynamic, is alive, is emotion and is powerful. Father we pray that we may inherit that, and we may be able to live our lives not only trying to fulfill our own needs and desires but fulfilling and helping others become more blessed themselves.

We know when we do that we’ll become even more blessed, that you will help us to rise to new levels of victory, to new levels of illumination and peace and that, Father, You will work Your true love power through us.

Thank You so much for this day. We pray that You may be with each brother and sister present here today and we pray truly to inherit your true love and be greater blessings to this world. Thank You so much. We pray all these things with a tremendous gratitude and everlasting love in our own names as central blessed families. We pray together here as one. Aju!