Happy Couples Receive Recognition

by Mitch Dixon-Toronto, Canada

The Toronto Chapter of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification held a Celebration of True Love Marriage Festival for 66 couples on Sunday, May 4 at the Novotel Hotel Gibson Ballroom. The celebration honored "happily married couples." They were recognized for their successful marriages. One couple had been married 64 years, and two others over 50 years. Many were over 25 or 10 years.

The event opened with O' Canada and 2 Gospel songs by a local singer. The master of ceremonies Lilly Tadin gave the welcoming remarks. Mr. Mitch Dixon, director of FFWPU in Canada, spoke on the value of marriage. The event continued by publicly announcing couples names and the years they have been married. The older couples, 25 years or more, received small gifts. This created a very warm atmosphere and the couples were happy with their hearts open.

The Celebration of True Love Ceremony began with a toast of "ceremonial drink" to the everlasting union of man and woman and the cleansing of all bad things of the past. Then the couples walked through the "arch of true love" by first bowing to each other, embracing, turning and walking through the arch. At that time they were sprinkled with the "water of blessing" as they paused for their picture to be taken. This represented the renewal of their love and the blessing of goodness on their marriage. Upon returning to their seats, they received the "peace baton," a paint stir stick wrapped in decorative paper. Three taps on the seat of each spouse represented the end of violence and resentment in marital relationships.

The program continued with the recitation of the "Affirmation of True Love" and each couple received a certificate in recognition of their participation. These were computer generated prior to the event. Entertainment followed by a gospel recording artist and Japanese sisters songs and dance. The event concluded with a buffet meal furnished by the hotel.

After much trial and error to come up with a working strategy to support the pre-blessing work of 3.6 million couples, in Canada we discovered a couple of key points. First the target audience should not be single, divorced, or even married couples. The target audience should be "happily married couples." This gave us the calling card to use these successful couples as a role model for other people of the society. Being recognized as such inspires couples, and they naturally want to involve themselves. Second, the content presented to them was broad based, uplifting marriage and morality. Too narrow doctrinal approaches tends to alienate too many good people. We plan to continue such events asking these couples for referrals as a way to network our message of true love into the society.

My special thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Chae Hee Lee, our officiators, Mr. and Mrs. Habara, Mrs. Mikiko Tanaka, Mrs. Noriko Suzuki, Ms. Satomi Kaneko, Aboulaye and Sybil Wone, Douglas and Fumiko White, Stoyan and Lilly Tadin, Michal and Kimie Trusilo, and all our Japanese sisters too many to list but not to remember, as well as all others who made this possible.

Fighting Porn on the Internet

Allen Shaw
Washington, DC

Amid arguments both in the courtroom and on the courthouse steps, the Supreme Court began hearings recently on the constitutionality of the Communications Decency Act, legislation intended to prevent minors from accessing pornographic and obscene material through the Internet. On March 19, the first day of the hearings, several organizations, including Enough is Enough, Restore America's Moral Principles (RAMP), the Maryland Coalition Against Pornography, and the Pure Love Alliance, gathered on the steps of the courthouse to show support for the CDA.

For over three hours demonstrators chanted "Enough is Enough! Children don't need that stuff!" Many also carried signs saying "Children + Porn does not equal Free Speech." Several passersby stopped to join in the demonstration or to listen to some of the speeches given by community activists and religious leaders.

A break in the chanting came after about an hour, as a winged techno-Cupid, meant to symbolize the influence of cyber-media on the morals of its consumers, "shot" several other characters with mock arrows, causing them to fall in love with various inanimate objects. The performances ended pointedly when the overzealous "angel" inadvertently crushed a "child" and then quickly disappeared without claiming any responsibility. Ken Yamamoto, whose blond wig and red arrows made him the star of the show, was quoted in the on-line edition of PC Week magazine as saying that "the Internet has a lot of power, but this power can be abused."

Mr. Yamamoto referred specifically to pornography being made available on the Net, much of which is illegal in itself, including images of women and children being molested, tortured and mutilated in the interest of sexual arousal. Although at present many Internet servers, such as America Online, and some adult Web sites already provide for parental screening or require proof of majority for access, there is no law requiring such safeguards. The over 250 sex-oriented Internet newsgroups are all as accessible to curious third-graders as to adults, and pornographic images can be accessed through such apparently innocent headings as "toys" or "cartoons".

This ease of availability to children is what prompted Sen. James Exon to pray in the opening session of the Senate debates on the CDA about a "virtual but virtueless reality" in which some are "littering the information superhighway with obscene, indecent and destructive pornography." Sen. Exon is a strong proponent of the movement to clean up the Web, and has authored amicus briefs for submission to the Supreme Court in its deliberations.

Support for the Communications Decency Act has come from several directions. After a three-judge panel in a Philadelphia federal court called the act unconstitutional under the First Amendment in June 1996, Pres. Bill Clinton remained a strong supporter, saying that he was still "convinced...that our Constitution allows us to help parents by enforcing this act to prevent objectionable material through computer networks." As the question of constitutionality moved into the Supreme Court, the Clinton Justice Department also filed an appeal with the court in January 1997. According to the appeal, "It is better to place some burdens on those who disseminate patently offensive material...than it is to leave children unprotected."

Friends of the Court briefs were also filed in favor of the bill by the National Law Center for Children and Families, with considerable support from Enough is Enough, an anti-pornography group in northern Virginia.

Despite heavy support from both the Clinton administration and much of the community at large, the CDA has received a barrage of attacks from "free speech" advocates and others concerned with maintaining the unrestricted flow of information which has proven to be the Internet's most valuable attribute. At the head of the fight against the act are the American Library Association, the ACLU, and "a Web site offering safe-sex information to young people," according to the March 31 issue of Newsweek.

The Supreme Court is expected to release its decision on the Communications Decency Act in June 1997.

Developing the Newspaper Providence in South America

Dirk Anthonis-Montevideo, Uruguay

MONTEVIDEO (Uruguay) - Convinced that the breakdown of the traditional family is the prime cause for the moral degradation of our modern-day society, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS), has embarked on a media crusade involving the worldwide establishment of pro-family newspapers.

Eventually, Rev. Moon plans to open daily newspapers in 185 countries around the world through a print media network that will take advantage of recent technological advances, such as satellite communications that permit the rapid transmission and exchange of data.

Because Rev. Moon's main concern is to promote "true family values," he has called on a number of representatives of the Family Federation for World Peace (also founded by him), as well as a number of UTS graduates, to become actively involved in this ambitious media project.

Especially, several graduates from the 1995 and 1996 Class were invited to participate in the launching of Tiempos del Mundo, a newspaper targeted to the Hispanic communities in the American hemisphere. Tiempos del Mundo is slated to become the first Pan-American newspaper, through its publication in at least 17 different countries (10 in South America, 5 in Central America, one in the Caribbean, plus the United States).

Tiempos del Mundo reporters in each country send their articles through the V-SAT satellite system to the Buenos Aires editorial headquarters, where the stories are gathered, edited and then, in turn, "broadcast" simultaneously to each country.

The international news that is thus shared by the various countries, however, is not the only coverage that will be provided by the Tiempos del Mundo affiliates. Each affiliate is also responsible for the gathering and publishing of local (national) news, which will provide the editions of Tiempos del Mundo in each country their own distinct national news and advertising pages. This combination of an international edition and a local one is unique in the print media industry, where newspapers with international editions (such as the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times) are targeted to certain regions (such as Asia and Europe), but not to specific countries. Other publications with international distribution, such as Newsweek, Time, Reader's Digest, etc., publish editions in various languages, but all editions basically have the same content.

The uniqueness of Tiempos del Mundo, hence, is its potential to compete in the local publishing markets, while at the same time emerging as a major regional and international newspaper.

Interest in international news has increased dramatically over the years, as television (for example the CNN worldwide news network) and the World-Wide-Web information explosion have made the "global village" concept a reality more than ever before.

Although Tiempos del Mundo has been published as a weekly since its inauguration on November 23, the newspaper is preparing to go daily some time this summer.

Coming back to the issue of family values, Tiempos del Mundo is dedicating a lot of its attention to issues affecting the well-being of the family. Such issues deal with political, economic, sociological, cultural and other topics, as the problems that our communities and families are faced with are the result of a complexity of factors.

In this regard, Tiempos del Mundo recently published an extensive series of articles analyzing the plight of millions of children in Latin America whose abandonment and marginal existence have come to symbolize the economic malaise and gross inequalities typical of many Latin American aspiring democracies.

Also, Tiempos del Mundo has started a special supplement, entitled "The Family," which is dedicated to helping parents in their challenging task of creating healthy and better families.

Apart from its role in defending family values, Tiempos del Mundo also seeks to help in promoting greater cooperation and unity between the two Americas. This aspiration of inter-American cooperation is nothing new, of course, as evidenced by the existence of such international institutions as the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, not to mention the efforts to expand inter-American trade through NAFTA and Mercosur.

North and South America seem indeed to have a common destiny, as symbolized perhaps by the mountainous chain, which, like a spinal column, interconnects North and South America from the Rocky Mountains in Canada and the United States to the Andes Mountains extending all the way to Argentina and Chile.

For the record, below is a list of the Latin American nations where Tiempos del Mundo will be published (with the names of UTS graduates working as bureau managers in the respective countries between parentheses): Mexico Honduras (Josef Schinwald, Class of '95) Nicaragua (Bret Moss, Class of '96) Panama (Paul Greene, Class of '95) Costa Rica (Ed Heinz, Class of '95) Dominican Republic (Jim Humphreys, Class of '96) Venezuela (Katsumi Kambashi, Class of '95) Colombia Ecuador Bolivia Peru Sao Paolo Paraguay Uruguay (Dirk Anthonis, Class of '95) Argentina Chile (Takuya Ishii, Class of '95)

Couples Rededicate Their Marriages in S. California

by Godwin D'Silva-Los Angeles, CA

The National Parents' Day Association of South Gate sponsored a Marriage Rededication Ceremony in South Gate on Friday, Apr. 4.

The purpose of this rededication was to show our community that marriage is a wonderful institution and to encourage the younger generation to consider it seriously.

Eighteen married couples, many of them past Parents of the Year in South Gate, participated in a unique and wonderful ceremony this past Saturday at the First Christian Church, located on Firestone Boulevard.

The chapel was beautifully decorated by Susan Janer, a member of the Parents' Day Association and coordinator of the event.

The Ecumenical Religious Service began with the Brides momentarily leaving their husbands to put on their beautiful veils and re-enter the Chapel to strains of the Bridal March. The Brides were preceded by three beautiful flower girls, who sprinkled rose petals as they entered the sanctuary. The wives then entered one by one, each with a bouquet of flowers. They proceeded down the aisle to sit next to their waiting husbands.

Chief of Police Ron George was invited to the altar to open with an invocation, after which the mayor of South Gate, Bill Martinez, spoke to the congregation. "South Gate needs dedicated parents like you," said the mayor. "With good parents come good families and therefore good communities." The mayor added that he was truly happy to see so many parents wanting to rededicate their marriage and commitment to each other.

The master of ceremonies (myself) then proceeded to explain the order of the rededication service. Mr. Ray Martin from the True Family Values Ministry then gave a presentation entitled "God's Plan for Conjugal Love." Mr. Martin explained that God needs to be at the center of each family. With God as the center, couples will be more equipped to handle problems which are part of any marriage.

Mr. Martin then acknowledged that the couples gathered were already quite well equipped to handle many problems because many of them have been married for several years, ranging from 5 years to 39. The couple with the longest time together were Marie and Glenn Durflinger. They are from the First Christian Church and are also founding members of the South Gate Optimist Club.

The service then continued with the sharing of the wine of true love. The wine symbolically represented the Blood of Christ.

Each couple then participated in the ceremony of repentance. Rev. Marvin Booth from the International Council of Community Churches opened the ceremony of repentance with a prayer. The couples then lined up, wives on one side and the husbands on the other. They approached the altar area, where a beautiful arch of flowers was set up. The ceremony required that each couples approach the "Arch of Peace," face each other, bow, unite in embrace and walk under the arch.

The Officiators of the ceremony, Rev. Joswick and his wife Mayumi, then sprinkled holy water upon these couples emerging hand in hand. The ceremony was accompanied by beautiful music played by pianist John Holmes.

Congratulatory remarks were made by several dignitaries. Mr. Frank Whitwright, representative and advisor to the Indian Commission, recited a beautiful poem. Chief of Police Ron George advised the congregation to unite and work together, since there are forces out there too strong sometimes for young couples to face. "Therefore, we couples who have been married for so long have the responsibility to encourage the younger generation to make it," he added.

The service then concluded with cheers of congratulations, and everyone then adjourned to the fellowship hall for the celebration dinner.

The celebration dinner was wonderful, with parents and their families providing the entertainment. After everyone had their fill of song and food, the newly rededicated couples gathered around the beautifully decorated cake. A song in unison followed, with each couples taking a turn in cutting the cake.

Concluding remarks and benediction were given by Rev. Inhoi Lee. For many, the ceremony will be a memorable event. The National Parents' Day Association plans to hold these rededication ceremonies every month in the City of South Gate. "This ceremony is available for all married couples," said Susan Janer, the coordinator of the event.

Children are Forgotten Victims of Divorce

Haven Bradford Gow
May, 1997

In the United States today, 1.2 million couples divorce each year; 700,000 marriages involving children dissolve every year in this country. The U.S. now has the highest rate of divorce in the world today: one in two marriages culminates in divorce.

A young woman recently sent this message to columnist Ann Landers: "A man who engages in extramarital affairs teaches his sons that this is OK behavior. A woman who stays with an unfaithful husband teachers her daughters to do the same." A good father, added the letter writer, "remains faithful and demonstrates to his sons what it means to be a good husband. A good mother does not condone...bad behavior from her husband."

According to Dr. Archibald Hart, a psychology professor at Fuller Theological Seminary and author of Helping Children Survive Divorce (Word Publishing), children often are the forgotten victims of divorce. He says divorce is damaging to children because:

*It signals the collapse of the family structure; and the child starts to feel alone and frightened.

*The divorce creates conflicts of loyalty in the children; children often feel pulled by love and loyalty in both directions.

*The anger and resentment between the parents, which is so prevalent in most divorces, creates intense fear and anxiety in children.

*Divorce represents to children the loss of many important things such as home, school, neighborhood, church, friends. Deep depression often is the result of this painful loss.

What, then, are the ingredients of a happy, good and enduring marriage? In his book of enduring wisdom and significance, Three to Get Married (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ), the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen pointed out that faith in God and the development of a spiritual and psychic bond are essential elements of a good, happy and enduring marriage. He observes: "Marriage involves a soul, a mind, a heart, and a will as much as it involves reproductive organs.... The union, therefore, may be described as psychosomatic, in the sense that it affects the whole person, body and soul, and not merely the lower part alone." When Archbishop Sheen says three are needed to make a marriage happy, good and enduring, he is talking about a husband, a wife, and God.

Please reflect on the observations of the following persons who know from first-hand experience what it takes to make a happy and good marriage:

Edward Pang, a Good Samaritan and member of the Chinese Christian Mission at First Baptist Church in Greenville, Mississippi, points out that he and his wife have been married for 64 years, and that their happy and enduring marriage is "a gift from God, truly a miracle." He notes that his marriage of 64 years is the most remarkable and wonderful achievement of his life in that he truly has been blessed by God with someone who has shared for 64 years the problems and sufferings as well as the joys of life.

Jerome Sit, a prominent businessman and member of the Chinese Christian Mission in Greenville, MS, says: "After my wife and I got married, we went home, and the first thing I did was to take her hand and then we together got down on our knees and prayed to God and asked Him to bless our marriage and guide us through life. We also asked Him to help us be good parents, too. It takes a great deal of humility and love and religious faith for a marriage to endure."

Simon Zhou, a dedicated and loving family man in Quincy, Mass., readily agrees with the sentiments expressed above; he declares, "No matter how much money you have or how many material goods you possess, you cannot buy a happy, successful and enduring marriage. Good marriages have more to do with the spiritual side of life and faith in God."

Willie Williams, justice of the peace in Chicot County, Arkansas, says: "In my career as a justice of the peace, I have married over 3,000 couples. Before I agree to marry them, I ask them important, basic questions. I ask them: Do you believe in God? Do you both have religious faith and attend church together? Do you really love one another enough to stay married with one another for a lifetime? Are you mature and responsible enough to be a husband or wife and bring children into the world?" Justice Williams adds: "For a marriage to be happy, successful and enduring, both partners must agree on the good and important things of life such as how to treat other people, whether or not to believe in God and how to conduct oneself as a good, moral human being. People getting married must realize they must work together as a team, make sacrifices and be unselfish. And without God and religious faith, there is no strong foundation for a good marriage."

Rev. James Toney, a Baptist clergyman and scholar in Eudora, Arkansas, declares: "Before you get married, you must test the spirit of the other person; if you talk to your girlfriend about spiritual, religious matters, and there is agreement, then you have a good basis for marriage. The sexual, physical side of marriage is not as important as the spiritual. If you both have faith in God and spiritual love for one another, you can work out problems together and make a marriage last. God has blessed my wife and myself with 50 years of marriage and with several beautiful children; it pays to follow the teachings of God and the Bible."

Joseph W. Gow, a dedicated and loving father in Illinois, says: "It takes trust, love and faith in God to make a marriage work. If you met your wife in a nightclub, you can expect her to be a certain type of person who needs to go to nightclubs all the time. If you met your wife in church, and God blesses your marriage, you have a good chance to make the marriage last."

Clearly it takes three persons to make a marriage happy and enduring: a husband, a wife, and...God.

Blessing in Sri Lanka

R. Thillairajan-Colombo, Sri Lanka

On April 22, 28 couples attended the Pre Blessing and lunch. It is a very joyful and a historic occasion to all of us here. This is the second event in this year. The first event took place on the 23rd of Feb. in which 18 couples participated. This ceremony took place at the Hotel Sapphire located in Wellawatha on the Galle road.

There were 2 Hindus, 14 Buddhists and 12 Christians couples who participated reflect the multi-religious atmosphere of the country itself. This is the one of the rare occasion people join and happy with each other and enjoy the whole event. I was concerned how the people are going to react to the video when the blessing was introduced as the ceremony of the UC. We use the video prepared for the 1995 Blessing. To my amazement no one complained but seems to have gone through a deep spiritual and uplifting experience. From their smile and joy I could sense that they have really appreciated participating in this event.

There are some notables participated. One former secretary to the ministry of education and the Director General of the Higher National Education, three Professors, One Lawyer, One Superintend of Police, Some heads of NGO's, Teachers, Bank staff officers, Businessperson, and others participated.

We had more than 50 couples promised to attend but for various reasons they all could not make it. We hope to include these couples in the next event.

Asian Writers Come to Washington

by Michael Marshall-Washington, DC

Who else but Reverend Moon could bring over 300 writers, poets, critics and literary scholars from thirty different countries of Asia half way around the world with only a few weeks notice to a remarkable and successful literary conference? That is what has just happened in Washington, D.C. where writers and scholars gathered at the Omni Shoreham Hotel from April 23 - 27 to consider the theme: "The Search for a New World Culture for the 21st Century: Asian Literary Perspectives."

They came from East Asia, South-east Asia, South Asia and Central Asia and from cultural backgrounds that included Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, as well as contemporary secularism. A participant from the Altai Republic, one of the independent republics in the Russian Federation remarked that ever since the demise of the Soviet Union writers in those republics had talked about meeting together but it had never happened until now when Reverend Moon had brought them together in Washington.

And who else but Reverend Moon would greet such an august literary gathering by asking them what use literature was? No doubt some of the participants felt challenged by this, but others found it refreshing. Dr. Lloyd Fernando, a professor of literature from the University of Malaysia, chuckled when he recalled what Reverend Moon had said. He thought too many contemporary writers forgot that literature should serve some broader purpose than itself. "They think of the writer as a creator, like God," he said. "Unfortunately, like God, they are often beyond human understanding."

The Founder's Address, delivered at the opening plenary session, was "View of the Principle of the Providential History of Salvation." Father delivered it with passionate intensity, frequently departing from the printed text and sweating profusely, especially when speaking about Jesus and his family. It was as if he were reliving before us the bitter experience of Jesus life that has never been understood. Coming from religious and philosophical traditions other than Christianity, some participants found this hard to relate to. Yet they could recognize the sincerity and seriousness of Father's conviction. Others understood that this was beyond orthodox Christianity and wanted to discuss it further. Mr. Syed Shamsul Haq, a committee moderator and Bangla Desh's leading playwright even raised it in his committee.

Also featured at the opening plenary session was Nobel prizewinning poet Derek Walcott from the tiny West Indian island of St. Lucia. His keynote address laid out in rich poetic language and images his impressions of the Orient and his experience of the intermingling of cultures from East and West in the Carribean. The conference featured numerous other prominent speakers such as: William Bennett, Dr. Orville Schell, Dr. Francis Fukuyama, novelist Bette Bao Lord and Le Ly Hayslip. The two women writers, Chinese-American and Vietnamese respectively gave moving talks that brought to life the positive purposes of literature and its spiritual character.

After the opening plenary session the conference broke up into committee sessions that considered topics such as: The Persistence of Classical and Religious Tradition in Asian Literature, How Asian Literature Is Responding to the Modern World, and The Merging of East and West? Panellists gave short presentations followed by discussions. These were lively at times as in the session dealing with literature and human rights where pro-democracy Chinese and those working in the People's Republic of China debated whether democracy was a fundamental necessity for human dignity or was only to be considered after economic prosperity and political stability were secure.

The second day of the conference was devote to a series of presentations on Reverend Moon's thought entitled: True Character and Family Life Education, developed by the International Education Foundation. These presentations have been given extensively in mainland China and the former Soviet Union. In parts of Russia and in Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, they have been developed into curriculum materials for schools and colleges. The final presentation introduces the Blessing and the International Wedding Festivals.

Some participants confessed that they expected these sessions to be religion of the preaching variety. Most were favorably surprised. The Vice-Chancellor of the Royal Nepal Academy told Mr. Joo and myself that, although he did not believe in God, these were the most logical, rational and scientific presentations he and his delegation had ever come across for showing the need for and nature of moral and spiritual principles to govern human life.

A lady from Malaysia confided to me that after hearing these presentations she could go home with a feeling of hope that she could make a difference to the moral culture of her society by using these materials. Dr. Aner, Azerbaijan's most famous living writer, said that after hearing these lectures he would have material for his writing for the next ten years.

On the last day, participants visited The Washington Times and toured the city's monuments. Several mentioned how moved they were by the words of the Gettysburg Address and of Lincoln's Second Inaugural at the Lincoln Memorial. They returned in the evening to a closing banquet after which they were astounded by the grace and athleticism of the Kirov Academy of Ballet. Reverend Moon's farewell address, "In Search of the Origin of the Universe," gave them further food for thought, after which Professor Yen Chu from National Taiwan University presented Reverend Moon with a gift of Chinese writing brushes on behalf of all the participants.

Reverend Moon is recognized as an expert calligrapher and he wrote seven Chinese characters as a memorial for the conference. They translate roughly as: "The literature (word) of heaven and human literature united through love and heart." This was a fitting motto for a conference that really challenged the participants to realize that literature must serve a higher purpose. If it is not guided by eternal values it becomes spiritually bankrupt and empty form. The encouraging thing was that so many participants seemed to agree with this and saw the need for values that could regenerate family and society while at the same time transcending different religious traditions.

Note: A second conference on the same theme will be held in Washington, D.C. from June 13 - 18, this time for writers from North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Oceania.

Albany Area True Family Festivals

by Therese Stewart-Albany, NY

The first True Family Festival in the Albany area was held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Farley Jones in East Greenbush, NY on March 1st. Participants were a Chinese couple who the Ang and Jones families have known for several years. A second True Family Festival was held on March 15th at the Desmond Hotel in Albany. Farley and Betsy Jones officiated at this event. Participants were three local couples, one Asian, one Black Muslim and one Caucasian Catholic. Rev. Sebastian Huemer, City Leader, served as Master of Ceremonies for both ceremonies. The pre-Blessings included sharing the Holy Wine, pronouncing of vows, sprinkling with Holy Water and appropriate inspirational music. The ceremony at the Desmond also included a brief meditation of repentance given by Mrs. Gillian Corcoran, and the symbolic chastening ritual. The meeting room at the Hotel was simply but tastefully decorated with an arch adorned with garlands and flowers serving as a background for the ceremony. Mrs. Mereth Huemer prepared corsages for the officiators and participants and bouquets for the officiators. A buffet luncheon was served after the pre-Blessing. Sebastian Huemer, Robert Hall and Mark Beaudoin provided music and entertainment.

A number of events support the True Family Festival program. There is a monthly international dinner, an ecumenical prayer breakfast, and other events such as a marriage enrichment seminar. The first of these events was held on February 9th and began with a talk on "the Blessing of Love" by Dr. Andrew Wilson and a video of the 1995 Blessing. It culminated in a Chinese dinner to celebrate the Chinese New Year. In subsequent gatherings Mr. Farley Jones presented a talk on the same topic and Mrs. Betsy Jones showed a video of the first pre-Blessing and extended an invitation to guests to participate. They were invited to become a Couple of Peace and to "Come and celebrate True Love as the cornerstone of a Peaceful World." Members sent out letters inviting contacts to the international dinners and also announcing other events in which they might be interested such as Gillian Corcoran's presentation on "The Spiritual Causes of Illness" on April 3rd. Mrs. Atsuko Denn assisted by her mother, prepared a dinner of Japanese cuisine for the April 6th gathering at the Jones' home.

The Joneses have written to fourteen retirement homes in the area offering to conduct a marriage renewal ceremony on site for couples who would be interested. Betsy Jones and Atsuko Denn volunteered their services for a Peace Walk in Albany, helping to prepare lunch for the marchers. Members are also supporting the True Family Festival effort through visiting other Churches and offering their services when possible.

At a Tribal Messiah meeting several months ago, Albany members set a collective goal of 1500 couples from the Albany area, instead of emphasizing the 160 couples per person. In this way we hope to help True Parents and brothers and sisters around the globe to make Blessing '97 a reality.