The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand

by Jim Stephens -Bloomington, IN

This is from a "sermon" published in a column titled "From the Pulpit" in our local paper.

Of the many sermons I have given, one point always continues to amaze me. That point is that Jesus loves us as individuals and not as a group. He speaks through a sermon to individuals in the congregation, not to a faceless crowd. Sometimes a whole sermon is intended for one particular individual, who is unknown to me. The rest of the people of course can benefit from listening, but they are not the precise target of the message.

"The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand," Jesus declared. What is this Kingdom of Heaven in today's world that Jesus is saying is at hand? Simply put, it is the realization of true families as a precursor to the ideal world. I'm not speaking of ordinary families as we know them, but the type of families that are the culmination of history, the goal of God's history. These are families where the father and the mother have become Christ-like.

In society today you are seeing everywhere a lot of talk about "family". God is working behind the scenes to develope these ideas. We are seeing whole movements emerging like the Promise Keepers for men and Free Teens for young people (no drugs, no premarital sex) inspired by ideals of faith, committment and purity.

The leaders of our church have even suggested that we drop our denominational name and become just "The Bloomington Family Church".

My wife and I have joined an international group called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification and been trained in a wonderful "Blessing" and Re- dedication ceremony for families. Any husband and wife, regardless of religious beliefs, may receive this blessing on their marriage and family.

You must be willing to agree to the following commitments before God.

1. absolute faithfulness to each other (no adultery). 2. eternal marital commitment (no divorce). 3. raising your children to abstain from sex until marriage. 4. work together with other families of all races, nations and religions to propagate these commitments.

Already 1.2 million couples have received this blessing and re-dedication ceremony throughout the world. The Phillippines is leading the way with over 250,000 couples and the African nations are close behind. Taiwan has over 170,000 couples who have participated. America is getting a late start but can still catch up.

The original goal was to have 3.6 million couples by Nov. 29, 1997, but it is now projected that we will far surpass that goal. On Nov. 29, there will be a huge rally and celebration in RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. It will be broadcast via satellite simultaneously to sites all over the world, making it the largest religious event in history.

The first couple in Bloomington to receive this ceremony was on June 23rd and we have set a goal of 160 couples, one for each day remaining until Nov. 29th. Please join us.

The ceremony takes only five to ten minutes, but it can be very emotionally moving as husband and wife make the above vows to each other. We can do it at your house or at our house. It involves only the recitation of the commitments above, a sharing of holy wine (actually grape juice), a sprinkling with holy water and a closing prayer by my wife or myself. We encourage pastors to be trained to do the ceremony in their congregations. It will help your marriages. We encourage friends to have the ceremony as a whole group. It will be a lifelong memory. We especially encourage senior citizens to re-dedicate your marriages. Even widows and widowers can participate to offer your marriage to God.

Please ask Jesus if your couple should re-dedicate your marriage in this way, receive this blessing and participate in this historical world-wide event. I trust that you will know the answer.

Call or write us to schedule the ceremony or for further information, Rev. Jim and Hiromi Stephens, (309) 662-8029, P.O. Box 1802, Bloomington, IN 61702. May God bless you and your family.

The Foot-Washing: Meeting With God

by Martin Herbst

This is the second of two excerpts from the Sunday sermon given at Unification Theological Seminary, April 20, 1997. Martin is currently at UTS and was the church leader in Slovenia for the last three years.

A second lesson we can learn from the Biblical story of Jesus washing his disciples feet is that God's love is given for history and the entire world. It is, in other words, universal. Whenever God does something, His motivation is universal. When God created the very first human beings, Adam and Eve, it was with a universal purpose in mind. If Adam and Eve had understood the cosmic significance of their existence and relationship, would they have fallen?

To connect truly to the vibrating love of God, our motivation and attitude must resemble that of God. When Jesus bowed down and washed the dirty feet of the disciples-even the feet of the one who betrayed him-he did it, not just for them, but for all mankind. Jesus saw in them the representatives of all mankind and all human history. This heart of universal love created a very solemn atmosphere, which made it possible for them to sense the presence of God. But at first Peter does not really catch this aspect of Jesus' heart. Peter exclaims, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet? ... You will never wash my feet" (John 13:6-8). And when he finds out that his connection to Jesus depends on this act, he changes and says, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" (John 13:9) Again Jesus has to correct him, for Peter has entirely missed the point. For the point is not just little Peter-it is the whole world. It is not just a question of individual salvation, but a matter of universal restoration; it is a matter of setting a tradition of love.

My concern is not to judge Peter, but to share a lesson with you. If we just look at Christ from our own personal perspective, we will-simply speaking-not catch his heart, and might even lose our connection with him altogether. Many people have lost faith in Christ out of personal reasons, but our connection to the Messiah must be historical and universal beyond everyday reality. Here Jesus is revealing a fundamental aspect of God's love. In order for us to connect to it, we must likewise look at our spouse, children, neighbors, friends and strangers with more than just personal viewpoints.

When I came to America, I realized that many brothers and sisters have lost their faith or inspiration. But when I analyzed the matter more deeply, I found that usually these breakdowns were motivated by personal reasons. Personal reasons and emotions are important, but they must not rule our relationship to God's Providence and True Parents. Many times we have to go beyond our own personal perspective and see the Messiah and our lives from an historical perspective. We are historical beings with historical motivations.

Today I came here to deliver this Sunday sermon. But the real question is: to whom am I speaking? Am I speaking to a group of faculty members, students and guests who are more or less supposed to be here? Or am I addressing the very representatives of all mankind, God's holy sons and daughters, my beloved elder and younger brothers and sisters? With what kind of mind-set did I prepare this sermon? And when I come home, do I look at my wife as a representative of all women, even of God, or do I just see my wife? That is the question, isn't it? And only I can answer it. Each one of us is called to decide. It is a decision made in secret within your own mind, but it makes a world of difference. To truly encounter the explosive, liberating sensation of God's love, we cannot drag Him down to our level. Instead, we must take a step into the darkness, over the cliff of our own limited world, into a realm of a different mind-set-a universal motivation. As much as Jesus saw God and the whole world in his disciples, so must we attempt to do the same. This is the way of a disciple of Christ.

A passage of Principle concerning Abraham's offerings states: "These three sacrifices symbolized the cosmos, which was completed through the three stages of the growing period" (Exposition of the Divine Principle, 1996, p. 209). How on earth did Rev. Moon come to the realization that these three offerings actually represented the entire cosmos? Did he read it somewhere in a theological journal? I doubt it. Or did some angel whisper it into his ear during an early morning prayer? I don't think so. The reason he could sense this motivation behind God asking Abraham to bring the offering is that he lived precisely with this motivation himself. Living with this motivation made it possible for him to discover God's universal heart in the smallest of things. It is the same for you and me. Our motivation and purpose must be for more than ourselves. We too must live our lives with a sense of history and for all mankind.

A Deeply Personal Level

The third and final lesson we can learn from this story is that as much as true love is universal, it is also shared on a deeply personal level. The love of God is universal but the universal finds its expression in the personal. There is no contradiction. Here in our story, there is a moving conversation between Jesus and Peter. Jesus is very well aware of Peter's character, but in a loving way he guides him to the proper perspective: "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me" (John 13:8). Jesus then continues: "So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you" (John 13:14-15). It is interesting that Jesus criticizes Peter. It is often through criticism that our personal relationships are developed, for it takes both courage and personal concern to point out a friend's mistake, as well as humility to receive the guidance. Despite Peter's obvious lack of understanding, let us not forget that he of all the disciples was the only one who had the trust and courage to speak out what the others might have felt.

Again and again I have come to the conclusion that what really makes a relationship or organization efficient is the depth of the personal relationships, not just the loyalty to abstract positions. There in the personal exchange of ideas and feelings, we make it possible for God to work in the most profound way. Think about how True Father would care with all his heart for each single member in the early days in Korea. Through these personal bonds, the roots were made for what we know see unfolding on the world-wide level. We must remember this element in True Parents' ministry and apply it in our own lives.

During my years as a pastor, I have had a recurring experience which perhaps you may recognize in your own life. It has to do with counseling. Often I would counsel a person, and sometimes the person would thank me ever so much for my advice, which he had never heard before-he claimed. But the point is that I had been repeating exactly that advice at least a hundred times during my sermons! Why was he never able to catch it before? Because sometimes, indeed many times, we only discover the truth when it is brought to us in a deeply personal way.

We need to nurture heart to heart conversations; otherwise, we will not be able to create the environment for things to grow and bear fruit. This is especially true if we want to be vessels through whom God may work to fulfill His plan to save the world. Let me illustrate this with an example. Do you sometimes watch action movies? Most action movies follow a similar pattern. We have a hero or heroine, a terrible devil of some sort, and usually the world-perhaps even the entire cosmos-is at stake. Naturally, our hero must have universal, unselfish motivation, but when you watch closely you will find that his real strength lies in his abilities to establish a personal connection to someone, be it a friend, a son, a father, or even an animal. In other words, the final power and secret to win the victory over evil and the liberation of the cosmos lies in his personal commitments and relationships. This is also true in our daily lives. When someone remembers us or discovers aspects of our character which we thought only we knew, we feel moved and invigorated.

I want to share a little story with you; you may find it silly, but it means a lot to me. Just recently I had a birthday. It was remembered by some friends but, given my modest reputation, it was-as you might suspect-forgotten by most. But then this little letter came in through the letter box. It was a birthday greeting from the president of the European Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. I was actually moved, for there is no reason why he, who is responsible for so many projects and people, should remember my birthday. My critical mind began to operate, and I felt compelled to check whether this was just a print-out from the computer. But, after having scrutinized the letter and the signature, I came to the conclusion that this was indeed a real card with an authentic signature! I think all of us have similar experiences. Yes, we humans are sensitive beings, and we will never forget it when we are loved in a personal way.

So, to truly meet and live with God we must remember these three points: 1) We must not be afraid of going to the lowest possible place. 2) When we give, we must give to God and all mankind with a sense of history. 3) We need to practice this in a deeply personal way.

The final question you might ask is: "But where? Where can we practice these three dimensions of love?" Can we do it alone? No. A person working alone might feel he has an historical mission or responsibility, but he will find it hard to develop personal relationships, and he is in constant danger of being swallowed up by arrogance and pride, especially if success comes his way. Both Karl Marx and Rousseau felt they had an historic calling, but lacked humility and depth in their personal relationships. On the other hand, if a person is too centered on personal relationships and opinions, and little else, he might never get started. He might never discover his true potential.

The only place where these three dimensions of love can be completed and balanced out against each other is not in some formal organization or church, but in a married couple and family which truly lives for a God-centered public purpose. In such a family, we have the ideal training ground for all three dimensions of love. In the day to day reality of family life inspired by a higher purpose, we find ample opportunities to go to the lowest possible place, to look at our spouse and children from a universal and historical perspective, and to do this in an atmosphere of personal trust and intimacy. The continuous practice of such a way of life will lead you and your family closer to the love of God.

The Church in Ghana

by Bismarck Bamfo-Accra-North, Ghana

Ghana can be considered the center of the earth because of its geographical location: the equator (latitude 0 degrees) and longitude 0 degrees, all in Ghanaian waters. It has a population of about 18 million. The nation gained her independence in 1957. As the nation celebrates her 40th anniversary of independence, it's also time to take deep reflection as a Unificationist, a nation and people, in line with God's providence-where are we coming from, where are we now, where are we going and how can we get there?

As the first nation to gain independence from her colonial master in Africa, the first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, declared to the world on Independence Day, "The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is connected to the total liberation of Africa."

With this vision in mind, he was able to help many African countries who were under their colonial masters to gain independence by 1960. Despite being trained and educated in the West, he aligned himself with the Eastern bloc. Dr. Nkrumah adopted socialism from the East and encouraged other African nations to follow this example. He dramatically improved the education system in Ghana, information and communication, infrastructure like highways, Akosombo Hydroelectric Dam, hospitals, etc. However, the introduction of socialism in Ghana, coupled with the Alien Compliance Order-the expulsion of illegal aliens, especially Nigerians-which was adopted by succeeding governments-brought a double curse to the nation. As a mother and land of freedom (as many call her), Ghana had the responsibility to embrace all people and show the way to continental peace centered on God. She could not share God's word with other nations; rather she propagated Socialism (the younger brother to Communism) which denies God. She was not able to embrace the oppressed ones who sought refuge-the Nigerians who escaped from the Biafra War.

The nation went through a wilderness course. The nation became a land of oppression, corruption, bloodshed, coup d'état and famine. Most educated people, including university professors, medical doctors, engineers, the young elite, sought refuge outside Ghana.

In 1975, after years of suffering, God sent Unificationist missionaries to save the nation. That did not work. They even had to escape to Nigeria for years. Internally, Ghana Unificationists, and externally, ordinary Ghanaians in Nigeria, went through terrible difficulties.

The situation changed when True Parents finally paid the price with Danbury, the 7000 Christian leaders workshop in Korea, and the success of CAUSA activities world-wide. The decline of communism opened the way for the introduction of democracy and the salvation of Ghana and the world.

New Hope

The suffering and difficulties the nation went through from independence to the fall of the Soviet empire revived religious people, especially Christians, to turn to God and Jesus for solutions. This ignited the establishment of many denominations throughout the nation. The Unification movement returned from Nigeria in the late 1980s to prepare for the harvest. True Parents' 40 year course ended in 1992. In the same year, True Parents started the globalization of the Blessing. By God's grace, over 30 Ghanaians received the Blessing on Aug. 25, 1992. The introduction of democracy and general elections brought greater freedom of Assembly and worship in the country.

Preparation for August 1995 Blessing

At the end of 1992 Blessing, True Parents declared 360,000 Couples to be the goal of 1995 Blessing. Ghana was asked to bring 10,000 couples for Blessing 1995. Members were mobilized inside and outside Ghana, with the support from Women's Federation for World Peace volunteers, to achieve the goal. True Mother's speech, "The Appearance of True Parents and the Completed Testament Age," was read in all the regional capitals and millions of copies given to participants. It was also published in one of our newspapers. It was well received in many circles. At the same time, it generated a great deal of controversy. Internally, we prepared and supported the campaign by offering one-day chain fasting, 40 and sometimes even 80 "kyombae" until the Blessing day-Aug. 25, 1995.

Mother's speech opened the way for openminded as well as controversial pastors to find out. They wanted to know more about True Parents and the Blessing.

Workshops and seminars were conducted in various churches in the country. Most of them accepted the conclusion with mixed feelings, thinking that our motivation was to draw and capture their members. Others rejected, but a few wholeheartedly accepted.

By the middle of August 1995, we had hope that over 7000 couples would participate in the Blessing. However, to our dismay, fewer than 3,000 couples and about 120 matching candidates participated. The above skepticism coupled with other factors-transportation, financial constraints-resulted in a low turnout. Out of those who received the Blessing, only 20% received Divine Principle and Unification tradition. We promised to educate them after the Blessing.

Single Persons Blessing Oct. 1995

After Aug. 1995 Blessing, our movement became popular through inter-faith activities. We were in John the Baptist position: bring the churches to God and True Parents. Those who participated saw True Parents and the number of participants at the Olympic Stadium. They went home with pride and dignity. They said, "We have been Blessed. We were part of the 360,000 Couples." Those who did not participate regretted it, after hearing others' testimonies about its magnitude.

Fortunately, we received instruction to continue the Blessing for a time. The churches were very happy when they heard about the extension of the Blessing. Rev. Chung H. Kwak's visit to Ghana during the same period, coupled with the announcement to conduct the Single Persons Blessing, broke the camel's back. All along, the churches had been asking how their older single persons could be Blessed. It was a short time noticed, however, with great enthusiasm, they were able to mobilize 250 candidates. On the day of the Single Persons Blessing, Rev. Kwak explained about the position of True Parents, the significance of the Blessing, and that they would be matched after they go to the spiritual world to another spirit person. To be matched with a spirit person? Sometimes even members found that difficult to digest, but they accepted it and responded boldly, clearly and loudly: Amen. Amazing! What is happening in Ghana? God, True Parents and the entire good spirit world are with us!

Ghana: Secret of our Success

In Ghana, over 10,000 couples from different denominations participated in the 1995 Blessing. A majority of them were from made-in-Ghana (i.e., native Ghanaian) churches. The news about the Blessing reached most of the churches after Aug. 25, 1995. After the SIngle Persons Blessing in October 1995, brothers and sisters were mobilized to continue the Blessing. From that moment, thirty to forty-five minutes was enough to convince a church leader for their members to receive the Blessing. By the end of the extended period, we were able to achieve the above goal of 10,000 couples. How did we do it?

First, Ghana brought the highest result during the Single Persons Blessing 1995 for matching to spirit world. If they were truly matched, what sort of spirit world were they? Were they good, great saints and sages? Maybe True Parents will be in the best position to answer us.

If those spirits have the opportunity to support True Parents' activities, which country will they support the most? Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The answer is obvious that they will assist the Ghanaian providence.

Second, True Parents' visit to Ghana is another major factor. They were well received by the Ghanaian government and even exchanged gifts. As the Bible says: "He who receives my son receives me and he will receive my reward." The Christian community from Nigeria and Ghana also received them with enthusiasm. In addition, only 40% of those who came to see and listen to True Parents at the conference center could enter. The rest (over 5,000) were not able to fit inside. They were ambassadors, government officials, religious leaders, etc. The hall (capacity 3,200) was jammed and packed two hours before the time Father was to speak. Instead of ushering people in, they had to usher people out.

The audience was so inspired by the contents of the speech that after the conference the church leaders read the speech several times in their churches. This also served as another foundation for the spirit world to work. With this foundation, they were ready to receive the Blessing.

Third, at first the churches felt we had other motives-to take their members. (Of course, all Blessed couples are the Children of God and True Parents. Therefore, they are automatically members of the unification community. Unification movement is not for Unificationists alone. It was created for God, True Parents and world peace.) Yet after the Blessing we were free with them. We invited them to our conferences (fish powder, RYS, Inter Religious Federation for World Peace, AIDS, etc.) and still we did not impose any laws and regulations on them. Is unification movement's Blessing beneficial to the churches or not? Beneficial! The church leaders now feel comfortable and they are proud to work with us. Miracles are now happening in their churches. Most of their problems have disappeared.

Fourth, Ghanaians by nature are religious and they have cool, submissive and subservient character. Many people consider Ghana as the mother and Nigeria as the father of Africa. Others say they are twins or sister and brother respectively. Nigerians are more aggressive, subjective and masculine in personality. Ghanaians have learned a lot from her mistake in promoting socialism in Africa, as well as the Aliens Compliance Order. As mother and land of freedom, she has opened more to her neighbors and to foreigners than ever before. It is a place where no one worries foreigners when they enter. She is now considered as the most hospitable country in Africa by foreigners. This character of Ghana has created the foundation for people to be humbler, more tolerant and willing to follow. This is also another major factor in our success working with the churches. However, in many situations and circumstances, it has been misconstrued as weakness and abused by many foreigners who come to Ghana.

The victory of Aug. 1995 Blessing, the Single Persons Blessing and the spiritual foundation laid the base for Ghana to stand together with the advanced nations to lead the world into the 21st Century. The election of the Secretary General of the United Nations, the Honorable Dr. Kofi Anan-the first black African to occupy that office-has a providential reason and meaning. Moreover, Dr. Anan will lead the United Nations into the 21st Century.

The success of Dr. Anan's mission (externally) will depend on the success of the Unification movement (internally) in its goal of 3.6 million Couples Blessing on Nov. 29, 1997. Our national goal is 400,000 Couples, which is also very significant. It symbolizes separating the nation from Satan after 40 years of independence.

The Way to Achieve Our Goal

As commented by one Nigerian member, "Ghanaian members are slow but sure." We have few staff members, but we have the "Can Do" spirit. How are we going to achieve our goal: 400.000 couples?

As stated earlier, good spirit world is with us, the churches are more prepared and have full confidence in Unification movement than ever, and they are willing to work with us. Above all, the people are ready to listen and receive the Blessing of God and True Parents.

So far, we are reaching out in three ways. First, Unification members (candidates and Blessed members) have been assigned to church leaders who received Blessing in 1995. Some of the churches have mobilized brass bands and they are campaigning from town to town, city to city, Blessing their members and non-members of their churches. Initially, the results were not encouraging-an average of 70 couples per day. Nowadays, some are Blessing 2,000 per day. What do you think, if this trend continues? Can we meet the goal of 400,000 Couples?

Second, Unification members are working day and night in towns and villages conducting Blessing. Some are doing house to house, explaining about sanitation, the dangers of AIDS and the need to maintain one spouse. Those who pledge to maintain one spouse before God, Jesus, True Parents and for the sake of their own future generations (lineage) are given Blessing. We literally shake the dust off our feet when any home refuses to accept us. This method also brings a very good result in our campaign.

Third, Youth Federation for World Peace (YFWP) gained national recognition through our first National Seminar on AIDS. The government, through the Ministry of Education's recognition letter, is serving as a license to reach out to all churches, schools and other institutions including the public and private sectors.

YFWP is therefore reaching out to new churches, schools, police, fire service, immigration, customs and excise and many others. We approach them through AIDS education and conclude with lectures on meaning and purpose of life, then giving them the Blessing.

Wherever we go, our Blessing materials are with us. Couples are given Blessing right away. Single candidates are also invited to the center for further training. We always "hit the iron when it is red hot" (i.e., strike when the iron is hot).

Those members who are working in towns, villages or homes are also bringing single people for workshop. The director of Ghana's National Fire Service has granted us permission to educate all their staff and Bless them. Over 200 couples have been Blessed already from the Fire Service. We have over 10,000 more to be Blessed throughout the country.

In the meantime, the Police Force and Ministry of Defense (military) have also agreed for us to teach and Bless qualified couples in the military. Immigrations and Customs program for education and Blessing is in the pipeline. In August 1996 we had the Religious Youth Service project in Ghana. After the project, some of the students from the University of Cape Coast decided to inaugurate a chapter in their University. It was finally inaugurated on Dec. 15, 1996 with over 80 students registering with RYS. RYS is also working at the University Campuses throughout the country to open chapters, teach them about Godism and the Blessing. We are expecting many candidates from RYS. The national Blessing campaign started in the middle of February at a very slow pace but now we are gathering momentum day by day. So far, over 100,000 couples have received the Blessing (by the end of May 1997).

Together with You

We have few months to go. The question is: Is it possible to achieve the goal before Nov. 29, 1997? The answer is: Yes! Despite the fact that we have limited logistics, including manpower and funds, we also need your prayers and moral support. There is something peculiar about Ghanaians when it comes to their relationships with Americans, Europeans and Asians. Their respect for white or yellow people is beyond description. To Ghanaians, on your way to church, if you meet a white or yellow person, it is enough. There is no need to go to church because that man represents Christ. You have been blessed already by God in that regard. Once True Parents announced the Blessing of 3.6 million couples by Nov. 29, 1997, we have to bring the result at all costs. Ghana is ready to bring the result if members in Europe, America, Asia and anywhere else who are finding it difficult to witness can join us here in Ghana. Our people want to meet Christ by meeting a white or oriental man. As Unificationists, we are not meeting Ghanaians just for meeting's sake, but to convey God's Truth and God's Blessing to them. Our combined effort (Ghanaians' and other members') will increase our moral results dramatically and thereby achieve our national and world-wide goal-3.6 million couples.

Apart from that, members working in villages and towns are receiving a warm welcome everywhere they go. Sometimes the chiefs, assemblymen and the general public express their appreciation by giving them sheep, goats, food and transportation to the next town. Amazing! It is not by our own effort. It is Heavenly Father's and True Parents' foundation. We want you to join us to bring victory together-to God and True Parents.

Our Future Goals

The activities in Ghana are not just bread and butter issues. There are many problems but we can't allow those problems to stop God's providence. One of the areas which needs attention, if not today then soon, is education. The churches are receiving the Blessing with minimum education-Divine Principle and Unification traditions. Sometimes it is not easy for most of them to receive True Parents as messiahs when detailed lectures are given before Blessing them. However, once they receive the Blessing, it is very easy for them to accept True Parents as Messiahs. The expansion of our activities with different denominations and religions call for the need to train more members who can deal with these religions, denominations and VIP's on a higher level. I think the time has come for more members to prepare for the task ahead of us in Ghana at the Unification Theological Seminary and at the University of Bridgeport. Since the number of Blessed Couples in the country is increasing, there is a need to translate Divine Principle into local languages and teach them using television, radio and the print media.

One of our major problems is in the area of financing. We are extremely handicapped in our economic foundation. We hope to create strong economic foundations for our future activities. Already, International Seafood of Alaska is working things out to help start the fish powder business in Ghana. We hope to establish business agents with some of our companies abroad in Ghana as their representatives.

Let us pray and support each other for total victory for God and True Parents-3.6 million. How can we love God and True Parents? By accomplishing the goal of 3.6 million Couples Blessing. A better United Nations centered on God and True Parents will emerge once we succeed. Shall we do it?

Bismarck Bamfo is a member of the 30,000 Couple Blessing of August 1992. He is national chairman of YFWP in Ghana, and the national director of education of HSA-UWC there as well. He can be reached at Box 11626, Accra-North, Ghana.

Testimony of Home Blessing

by George Howe-Boston MA

Another Pre-Blessing adds to our spiritual bank even more experience and inspiration for us to work with. This Pre-Blessing had an interesting way of bringing together both the family and friends emphasis of a home Blessing and the opening up of a possibility for another True Family Festival (TFF) to be held later (with its characteristic church and minister emphasis). As such, it was hosted by the head of a Blessed family, who represented and was in the place of the regional and/or state leader.

Rev. Esaho Kibuke visited Boston Church with his whole family-his wife Beatrice and four children. They arrived 20 minutes early. Dinner was scheduled for 7pm. Before that starting as we planned at 6pm, I spoke with them a bit, gave them a tour of the building, shared with them an 18-minute video of the last True Family Values (TFV) ministers' conference in Washington DC, and gave them an update of developments since that conference, especially speaking to them about the meaning of this time and True Parents. After this, it was natural to have both Rev. and Mrs. Kibuke sign the "Affirmation of Our Marriage Commitment" form, joining the tens of thousands who are doing this world-wide.

Because I had spoken before we sat down to dinner, I just offered the "True Love Toast (Holy Wine)" and the "Holy Water," followed by a Blessing Prayer, leading right into a "Chastening Exercise," and finally we all toasted together. As friends, there being trust and good spiritual support among us, it all proceeded very smoothly. Because he is a minister, rituals and ceremonies are not foreign to him. He understood about the heart behind the practices perhaps even more than a non-religious person might.

Rev. Kibuke attended this last TFVM conference of Dec. 10-12, 1996. He responded to an invitational mailing we sent out, by registering via fax that he would like to attend. I called him up and he came. We first met at the airport to go to DC and through the conference we became good friends.

With tonight's dinner, there were some special and unexpected highlights. Rev. Kibuke is on the video we watched (he was there). Another nice touch was that Vince Carty's 40-day mission country was Zaire, which is the home country of the Kibuke's, so they could have much in common to share.

Beforehand, I was a bit concerned that because we did not spend so much time together, there might be some problem finding something in common. At the same time though, I really felt God's support, guidance and expectation for the dinner to be successful. These extra, unexpected points above, combined with God's overall guidance, made for a wonderful evening. There is surely a very special authority and power that God is now dispensing to all mankind through the Blessing. He is really coming to live with us.

From this time now, Rev. Takeda suggested that another Tribal Messiah in the area act as host for the next event. Everyone should have experience so that anyone and everyone can become confident to offer the Home Blessing in their own homes from this time on, as God opens the ways (and relationships) for us to do so.

For follow-up, it would be good for Rev. and Mrs. Kibuke to hear the video "A Glimpse of a Life" (to understand the history of the Blessings); also, even though he received Home Pre-Blessing, he understands about TFFs and the possibility to have this with his whole congregation. The fact that he had to leave his country due to his speaking against his government at the risk of his life seems to suggest that he has a certain autonomy about him. Perhaps he is free to host a TFF there without any hierarchical interference.

Rev. Kibuke determined a long time ago to become a pastor; he studied and graduated from Boston University, and is going for his Masters in Counseling at Assumption College in the Worcester area. He is now the pastor of St. Andrews United Methodist Church in Worcester. He is very much involved in counseling. He says that he and Dr. Dubinga (a close ministerial associate of ours who attended the KICC) know each other very well. Also, Viner Dangirwa-who previously received the Blessing from his friend (a Tribal Messiah living west of Boston)-is a member of Rev. Kibuke's congregation.

Special thanks to all who are making these events. Let's continue to become even more fruitful, to multiply and to establish God's dominion. Important note: these Pre-Blessings are not just for us to give-just as ICC was not only for us to educate ministers. We are to receive and learn, as well!

Symposium on Unification Thought

by Dr. David Carlson-Barrytown, NY

Last month, we reported the sudden death of Dr. Sang Hun Lee, President of the Unification Thought Institute of Korea, during this symposium.

The Ninth International Symposium on Unification Thought, under the theme of "The Creation of a New Culture in the Age of the Global Village," was held in Korea on March 19th to the 22nd. Jointly sponsored by the Unification Thought Institute of Korea and Sun Moon University, scholars from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and the Philippines gathered on the Asan campus of Sun Moon University to present and discuss papers dealing with a wide range of issues and ideas. UTS was represented by President Shimmyo, presenting a paper titled "Humility and the Harmony of Cultures," and by Associate Professor David Carlson, who presented a paper on "The Ethics of Healing and the Healing of Ethics: Reconciling Eastern and Western Perspectives."

Prior to the formal beginning of the Symposium, participants were invited to the Lotte Hotel in Seoul to hear Reverend Moon speak to a packed audience of community, military and government officials.

The symposium opening was graced by the presence of Dr. Sang Hun Lee, President of UTI-Korea, and Dr. Se-Won Yoon, President of Sun Moon University. Dr. Lee delivered the keynote address, "Let Us Create the Renaissance of Godism," in which he encouraged those attending to use their expertise in order "to actualize an ideal world full of peace in which people with various views of value can share together prosperity and mutual respect, transcending national, racial, cultural and religious barriers."

Over the course of the next two days, papers were presented on such topics as "Zero-Sum Game," "New Science and Unification Thought," "Reconstructing Evolution Theory," "The School in the Global Village," and "The Modern Significance of the Ethics of the Yeark (Liyue) Community." Classes were in session at SMU during the symposium and numerous students and faculty sat in as observers during the sessions. Throughout the symposium, participants were deeply moved by the warm hospitality of their Korean hosts.

Purity is Beautiful

by Haven Bradford Gow

An article in the Apr. 15 Patient Care points out: "When more than 1,500 adolescents aged 12-18 were surveyed, 32% of girls and 36% of boys agreed that movies and television suggest that it's normal for teens to have sex-a perception, they say, which encourages sexual activity.... Recent statistics indicate that 66% of girls and 67.1% of boys have had sexual intercourse by their senior year in high school."

Writing in the May 1996 issue of The Family in America, Dr. Janet Smith, professor of philosophy, University of Dallas, observed: "Our society has undergone a rapid transformation in terms of sexual behavior.... Today, one out of two marriages end in divorce. Six out of ten teenagers are sexually active. The millions of abortions over the last decade and the phenomenal spread of AIDS indicates that our society has serious problems with sexuality. In the last generation, the incidence of sexual activity outside of marriage-with all its attendant problems-has doubled and tripled, or worse."

Rev. Billy Graham, in his book The Secret of Happiness (Word Publishing), blames sex-saturated popular entertainment for contributing to the pernicious moral/sexual climate permeating society; he writes that people young and old "engage in immorality while reading unclean books and looking at unclean pictures. Our newsstands today are so indecent that a Christian cannot look upon them without blushing, and yet thousands of people are buying unclean books and the wrong types of magazines. The same is true of our movie and TV screens."

According to Dr. Donald DeMarco, a Catholic scholar-educator and author of Character in a Time of Crisis (Central Bureau, CCVA, 3835 Westminster Place, St. Louis, MO), "By forgoing sex before marriage, one is almost forced to focus on everything else one must do to learn how to live on the broader plane of existence that marriage demands. In short, if you can't have sex, maybe you can learn how to live. Sex would be a strange instinct, indeed, if its purpose was to supplant character, communication, common sense, community, and cooperation."

In their new book Catholicism and Life (C.R. Publications, 345 Prospect Street, Norwood, MA), Catholic scholars Father Edward Hayes, Msgr. Paul Hayes and James Drummey observe: "If a person is not careful how they talk, touch other people, and dance, what they listen to, watch, and how they dress, they will find their purity threatened and even destroyed by themselves or by others. If a person talks, acts or dresses in order to get himself or herself, or someone else, sexually excited, these actions are wrong and sinful. Being our brother's or sister's keeper means not saying or doing anything which would lead them into sin."

In their companion work Catholicism and Society (C.R. Publications), the scholars add: "Instead of providing their children with the latest contraceptive drugs or devices, parents should encourage chastity and self-control. The world says that the sexual appetite cannot be controlled; Christianity says that it can, and offers the shining example of millions of its adherents over the centuries as clear evidence of that fact. Young people are very idealistic today and they ought to be given some exposure to Christian ideals, instead of being dragged down to the lowest moral and social common denominator."

But why should young people practice purity today when so many of their peers and adults as well already have lost their virginity? How should we make the case for purity?

Dr. Harold O.J. Brown, professor of theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL, observes: "I think that too much attention centers on the women and girls. Boys need to be brought up with an awareness not merely of their sexual 'potency' but of the generative potency of that sexual organ to which so much attention is given." Dr. Brown adds: "Prior to contraceptives, men and boys always knew that sexual relations could and often did lead to pregnancy. Now the 'contraceptive culture' has destroyed that link. This makes chastity seem like a sort of unnecessary self-limitation."

Richard O'Connor, executive director, Illinois Right to Life, Chicago, says that when young people engage in premature and irresponsible sexual activity, they risk pregnancy; sexually transmitted diseases; AIDS; abortion; guilt; loss of reputation, etc. By remaining pure until marriage, young people can develop friendships; plan their futures; be free from worry, guilt and disease; build good character; and wait for the best marriage partner.

Clearly, we need to behave as good human beings and not like animals, and recognize that we possess the God-given ability to develop purity of heart, mind and soul. For its is because we truly love others that we must remain pure before giving of ourselves lovingly and selflessly within the sacrament of marriage. By remaining pure until marriage, we never will have to feel ashamed of past indiscretions nor of looking into the eyes of our husbands and wives. If we were unfaithful to our spouses before marriage, will we possess the strength and nobility of mind, spirit and character to remain faithful to them after marriage?

Planets From Scratch - Part Two

In the previous article I discussed how crowded this planet Earth is becoming. Empty stretches remain only because most everyone prefers to live in developed areas. Humanity needs room!

New worlds beckon. We've developed space flight, and astronomers are finding planets around other stars. No one knows whether any of them bear life, much less, the familiar kind. Apparently there aren't any civilized aliens living on them. If there are, they are deliberately avoiding us.

Humankind may soon settle the Earth's oceans, and then the Moon and Mars. Eventually, millions will dwell there. The centuries will roll on, and we will expand. It won't be easy. The stars are immensely far away.

How far? It takes several days to drive a car across the United States. The Apollo spaceships reached the Moon in several days. But NASA's space probes require years to reach the Sun's outer planets, such as Neptune. (Currently the farthest.)

The fastest existing probes, the Pioneers and Voyagers, would take tens of thousands of years to reach the nearest star, several light years distant. Would, that is, if they were aimed directly towards it, which they're not.

Past explorations were carried out by hardy pioneers, as were the first air and space flights. (As depicted in The Right Stuff.) It wasn't long before air travel became routine. Soon, space will also be opened to regular travel. The Delta Clipper and Venture Star spaceships now being built will likely provide the means. However, those ships (like today's Space Shuttles) can only reach low Earth orbit-only a fraction of the way to the Moon. Better ships will have to be built for routine flights there, much less to the Sun's other planets.

Yet even Neptune is nearby, compared to the stars. They are thousands of times farther still. Presumably, we'd like to complete the journey to another star within our own lifetime!

Starships

Enthusiastic scientists are already planning genuine starships. (Unfortunately, the galaxy-crossing ships depicted in science fiction depend upon imaginary propulsion systems that might as well be sheer magic.) The actual plans take many forms. Most of them would accelerate to a substantial fraction of the speed of light, and still their journeys would take many years.

The first starship might be unmanned: a tiny, swift Starwisp. Or crewed: a fusion-driven Daedalus. Or even a populous space ark: a lumbering O'Neill Colony. There are books; one can also visit several web sites. (See: http://www.tasmall.com.au/drmatrix/starship/rockets.htm.)

These plans are entirely realistic. Any computer-company billionaire could, if he wished, invest a portion of his wealth to back such a venture. What a legacy!

The universe has a built-in "speed limit," the speed of light itself. Nothing material can reach, much less exceed that velocity. The universe does provide one helpful advantage, first posited by Einstein. It's called "time dilation." Crudely put: the faster you go, the slower time passes. Atomic clocks flown aboard airliners have measured this effect. Above %90 of the speed of light, time "slows" dramatically. A voyage of a century could seem like only a year-but back home, the full time would have passed. Such voyages will require true pioneers.

Only a handful of people would be able to make such a perilous journey. The first starships will be small, and the cost enormous. Nothing but wilderness would be waiting at the end.

Similar objections were raised when Christopher Columbus planned his voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Tiny ships, a long and arduous voyage, and no assurance as to their eventual landfall.

Those Thirteenth Century Europeans couldn't imagine that, mere centuries later, jumbo jets would routinely fly thousands of people across the Atlantic, and in a matter of hours. Or that bustling cities like New York would receive them.

It is said that the gap between the stars is too great. We shall see.

Settlement

Settling the new planets will be different. The Earth is covered by the works of humanity. Graded road and rail beds, dams, mines, and canals. Miles of metal and wood pole lines. Huge factories and power plants. Farms large and small.

Need a new world be similarly developed? No!

Technology already in use will enable the settlers to dispense, almost entirely, with those things. Even now, several Third World nations are leaping ahead, installing cellular phone systems instead of wires.

Eventually, flying cars (perhaps hydrogen powered) will be common. Graceful, elevated trains, speeding along on magnetic cushions, will carry passengers and freight between cities. These could supplant surface roads almost entirely!

Prodigious energy, whether from fusion or some other source, will be needed to power a starship. That same source will also power the new cities, so pole lines will never be strung. Such energy could distill plenty of fresh water directly from the seas, or any convenient source. And pipe it, underground, across great distances. Dams and canals will not be as important.

Robotic fabrication, perhaps nanotechnology, will bring clean, compact manufacturing closer to homes and business. Large factories will only be needed for special purposes. Bulk facilities like warehouses could be located underground; this is already done in several cities.

Genetic engineering will allow hardy, custom-tailored food crops to be grown anywhere. Huge, commercial farms and ranches would be nearly obsolete.

The new worlds can remain virtually unspoiled.

Immigration

Such paradises will be popular destinations. Today many nations are embroiled in arguments over immigration. Whether of the skilled and hardworking-or of the benefit-eligible, the severely ill, or even the known criminal. (Not to mention illegal immigrants.)

Which agency, if any single one, would provide transit to the new worlds? Will it be corporate, governmental, or both?

Who, if anyone, would control immigration? No doubt every nation, company, specialized organization, and visionary religion, will feel that they are best qualified.

If there are many such worlds, all of these entities will probably have a chance. But if, at least initially, there are only a few available planets, this could become a source of great contention.

These same players will vie for control of the new worlds. The initial landings will be tightly organized exploratory parties. The first colonists will be scientists and pioneers; people too busy to quibble. They will have plenty of challenges as they settle their new homes.

Soon enough the populations will grow, and various factions -in the broadest sense of that term- will arise. Each colony, or settled world, will have unique conditions, and differing inclinations.

They will be starting with a "clean slate." Internally there will be no Providential history to replay. Externally, rival castes and cliques can be left behind. The opportunities for manifest wisdom will be great. (Or, all too familiar tragedy. Read Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars series.)

Earth societies host countless "parasitic" individuals and occupations. (To usurp an old communist term.) Investments, advertising and art can help a free society flourish. Bloated bureaucracies, criminal outfits and financial hustlers contribute less than nothing.

Yet the new worlds won't need the infamous communist "no visible job lands you in the gulag" policy. True Father speaks instead of an ideal "hobby culture."

The Ultimate

Hopefully, many habitable worlds will be found. Also, some way to break the "lightspeed barrier."

If only a few temperate planets are found, humans could alter themselves to live on harsher worlds. Gills to live underwater, special livers to neutralize alien toxins, blood that endures tremendous heat; the possibilities are endless.

Still not enough? There are ways to make more room. Asteroids, which are numerous, could be converted into orbiting colonies, each housing thousands. Barren planets could be "terraformed." Robots could go on ahead to begin that work.

Ultimately, a star's Jupiter-sized planets could be dismantled, and a Dyson Sphere built. This fantastic construction would completely surround a star, its entire inner surface made habitable. The livable area would equal a billion Earths!

Spiritual restoration must take place first. The science mentioned above could be turned into weaponry. Among the threats: an unbraked lightspeed ship, impacting a planet, would shatter continents. Chlorine-metabolizing organisms, let loose in an ocean, would convert the salt into poisonous gas. Nanotech machines could inflict bizarre tortures.

Everyone hopes that humanity will "export" its best to the stars. In this regard, we Unificationists have our own special dreams. Perhaps our children will have an opportunity to fulfill them.

My Pre-blessing Door-to-Door experience

by Antonio Ciacciarelli -Bergamo, Italy

I want to share with all of you my first experience in door to door pre-blessing ceremonies. I think it can help those who have my same problem-using reason too much.

The first day I decided to go to pre-bless people door to door, my wife was busy, so I asked a sister if we could go together. She said yes, and my elder daughter (9 yrs old) asked to come with us. So the three of us went out, but I was a bit doubtful about the success of our mission. I felt a deep urge to realize TF's request, but my mind felt that it was difficult to pre-bless people the way we were supposed to.

Before starting we went to the center, where the blessing of 5 couples was scheduled. After the ceremony we went out, and we started knocking at the doors of unknown people. We found three or four ladies who allowed us to enter, but their husbands didn't want us to speak. Then we entered a building, while a man was going out of it. We greeted him, but his face was very dark, and he didn't even answer to us.

We rang a bell, and a very kind, middle aged lady told us to enter. She introduced to us her 92 yrs old mother, that was living with her family. We explained her about the Federation and the blessing. She was enthusiastic, and told us to wait for her husband. So we started discussing about many things: family values, her social work, and so on. Then I asked her: "By the way, is your husband the man going out of the building just before we came here?" and she said yes. Then I began to sweat: if he was so dark, he would have kicked us out as soon as he would have come back. And the lady added: "He is a very good man. He just went to the Church, he helps the priest a lot". This made me to sweat even more. There was the possibility that he was a religious fanatic, that could consider us just like heretics and would have shouted at us.

I was not worried for myself of course (in my 25 years in the UC I had many nice experiences of being kicked out, insulted, rejected...) but for my daughter. Another thought was worrying me, anyway. I was thinking that I was not worth of giving the blessing, that Catholics have strong prejudices against any other religion, and so on. There was an incredible battle in myself. Now I can say that it was because a foundation had to be established: it was not only the first time I was going to give the blessing door to door, but it was the first time anyone had done it in my city.

It was getting late and her husband was not returning, so we told the lady we would have returned another time and we went to the door...which opened, and the husband entered. It was actually the man we had met entering, but he looked completely different. His eyes were very bright, and he had a nice smile. His wife explained him what we wanted to do, and he said it was OK, in a very natural way. I invited also her mother to join in the ceremony, and she agreed happily.

I started to explain the meaning of the blessing, when someone entered the house: it was one of the sons of that couple, accompanied by his fiancée. His mother had already told us that this son and his fiancée were deeply religious, so I explained about the blessing to them too. Right away they accepted to participate. We just added a glass, and I said: "...the husband will drink a half of the wine..." and suddenly my daughter interrupted me: "No! It's the woman that should drink first, and then should pass the glass to her husband!". She had seen the blessing at the center, and she remembered how to perform the blessing better than I did.

We performed the ceremony, and everyone was happy. It was a deeply meaningful event: the first door to door pre-blessing ceremony in Bergamo had been performed, and three generations together had accepted it.

I was uplifted, stressed, enthusiastic, tired, in a mixture of feeling I never experienced before. I returned to normality only 24 hours later.

This experience and the following ones are changing my heart, my relationship with my wife and with my daughters. What moves me the most is that my elder daughter always wants to come with me when I go out for the pre-blessing, and she urges me to hurry up if I am late in getting ready.

I wish everyone to be successful in accomplishing our goal of 160 families.