What Is A True Leader? 22nd Oratorical Contest at UTS

by Gareth Davies-Barrytown, NY

For the third straight year, and for the fourth time in five years, it was an African student who held the trophy at the conclusion of the Annual David S.C. Kim Oratorical Contest at UTS.

Adin Kachisi of Zimbabwe beat off the strong challenges of Bismarck Banfo of Ghana and Martin Herbst of Denmark by offering a powerful and thoughtful answer to the contest’s question "What does it mean to be a true leader?" While presenting a report on the opinion of the judges, Dr. Kathy Winings used Adin’s description of the true leader as a risk taker as she congratulated all of the eight finalists and the 15 total contestants for the courage they showed in entering the contest. Dr. Winings, as winner of the 1987 contest, was speaking from personal experience.

Adin, who only arrived at UTS in January, was one of several contestants who argued that we are facing a crisis of leadership. "What do people look for in a leader?" he asked. "Appearance, charisma, eloquence, influence, persuasiveness. But what is a true leader? This is someone who can influence others by their integrity, their attitude and their determination." He then discussed each of these three qualities in turn. Integrity, he said, does not mean perfection but a commitment to the truth and an honest acknowledgment of mistakes. Thus, he said, "the true leader has nothing to hide." As for attitude, Adin said that this is what determines whether we see the glass as half empty or half full and this, he said with a dramatic flourish, "is what separates Mother Theresa from Al Capone!" The true leader, he said, always assumes a positive attitude and sees opportunity in crisis.

The last of Adin’s three qualities of the true leader is determination and this, he said, is what allows the true leader to be a risk-taker. "When Reverend Moon met Kim Il Sung in North Korea," said Adin, "he told him his ideology was wrong! He took a risk!" In one of the evening’s more dramatic moments, Adin then raised up a sign from the Seminary’s cleaning supplies which read "Caution: Safety First!" and cast it to the floor shouting "No! Forget it! Avoiding risks is OK for donkeys and pigs but not for people! When you stop taking risks you die."

The panel of judges viewed Adin’s presentation as the one which best fulfilled the criteria by which they were asked to judge each finalist; content, organization, delivery and persuasion. Dr. Winings thanked all of those who entered for continuing the tradition of oratorical contests which has now continued unbroken for 22 years, making it the oldest of the Seminary’s contests. President Shimmyo awarded prizes to the first three contestants.

True Mother's American Hoon Dok Hae Speaking Tour Starts April 1

Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon will begin a 16 city speaking tour in the North American Continent beginning April 1, 1998 in Washington, DC. The official title of her speaking tour will be "Blessed Marriage and Eternal Life."The tour schedule is as follows:

April 1 Washington, DC
April 2 Bridgeport, CT
April 3 Boston, MA
April 4 St. Louis, MO
April 5 Atlanta, GA
April 6 Baltimore, MD or Richmond, VA
April 7 Dallas, TX
April 8 Louisville, KY
April 9 New York City, NY
April 10 Chicago, IL
April 11 Seattle, WA
April 12 Los Angeles, CA
April 13 Denver, CO
April 14 San Francisco, CA
April 15 Minneapolis, MN
April 16 Toronto, ON

This tour is a continuation of the tour in the East.

True Parents conducted a Hoondok Hae tour to seventeen cities in Korea, from late January until mid-February. Father led a program of four hours reading in each location.

True Mother continued the tour in twelve cities in Japan. It was a great success in both countries. In Korea, mayors of many major cities, as well as local council members, educational leaders and teachers, and many VIPs attended. Despite the long program, everyone stayed and listened with great interest.

Each participant received a book of excerpts from Father's words entitled "True Parents." While True Mother was in Japan, Father visited the leaders of each major political party. He taught them that at the root of Korea's economic challenge was a moral and spiritual crisis.

Titanic

Dear Editor,

I just read Dr. Hendricks’ recent article in the Unification News (Jan. 98) about the movie Titanic. I found it interesting. I’m enclosing a review of the movie which was printed in The Washington Times that I thought you would like to read, if you haven’t already.

Personally, I haven’t seen the movie yet. I rarely watch movies, but, of course, most of my kids have already seen it and are gushing about it just like their friends’ mothers who took them. I almost considered going to see it but now after reading yours and this other commentary, I probably won’t waste my time.

Anyway, I wanted to say that I enjoy reading your insights and opinions in the Unification News. I wish the rest of the paper could connect us a little more to real life, as well, but...that’s a whole other matter, isn’t it?

The one thing I felt I should comment on regarding your interpretation of The Titanic, though, was your reference to the story of Romeo & Juliet. I am not a scholar and I only read that play in high school and then later saw the movie. However, I do clearly recollect that Romeo and Juliet were quite intentionally married before they had a relationship. You mentioned that they "abandoned parents, tradition and morality." I don’t see it that way at all. They were quite moral and the reason that their union would be opposed was because of the resentment and false pride which existed between their families. I know that in our church when couples marry cross-culturally or cross-racially, there is often opposition from their families, and yet in this instance there is a need to transcend the current "tradition" for a more universal one.

In Romeo & Juliet, as a result of their deaths, the parents were repentant and humbled. They vowed never to let hostilities cause such a tragedy again.

Your article brought up some good points but you lost me when you compared Jack and Rose to Romeo & Juliet. In fact, that was probably the original intention of the producers but they lacked a higher purpose and so, have led the gushing public down the road of sexual justification once again.

Cathi Close

The Stranger

This article has been circulating on the internet with no author credited. It was forwarded to us by Ray & Kathy Sabo.

A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.

As I grew up I never questioned his place in our family. In my young mind, each member had a special niche. My brother, Bill, five years my senior, was my example. Fran, my younger sister, gave me an opportunity to play big brother and develop the art of teasing. My parents were complementary instructors-Moms taught me to love the word of God, and Dad taught me to obey it. But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spellbound for hours each evening.

If I wanted to know about politics, history, or science, he knew it all. He knew about the past, understood the present, and seemingly could predict the future. The pictures he could draw were so life like that I would often laugh or cry as I watched.

He was like a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Bill and me to our first major league baseball game. He was always encouraging us to see the movies and he even made arrangements to introduce us to several movie stars. My brother and I were deeply impressed by John Wayne in particular. The stranger was an incessant talker. Dad didn't seem to mind-but sometimes Mom would quietly get up-while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway places-go to her room, read her Bible and pray. I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave.

You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions. But this stranger never felt obligation to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house-not from us, from our friends, or adults. Our longtime visitor, however, used occasional four letter words that burned my ears and made Dad squirm. To my knowledge the stranger was never confronted. My dad was a teetotaler who didn't permit alcohol in his home-not even for cooking. But the stranger felt like we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often. He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (too much, too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I know now that my early concepts of the man-woman relationship were influenced by the stranger.

As I look back I believe it was the grace of God that the stranger did not influence us more. Time after time he opposed the values of my parents. Yet he was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave. More than thirty years have passed since the stranger moved in with the young family on Morningside Drive. He is not nearly so intriguing to my Dad as he was in those early years. But if I were to walk into my parent's den today, you would still see him sitting over in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name? We always just called him TV.

The Strange Case of Herr Moon "Threat to Public Order," or Victim of Discrimination?

by Dan Fefferman

In Franz Kafka's novel The Trial, the protagonist Josef K. finds himself charged by unknown parties with an unspecified crime. He has no recourse but to accept his unjust fate and search within himself for the meaning of his predicament.

So it was with the Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, founders of the Unification Church, as they sat detained by police in a French airport, forbidden to fulfill plans to visit their European followers.

Just a week previous, in November 1995, Rev. Moon had delivered a sermon to French supporters at a Paris hotel. Not only had his talk on salvation history come off without incident, he and Mrs. Moon had been given a full police escort from the airport to the hotel.

Now, a week later, they received a different sort of escort, not from Paris gendarmes, but from French immigration police. It turns out the Moons, who were not even attempting to enter France but only to change planes and proceed to Spain on another leg of their speaking tour, were now considered "dangerous persons."

The immigration agents separated the Korean couple, neither of whom speaks French, and kept them in custody of several hours. The Moon's were forbidden to continue on to Madrid and eventually forced to return to Budapest, where their flight had originated. Moreover, the immigration authorities pressured Rev. Moon several times to sign a document in French, which he declined to after they refused to provide a translation. It turns out the document would have promised that he would never again attempt to enter France.

The aging Rev. Moon and his wife were now "a threat to public order," having been listed as such by the government of Germany. The Germans carried out the action under provisions of the Schengen Treaty, which was designed to prevent terrorists and drug dealers from abusing liberalized European travel codes. The listing meant that the Moons were now effectively banned from Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.

Appealing the Decision

Church members in Europe found it hard to understand the ban. The invitation to their leader had been issued as part of a worldwide speaking tour, and his sermon-on a strictly religious theme-had previously been delivered without incident in sixteen cities of the United States and sixteen other nations. No notice had been given of the impending ban, and no charges specified, despite the fact that there had been no hint of trouble on the tour. The Moons had entered Germany on several previous occasions with no evident problems or complaints from authorities.

Attempts by church officials to appeal the ban have met with little success. In a particularly Kafkaesque episode, a law firm retained by the church in France filed an appeal and, after several months, was duly informed by a judge that the Schengen file on Rev. Moon was in order. The firm was not allowed to see the file or any of its contents and was thus unable to challenge its contents.

In litigation brought by the church in Germany, the church finally gained the right to examine the file on its spiritual leader, and claims it is full of outdated and inaccurate information, much of it from sources of dubious credibility. The German Federal Criminal Police acknowledge that there has been no prosecution of the church or its officials and affirms that the group is taking "meticulous care" to conduct itself lawfully.

Sources say the government believes that the Moon movement might become a neo-fascist political force. One wonders whether such fears, whether real or imaginary, justifies singling out the aging Korean preacher for shunning-not to mention his wife.

Church members say the ban has caused considerable hardship. They strongly deny the charge of fascism, declaring that the church supports democracy and constitutional guarantees of human rights. "The government is effectively denying members of the Unification Church the right to practice their religion and to associate with their religious leader, who is now quite elderly and may soon be physically unable to visit Germany," they say.

Holland, an Exception

One bright spot for church members has been the action of the government of The Netherlands, which took the unprecedented to step of granting Rev. and Mrs. Moon permission to visit Holland despite the Schengen ban against them.

The church also won a significant victory against the German government in June 1997, when a court prohibited the government from continuing the distribution of a booklet it had printed to warn German youth against the church. The court ruled that the booklet, 200,000 copies of which had been published by the Ministry of Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, contained false allegations that "damage the honor" of the church.

The Unification Church is not the only small religious group to complain of shoddy treatment in Germany. The U.S. State Department has expressed official concern about Germany's treatment of Scientology, Jehovah's Witnesses and other non-traditional religious groups. In addition, the UN's Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance has recently expressed concern about Germany's behavior toward its religious minorities.

Meanwhile, Rev. Moon plans to launch another world speaking tour this year, in conjunction with his announced plan to bless the marriages of 360 million couples worldwide before the year 2,000. Church members say they hope that international pressure on Germany will stimulate the government to open its borders to their leader.

The author serves as executive director of the International Coalition for Religious Freedom. <<www.religiousfreedom.com>>

The Second Generation Committee Inauguration Held Belvedere

by Goon Koch-Tarrytown, NY

March 15th marked the beginning of a new era for the Second Generation in America when the new Second Generation Committee was inaugurated at the Belvedere Training center.

Over the past several years, Yoon Sun Park has been responsible for the Second Generation Office in the United States. As a leader, he has always invested his love and heart into his younger brothers and sisters, but now must move on.

Under Jin Hun Nim’s guidance, a committee, centering on Matthew Jones was created to take on the responsibilities of the 2nd Gen office. It was founded with the premise that each member would serve for a period of time with a constant influx of new members and fresh ideas. The first committee, now nick-named the "gang of seven" is made up of Tweeran Pumphery, Misook Kwak, Jin Man Choi, Joni (Ang) Choi, Jonathan Kirst and Dohi Ang.

Over one hundred second generation brothers and sisters, parents, and church leaders from the area attended. Among the guest were the parents of Matthew Jones, Joni Choi and Dohi Ang. Their faces beamed with pride and joy as they watch their children take up the task of building the foundation that they invested their whole lives into.

The support however, was not limited to the surrounding communities. Church and CARP leaders from across the nation sent in their words of inspiration, support and encouragement for the newly appointed committee. Some supporters were, Rev, Jun Hyun Pak, continental director, who sent Rev. Eric Holt in his stead, Rev. Kevin Thompson of Northern California, Rev. Hun Suk Lee of Region Seven and Rev. Won Jeon Kim of the Northwestern Region.

In his Inaugural address, Matthew Jones reflected upon the past accomplishments of Yoon Sun Park and the Second Generation Office. He mentioned the great success and spiritual turnaround of many as a result of the 40-day pioneering that had taken place two summers ago, and he appraised the positive impact of the Pure Love ‘97 Tour, quoting his brother saying, "I couldn’t have spent my summer in a better way." But most importantly, he personally testified to the importance of the community in which he was able to grow up. One surrounded by loving parents, elder and younger brothers and sisters, friends, all interwoven by God centered, Principled love and heart.

He pledged his and the committee’s determination to transmit to their younger brothers the tradition and ideals of True Parents by working together with the families and church to foster such a community through education, guidance and support.

Toward the end, Jin Hun Nim gave his own words of guidance. He expressed True Father’s deep concern for the second generation and his equal desire to teach not only Principle, but its practice in daily life. Programs such as the Special Task Force and the Pure Love Alliance are vehicles he created to help the Second Generation understand what it means to live a Principled lifestyle. Afterward, praises of such programs were echoed by the MC, Hoon Hwi Joo, an STF graduate himself, whose brother is currently enrolled in the program, and by Matthew Jones.

In this spirit, the newly inaugurated Second Generation committee will seek to continue a high standard of leadership and initiative to serve their younger brothers and sisters.

The House at the Rock of Tears

Linna Rapkins

It was time to move into the little stone and cardboard shack by the spring on the hill! There were no closets, no kitchen, no bathroom-just one room large enough for two people to stretch out, with some space at one end for their things.

They found a piece of canvas to put over the dirt floor. This would be their carpet and bed. A flimsy wooden box used for shipping oranges-called an orange crate-was pulled out during the day to serve as the table. There was an old kerosene lamp to light up the nights.

Just a few steps away was a little spring of water. "Tomorrow we will dig the dirt out of that little spring so the water can come up more freely," said Father to Won Pil Kim. "But tonight we sit down and give thanks and enjoy."

Father’s friend from his student days, Duk Moon Aum, came, and they had a celebration.

They cooked their dinner of rice over an open fire outside the hut. As before, the only kind of rice they could get was old and was mixed with little stones that stuck in their teeth when they ate it. That kind of rice would be thrown out or given to animals today, but they were grateful to have even that. Father washed it carefully by the spring and got the little stones out. He cooked it over the fire. He had learned how to cook rice so the top part was cooked without burning the bottom part. Ask any woman today if she can cook a perfect pot of rice over a fire, and she will say, "No! I cannot do that. I need a rice cooker." It is very difficult.

They ate outside overlooking the other hills and the city below. As the sun disappeared for the night, Father turned to Mr. Aum. "Duk Moon-A, please sing a song for us." Mr. Aum sang a Korean folk song.

As would happen many times in the days and nights to come, Mr. Aum sang for hours-Korean songs, Italian folk songs, opera songs, many kinds of songs. His voice was strong and carried out over the hills of Pusan as a kind of blessing.

Father sat quietly watching the lights flickering on in the city below. His mind seemed to be far away, close by, everywhere all at once. He seemed to be thinking of the past, the present, the future. The music and the night blended together with the thoughts of this special man who would become our True Father.

Sometime after midnight, the three men said one more prayer and went into the little house to sleep. Even though it felt like a palace compared to what they had before, it was actually very small. With three adults, it was crowded. Father and Mr. Aum slept on each side by the walls, and Won Pil Kim, the youngest of the three, slept in the middle with his head down by their feet and his feet up by their heads.

The stars twinkled down on them through the cracks in the roof. The September breezes blew in on them. The little spring bubbled happily, and the trees reached out protectively over this holy ground. The hills sang a new song.

The Rock of Tears

Each morning, Father woke up before the sun. In the darkness, he would climb farther up the Pom Net Kol mountain for meditation and prayer. He had received so much through revelation, but there was still much more to learn. He had to spend time praying to learn these things and make plans for the months and years ahead. As always, he spent many hours just being with Heavenly Father, comforting Him and loving Him.

Father’s favorite spot was a rocky place that stuck out from the hillside like a little cliff. Behind him was the woodsy area of the mountain as it continued higher. Before him were the valleys and hills of Pusan. He looked out from this point each day, until he knew by heart every curve and dip of the other hills against the sky. He paid no attention to the cold hard rock beneath him.

As he poured out his heart to Heavenly Father, he repented again and again for all the pain that had been brought to Heavenly Father over the years. He repented for the churches, who had not united with him. He repented for those who had left him.

Another person might have said, "Heavenly Father, I have already prayed many hours for the world. I have endured pain in prison. I have cried many hours for the world and for You. I cannot cry for you anymore. It’s time to get a little rest."

Father didn’t think that way. Again and again, as he prayed for each part of history, he sobbed with grief as he felt the agony and loneliness of God. Just as he had done when he was younger, he cried until it seemed that there could be no tears left in his head; yet they continued to pour like a torrent down his face and onto the rock beneath him. Morning after morning, this was his life.

Later, among his disciples, the big flat rock where Father usually prayed became known as the "Rock of Tears." It was washed by Father’s tears so many times, it must be the holiest rock in all the world.

The First "Divine Principle"

When Father climbed down from the mountain each day, he had many things to do. His mind was always far ahead of his body, planning what had to be done and how to do it. He walked quickly wherever he went, as if this was the most important moment in all history. If others were with him, they could hardly keep up with him.

He felt so impatient-impatient to get things done; impatient to find more people. So many years had passed, and he had only a few people with him in Pusan. He was already over 30 years old.

Now, there was another urgent job to do. He must write down all his revelations. Up to this point, Father had been teaching the people himself. He read the stories directly from his well-worn Bible and explained to each person what the stories meant.

But he knew he couldn’t continue forever teaching each person himself. It was important that he write everything down that had been revealed to him, so that more people could learn about these stories and so that the details would not be forgotten. Soon God would bring him a person who could make it into a book, and many people would come to hear God’s words. Father had to be prepared. Every moment was precious and urgent.

When Father returned from his morning prayers, therefore, he immediately sat down to write. Many times, as Won Pil Kim left for work, Father was already sitting by the orange crate writing furiously, trying to keep up with all the information that came to him from God.

He learned to sharpen many pencils before starting so he could keep up with the words that came into his head. Some days, when Won Pil Kim, Mr. Aum, or someone else was there, their job was to sharpen the pencils with a little knife. Father wrote so fast, the pencils wore down almost immediately, and they could not always keep enough sharpened for him.

Father’s hand always got very tired. From time to time, he gave it a shake and then continued writing, even though it hurt so much.

When Won Pil Kim returned from work in the evening, he would often find Father still writing at his little "desk." His eyes were red with weariness, his hand cramped into the writing position, his legs stiff from sitting on the floor all day. Often, he had forgotten to eat anything.

As the days went by, the stack of finished pages grew. Sometimes, ideas would come to Father before he could get a sheet of paper, and he would quickly write them on the cardboard walls. Soon the walls and ceiling were covered with writing. Information was coming from heaven day and night, and it had to be written down before it was lost.

One night, Father suddenly sat up and shook Won Pil Kim awake, "Won Pil-A! Won Pil-A! Wake up! Light the lamp-bal-li, bal-li (quickly, quickly)."

Won Pil Kim sat up with a jerk and quickly lit the old kerosene lamp. He looked with sleepy eyes at the pencil and paper Father had set before him.

"Please write what I tell you," said Father, without further explanation.

Won Pil Kim picked up the pencil and poised his hand over the paper. He gave his head a shake and rubbed his eyes with his other hand to get rid of the scratchiness.

Father began to talk. Won Pil Kim’s pencil moved up and down as fast as he could make it go, as he tried to keep up with everything Father said. Father told all about the Lord of the Second Advent. He explained why such a man must come to earth, what he must do, where he will come, when he will come, everything. Father didn’t have to stop and think what to say next or rewrite any of it so it would sound better. The words came out of his mouth as if they were already written somewhere. They were coming directly from Heavenly Father.

Soon, Won Pil Kim’s hand was throbbing with pain. Father kept sharpening more pencils for him, so he could continue writing without stopping. The words kept coming. Then, it stopped just as suddenly as it had begun.

"Thank you," said Father. "It is finished." He added these pages to the rest of the stack.

Won Pil Kim lay gratefully down on the canvas mat and closed his eyes. His hand still felt cramped, as he fell asleep for the few minutes remaining before wake-up time. The first Divine Principle had been written, and the last chapter was in his handwriting.

When morning dawned, Father was already on the mountain praying. Won Pil Kim got up to prepare for work, and as he ate his morning rice and thought over what had happened the night before, the day felt very special.

"I see it now!" he exclaimed to himself as he started down the hill. "Now I understand! Moon Sun Myung is the Lord of the Second Advent! He is the second Messiah. That’s why he told me years ago that there would never be another group like this one. I’ve lived with him and worked with him all this time, and I didn’t really understand." The events of the night kept going through his head.

"So that’s how he gets his revelations!" he thought in awe. "It comes through him directly from God. He hears it in his head, or sees it in his mind-or something! When he writes so furiously all day, that’s what is happening to him. now I see!"

He reached the bottom of the mountain and picked his way through the bustling streets. But Won Pil Kim hardly noticed the people on their way to work.

"If I hadn’t done that writing for him last night, no one-no one-would ever have known how he receives his revelations. He had to let me learn it, so I could explain to others!" He shook his head incredulously.

As he reached his place of work, he noticed for the first time the crowds of people around him.

"They have no idea," he thought, as he watched them scurrying about. "They think there’s nothing more to life than work and food. A bowl of rice and a warm floor is all they ask. They don’t know the Lord of the Second Advent is here-now-in Pusan!"

He felt like shouting the news to them, but just then he reached the door of his place of work. He paused.

"How can I do such meaningless work at a time like this? The Messiah is here. I would rather be doing his work, God’s work." Should he go back up the hill? He thought it over a moment.

"No!" he answered himself. "I, out of all the people in the world, can earn money today for the Lord of the Second Advent!"

Won Pil Kim slid the door open and stepped in. He would earn the money with love today.

The Heavenly Kingdom in Your Home

by Jim Stephens-Bloomington, IN

To create the Heavenly Kingdom in your home, the children must become aware of the presence of God and good spirits all the time.

Younger ones cannot understand so much, but the older ones need to have discussions about God, dreams, spiritual communication. They need to look for their own spiritual gifts and the ways they can communicate, receive messages and get revelations and inspirations from heaven.

Try to initiate open ended discussions. Use questions centered around the things they like. For example, say "Do you think there will still be superhero cartoons in the Kingdom of Heaven?". "What kind of person do you think you will be matched to?" "How do you know when a spirit is sending you a message and whether it's a high spirit or low spirit?" "What will it be like when we get old?"

Rather than making it a "formal" occasion (i.e. morning service) which they might rebel against, look for and pray for natural opportunities to start up spiritual sharing.

As your older children begin to grow into their own unique personalities and become responsible for their own portion of responsibility, they will hunger naturally more and more for spiritual sharing and knowledge. You can help by opening the doorway all the time. If they are curious in that moment, share with them. If they are not, just let the discussion pass. Only when they are interested will they take it in. Give them a perspective and grounding in the Principle. Keep them realizing that you are way ahead of them in life experience or else they will rebel thinking that they are smarter and wiser at dealing with their own problems than you are.