Sun Myung Moon
September 7, 1990
The Dedication Ceremony of the Washington Television Center
Father and Mother, together with Hyo Jin Nim, In Jin Nim, Jin Sung Nim and Dr. Bo Hi Pak, cut the ribbon during the Opening Ceremony to inaugurate the Washington Television Center
Our use of Holy Salt does not originate strictly from Heavenly tradition. When the fall of man took place, all things in the creation became part of Satan's blood lineage, making them unacceptable in the sight of God and unable to be used by Him. Therefore, fundamentally speaking and according to the strictest Principle, all fallen creation should be destroyed and then totally recreated. Since we could never do that, God allows us to use things of the fallen world by setting a condition through the sprinkling of Holy Salt. The use of Holy Salt restores things from a stained lineage to a pure lineage.
If Adam and Eve had not fallen, there would have been no stained blood. However, because of their fall, stained blood came into existence, and some person had to come as the Messiah to establish God's pure lineage on the earth. To fulfill that role, True Parents came to cleanse and enable the original, pure unstained blood lineage of Heaven to descend to the earth, so that all men could be restored into True Parents' blood lineage. This is the definition of restoration in regard to mankind.
While Mother and Dr. Pak watch, Father writes the motto for the new center in calligraphy: "Electronic Wave, Heart Wave, Heavenly Wave, Unified World”
Coinciding with this, all things of creation are connected to that same restoration process. Since we cannot abolish all things, God allows us the condition to sprinkle creation with Holy Salt. Salt represents the ocean, and all the elements of land; salt also represents Heaven and Earth. Salt prevents decay; it preserves things, enabling them to never go wrong. Salt represents life as well, for without salt, no life could happen.
This salt that you see is not the ordinary salt from a local grocery store. No, this salt was dedicated at True Parents' Holy Wedding in 1960. Since that tradition started in 1960, Holy Salt multiplied from that original salt can be found in every nation on earth.
By sprinkling this salt, all the evil or ungodly elements are banished, and new life is put into all creatures, in this way fulfilling the process of recreation. Only after this dedication ceremony of sprinkling Holy Salt, can this building have life. The most important thing accomplished through the use of Holy Salt is that God comes into the building, which in turn means Satan cannot invade. That is the most incredible protection for this building.
True Parents begin to Holy Salt the Washington Television Center after Father explained the significance and origin of Holy Salt
In Unification Church life, even groceries brought into our homes are sprinkled with Holy Salt before using them. This is the most important and fearful weapon against Satan. When Satan sees Holy Salt, he runs away. Therefore it is your best protection while you travel and in your home life. Another important principle is that once you sprinkle Holy Salt on a particular building or object, it cannot be sold because selling means handing it back to Satan, which we cannot do. Anyone trying to invade this building will receive incredible spiritual punishment, because this has become a holy temple.
Opening of the Washington Television Center
Jonathan S. (Park) Pak
Jonathan Pak lights the candles atop the cake Father and Mother cut during the opening ceremonies
On September 7, 1990 True Parents visited Washington DC and inaugurated the Washington Television Center. In the following article, Jonathan Pak, Dr. Bo Hi Pak's eldest son, highlights the events leading to the establishment of this historical media institution.
On 11:00 a.m. Friday, September 7, 1990, True Parents and members of the True Family inaugurated the newly completed Washington Television Center (WTC) located at 650 Massachusetts Ave., N.W. Washington DC. This inauguration was the culmination of 3 years of work inspired by True Parents' vision of a television production center that could produce television programs with the vision and content to guide America to better serve God's Providence.
Our True Parents have long understood the importance of television media in influencing the mores of the American public and shaping the course of public affairs in America. In April of 1984 True Parents founded Atlantic Video, Inc. (AVI), a television production company in Alexandria, Virginia. Dr. Bo Hi Pak was asked to serve as Chairman and chief executive officer of the new company that became a sister company to News World Communications and The Washington Times Corporation. I was asked to serve as the project manager. By that time, our movement had 6 years of experience in the print media business, but Atlantic Video was our first endeavor into the American electronic media business -- so none of the staff had any prior experience in this area. When True Parents vividly explained the essential importance of mastering the television production world, we were very inspired to build the most advanced and commercially successful television production company in the region.
Dr. Bo Hi Pak explains the operation of some special equipment while giving True Parents a tour of the new television center
Atlantic Video Gains Recognition
In just three short, hectic and eventful years, Atlantic Video became the most up-to-date and successful television production company in the mid-Atlantic region. The company officially opened for business on June 19, 1985 after 13 months of construction and equipment installation at an old warehouse building site in Alexandria, Virginia. Even before the opening, Atlantic Video began to gain recognition and many new clients. In May of 1985, AVI was successful in signing a network television production services contract with the newly started Discovery Channel: a cable network featuring non-fiction, educational programming about science, technology, nature, history, current events, and human adventure. With the help of AVI the Discovery Channel has become one of the most widely viewed and highly acclaimed cable networks in the television industry. In the same year, AVI signed a similar contract with the Black Entertainment Television Network, a cable network providing programs for the approximately 25 million Afro-American audience. AVI has recently signed a third cable network services contract with the Nostalgia Channel. The Nostalgia Channel's concept is to program for the rapidly growing 45+ age group which will become the largest and wealthiest demographic group in the country during this decade.
In addition to these notable clients, AVI gained a myriad of other clients including the U.S. Government, the District of Columbia government, the major broadcast networks, advertising agencies, political parties and political candidates, together with many associations, corporations and small producers. The rapid rise of our brand new company was truly a miracle and blessing from Heaven; but our rapid rise became a cause for concern and a target for attack from people in the media who misunderstood or were prejudiced against any success by Unificationists.
While it was gaining success as the premier television production company in the mid-Atlantic region, AVI was helping to produce many of the video programs used by other organizations in our movement. One of our early programs involved shooting the Religious Freedom rallies around the country including the one in Washington DC at DAR Constitution Hall, which was accompanied by a march around Lafayette Square. AVI helped produce the program, "The Price of Freedom," which contained a speech by In Jin Nim; we had the privilege of filming In Jin Nim and Un Jin Nim in our studios for the production of this program. AVI also covered the Senate Committee hearings on Capitol Hill conducted by Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah when Father testified.
Other important events covered by AVI were the "God and Freedom Banquet" at the Omni Shoreham Hotel on August 20, 1986 at which over 2000 dignitaries and ministers welcomed Father's triumphant release from Danbury Prison; more recently, AVI had the eternal honor of covering True Parents' historic visit to Moscow including the meeting with President Mikhail Gorbachev in April of this year. During the last 6 years, there have been numerous other programs shot by AVI, such as the Oliver North video entitled "Fight for Freedom" and many events like the CAUSA conferences, American Leadership conferences, the World Media conferences, and the Science conferences.
A New Level of Media
On this foundation True Parents gave the vision to build on our early successes and to raise AVI to a new level. In 1987, work began in earnest on the Washington Television Center project when 40,000 square feet of land was purchased in the heart of the booming east end of Washington DC. There have been many instances of Heavenly Father and spirit world lending a direct hand in the development of the television providence which are nothing short of miraculous. Certainly one of these cases has to be the fact that immediately after we purchased our parcel of vacant land the price of land in our area doubled.
At the banquet following the ribbon cutting and Holy Salt ceremonies, True Parents gave the WTC a motto written in calligraphy. The motto reads: "Electronic Wave, Heart Wave, Heavenly Wave, Unified World." We were so grateful to True Parents for these guiding words. We are also inspired that Hyo Jin Nim will be the Director of the Washington Television Center. Hyo Jin Nim's presence is an indication of the high expectation and importance True Parents hold for the center. Therefore we pledge to True Parents and Hyo Jin Nim to give our 100 percent to fulfill our responsibility and the trust our True Parents have placed in us.