Sun Myung Moon
February 8, 1984
World Mission Center, New York, NY
I had expected a great deal from Ocean Church, but those expectations have been somewhat betrayed. Today, let's start again and make a new beginning. You have no idea how important the foundation of Ocean Church is for this country. You have no idea how wonderful Ocean Church could be for America. You are part of an important providence, an ocean providence. I am always thinking about the kind of foundation that should be made here in America. More than anything else, I spend most of my time thinking about this. I have thought about where we should start. There is so much waste in this nation that I first thought we should collect together the scrap metal in America, the old rusted out parts, and recycle them. We should salvage these things and put them to good use. Also, there is an incredible amount of paper that is used and thrown away. We could recycle that as well. There is a tremendous need in this nation for someone to do that. However, at this time, it would be very difficult for us to set up a program like that.
What kind of life do you want to have? In the world today, many people are looking for an easy way to make their living. They want to make their fortune overnight; going out every day and working hard in the environment is too much for them. When I thought about this, I looked for a place that would not only provide good training for your character, but also a good way of life. The way of life upon the ocean then, is a good way of life for us.
I studied the ocean-related cities and recognized that the best way to help America is to help these cities. So much comes through these cities and then filters into the country. If we develop these cities and clean them up, we will set the direction for this nation for the next century. The Coast Guard is very important in this regard. They are trying to safeguard the country against the infiltration of drugs, but the Mafia is bringing in cocaine and other drugs by the thousands of pounds. If we are to enter into the ocean way of life, we have to cooperate and help the Coast Guard with its work. In that way we can help this nation clean up its drug problem and at the same time we can even help the American fishing industry. There is a danger that these cities might come under Mafia control. In Korea, long before I came to America, I explored the possibilities of the ocean. In America, I have been laying the foundation for the ocean providence since 1974. How long have you been on the ocean? Some of you began since 1980 and others since 1981. In 1980, you were given instructions to go out to many of the ocean cities and revive them through evangelical meetings. You should have invited the key officials in those cities such as the mayor and the Coast Guard leaders.
I designed the One Hope boat. It is a strong and yet fast boat, and I know that young people will be easily attracted to it. It was designed with young people in mind. I wanted them to use the boat and do things together with you. In the ocean cities, the young people have no hope. They don't have anything to do and just hang around in the streets. They are open to being contaminated by the drug traffic. They have no equipment to go out fishing and even if they caught fish, they wouldn't know what to do with them. They have no way to gain pride in themselves or self-respect.
Where are those boats? They are still sitting in storage. There should be at least ten boats in each ocean city. If you can get five people per boat to learn with it and take care of it, you can go on to use a large ocean-going boat. Out of fifty people, you can train a full captain and crew. If you had gone to your cities and followed this plan exactly as it was outlined, you would have a solid foundation by now. You would already have experienced incredible victory by now. Before you can accomplish anything however, you first have to think of how to achieve the spiritual foundation.
I emphasized the spiritual foundation first. You have to unite with the city leadership, then embrace the young people. This formula would have been successful. No matter what, no matter how difficult, I want you to win the friendship and trust of the local leadership. The ministers and civic leaders are so important. Even now, you must go and follow this course. You have to go through this principled path.
Without the young people in the local area you will not succeed. You cannot just ask for help from other members. You have to earn the support from young people with your own effort of heart. You have to go through a struggle. You are going there to stand for justice. At first people will form a "hate Moonie" fleet, but you need all of that persecution and rejection. It is a cleansing process for you and it is also the way you win support. The Coast Guard and mayor will come to support you because you are standing up for the right thing. Use your boat to help the drug patrol. It is a very expensive boat and the Coast Guard will be surprised that such a nice boat could be used to help their work. Once you let people use the boats and share with them your ideals you will win their respect. Persecution will just bring you to the attention of good people who care about their city.
I believed that three years was good enough to lay the complete foundation. After three years, I hoped you could begin to use even bigger boats. I wanted the people in your local city to take turns in learning how to run the trawling boat. Then, what would happen? You could have even obtained support for your program from the government. You could have built an entire fleet for that city and coastal area. Theoretically, you could have trained fifty captains. You could have helped that coastal area build an entire new fishing fleet.
The mayor and Coast Guard would have recommended you and the government would have helped you based on their appraisal of you. Your purpose must be to help the fishing industry here in America. Their purpose cannot be fulfilled without you. Creating this relationship is critical. By having the support of the Coast Guard and local leaders, there is no doubt that the ocean providence will succeed and become a powerful work in America. However, not even one of you lived up to my expectation. Not even one of you made friends with the mayor or made a relationship with the Coast Guard. Not even one.
Those who started in 1980 raise up your hands. Did you do this much? Did anyone of you accomplish at least with one mayor or with one Coast Guard official? No? Then, we have wasted all our time. This is a shame for all of us. Therefore, we are beginning again and we will recreate the foundation. You must first learn Divine Principle. Unless you can teach Divine Principle there is no way for you to gain the spiritual foundation. There is no way for you to gain success unless you can teach your ideals.
You have to become attractive to your city. You have to be able to add something. When the Moonies come to a city, they always watch you, afraid of what you might do. If you go and build up the local area, they will see that the benefit goes to the local population. Then, they will not oppose you. You have to organize your battle, because you will have to prove every point to them. They will not believe you automatically. You have to be disciplined and organized. You have to be teamwork people. There is no doubt about it. If you are going to train others, you must also train yourselves. This is the course of Ocean Church.
Sometimes ocean-going people are sloppy. We have to be absolutely meticulous about every detail. You cannot successfully win over the ocean without disciplining your mind. You must have an absolutely scientific and organized approach to your work on the ocean.
You have to take constant care of the boat. It must always be in the best condition and it must be spotless. Otherwise, you will be put in a dangerous position. This mission is very difficult. However, if you achieve in it, there will be no comparison with other leaders in America. That is why I chose the ocean as the basis for our work in America. And that is also why I picked seminary graduates to lay the foundation.
However, you have to follow my instructions exactly. Your spiritual state of mind will determine everything. You must always pray, especially when you are out on the ocean. Then, you will be guided from danger. Use your mind and develop your faith. Ocean Church members are very rough sometimes. They say things like, "Why do we need Jesus?" That's a strange way to think. If Jesus isn't needed, then we don't need Moses or Abraham or Adam. If we don't need the first Adam, then we don't need the second Adam. And then, we don't need the third Adam either. So, finally you think, "We don't need Father." That becomes your conclusion. What we are doing now, Jesus also wanted to do. We are working to liberate Jesus in the spiritual world. Jesus is working in the spiritual world to liberate mankind, and that is also our task. If we cannot liberate Jesus and the spiritual world, then we cannot bring the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
You have to have the correct mental state. If your mind is not spiritually tuned, the fish, who are also part of creation and have sensitivity, will never come close to you. Unless you have your spiritual foundation and can fellowship with the city leaders, you can never win any kind of victory for Ocean Church. You have to go to every level and win people to your side. In your city you might meet all kinds of very rough men. Some of them would throw away their own parents, but you have to win them over. You have to convince them that you really care for them. Some of them will come to that realization. Then, you will find people in the city who will want to come with you. If your mind is tuned spiritually, they will come to support you because you have the right attitude. They will be attracted to you. As you gain the reputation of being decent and honest and dedicated men, the city leaders will let the young people come to you and they will watch your work with them. Then, they will bear testimony to you. You have to go through this course. You can ask some really rough person to come out with you and bring his own son. You can treat his son with such concern that he will be moved. Every city has parents who are agonizing over the problems of their youth. Ocean Church members will help these difficult young people. You can become their counselor by listening to them and training them on your boat. Then, the parents, the mayor and city leaders will come to your side. The people who oppose you and are negative are the ones you have to turn around so that they welcome you.
You have to grab these negative people and win them. If you can do that, you will succeed very quickly. Do you understand what I am saying? Work with the young people mixed up in drugs. No one else can help them. You can help them.
I believe that Ocean Church will succeed more than the IOWC and state centers. Why? Because the work you do with your boats will quickly gain recognition by the city. Someday you may even become the mayor of your city. The people will elect you based on your contribution to cleaning up their city. Some of you might even become congressmen or senators.
You are taking care of a boat. Go out and catch fish. Use the boat for evangelical programs and train the youth of the city. The boat can supply you with all you need. How many years have we wasted already? Well, even now we are going to do it. Don't get other members to work in your local centers. No. You, the leaders of Ocean Church must go to your city and win support from the local youth. Pioneer the city with only a few members. We should have built 300 boats for this purpose, but you were not ready to receive them. You even didn't want ten boats in your centers; you said, "Oh Father, we only need one boat. Don't send us any more boats." I was deeply disappointed.
Where did this disillusionment come from? You should have more hope than any other church project. You lost your hope because you didn't follow instructions. Tuna fishing is not Ocean Church. Not in the real sense. It is a good way to train, but it is only the beginning. You have to earn the respect of local fishermen in your cities. Then, you can begin your Ocean Church. When you can train young people to be responsible for even a big ocean trawler, you have truly begun your work. Do you see how you can gain success for the future of Ocean Church and for America? Then, you have to start. You have to start again right now.
While you are developing in Ocean Church, you should learn from the Japanese. They have to cooperate with you and help you. You have to support them as well. You have to go out to the ocean. That is your role and mission. If you Americans fail then I may ask the Japanese or Koreans or even the blessed children to accomplish the mission. I am absolutely determined to succeed. Repent for the past and make a new hopeful beginning. Now is the time. Shall we do it? Then, let us make a solemn promise today. Let us determine to succeed, following this course.
You may not know where I am, but I might arrive suddenly to go out to the ocean with you. You have to be ready for that any time. Keep your boats ready for that moment. It will come. As soon as I arrive in your city, you have to leave the coast in ten minutes. Be ready to leave your dock in that amount of time. Always have your boat ready for that. When I come, I will call you and say, "Ready?" Then, you have to answer, "Father, let's go."
If Ocean Church stops the drugs from coming in by the drug running boats, then the Coast Guard will really come to support us. The Moonies will be recognized as the ones truly trying to help America face this serious problem. Drugs are crippling the youth of this nation. By cleaning up the drug problem, the youth of this nation will have a future. I see the ocean as the way for a new foundation to be laid in America. I am disappointed because the Ocean Church providence has not kept the pace. You are way behind schedule.
So, please study hard and review my instructions from today. From here we will march forward. There is no doubt anymore as to what we must do. Will you do it? [Yes!] Yes? Absolutely Yes? [Yes!] Then, do not lose your determination. Thank you very much.