The Words of the Herbers Family
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The Words of the Herbers Family |
Father
chooses new state leaders
Father called a conference of all Unification Theological Seminary graduates who are not pursuing graduate programs, at Morning Gardens in Gloucester, Mass., from September 30 through October 2. Most of the nearly 200 graduates attended the conference. Jack Kiburz, former missionary to Libya and a 1980 graduate of the seminary, reported on the two and a half days spent with Father.
We arrived Tuesday evening, and Father talked until about 12:30. After pledge the next morning, he spoke on the meaning of the pledge. Everyone knew that Father must have called us there for some purpose, so we were waiting for him to get around to telling us what he had in mind. He spoke, for instance, about Africa and asked if we would be willing to go to Africa. He mentioned that in Africa many people don't really have anything to eat. It is terrible that the white people went there and did not educate people and teach them to have a better life. So now Father says the white people must go and help the Africans, restoring the separation of races. So we began to think he might be planning to send out more missionaries.
But after a break, Father began focusing on what he had in mind. It was ocean church. We have heard a lot about home church, but now Father has added something new.
His idea is to set up ocean churches all along the coastline of the United States. Members will go out initially to 24 port cities and towns. When they meet people, Father said they should invite them out to sea and teach them how to fish. While at sea, they can also explain about the Principle. In this way, they can do spiritual work and also lay a foundation for American families. Father was so excited as he explained many details of his vision of life at sea.
Then he treated everyone to a lobster dinner at the New One seafood restaurant in Gloucester. From the restaurant, we could look out over the harbor and see all our boats. There is also a lobster processing plant right there.
Some of the 24 people assigned to ocean church were state leaders. In addition, some states had been without a leader for a number of months. So Father asked Tiger Pak, director of CARP, to choose from among those working with CARP the best people to be state leaders. Tiger Pak had already lost many CARP leaders to ocean church, but he selected some people. Then Father picked out 12 and assigned each to a state.
Then Father asked some members to give testimonies. Tiger Pak gave his testimony and reported on the activities of CARP during the past year.
We all stayed at Morning Gardens, the former Cardinal Cushing estate which the church recently purchased. It is so beautiful. Mother also attended a part of each meeting.
Father is just incredible! He didn't really scold us so much, although he was disappointed that we couldn't do more. Our time together made me realize that Father has done so much. He has never given up on the ideal he wants us to accomplish. He wants us to be leaders who can fulfill; he depends so much on us.
As blessed children grow older and new ones are born, there is an increasing need for programs for them. Father started a blessed children's club ("Pure Child Club") with Ea-Jin as president. About a dozen teen-aged children attended a workshop at Belvedere, at the end of July, organized by Ea Jin. They also hold a service at 9:00 at Belvedere on Sunday mornings.
The Jacob House, which has been taking care of children whose mothers are on the CARP team, is setting up a pre-school for three-year-old children. They are presently looking, for a location zoned for educational activities. At Barrytown, Gracemere and the New Yorker there are also Sunday school programs for children. At Barry- town, for instance, children are studying a series of programs based on Father's life. In New York, Ken Weber made filmstrips and video materials for use in Sunday school classes.
Since the engagement last year, there have been meetings for blessed and engaged members in the New York area. Mrs. Nora Spurgin, director of the blessed families department, is organizing a new series of such meetings, emphasizing couples getting together to talk and share experiences. Under her direction, the Blessing Quarterly resumed publication this fall.
CARP members are now working on 40 university campuses in 20 states, witnessing intensively and educating students and professors on VOC.
They are now preparing a series of banners, about six feet high by 12 feet long, outlining theory, critique and counter proposals for different aspects of VOC. They plan to have a new set of banners each month. The banners will be set up on campuses, as part of a larger attraction of displays about the CARP movement and various CARP performing arts groups.
CARP headquarters in New York continues to publish the World Student Times every week, and has recently added an internal magazine, named CARP Monthly, with Vicki Wehring as editor.
Also in production are various movies about CARP activities, "to get people to jump into the mainstream and get their feet wet!" according to Michael Herbers, at CARP headquarters.
Last summer's intensive witnessing campaign brought in 120 new members on the East Coast, 80 on the West Coast and 40 in Boulder, Colorado.