The Words of the Cotter Family
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The Words of the Cotter Family |
Over 80 national leaders gathered in Yu Cheon Gung, Seoul, Korea for the 2010 World National Leaders' Assembly.
This year's Opening Ceremony set the tone for the meeting with powerful addresses by International President Rev. Hyung Jin Moon, Foundation Chairman Kook Jin Moon, and FFWPU USA President and CEO In Jin Moon. Each True Child poured their heart out with this opportunity. Their unity with True Parents, and each other, establishes a solid foundation for our movement's growth over the next three years, leading up to January 13th 2013.
We are clearly entering a new era in our movement!
During the Opening Ceremony, held on Thursday, February 18, True Children shook us out of our comfort zone by challenging us to think about our identity as a movement. This is something we have all grappled with over the past few years. Are we simply a peace movement? Is that what True Father is about? Should we simply be compared to other peace movements? What distinguishes us?
Hyung Jin nim shared that we are not simply a peace movement; we are a Messianic movement. God is looking to establish peace on this earth, centered on His lineage. There is no peace outside of God's lineage. He challenged us, "Do you really believe True Parents are the Lord of the Second Advent?" Hyung Jin nim reminded us that as leaders our responsibility is to lead our people to God and True Parents.
We also have to fight for our faith and not compromise it. In trying to be broad we have lost our pride. We modified our conviction to become more acceptable. We are afraid to proclaim True Parents as the Messiah. Instead we have to understand and regain an appreciation of our faith. Kook Jin nim told us when he first began working with the church that he would ask members, "So what do you believe?" He said everyone would stumble and they couldn't articulate a distinctive elevator speech. He said people would say things like we believe in the Divine Principle and you need to come to a seminar to understand it; they would go around in circles. He came to the conclusion that we didn't really know who we are or what we believe in as a movement and how we are different from other faiths.
Now Korea has adopted the mission statement that we are people who are, "Inheriting the True Love for God." Kook Jin nim feels that this is easy to say and does indeed cover all that we are and what is distinct about our faith. Most faiths present God as a mystery or something you shouldn't even fully be able to understand, yet he made the point that you can't really love someone or God if you don't fully understand Him. He used some examples from Christianity which talk about the mystery of the Trinity: God is one and also three at the same time. The emphasis is that this is something that cannot be fully understood. However, God must want us to understand Him if he wants us to have a real relationship with Him.
Kook Jin nim talked about the value of the Divine Principle as a theology that more fully explains who God is; His nature, His heart, His experience. True Parents are simply the first people to most fully inherit the True Love of God, but all mankind is to inherit the True Love of God. Within this statement is the Principle of Creation (the original and also eternal plan), the Fall (the loss of love), and the history of restoration (the struggle to reclaim the right of inheritance to the true love of God). Our theology is unique in that it most fully explains God's Divinity and that God wants us to inherit everything from Him: we are to become divine beings. That is our inheritance.
Hyung Jin nim testified to the unique love that is expressed by True Parents. He shared his struggle to understand how and why the true love we talk about is even greater than the love of Jesus. After a deep "dark night of the soul" struggle, he had a dream that illuminated for him the value of True Parent's love through the seven deaths and resurrections. True Parents love is unique and greater because it is a parental love that dies over and over and over again for the salvation of the children.
Even in a life and death situation True Parents keep emptying themselves out for the salvation of the people of this world. Hyung Jin nim understood that the only way you can truly appreciate True Parents is to see them with spiritual eyes. He spiritually saw True Father while he was imprisoned and at the same time witnessed True Father's spirit descending into the lower realms of hell to save people.
Hyung Jin nim challenged each one of us to pray to understand and develop conviction about who True Parents are. We have to keep witnessing, sharing our faith with conviction and courage, so that we are personally strengthened and our movement grows. When we testify to True Parents, God can bless our movement. Hyung Jin nim told us to get comfortable with telling people that True Parents are the Lord of the Second Advent!
In Jin nim then poured out her heart, encouraging the leaders. She testified to her brothers and shared that once Kook Jin nim and Hyung Jin nim determine that something will be accomplished you can count on it!!
To quote,
"Over the last 5 years we can see the fruits of Kook Jin nim's efforts in Korea. Together he and Hyung Jin nim have done a great job, spiritually and financially. He has transformed the Korea Foundation into a brilliant example. I look at my brothers as an inspiration for my work in America. They have spent countless hours in prayer to try to understand who we are and what direction we should take."
In Jin nim shared that we have languished as a movement, unclear about who we are. However, now we are united under the Unification Church symbol and proud of our identity. For the first time in our movement she feels there is clear direction. "We need to reclaim our symbol so that our children can see it as a symbol of pride. As Christians carry the cross, Jews carry the Star of David, we should proudly display the Unification Church symbol, given to us by True Parents."
"What are we here to do? It's time to get re-inspired, to show and live our convictions each day of our lives. Do it for our children's sake so that they will want to be like us. There is nothing more beautiful to me than to hear our 2nd Generation say they really believe in something, or 'I'm a proud and I love God and our True Parents.'
We have started a revolution here under my brothers' leadership! A true revolution which is not only based on internal excellence, but external excellence, where all that you touch is successful and blessed by God.
Kook Jin Nim is putting the church in order and Hyung Jin Nim, as the spiritual head, is providing focus for the world. We must carry their example back to the world, saying, 'There is something revolutionary going on!' We should proclaim the Peace Temple and the greatness of True Parents. Proclaim our True Parents! Make each day count during these final 3 years before 2013. We should think, 'How much can I do each day?' Be the elder brother and sister and share True Parents with the world.
As we proclaim True Parents we honor ourselves and our children. Be proud and be accountable. Pastor the people well; inspire, encourage and empower them to do great things. Tremendous blessings are awaiting us, brothers and sisters, and you each play a very special role as leaders.
Carry Kook Jin Nim's conviction and Hyung Jin Nim's heart with you wherever you go! Come together in one heart and in one spirit. Know that God is working with you every day. This is an incredible year, the year of the White Tiger! In this year we can make incredible strides forward. The unthinkable and the unexpected can happen in 2010 if we have faith."
After the powerful Opening Ceremony where these words of encouragement were given we rolled up our sleeves to learn strategies to achieve these ideals and goals.
The great thing about True Children's leadership is that they embody the principle of faith and substance. They are introducing systems of accountability so that we can develop our movement to grow. Hyung Jin nim testified over and over again about the value of working with Kook Jin nim, who is applying his incredible knowledge of management, and the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) measurement to improve practices within the church so that we can grow. Hyung Jin nim said that Kook Jin nim is always asking, "What is the best decision for the organization?" Our decision making must be driven by that. He spoke about Kook Jin nim's courage in making tough decisions so the organization can grow.
True Parents are already encouraged by the transformation in the Korean church. Now this system needs to be adopted by the world wide movement. We need transparency, honesty, and fair and professional operations and management. That was exemplified in the leadership training on the new financial accountability systems which supports managing public assets well. All national assets are being reported to International Headquarters and now there are new reporting requirements concerning the sale and acquisition of assets.
Headquarters staff showed us how KPIs are being used in Korea and Japan. KPIs are part of a comprehensive Performance Management System.
All organizations have a vision, mission, goals, as well as a strategic plan to carry out the goals. Furthermore, the results have to be evaluated. In other words, a management system allows an organization to achieve its goals. Although you have expectations of performance there is often a gap. You may need to revise your goals or strategies to achieve the goals. It is important to set realistic goals. The purpose is to motivate people to fulfill their goals and for the organization to achieve success.
It was explained that we need our leadership and members to focus on key items such as increase in membership, church attendance, donations, education, witnessing, Blessing activity, and number of leaders. These are the KPIs that measure our success in the creation of Cheon Il Guk.
The Korean church has the goal of reaching 51% of the nation. That may seem like an impossible goal now, but it is achievable over time. We want to do as much as possible while Father is still alive. This goal is an expression of our commitment to True Parent's vision. Korea is now also measuring qualitative data and looking at people's level of satisfaction. The church is evaluating member satisfaction after the Blessing. For instance, has it helped their life? Is their spiritual life being cultivated as a Blessed family?
KPIs also enable us to look at the performance of the leadership. The mission of the pastor is to help members lead a successful and illuminated life. The KPIs help us understand if the pastors are able to do this. Through KPIs we can understand the situation of members and if the pastor is able to raise the faith of the members and help them become closer to True Parents. A healthy community is a growing community and tithing is not just about money but also an expression of faith. KPIs help pastors take an objective look at themselves. They are ultimately a blessing to us as they enable us to succeed.
When the National leadership visits the local churches they shouldn't just rely on the KPIs but also look at the activities in the field to really understand what is going on.
The KPI system has been adopted in many organizations within our movement. Implementation has produced great results in Korea and Japan. It has enabled the Korea Foundation to become profitable after 40 years of deficit. The Foundation can now support providential work. Even more importantly the KPI system has enabled the church in Korea to grow after 20 years of stagnation. It is also helping Japan to address its crisis, turning it into opportunity and growth. This approach is revolutionary in our church. Although met with some resistance initially, once results started coming people saw the value of measuring results. This is confirmed by the maxim, "If it's not measured it won't get done or fixed!"
Kook Jin nim is strengthening the capacity of leaders and professionalizing the management of our movement. True Parents are encouraged by and supportive of this initiative.
The purpose of the Tongil Group is to fund activities so that the church and various organizations can develop. It also has the mission to unite North and South Korea. So the first thing that is needed is economic success. The group started with making one machine and later made stoneware and Ginseng products. McCol in Korea was even stronger in sales than Coca Cola.
Tongil Group was restructured under Chairman Kook Jin Moon to make it profitable. Kook Jin nim wants to change the culture of the business organizations before seeking profit. Kook Jin nim established Five Principles of Management to change the culture within each business:
Results over status
Accountability
over popularity
Clarity over certainty in one's opinion
Productive
conflict over harmony
Trust over invulnerability (looking for
everyone to do well, not just the leader.)
The Tongil Group has made tremendous gains over the past few years despite the economic down turn. One testimony came from a MBA student who cited that his professor at a prestigious university in Korea utilized the Tongil Group as an example of an incredible business turnaround.
Hyung Jin nim and Kook Jin nim have the goal of changing our image in Korea. They have done a host of interviews with impressive results. For instance, people who have interviewed Hyung Jin nim were amazed at how he manages to keep his incredible prayer schedule. They could see that True Parent's children are leading dedicated lives. We saw many photos of Hyung Jin nim with various religious leaders, including the Dalai Lama. Buddhist monks have also attended Hyung Jin nim's service. In the past there wasn't accurate reporting about our church but now, with the True Children, there is a lot of positive news in the press.
When Kook Jin nim meets with media leaders and officials, he always testifies to True Father, and people are very moved by him. He always treats people respectfully, unlike celebrities. He has met with leaders in National Intelligence, and other government officials including the Mayor of Seoul and the leader of the National Assembly. He doesn't just want to bring people to events but wants to introduce them to True Parent's heart.
When people meet Hyung Jin nim and Kook Jin nim they know they are True Parent's children and are the best witnesses. Reporters are now realizing that a lot of the criticism of our church is baseless. For example they are surprised to hear that Father doesn't have any real estate in his own name. An AP reporter asked about Kook Jin nim's salary but he explained that he doesn't receive a salary. His response shared that "we are not doing this from a business point of view." He explains to reporters that Father's goal is not economic but rather to create a peaceful world. The purpose of religion is to sacrifice itself to make a peaceful world. That is why we do things like the Peace Cup. The reporters have been moved by this.
When asked by a reporter if Hyung Jin nim is the successor of this movement, Kook Jin nim replied that his brother is just the manager. There is only one Father. They freely share Father's autobiography with reporters and introduce the reporters to the incredible work and sacrifice True Parents have made in their life for the sake of humanity. These stories were accompanied by countless photos of magazine and newspaper articles that have been recently published. They are the best witnesses to our True Parents.
Hyung Jin nim and Kook Jin nim have also been taking care of the early Blessed couples. In this way they are investing their heart in our membership. They have met extensively with leadership to explain the changes that are occurring in the movement under True Children's leadership to bring about accountability and growth.
Leaders were asked that when they go back to your nations to meet with reporters frequently, make a relationship with them, and share with them honestly.
The church in Japan gave a heart wrenching account of their deprogramming issue that has been taking place in their nation. "We are our brother's keeper and although the Constitution of Japan guarantees freedom of religion, this basic right is denied for our members."
True Children are currently standing up to defend the rights of brothers and sisters in Japan. As we all know Japan has sacrificed more than any other nation for the sake of the world, making incredible donations to support the worldwide movement. Now it's our time to support Japan. One aspect of pride in our faith is that we should be indignant that anyone's right to believe in True Parents is denied. We need to go to the Japanese Embassies in every nation and lodge a complaint.
We can't imagine the suffering. 10% of Japanese Blessed wives living in Korea have been abducted and another 5% are fearful of getting kidnapped if they go home to visit.
The goals of this initiative are to:
Secure an environment where abduction never takes place and people are free to practice their faith Safeguard and counsel victims. (Only 30% return and their lives are shattered.)
Seek legal / moral punishment for anti-Unification Church groups and individuals involved in deprogramming Mr. Toru Goto, who survived 12 years and 5 months of imprisonment at the hands of the kidnappers, still has not been able to prosecute his case for so called, "Lack of evidence"!
In Jin nim has taken up the cause in America with the purpose of bringing pressure on the Japanese Government through diplomatic and other channels to let our people go.
Dr. Chang Shik Yang gave a report on Father's autobiography. Nations around the world are finding the autobiography a powerful way to witness. The good news is that more copies are being printed at low cost in Korea so that we can afford to buy many copies to distribute. They are also preparing an American version with stories about Father's life in America. At Father's Birthday he personally gave an award to a couple from the Korean church that had gifted 860 copies between them. Father was so happy that he took a picture with the couple and personally thanked them for their hard work.
We have to determine how to help new Blessed Families not only receive the Blessing but also develop a culture of heart within their family. We need a structure to raise up families after the Blessing and provide purity education for the Blessed children that are born into these families. Education is needed to fulfill the family ideal. In this regard the Blessed Family Department is very important.
God and True Parents want to establish a true culture of heart through the Blessing. The current Cheon Il Guk standard should eventually be the universal standard for the Blessing.
The Second Generation should really be educated well in order to receive True Father's matching. They should understand that True Parents are the Messiah. Hyung Jin nim and Kook Jin nim are emphasizing understanding the Divine Principle to ensure they have a good life of faith.
It is important for God's providence that we keep the standard of the Exchange Marriage Blessing. Father is sensitive to second generation needs and hesitates if he feels cross cultural is difficult. But we are trying to create a culture where we can accept anyone. They need that kind of heart and faith.
The standards that we have established for the Blessing occur through three stages. The first is to find the candidates, the second is to educate them for the matching and then to educate the couple as a Blessed family.
They should be a church member for at least 6 months or even a year.
They should believe that True Parents are the Messiah and they have a commitment to the Blessing.
They should attend church twice a month at least and are tithing. If they are not tithing they aren't qualified. Even students should be tithing from their allowance.
They should also do a fast. (3 day or 7 day breakfast fast.)
They should have 3 spiritual children.
They should have participated in at least a 7 day Divine Principle workshop (or equivalent) plus a Blessing workshop.
First generation should really go through a three year public course. In other faiths people do missionary work. We should encourage that too. We should keep a seven year course as part of our tradition. It's important to have the standard of keeping a public life for one year.
The 40 day separation period following the Blessing is not a condition to separate from Satan, but a period of devotion to support the couple to unite in heart. We should even encourage them to do a 40 day workshop during this time.
Their basic knowledge should be tested. The US Education Dept will develop a method to evaluate the candidates' understanding of our beliefs.
For first generation we no longer do picture matchings. Relatives will choose or candidates may choose. There are also matching supporters available.
In the past all church decisions were made by the individual church leaders and so there were many different systems in place and energy was dissipated.
Kook Jin nim developed a plan to assess the reality of the church. He visited 40 churches and began to realize how sad the situation was. He interviewed members and shared with pastors. 2000 members gave suggestions and he recorded everything. He cried a lot because he understood the difficult situation of members. True Parent's vision is so big but our capacity was low. Our member's loyalty was great and he was moved by their passion, but that alone was not enough.
He observed:
Church environment was poor
Leadership
lacked professionalism
Membership was underdeveloped
Lack of
any system
(The American movement has made similar observations through Witnessing Summits. They identified that the possibility for church growth was poor and we needed to develop an innovative plan for reform.)
Kook Jin nim realized that the church is the fundamental organization within the movement. He realized that to grow we need to adopt a sophisticated system. This is why Kook Jin nim developed the following systems:
1) Sophisticated System
Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
management system
Church management system
Electronic approval
system
Budget management system
2) Review the Church Headquarters and focus on supporting local churches.
The role of the church is to support the local church. Enhance church leadership capacity and provide educational and witnessing contents and performance management for the church. Headquarters shouldn't just be ideological but should go to the churches getting success and share those strategies. Through reorganization the Korean church is more successful.
3) Modify parish-based church structure
Korea has reduced the number of their churches from 443 to 210. If the church is too small it's not able to grow and all donations just pay for the church leader. Of course at first this wasn't popular but the results speak for themselves. Attendance has increased because the basic church communities are stronger. Membership has increased by 56% and there has been a 110% increase in donations. Donations are important because it is an expression of the spiritual health of the church.
4) Evaluate based on result and capacity.
Leaders can see how they are doing in the areas that matter: witnessing, Blessing, education etc. This enables us to know what is happening. We can have churches that have more members helping churches with fewer members.
In the past we are used to having a large event being supported by Japan but we have to become self-reliant. In 2009, Hyung Jin nim and Kook Jin nim made the determination to not ask True Parents for money. For this reason every budget was looked at to determine what redundancy existed. In 2009 the Korean church gained financial independence!
Churches were able to achieve their financial independence through mergers which led to the improvement of the church's external environment. And external improvements helped revamp church image allowing members to witness.
The Pastor of Changwon, Rev. Park, is a 6,000 couple. He shared,
"I wondered how we can make a healthy church? I have studied mega churches and have contemplated how to grow and be healthy. I don't believe I have succeeded but I am in process. We started by creating a clear vision and mission. Then the leaders and members can work toward that.
For health we need to revive original faith, organize management, and establish educational and witnessing systems. For this we have home groups. These are necessary for growth. Members need to be looked as precious people who can work together with church leaders. Having women church leaders is important as they have mother's heart for members and can harmonize with people. Half his leaders are women!"
Rev. Park determined a healthy church grows by 50% through:
Devotion -- spiritual conditions are
needed to grow
Sunday Service and education
Witnessing
He has a four step witnessing / education plan. (I am very encouraged as we are creating such a system to support new member education in USA. Stay tuned!) He spoke about the importance of small groups to assist members with growth. Core member education and leadership education are needed. The most important thing for a healthy church is how well they are educated to become disciples. They need to be nurtured in a small group otherwise it just feels like an event without real follow up and growth. New people need to receive a mission from church leadership in order to grow. Having small groups helps maintain membership. To stay people need relationships. New members need continual education and new member classes. New members should stay in small groups until they are ready to come to the main service. The purpose of the church is to help members grow and change. This is why small groups are so important. We need to train the leaders.
Every church needs a system to grow through. We don't just have lectures -- we use discussion and report out loud so that they can organize what they learned in their minds. They even do skits etc.
People can grow through one to one witnessing and mentoring. We have internal healing workshops. They need to feel that God is with them and working in their lives. They also learn about Father's life.
The secret to church growth is the relationship between the church and small groups. The small group is the center. How do we mange our witnessing? Everything is based on inside out. They can only be changed through doing. We start off with service projects. The Shim Jung workshop is the stepping stone into the church.
Sincere devotion, prayer meetings, Hoon Dok Hae, Divine Principle Lectures
Witnessing
Member Satisfaction
View of Basis.
Attention to KPIs results in well balanced, overall activities, as all areas need to be attended to.
Dr. Thomas Walsh shared about the recent UPF International Leaders' Meeting in Korea. This was an extremely successful event with leaders also attending the Blessing and Father's Birthday celebration. UPF is a wonderful organization to connect VIPs to as it shows the relevance of Father's work in the world. VIPs included a host of famous world leaders including Nelson Mandela's daughter.
Hyung Jin nim gave a moving address to the UPF delegates, testifying powerfully to True Parents. One guest who is the Mayor of Stockton, CA was so impressed with him. She told me that he is incredible for someone so young and that he will be a great leader. Hyung Jin nim was mobbed after his speech, surrounded by people of the world's religions. The next session started late because everyone insisted on just connecting with him. They were transfixed by his sincerity and dedication.
Dr. Walsh shared that UPF is excited to work in collaboration with the Unification Church. "Hyung Jin nim's leadership allows us to better connect our friends to Father. Doors are opening through our Ambassadors." He went on to report on a variety of activities from around the world. These activities can be viewed on the UPF website.
Dr. Walsh shared UPF's desire to create an interfaith Association of Nations as a base to build and work for the Able UN.
We received a session on Married Priests now. Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo's wife, Mrs. Maria Milingo, shared her profound testimony. While she was still single she had received many revelations and was determined to receive the Blessing. She went through so many trials but was always thinking that somehow she would gain the Blessing as she truly valued it. She had the attitude that even if her husband only lived for one day she wanted to be Blessed!! She was willing to be Blessed with anyone -- even someone who was mentally challenged, such was her faith.
While she was preparing for the Blessing she was living in Italy, at a convent! She is from a Buddhist background. In seeing the various Holy places in Italy and learning Christian history she realized that despite all her efforts she had done nothing for True Parents in comparison with the sacrifice of Christians throughout history who shed their blood. On that foundation she was matched with Archbishop Milingo.
Almost immediately the Vatican stepped in to break the relationship through confining him and trying to break his marriage and faith. There were many miracles that took place during his struggle with the Catholic Church that affirmed their faith that God was working. Wherever Archbishop and Mrs. Milingo went there was spiritual support. "We went to a lot of nations and worked there after his escape from the Vatican. We have priests now all over the world that we were able to get to know. Many people ended up receiving the Blessing."
She has travelled the world in support of Married Priests Now! They want to go to all the nations of the world and bring the Married Priest Now workshops and initiatives. They have just completed a 21 day workshop for priests.
True Parents are supporting this activity.
Col. Pak spoke with the energy and humor that is characteristic of him, and also what members across the globe love him for. He is as dynamic and committed as ever!
Col. Pak speaks, "I joined the Unification Church in 1957. Many here were not even born then and yet now you are the leaders of the church. Congratulations!!
I have translated for Father many times all over the world at rallies and many other venues such as the United Nations. Among Father's greatest work is his victory over communism. Unless that was done by Father our world may not enjoy the peace it does today. The most important weapon for this was the Washington Times. It supported Presidents Reagan and Bush. They are deeply indebted. They received power and conviction though the Washington Times. Reagan asked Col. Pak to come to the White House and said 'I am now retiring form the Presidency but before I go out of the White House I want to give my thanks to Sun Myung Moon. Without his help and ideas I could not have defeated Communism. Please convey my gratitude to Rev Moon.'
I came today to give a briefing about an exciting project. I now have one mission, "Korean War 60th Anniversary Committee." You may not remember the Korean War but I was there fighting that war. I was a soldier on the front line. The war started on June 25th 1950. Father had given me a special project to commemorate the anniversary. Why? Father was in Hungnam prison, in a Communist prison. That was worse than hell. It was a death camp. People were put in prison for five year sentences but no one can survive that long in prison. Father survived two years and eight months because of spiritual power, but even Father couldn't go on and survive for five years so God prepared the rescue forces to save the Messiah. That is the true meaning of the Korean War.
On Sept 15th McArthur captured Inchon and moved on to Hungnam Prison. Father was freed. Therefore the Korean War was a Holy War. Without it Father's work would never have happened. Now you are a world leader chosen to liberate the 6.5 billion people of the world.
On the 60th Anniversary Father would like to thank all 16 countries that were sent fighting and participated in the Korean War to liberate the Messiah. Father would like to go there and thank them. He is sending Col. Pak to represent him to 16 countries. But Col. Pak alone doesn't have much voice so Father told him bring the Little Angels. They are the best Ambassadors to represent the ideal of Peace. (You can read about it in Father's autobiography.) After the tour we are going to have a conference to bring together the former enemy nations of North and South Korea, Russia and China and the United States and others." Col. Pak showed us a beautiful DVD to commemorate the veterans of the Korean War.
Col. Pak shared, "I was listening to the previous presentations. I joined Unification Church because Father was the Messiah and it's as simple as that. Now there is a lot of commotion in our movement but I feel we must judge this matter with one criterion only and that is we are going to be obedient to the Messiah. That's it!!!! There is no other question or matter. Our heart is tested by this. That's all. I am obedient to True Parents 1000% When I die I will shout out to True Parents 'Eok Mansei!' That is how I will die! When you go back to your country give this message to your members."
We were blessed to have Hoon Dok Hae with Hyung Jin nim at the Temple (Cheong Bok Gung) in Seoul on our final morning.
He shared that True Mother had given a very tearful prayer after the Opening Ceremony. It was beautiful to see the joy that Hyung Jin nim and Kook Jin nim brought to True Parents through this offering. Can you imagine the joy that True Parents experienced as their sons proclaimed their faith in front of the congregation that they had brought to Father. He was visibly moved and Hyung Jin nim's and Kook Jin nim's tears spoke louder than any words could have about their filial piety and support of True Parent's mission to save the world and enable every single person to inherit the true love of God.
Hyung Jin nim explained how all the people who attended the opening ceremony for Cheong Bok Gung were victors. The temple was filled with members who, based on faith, had donated $12,000 to realize the vision of a world level temple in Seoul, which is the New Jerusalem of our faith. Due to the size of the temple, and limited capacity, only those particular members could be in attendance of the opening ceremony of the Cheong Bok Gung Temple.
When we declare True Parents in the right way we bring great joy to True Parents and liberate them. Our job as leaders in the Unification Church is to declare True Parents and win converts to the faith. Hyung Jin Nim expressed,
"True Father's tears yesterday were happy tears. He feels comfortable. Father didn't speak for 13 hours at the Opening! He doesn't need to speak for a long time when we declare who he is. Our job is to testify to him."
Hyung Jin nim and Kook Jin nim had invited many VIPs including the head of the KCIA, respected Buddhist leaders, etc. We have totally upgraded the level of VIPs and we are bringing them to the Unification Church, not just an event. They worshipped with us. We are proud of our faith. People around Hyung Jin nim had said that if you do this the VIPs will run but they didn't and even new members donated to the Temple.
Hyung Jin nim shared,
"People's level of faith used to be low. Don't let anyone take your faith away form you! I learned at Harvard that no founder of a religion was as successful in his lifetime as True Parents are. That is a fact. Have confidence. Only through True Parents can we fulfill our destiny."
A UPI reporter asked Hyung Jin nim if he is True Parents' successor. He replied,
"No. He is the Messiah. There is only one Messiah. There is only one person who reveals and substantiates the essence of God. True Parents reveal to us the Principle of Creation. They died seven times for us to fulfill all the conditions of indemnity. We have to understand who True Parents are and not just see them with our physical eyes. We have to use our spiritual senses. He is more than a peace activist. There are tons of peace activists but only one Lord of the Second Advent. When we understand this our spiritual senses have been opened.
What kind of attitude would you have in front of Jesus or the Dalai Lama? The love of Christ has transformed the world. Millions have been changed by the Buddha's heart of compassion. Mohammad has moved millions. More than all of that is the heart of True parents who have continually sacrificed their lives for you over and over again, with a heart to endlessly perish for the sake of the children and grandchildren of the world. Through this we can feel the texture and power of True Love.
This is the time to change the world. When people understand this their world will change. This is your job as leaders. You must teach and spread what True Parents have done. When Christians share they say that Jesus has died for us. They don't describe his activities. We have the honor to testify to the Lord of the Second Advent. We are living what Paul could only dream of. (Hyung Jin nim was crying.) I am crying because I am so blessed to be able to testify. In the past I would try to secularize Father and explain him in those terms. I never understood. When I studied the founders of new religions I realized they are all breaking new ground. They are all radical!!! So is Father.
It wasn't until I started practicing Unification Church faith that I began to tithe. You know growing up no one told me to tithe! We must all go from free loader to owner. We have to step up. Become responsible and mature.
We wanted the church in Korea to become financially independent so it didn't need to receive Japanese blood money. We took them for granted. We never thought about what a sin we had committed. Japanese members are the same as you and me. Just like us they don't want to give up their house or kid's education. They don't want to either but they liquidated assets for the church. We thought of them as fundamentalists but they are actually people of incredible faith. They are the heroes of our church."
Hyung Jin nim shared that he told the Japanese church not to give gifts when he visits. They should save the money for the mission. He asked to stay at the church centers instead of hotels. He said. "I want to sleep in the church. We're going to pray together and train together and believe together."
"They changed MY life. They are living saints." Hyung Jin nim shared how he felt a deep dilemma and asked himself "How can I guide them? They are living saints." He felt unqualified.
"It was a challenge because my spiritual eyes were not open. I was teaching and giving sermons. I had to surrender. If I am going to have any impact on living saints it's not going to happen with my ability.
At that time I turned to prayer. Then true Father revealed himself to me. I had spiritual experience and True Father explained his seven deaths and resurrections to me. That changed everything for me. True Parents love is even greater than Christ's love. They willingly sacrificed their very soul so I can be free and my children can live in the Kingdom of Heaven. Indemnity over and over again at every level. They are not just my normal mom and dad anymore! I saw True father spiritually and it was like a transfiguration. He was bright like the sun.
That night I wrote a letter and repented. 'I never knew who you were. I never believed.' I didn't go to see them. I felt ashamed. (Hyung Jin nim was crying.) When I did go and greet true Parents and bowed to them Father said, 'Finally, you now understand.' I realized Father couldn't tell us. True father gives and forgets. True father LIVES his teaching. He has done the impossible. From that point I went from always having some reservation, or intellectual doubt, to having belief in who True Parents are.
My life has changed. I have been reborn! Now I understand Christians. That's why it's such an amazing blessing that we can be here working with the Messiah. It's NOT work. It's completely FUN! I feel alive doing it. I can understand why the Apostles said to testify. It brings joy. I can understand how they could feel joy in the midst of persecution. It's an amazing time to be alive. You only live once. You have to stand for something in your life. How blessed we are to stand up for the Lord. We do need a change of calendar because this is a new age!
When you go home don't go back to normal. Don't go back to all your meetings and sit around saying, 'Good point.' Go back and declare the Lord. Bring people to rebirth. Help people discover their purpose. Help them find their life and discover the greatest love of all. Lead brothers and sisters in faith. Be a faith leader. Live a life of devotion; a life of love and rebirth. Father said to pray and mobilize the spiritual world. Become a new person. Make a new start. Bring JOY to True Parents. We must inherit everything from True Parents. The greatest gift is to bring them their lost children."