The Words of the Hunter Family

Second Generation Blessing Workshops Invoke a Great Sense of Identity and Pride In Blessed Children!

David Hunter
February 23, 2008

Recently, two national-level Blessing Workshops were held for members of the Second Generation in the Northeastern and Northwestern regions of the United States. The first, held at Unification Theological Seminary in Barrytown, New York, on January 25-27, brought nearly one hundred eighty participants from the Northeast, but as far as Texas, Chicago, and the eastern portion of Canada. The second, held at Sambica Camp in Bellevue, Washington, on February 1-3, produced close to one hundred thirty participants, from the Northwest, but also western Canada, California, and Minnesota.

Both workshops articulated the theme, "Being the Right Person," and were huge successes. The theme comes from a saying by the workshops' primary presenter, Rev. Phillip Schanker, which states, "True love starts with being the right person, not with finding the right person."

The spiritual nature of the Second Generation Blessing Workshop stems from the two internal purposes of the workshop. The first is to convey the meaning and value of the Blessing based on Divine Principle content. Participants are taken on a journey through God's Ideal for the Blessing, the Human Fall, and Restoration, which culminates in a time for Repentance and Confession. The first day ends with a joyous evening program filled with music and testimonies from elder Blessed Second Generation.

The purpose of the second day of the workshop is to provide guidance on how Blessed Children should internally prepare for the matching and Blessing. Participants are guided on how to receive either True Parents' or their own parents' matching and how to conduct themselves as a matched couple. Moreover, they learn the course that the first generation had to go through in order to receive the Blessing, and are taught the meaning and value of the Second Generation Blessing.

The power of both workshops could easily be seen in the closing sessions, where inspired participants offered tearful testimonies of change. One brother at the UTS workshop said, "I never wanted to be Blessed, but something just clicked last night -- I'm going to get Blessed." That feeling was echoed over and over again by participants in both workshops. But for others, it was the affirmation of the ideals that they were already seeking and a celebration of the life they had been living. One sister from the northwest said, "I felt affirmed in my standards -- I was RIGHT to keep my purity, RIGHT to seek the matching, RIGHT to keep faith in the Blessing!"

The most powerful part of the workshop, however, was the sense of identity and pride that developed in Blessed Children. One brother at the UTS workshop put it simply, "I'm so proud to be a BC!" The sense of community was undeniable, but it was stronger than community, it was family.

Though the national level Blessing workshops are almost always successful, there was a tremendous leap in the power of these past two workshops, in comparison with previous workshops. This leap can be attributed to two factors: the cooperation and collaboration of several educational organizations and departments, and the presence of elder Blessed Second Generation staff members.

In the Northeast, the FFWPU-USA Education Department worked alongside the Sung Hwa Department and the Blessed Family Department to develop, administer, and execute the workshop. The Education Department, through Rev. Schanker, provided the bulk of the content, while David Hunter acted as MC and gave testimony to his life and Blessing.

The Sung Hwa Department provided guidance on "The Identity of Blessed Children" through Mr. Naokimi Ushiroda, and "The Meaning of the Second Generation Blessing" through Rev. Inguk Seo. The Blessed Family Department lent tremendous administrative support through the work of Mrs. Amadea de Groot and Mrs. Nari Stephens, both Blessed members of the Second Generation. In addition, several other Blessed Second Generation offered their time in support of their younger brothers and sisters, including Mrs. Miae Schanker-Stein and Mrs. Nan Young Baer.

In the Northwest, the unity between the Education Department and Sung Hwa Department grew even closer. The NextGen Academy replaced the BFD, and offered equally tremendous administrative support under the guidance of Mr. Jeff Adshead and Ms. Rachel Curry. The presence of CARP-USA Vice President Mr. Kenshu Aoki (another Blessed Second Generation) added to the cooperative effort.

Overall, both workshops were tremendous experiences for both the participants and the staff.

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