I recall True Father commenting to the 'pioneers' who were preparing for the first Day of Hope in 1972. We were then perhaps 500 or less members in the US. He said to us something to the effect of, "You have built up a wonderful spirit as a family. Now you are going to grow in membership. Will you be able to keep from becoming cold and businesslike with each other?" Of course we sent up our usual cry of 'YES, Father!" But the tragic truth is that we could not.

Members have left over the years for many different reasons, often their own issues. Some of the reasons, however, were a direct result of our own and our leadership's mistakes. We stopped viewing each other as brothers and sisters and went for social climbing and position grabbing.

Headquarters folks were 'better' than MFT folks. Maybe MFT'ers didn't have much education, or were just people who couldn't do anything else, hey, do ya think? We forgot that people on the mission fields were out there at all.

We needed larger and larger salaries to do things we used to do for free. Leaders got suits, but followers didn't get winter coats, even when winter coats were needed. This member got a car. That member didn't even get bus money.

Skin color mattered. Having a title mattered. Being under a Korean or Japanese was important. No, being under the "right" Korean or Japanese, and adopting his mannerisms and speech patterns was important.

Living somewhere besides the New Yorker was Satanic. No, get out of the New Yorker. What are you still doing there?

You must not have any money and be worth nothing. Are you still fundraising? Why don't you have a job? Are you Blessed now? How many kids do you have? Only one? None? Well, what's wrong with you? You must have done something terrible to be so cursed by God.

When we get over this kind of mentality we will be able to bring new members -- and maybe bring back some of the old ones.

And somebody please tell me, why don't we have regular Divine Principle lectures in our centers or on a national level anymore? How are we going to educate these new members when we get them? And how are we going to keep them from becoming junior all-the-stuff-we-hate people?