Interview of Kaeleigh Moffitt

August 2013
Pastors of Bowie, MD Unification Church a community of about 200 families

As an individual, I find the best way to contribute to Sun Myung Moon's legacy is by investing in my marriage. Father Moon's teachings about a God-centered family can only take hold when we practice them in our own families. My husband and I strive for this kind of life, and although we have our ups and our downs, we continue to be moved by the truth in Father Moon's teachings. If I could master one of the passions in my life, it would be my marriage. When my husband and I come to a place of deep connection and appreciation, it's like the whole world makes sense. I feel and see the Divine Principle in action and I'm able to be a part of God's ideal.

I grew up in the community I currently reside in. My parents were always very active in the community. I grew up with many Unificationists and always had friends that could identify with my faith. As a result of this, I developed a deep confidence in my identity as an Unificationist and found it easy to be proud of who I am.

An enduring passion in my life is our Heavenly Parent. I have been somehow blessed with a very personal relationship with God since I was in middle school. God's ever-enduring presence and unconditional faith in me have been what's guided most of my decisions. God has brought some great abilities out in me, and so I enjoy doing the same for others. I enjoy finding a place where people find value and significance. Outside of that, I have a great love for dance and the performing arts. I grew up participating in every type of dance and theater I could get my bands on. I was also a dance teacher for several years.

As a public figure, I find my calling in raising those that have been born into our community. When you are born into such a unique movement, it is often common to not be able to grasp the value and incredible importance of our faith. I feel that by being an example and by investing in our youth, I'm able to make True Parents' dreams a reality.

I was always very active in ministry from an early age. As a teenager I saw it as the coolest thing to do. I apprenticed during the early stages of Jr. STF (pre-program to Special Task Force, now known as Generation Peace Academy), and through that experience I was introduced to the world of impact and possibilities. After that, it was only natural for me to step into the youth pastor role. I was about 17 at the time, and so I really didn't have many clear career goals. But after being responsible for the development of youth ministry in my hometown, I decided to pursue a degree in Business Operations Management and Family Science. So you could say ministry guided my path in my studies.

After doing ministry for many years and learning about people, I've come to really appreciate all the uniqueness of our relationships with God. I resonate with the ascetic and contemplative spiritual styles. As a youth pastor, I've been able to incorporate my spiritual styles in how I educate my staff. Our monthly youth ministry staff nights often feature some type of spiritual practice. A lot of these practices have to do with alone time with God and/or writing/sharing something about our relationship with God. This type of staff education has translated into our education for youth as well.

Music is also very important to me. The kids in my community know that my radio stations are preset to classical and Christian radio. When I'm doing work on my computer, I always listen to meditative music (lately I've been getting into African tribal music as well!). God speaks to me through music because it's the only thing that can get through my concepts and stress. I also make it a point to keep learning. Every month I spend time reading from other pastors and books to see how I can continue to grow myself as a pastor and grow my ministry team.

I find that in our community, the youth of this generation are so much more in time with reality than I ever was. I think that my generation lacked a grasp on reality, and that led most of my friends to leave the church. We grew up in a little bit of a bubble and often felt like we couldn't express the struggles we were going through. I believe our parents and "mature members" have since learned a great deal about the process that is necessary to build the Kingdom of Heaven. Our parents may have had a lot of high hopes and didn't realize that their children would have problems like the rest of the world. As our community began to realize this, we too become more accepting and loving and we now have a place where people can learn and make mistakes in a safe environment.

The youth that I currently work with sometimes blow my mind with their wisdom and intuitiveness. There are so many moments where I have to take a step back and thank God for letting me learn from these amazing young men and women.

I don't think I could function as a pastor if it weren't for my husband! David and I were both active in youth ministry before we were matched and engaged and so. I'm grateful that David knew what he was getting into when he married me; so much of our time as a couple is spent preparing for events and taking care of other people. I am so grateful that David sees the value in this type of lifestyle and that we could walk this path together.

We also both really feel that giving our time publicly as a couple has resulted in an enormous amount of blessing in our life. We always seem to have just enough to get by financially, even when the numbers don't add up. We truly feel that these blessings are from heaven and feel humbled to receive them.

Church planting is a difficult challenge, but perhaps an empowering one as well. When my Mom was a younger member, she went to Iran as a missionary for several years. She had to learn the language and the customs when she arrived, with only her passion and inspiration to drive her. Although it was difficult, I believe her faith and the challenge itself allowed her to be successful. I think Father Moon knew this formula and so, perhaps, church planting is the same. If we challenge ourselves to be responsible for others, then perhaps we can rise to the occasion.

I hope that my community becomes a thriving spiritual community, one where each individual and family is contributing to the greater goal and where people can meet their Heavenly Parent each time we gather.