The Words of the Stadelhofer Family
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The Words of the Stadelhofer Family |
It is the hope of every parent to see their children become successful. To some people success means having a large home and many possessions. For others, success may mean holding a lofty position in society. There is nothing wrong with money and there is nothing wrong with a position of status, yet some of the most wealthy and influential people are very unhappy with their lives. As members of the Unification Church we have been taught well that one's truest value is the ability to love God and humanity. The most successful is the person who can embrace and love the greatest amount and variety of people. God's hope is in our ability to love each other, but even more so, God's hope is that our children will carry on our traditions and go beyond our accomplishment.
If the future success of our movement rests upon the ability of our children to understand and serve God and True Parents, we can look forward to a prosperous growth. This summer a student workshop, Seunghwa Seminar, was held in the small chapel of the Unification Theological Seminary at Barrytown, New York, August 12-17th. The participants were the sons and daughters of early Unification Church members and American Unification Church President, Dr. Mose Durst. The participants, ranging in age from 13 to 17 years were: Jin Goon Kim (son of Rev. Won Pil Kim); Samuel Pak (son of Col. Bo Hi Pak); Jin Hyo, Jin Man, and Jon Sook Kwak (sons and daughter of Rev. C. H. Kwak); Jin Young and Jin Hwan Park (sons of the late Rev. C.G. "Tiger" Park); Jin Bok Lee (son of Mrs. Lee); Sun Hee and Woen Ho Woo (daughter and son of Mr. Chung Jik Woo); In Ho Pak (son of Mr. Joong Hyung Pak); and Isaac and Chaim Durst (sons of Dr. Mose Durst).
The teenagers, quickly becoming young adults, were challenged by the schedule, educational process, and interpersonal relationships of the Seunghwa Seminar. The day began early with a 6:00 a.m. wake-up and a 7:00 a.m. morning service, similar to the early morning schedule of the elder Seminarians. Dr. Joon Ho Seuk, Assistant to the President of UTS, directed and supervised the workshop and conducted the morning services. His inspirational messages provided direction and guidance for their lives, helping the teenagers to gain a deeper understanding of our day and age, and the responsibilities God so desperately needs us to assume. The central theme of the workshop and Dr. Seuk's sermons was "How to Become True Sons and Daughters of God."
Following breakfast and in the afternoons lectures were given which covered the whole scope of Unification philosophy. Divine Principle lectures were taught by Mrs. Shirley Stadelhofer of the UTS Academic Staff, and included such topics as: The Fall of Man, The Purpose of the Messiah, Resurrection, and the History of the Providence of Restoration. Mrs. Stadelhofer observed that, "The testimonies and the sharing of the students about some of their experiences as sons and daughters of early Korean members, and our subsequent realization that their suffering and loneliness at such young ages (their parents went through long courses of sacrifice and separation from their families) developed a close bond between them and myself and other staff members. The affection and deep heart that we felt coming from these `blessed' children sustained and `rewarded' every second of the entire workshop experience...."
Current Seminarians, Denis Collins and Andrew Morris, presented guest lectures on Unification Thought and Counter-proposal to Communism. As stated by Dr. Sang Hun Lee, "in a nutshell-the goal of education is to unite people's heart, thought, and action... in one direction, with one goal -- God." (Unification Thought, 1981 edition, p. 229)
The afternoons consisted of more lectures, group activities and free time. Mr. Takamitsu Hoshiko, a graduate of UTS and a present UTS staff member, was Workshop Coordinator and martial arts (Won Hwa Do) instructor. He also presided over the group-singing and organized all the recreation and activities. The workshop students vigorously swam in the swimming pool, took hikes along Father's and Mother's trails, played a variety of sports, enjoyed the outdoor picnics, challenged themselves in martial arts, watched color videos, and studied in the new UTS library. While the Seminarians were away for the summer fundraising and doing field education work, the usually solemn Barrytown summer days came to life. Mrs. Laverly, a Korean member of the Church, did all the cooking and serving and was assisted by a blessed couple, Mr. and Mrs. Aune who participated in and helped with the workshop.
Another important aspect of the week long seminar was the evening presentation of guest testimonies from brothers and sisters in the Seminary and on the staff. John Raucci (UTS Class of 1982), Alan Inman (Class of '83), and Mrs. Diana Weber (staff) shared their pre- Unification Church experiences as well as the work they have done since joining the movement. The workshop students were particularly fascinated by the trials and tribulations so many of us go through in our search for God and true love. Jaime Sheeran Maniatis, a member of the first UTS graduating class and present staff member of New ERA, shared about her experience at the Summer Session on Unification Theology, held in Cascais, Portugal, and the work New ERA is accomplishing with professors and theologians. Of unique interest to the teenagers was her trip to Cairo, Egypt as a participant in an ICF Summer Seminar to teach and discuss Divine Principle with scientists who have attended, or will attend, the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences (ICUS).
The highlight of the week for many of the participants was the concluding examination of the lecture series and an exciting Divine Principle lecture contest. The students stayed up late the last several nights preparing for the contest which was video-taped by staff member, Mr. Ken Weber. One by one each participant got up to the blackboard and gave a ten to fifteen minute presentation on one section of the Divine Principle. It was an entire "Divine Principle Workshop" in one evening as the thirteen presentations covered the whole content of the latest Church publication for teaching, Outline of the Principle, Level 4. Many of the lectures given by the young students demonstrated their strong determination to know the material and offer it to the audience in a kind and loving way.
In their final reflections, the teenagers shared about the great benefit this summer workshop was to them. They expressed that they were challenged by the schedule, anxious and happy to learn more about Divine Principle, VOC (Victory Over Communism), and Unification Thought, and that they were looking forward to future workshops. One of the students, Jin Young Park, wrote, "In this workshop I realized one most important thing, that I should always study and find out more about Divine Principle. I felt as though it is like your meal, you have to eat and eat to survive."
In the Book of Isaiah in the Bible it is written,"...and all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children." This is but another prophecy we hope to fulfill.