The Words of the Swarts Family
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The Words of the Swarts Family |
Unificationists from several states on the eastern seaboard will spend the day mulling the future of the Freedom Society Saturday, December 15, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Unification Church Center, 78 DeMott Ave. in Clifton, New Jersey 07011.
The following has been announced by Lourdes Swarts, organizer of Saturday's event and director of the Universal Peace Federation in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey region.
"This Saturday's meeting will be an important first step in launching the Freedom Society in our area. It is our sincere hope that all of you will be able to attend and offer your ideas. This is a bottom-up effort and where we go depends very much on our attendees. Please see the revised agenda below. The first part of the meeting will be devoted to an open discussion of how you see the Freedom Society and what you would like to see it do. After this, Dr. Tony Guerra will speak representing Hyung Jin Nim. From there we would like to present what has been done so far as far as education goes and then open things up again for discussions on developing educational content, social service, media, networking and action steps."
"If for some reason you are not able to attend, please give us your input by e-mail. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing you on Saturday at the Clifton Church. We'll be meeting downstairs while the OSDP workshop will be taking place upstairs in the chapel in the afternoon."
"If for some reason you are not able to attend, please give us your input by e-mail. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing you on Saturday at the Clifton Church. We'll be meeting downstairs while the OSDP workshop will be taking place upstairs in the chapel in the afternoon."
The gathering welcomes guests to come to the event to help consider and build a Freedom Society Manifesto and will take comments and recommendations from the floor.
In order to participate, guests must RSVP, according to Swarts. A $10 donation will be requested to help off-set the cost of the event. Seating is limited, RSVP to
Lourdes
A provisional draft of the Freedom Society Manifesto, but not the final version, according to Swarts, follows.
Contributors: Rob Sayre, Jamal Johnson, Gordon Anderson, Ph.D. and Lourdes Swarts, Richard Panzer, Ph.D.
We seek to restore the proper balance between freedom and responsibility. This requires us to address the fundamental political, social and financial challenges our local communities, our country and the world face. We recognize the responsibility we have to transform our local communities, starting with ourselves and our families and to serve our communities and thus to contribute to building a world of peace and freedom.
We are building the Freedom Society, an initiative whose time has come. This movement is calling us to be servant leaders. And what are the key components of this initiative?
We stand for Freedom -
We recognize that freedom is essential for the pursuit of human happiness.
We look first to our own integrity, families, communities and faith traditions to address our common problems
We look to an effective, efficient and ethical government
We look to maintain a strong national defense that deters aggression in a dangerous world and maintains peace through strength.
We uphold free markets and a fair and competitive economic system to provide for our common good.
We are grounded in Faith, recognizing --
God as the Creator of Life, the grantor of Liberty and the author of the inherent human nature to pursue happiness..
The God-centered ideal of the Blessing of Marriage and the socially responsible experience of human sexuality
The need to respect and work with all religions that respect the value of human life.
We affirm -
that healthy marriages and families are the foundation for healthy communities:
the God-given right of children to have the love, support and protection of both of their parents
the central role of families, created through the loving commitment of one man and one woman, in providing the fundamental core of human identity, emotional stability, and the building block for a peaceful society.
the central role of the Constitution of the United States of America, to guide the functioning of limited government, to maintain the harmony of our union in keeping with the vision of our Founding Fathers.
We believe -
in education that promotes personal integrity, ethical behavior, and learning.
in a culture that promotes goodness and with the understanding that living for others is the highest expression of this virtue.
These are the cornerstones of the Freedom Society.
We will equip current and future servant leaders with the tools, training and networking to successfully transform and lead their local communities.