Highlights of the Vision 2020 Strategy Conference for Strategic and Providential Nations

Chang Shik Yang
August 24-27, 2013

Participants in the Vision 2020 Strategy Meeting with True Mother and other invited guests at Cheon Jeong Gung

After leaving Imjingak participants traveled for an hour by bus to Cheon Bok Gung, where the conference began.

After a short video, Dr. Chang Shik Yang gave the first presentation, introducing South Korea's strategy for the victory of Vision 2020. In order to achieve Vision 2020, he explained, Korea will base its activities on three strategic transitions -- from charismatic leadership to systematic leadership, from a pastor-centered ministry to a lay-member-centered ministry, and from our family-church movement to a people's religion in which our faith is deeply rooted in people's lives.

Korea's goals are to increase membership and win the moral support of those members of society that do not become members by 2020, based on efforts of the Family Federation, providential organizations and businesses. To increase its membership, the Korean headquarters is building a witnessing infrastructure and a one-on-one Divine Principle lecturing system. They are making strenuous efforts to care for the younger generations and to foster leaders from within their numbers.

The Korean movement is building a healthy culture and a four-stage cycle of witnessing, fostering, blessing and ministry. They have developed many educational materials based on this cycle to support the work of tribal messiahs.

Rev. Michael Balcomb, national leader of FFWPU in the United States, stated that the U. S. movement is aiming to become the center of an interfaith movement for national and international revival, helping bring about a culture of peace, purity and love. It strives to fulfill its responsibility as the "eldest son" in helping all nations collectively to relate to our Heavenly Parent as one family under God.

Rev. Balcomb testified that he had received numerical goals as inspiration through prayer. When he related these to national headquarters staff members, many thought he had lost his mind. Rev. Balcomb prayed again. Perhaps he had misheard God. But, no, God plainly confirmed them.

The U.S. movement intends to focus on family ministry, the identity and branding of our movement, church growth, governance, and international expectations. The national leader concluded his presentation with a powerful Bible passage, Zechariah 4.6, "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord."

Dr. Katsumi Otsuka, continental director of Africa, gave a presentation that had the rhythmic flow of an African melody. Dr. Otsuka spoke of circumstances in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a noticeable feature of which is a huge foundation of academies, including electronic and mechanical technical schools, high schools and elementary schools. DR Congo aims at making a mega-church foundation. Greater numbers in DR Congo, said Dr. Otsuka, would make our movement stronger and more influential. Their aim is to increase the general membership while striving to improve Sunday service participation.

Rev. Dong Mo Shin, continental director of South America and special envoy to Brazil, spoke about Brazil, where they held a Latin American national leader's convention in early April. In late June, they had a workshop for state leaders, missionaries and home group leaders. This focused on the vision of home groups, oikos (an ancient Greek term for "family" or "household") and one-on-one lecturing.

A large number of members are involved in 231 home groups in Brazil. According to Rev. Shin, this has been successful because a one-on-one system can mobilize the spiritual world and help the two related people form a deep connection.

Rev. Jong Deug Yoo is the special envoy to Vanuatu, a small nation whose goals for 2013 call for a modest increase in full- time members and to establish the New Village Movement' and improve public relations. He highlighted the different service projects conducted within local communities.

A presentation was then given by special envoy of Nepal, Dr. Robert Kittel and national leader, Eknath Dhaka]. Their presentation quickly spread a positive and hopeful atmosphere throughout the hall.

Japan is actively working on stabilizing its educational programs including its two-day Divine Principle workshops and other programs. A Cheon Il Guk Revival Corps was also formed to support vision 2020; new churches are being consecrated in different regions in an effort to create a better environment. Their presentation introduced Japan's agenda for the education and fostering of second-generation members and young people.

Following the presentations, local Korean churches were each paired with a strategic or providential nation. Leaders of those nations spent the following day (Sunday) visiting the local church to which their nation had been paired. There, they introduced themselves, their work and mission area. The aim is for the Korean congregations to provide prayer and material assistance. By late Sunday night everyone had escaped the heat and humidity of Seoul and relocated to Yongpyong Resort.

The next day's schedule started with Hoon Dok Hae at 6:00 AM which was then followed by Dr. Yang's message, which strongly reverberated throughout the hall. He called for humbleness among all, pointing out how members were sensitive to the smallest act of a leader, whether done consciously or unconsciously, and hence emphasized a leader as a servant of servants.

The morning session was focused on networking between the strategic and providential nations and the different providential organizations -- the Korean, Japanese, and the American headquarters, Sun Moon University, Wonmo Pyeongae Foundation, Ilhwa, Universal Peace Academy, WFWP, UPF, Today's World, and other groups. Before the actual networking, the groups that had set up booths in the hall had five minutes to introduce their projects and work.

The FFWPU International Headquarters led the afternoon session. The first presentation was about administrative policies. Sam Nagasaka, Vision 2020 project manager, spoke next. He began by defining concepts we may take for granted such as substantiating Cheon Il Guk. "Our end goal," he stated, "must be the peace of the state and the happiness of the people." He explained the importance of becoming the mainstream and proceeded to show ways of analyzing our movement in a nation to determine how near it is to being the mainstream. The audience was given much to think about.

The director of the International Headquarters Education Department then presented their plan to build a life-cycle program of religious and practical education.

The day was concluded with Dr. Yang's overall report on the different events that were conducted in commemoration of the first anniversary of the True Father's ascension.

The next day, August 27, was the highlight of the entire convention. After Hoon Dok Hae, everyone readied themselves and departed for Cheon Jeong Gung for a luncheon with True Mother.