The Words of the Murotani Family
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The Words of the Murotani Family |
2-Day
Workshop in Dumagnete City from August 14-15, 1983 with 31 guests.
One word can describe our activities during this past summer: witnessing! Virtually all the members throughout the country were mobilized to witness, street preach and teach, with fundraising maintained only at survival level.
Results were encouraging, in terms of both quantity and quality. Large numbers of people listened to Principle, including professors, attorneys, accountants, scholars, and top students -- the first time we have been able to reach many higher-level people. Not only did our pioneer centers have good success, but for the first time the Manila centers were able to witness and teach many guests. In short, activities expanded at a very rapid pace, far beyond our expectations.
A 40-day national witnessing condition was held from July 1 to Aug. 9. Brothers and sisters went out joyfully, and it seemed that Heavenly Father and the spirit world gave them much support. Those centers where the members went out street speaking had the best results. During that time, there were 41 two-day workshops, with 300 guests in attendance; 200 other guests listened to the entire series of Principle lectures. In addition, more than 3,000 introductory, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 lectures were given.
Two seven-day workshops were held, with 21 guests participating. Seven of these became full-time members. Attendance was low because most of our guests are students, who have difficulty taking a week off classes. However, there is a semester break in October, and we are planning two or three seven-day workshops for that time, with a goal of 500 participants.
Thirty-eight of our members, most of them with between one and three years in the church, attended a 21-day national workshop in July.
A striking feature of this training program was the intense feeling of God's presence during the outdoor prayer meetings and street speaking conditions. The four nights of outdoor prayer sessions became for many members the deepest prayer experiences in their Unification Church life. After the final hour of joint prayer, brothers and sisters were jumping around, crying and laughing at the same time, expressing their deep internal joy. Street speaking also became a Pentecostal-type experience, as members overcame their shyness or reluctance and began to feel God's presence and heart as they spoke. These workshop participants brought 12 guests to the center as a result of their street speaking.
After this seminar, two new centers were opened in Manila and six pairs of pioneers were sent out for 40 days of witnessing. One pair of sisters found members within their first two weeks, and their pioneer efforts have established a new center. Two other centers have been opened, bringing the total of established centers in the nation to 21, with an additional five pioneer centers. Each center includes at least eight full- time members, and some have university students as well. (We have 35 student members throughout the country living in centers.)
CARP chapters have now been established at four universities, with activities beginning at other campuses as well. However, student work has been a bit difficult recently, since any kind of large meeting can be suspected of being political. On one campus recently, a meeting was canceled at the last moment for this reason.
Four campus symposiums are scheduled for September, and a large meeting is planned for September 25, with J-CARP president Mr. Oota as the guest speaker. Professors who are friendly to us are helping us organize these events. Through CARP activities, students who attend our two-day workshops have a channel for continuing their association with us and deepening their understanding and commitment to Principle.
A Catholic college in Tagbilaran City has now banned Unification Church members from its campus after four of their honor students -- all campus leaders -- joined the church. Witnessing had been good there until February, when the school began publishing leaflets and large posters, repeating the familiar accusations against the Unification Church: brainwashing, exploitation, etc., all coming from the United States. Teachers spoke out against us in their classrooms, and any student known to have visited the center was interviewed by the school administration and ordered to refrain from visiting us again. One member who had already graduated was told by school officials not to return to campus.
Behind this persecution was a Catholic priest who had organized public persecution against the Unification Church two years ago in a different city. Possibly leftist-thinking professors or administrators had a hand in it as well. This is now the third school in the nation that has closed its doors to us. Nevertheless, the brothers and sisters in the Tagbilaran center seem to be unaffected and are cheerfully continuing their mission.
Perhaps the most significant event of the summer was a one-day introductory seminar on the Principle held in Manila on August 28, organized by Professor Elizabeth Villareal. Seventy-two professors, attorneys, accountants, journalists, and other professionals attended.
Prof. Villareal is an English teacher, first contacted about two years ago, who listened to the Principle in June and gained the determination of a full- time member. She attended a Principle seminar sponsored by ICUS in Bangkok, Thailand, during the summer and returned with an energetic missionary spirit, witnessing to many of her professor friends. She convinced us to hold a Principle seminar after only one week of preparation.
Twelve brothers and sisters served as staff members for the seminars, held at one of Manila's best hotels. Mr. Murotani gave the opening remarks and Gary Fleischman presented four lectures, based on the contents of the two-hour lecture series. The guests were very receptive and deeply impressed. One university dean immediately invited Gary to come to her campus to lecture to her students, and others expressed similar feelings. More than half indicated a desire to attend a three-day Principle workshop, to be held in October. No one expressed a negative response, despite the fact that many of them had previously heard of Father, and they all came from a Christian background. They were completely captivated by the logic and clarity of the Principle, especially the Fall and the History of Rests gyration. Three of the participants had attended the Principle seminar in Bangkok, but indicated that they had gained more out of this one-day workshop. (Of the 32 Filipino professors who attended the Bangkok seminar, 17 signed associate membership in the Church.)
In addition to contacting professors, Prof. Villareal has started witnessing to her students. One Sunday, 55 of her students came to Sunday service and a one-day Principle seminar.
In another city, the registrar of a university and one teacher began witnessing to their students after attending a two day seminar. Their efforts resulted in a two-day workshop for 31 scholars and top students.
With our activities expanding so rapidly, we are experiencing financial difficulties. The professors' seminars were very successful, but at the same time, a big unforeseen expense. We have been unable to develop PWPA activities as much as we would like, and some of the professors who joined are wondering why. One reason is lack of funds, and another the many activities which have been absorbing our energies. However, we will continue our plans to devote the greatest possible effort to witnessing, until the Christmas season.
Gary Fleischman traveled to Malaysia on July 26 to help Mr. and Mrs. Kagawa conduct a seven-day seminar, the first one held in Malaysia. The workshop site was a high mountain resort, in a cool and refreshing climate. Thirty-two Malaysians attended. Felice Hart, visiting from Thailand, gave an inspiring testimony.
A very wonderful, warm family feeling developed during the week, and Gary didn't want to leave! Members had deep prayer experiences while praying for Father, the court case, and the prayer topics suggested by Father at the beginning of this year. A 30 year-old brother committed himself to become a full-time member through this workshop, and other newer members also found new inspiration. Following the workshop, all Malaysian members were reassigned, with two pioneer centers opened and a Malaysian One World Crusade team formed with eight members.
A regional IOWC team was formed following the 40-day workshop held for members of the Southeast Asian region. The team members include six Filipinos, 2 Malaysians, 2 Singaporeans, and 2 Thais. Foo Yong Koon, a Malaysian brother, was chosen as team leader.
The members had to overcome national and cultural barriers, but were able to achieve good unity and gain success. They visited six centers in the Philippines, spending one week in each center, focusing on witnessing, street preaching and teaching. Two-day workshops were held each weekend. In one Manila center, they brought an average of 50 guests each day to the center. The non-Filipinos were glad to work in the democratic freedom of the Philippines, and took advantage of the opportunity to speak out publicly about God and the Principle. On August 21, they went to Thailand, where they plan to work one month before continuing to Malaysia.