Gathering Strength

Keiko Shaw
April 2011

We began having weekly Divine Principle lectures in July; the following month we sent one guest to a two-day workshop.

Partly for the sake of this guest, we felt a need to hold advanced Divine Principle lectures, too, including guidance on how to practice our faith in one's daily life. And so Ms. Taeko Duckworth gives lectures for beginners on Thursday nights and Mr. William Haines gives advanced lectures on Tuesday nights.

Each week, three or four guests had been attending. Over time, however, this had dwindled to one or two; at times, no one came. Some members began to lose hope; they doubted our way of doing things.

Mrs. Monika Bateman, our church leader's wife, achieved a breakthrough that I believe was an especially important factor. Until a certain point, she had not brought one guest. All of a sudden, spiritual support came like a rushing wind. She started to bring many guests from street witnessing. She had not been witnessing with much confidence, but with the added spiritual support, her transformation was dazzling. She began to witness joyfully, with great energy.

Usually, sixteen of us are active; half of us are Japanese. Beginning with the church leader and his wife, brothers and sisters helped each other and did their best, so the tide of fortune returned and again we began to welcome three or four guests at each lecture. Educating the guests every week with Divine Principle, we also tried to make the meetings a fun, relaxing, family-like occasion.

As we continued, we all began to realize that weekly lectures were insufficient for the guests' spiritual growth. We definitely needed to hold a two-day workshop. The Christmas holidays were an ideal time for working people to attend one. If we missed this chance, many guests would find it difficult to fit it into their schedules.

In the past, guests stayed overnight at a training center for two-day workshops, but we all felt that adhering to this practice was unnecessary and might be an obstacle for people of other religions. Hence, we asked the guests to commute to the member's house that we were using for the meetings.

To facilitate participation, we held two workshops. In the end, seven guests were able to attend, so this seemed to have been a good idea. Ms. Devi, our Hindu guest, wrote, "I couldn't have attended if I'd had to stay overnight, so I had been praying that a two-day workshop would be held here. I'm very happy that this came true. I hope they will do a seven-day workshop here now." Dr. Nesrin, a Muslim guest with strong opinions listened quietly and seriously to the presentations, and remarked, "This wonderful material has to be taught to young people as well."

How to educate those who have completed the two-day workshop is our future task. New challenges continually arise.

We are moving ahead by trial and error, but when everyone helps each other with joy, I feel God is positively guiding us. Our team holds meets before going witnessing every Sunday afternoon; we discuss everything among ourselves and then make decisions. The spirit world also seems to move when the Japanese and the western members consult each other and work together to the end rather than dividing.

I may have initiated this team, but its strength is derived from all the members, who are running it and developing the activities.