American Church Pioneers Celebrate 40 Years in America

Marie Ang
March 28, 2009

On a wintry day in Washington, D.C., on February 28, 1969, True Parents presided over the first Blessing to take place outside of our homeland, Korea.

Thirteen couples, including eight that were newly-matched couples and five that were previously-married, walked down the crowded aisle in the “Upshur House” located on Upshur St. N.W., Washington, D.C., to receive the Holy Blessing. We knew that we would be the foundation for the American movement, and we even wondered if there was a significance in the fact that the number of couples being blessed, thirteen, is the exact number of the thirteen original states that were the foundation of the United States of America. This was the first of three marriage-blessings held outside of Korea that comprise what came to be known as the 43-Couples Blessing. [Father Moon and Mother Moon held a marriage blessing of 8 couples in Essen, Germany on March 28, 1969, and a marriage blessing of 22 couples on May 1, 1969, in Tokyo, Japan.]

During the past four decades, the thirteen couples have met many challenges in our various missions as we struggled to help lay a foundation for spiritual restoration in America. Today, we are scattered throughout the country, and some already have ascended. So, it was not possible for us all to get together to celebrate our fortieth anniversary this year. However, we in the New York City area, Edwin and Marie Ang, George and Diane Fernsler, and Martin Porter, who was part of the 43-Couple Blessing in Europe, met at the Minado restaurant in Little Ferry, New Jersey, to celebrate our anniversary. We had a wonderful time together, remembering each couple and honoring this special day. [Find out more about the early days of the Unification Church in America at the website created by Lloyd Pumphrey to chronicle the pioneering work of his parents and Dr. Young Oon Kim: www.uc-history.us]

Written by: Marie Ang

Participants in the blessing of 1969 include the following:

Edwin and Marie Ang
Philip and Vivien Burley
George and Diane Fernsler
George and Sylvia Norton
Bob and Vivien Oswald
Maxine Pearson
Ken Pope
Wesley and Gladys Samuel
Jon and Sandra Schuhart
Fred Stock

Those who we know have ascended are:

Galen and Patty Pumphrey
John and Marie Schmidli
Carl and Linna Rapkins
Vernon Pearson
Orah Pope
Jacque Stock