The Words of the Cameroon Family

First 21-Day Seminar Oceania Region

Rodney Cameroon
June 1981

Fifty members from the Oceania Region came together in March for the first 21-Day Regional Seminar. Missionaries from Tonga, the Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea, along with six brothers and sisters from Australia, attended the seminar, which was held on our church farm in the beautiful countryside 50 miles south of Auckland. New Zealand.

Since the region was initiated by Father, Christopher Olson had been planning to hold regional seminars for the missionaries and their spiritual children, as well as for the benefit of local members. Christopher intended to give the lectures of the seminar, but he was called to New York for 120-day training. His goal for the workshop was to strengthen members individually and collectively, by hearing Father's words and sharing in deep fellowship.

Divine Principle, Unification Thought and VOC were presented in three five-day periods. Many new and younger members hearing UT and VOC for the first time were deeply moved by the content of the lectures, and they were more able to feel God's internal heart and see the incredible contradictions which VOC points out.

Christopher wanted emphasis to be placed on love and service. Based on this. Trevor Sargent, workshop coordinator, chose the motto, "Let us love and serve each other as Heavenly Father has loved and served us." Through the 21 days, there was strong competition between the six workshop groups. It was beautiful to see and experience the love of brothers and sisters and to feel their desire to sacrifice for others. The creativity of the family members serving each other has inspired many new ideas for home church.

Unlike other regions, the nations of Oceania are not connected to their neighbors by a common land mass. Instead, they are only connected by the vast Pacific Ocean. Each nation is completely separate and seemingly isolated from the rest of the world. With regional church development and new links formed with brother and sister nations, the Pacific is shrinking and the feeling of being part of the whole world is much more real. In participating in the growth that took place over 21 days we could see great potential for the future, a future as great as our cultural differences. The deep bonds that were formed between us are a living testimony to the power and embrace of God's true love. 

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