The Words of In Jin Moon from 2009
|
|
The Words of In Jin Moon from 2009 |
The stars were in alignment in Newark New Jersey at the American Clergy and Leadership (ACLC) Convocation Jan. 29-31, richly blessed as it was with a keynote speech from Family Federation for World Peace and Unification Chairwoman Rev. In Jin Moon, participation from civil-rights legends, Rev. Joseph Lowery and Rev. Walter Fauntroy, and lectures that moved some of those present to tears.
Rev. Moon, along with her husband and their two youngest sons, attended the ACLC dinner on Friday, January 30th. In her opening remarks she told the assembly that America’s mission is to influence the world in the right way and that the leaders of the Civil Rights movement did exactly that 40 years ago. Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the other champions of the civil rights movement inspired her, and Dr. King “taught me how to dream,” she said. Rev. Moon said she dreams of a day when our children will not have to live in fear of school shootings, suicide bombings and prejudice against Asian-Americans.
“Dr. Lowery, I as a woman look forward to inspiring a new generation of young people. I look forward to my children becoming a part of you [your movement]. I look forward to the day when one of my children will marry a Muslim or a Jew,” she said.
“I feel like God is working his mysterious magic today to make this an extraordinary year. God has been using Rev. Fauntroy and Rev. Lowery and the Council of Elders to raise up a new generation…There is no stopping us once God’s spirit gets moving, and you know what? It’s already moving.”
Archbishop George Augustus Stallings, co-president of the ACLC, opened the conference on January 29 with a visionary statement that explained the theme of the convocation, “That They All May Be One.”
"The American Clergy Leadership Conference stands in a central and vital position in assisting the new President of the United States in achieving his administration's message of hope, unity and change. True and lasting change will only come to America when we, as a nation, return to our founding principles and embrace them as if they were our own. Central to this endeavor is rebuilding the family and setting it as the cornerstone for the restoration of our communities and the renewal of our nation and the world. The ACLC can seize the power of the pulpit and constantly drive home the message of hope, unity and change that will inspire countless numbers of citizens to personally strive in their everyday pursuits to create a nation where we can all stand together and say: ‘We Are One!’," Stallings said.
The gathering of 115 ministers then heard insightful lectures on the Divine Principle and inspired preaching during the three-day conference which culminated with a bus ride into Manhattan so that all ministers could attend the deeply-affecting ceremony for Dr. Sun Myung Moon’s 90th birthday celebration and commemorative program. One minister remarked later: “The ceremony was the highest and most prestigious ceremony that I have ever attended. It was beautiful, it was smooth and on time, the most elegant expression of love.”
Ministers took notes as they listened with close attention to Divine Principle lectures by Rev. Levy Daugherty, Rev. Kevin McCarthy, and Bishop Jesse Edwards. Dr. Thomas Walsh, Secretary General of the Universal Peace Federation International explained the “Providential Significance of the Establishment of an Abel United Nations.” Rev. Michael Jenkins, a member of the Executive Committee of the ACLC, lectured on Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon’s 34 years of Dedication in the United States.” The 5:00 a.m. prayer services were punctuated by shouts of “Amen” and loud clapping as the clergy heard the spontaneous inspirations of several Pentecostal preachers, including Rev. D.C. Corson and Rev. Mark Abernathy, Several clergy recounted their moving testimonies regarding how they had encountered and joined the ACLC despite persecution from officials within their own communities.
Bishop Ki Hoon Kim, ACLC National Chairman, pronounced the convocation a great step forward in the ACLC’s mission and pledged to hold prayer breakfasts in every state every month in 2009. In closing remarks Saturday morning he commissioned the assembled clergy thus: “We must realize God’s dream -- building the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, where we live.”