Unification News for May 2002

Blessing Testimony - Surprise Blessing in N. Carolina

by Caroline Uyama

Rev. Daniels of St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church, Durham North Carolina was a minister our brother Mamoru and three Japanese missionaries met three days before the Blessing of the 144,000 clergy on Saturday April 27. It seemed late in the providence to invite Rev. Daniels to Bless his church, as the Blessing was only 3 days away. With this in mind we resolved to show Rev. Daniels the videotape and offered him to drink the Holy Wine. Rev. Daniels did so willingly and was left with one Holy Wine cup to give his wife and he asked for 150 more for his congregation. Also he was left with the Four Vows. Also the Japanese missionaries sang him a few songs, which he loved.

The following Sunday was April 28th. It was the day following the Blessing given by True Parents in Washington DC. Mamoru, Caroline and the three missionaries attended Rev. Daniels’s Sunday Service. When the time for the pastor’s message came we were surprised to hear how direct Rev Daniels talked about the sexual relationship of husband and wife and chastises the members in the church for having pre-marital sex. He said that people have to change. The next thing we knew he called all the married couples in the church to the altar, and that all single people, widowed, divorced etc. should also stand. Mamoru and Caroline went forward not knowing what to expect, but suspecting he was about to Bless the church.

Sure enough he beckoned an usher to bring some papers from the back room. They were bright orange sheets that he had copied the four vows onto. The vows were distributed and the congregation read them out. By this time we really realizes he was Blessing the church. Mamoru motioned to him that we should drink the Holy Wine. He then beckoned the usher to bring the bag of Holy Wine that had been left with him. He instructed each family to take one to share, and all single people to drink also. He warned people not to leave the church, as this was a Blessing they needed to receive. Following the ceremony Rev. Daniels asked the Japanese Missionaries to sing some songs and Mamoru to come up into the pulpit to speak. We explained about the Blessing the day before and that thousands of churches throughout America had participating in this ceremony to substantially reclaim the family for God and to make a dramatic impact in American society, bringing healing and restoration sorely needed.

This Blessing at Rev. Daniels church was conducted purely on his own initiative. We had no idea that he was planning to do so that Sunday. We realized that he would have done this whether we had been at the church or not. We asked him why and he replied that he was focusing his ministry on the family, teaching from the Bible the model of a good family, and the importance of having morals within the family. The visit he received from us and the information he received fitted right into what and where he is guiding his church. We felt that he was guided by Heavenly Father to prepare himself and his church to receive the Blessing from True Parents.

May 5th we attended Sunday Service again. We knew that his sermon was to be on the family. We were discouraged to find that he was not there, but at home sick. One of the other ministers of the church gave the sermon. He mentioned that Rev. Daniels has requested that he speak on the family. In obedience to his leader (thus obeying God) he spoke from the Book of Genesis and about family. His sermon was excellent. Full of sound guidance.

Following the service Mamoru asked Mrs. Daniels if we could visit Rev. Daniels at home later that afternoon, as we had some flowers for him. We all went there around 3PM with a beautiful flower arrangement. There we spent a few hours talking with Rev. and Mrs. Daniels.

 Download entire page and pages related to it in ZIP format
Table of Contents
Information
Tparents Home