At the quarterly Ambassadors for Peace appointment ceremony, May 22, 2004 in the City of Downey, we had several Bishops, Mayors, Council-persons and other Civic leaders receive their appointment from Bishop Baek Joong Ku.

The City of Downey is located 8 miles away on the South East side of Los Angeles. We have a good friend and brother in the City of Downey – Mr. Keith McCarthy ( Mayor pro-tem) who was the Master of ceremonies for this auspicious event.

This is our second quarterly meeting with the last one held in January 2004 in the City of Lynwood. This time, in Downey, it was held in a beautifully equipped hall. The hall can seat at least 450 people theater style and about 250 people banquet style. For us the Ambassadors for Peace ceremony is always banquet style.

The program was interesting and designed well . It started with the Origin under the direction of Music Minister Rick Joswick singing opening songs. Mr. Barry Fasman, who is a composer and also an Ambassador for Peace conducted the choir.

The M.C Mr. McCarthy invited Rev. Teddy Hart to give the invocation. Rev. Hart is the current Pastor of Mt. Zion Church, the church that was headed by the late Dr. E.V. Hill.

Listening attentively to; Rev. Teddy Hart’s opening prayer and Rev. .Johnson’s Testimony

A video highlighting the work of True Parents and the Middle East Peace Initiative was shown. This video which lasted 20 minutes emphasized True Parent’s crowning ceremony in Washington D.C. last March.

The video was well received and further testimonies came from Rev. William R. Johnson and Imam Tariq Aquil. Rev. Johnson explained that he was at the Crowning ceremonies on Capitol Hill. And he brought the Congresswoman Linda Sanchez from his district. He related that it was such a beautiful ceremony and that he was glad to have been part of it.

Imam Aquil gave a moving testimony about how he respects Rev. Moon. Imam Aquil expressed how Rev. Moon practiced True Love in Danbury by praying and planning for the rebuilding of America, while the same America unjustly imprisoned him. Imam Aquil got a standing ovation for his words.

Next we had the Los Angeles Peace Chorus under the direction of Ambassador Dwight Stone sing a couple of songs. They sang with such a heart of peace and enthusiasm.

These songs help set the stage for our key-note speaker Mr. Michael Balcomb.

Mr. Michael Balcomb, Executive Director of Service for Peace, started his presentation by showing a promotional video. This presentation showed how young people in the Service for Peace is making an impact in many different parts of the country. Mr. Balcomb’s talk entitled "The Role of Youth in Creating World Peace" was well received by all. Afterwards many of the Ambassadors for Peace (past and present to be appointed) approached Mr. Balcomb to inquire about having Service For Peace to come to their neighborhoods.

Then the famous Sadoc Christian Singers with Los Angeles Peace Chorus and our own Origin went up on stage to sing "Peace, Shalom, Salaam Aleikum".

Rev. Baek Joong Ku then presented all the new Ambassadors for Peace with their appointment certificates. A group picture was taken with all the Ambassadors of Peace (past and present). A total of seventy Ambassadors for Peace were in the group picture.

Cake-cutting ceremony followed right away. This was a very special cake donated by a very famous Chef- Chez Sateau ( An Ambassador for Peace) who owns and operates a very high class French restaurant. His gourmet, prize-winning cuisine has won Olympic gold and is a favorite of dignitaries such as President Bush and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Our MC Mayor Pro-tem Keith McCarthy invited everyone to join hands and sing "Let There Be Peace on Earth".

Then came the part that everyone was waiting for; sitting down for a meal! And the meal was absolutely fabulous. Prepared by our Pastor Timothy Henning, his wife and a few volunteers, the food was delicious and many guests went for seconds and thirds.

Rev. D’Silva then showed a few video clips of the upcoming Universal Ballet entitled "Romeo and Juliet". Rev. D’Silva encouraged the Ambassadors for Peace to purchase tickets.

The event was definitely a success, and everyone is looking forward to the 3rd quarterly meeting to be held in September, 2004.

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