On June 1, a special assembly for the leaders of Family Federation Heavenly Japan was held at Isshin Special Education Center in Urayasu, Chiba, where Bang Sang-il, Regional Group President of the Heavenly Japan for the Heavenly Parent’s Holy Community, gave a message. He shared True Mother’s words on witnessing as well as testimonies from Korea, where witnessing is progressing with the grace received through Cheon Shim Won prayers. He also called on the participants to “make a concerted effort in the 210-day witnessing course of the Heavenly Japan in 2023 so that the Heavenly Unified World can be firmly established.”
Editorial Department
True Mother wishes for reorganization that can bring victory in witnessing
Hello everyone. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all of the leaders and female department heads who adore True Parents and protect the members on a daily basis.
I visited Korea on April 30 and participated in a series of events that were held to celebrate True Mother’s 80th birthday. On May 10 and 11, Mother invited me to visit Cheon Jeong Gung Museum, where she gave me a message before I returned to Japan on May 14. However, early in the morning of the 16th, I received a phone call asking me to come to Korea on the first flight out.
Whenever True Mother calls me to come to Korea, business is finished within a few hours and I’m usually back on the same day. I thought that would be the case, so I left with only my laptop in my bag. However, I ended up staying there for ten days.
When I arrived at the Cheon Jeong Gung Museum with Masaichi Hori, Regional Group President of Asia Pacific Continent 2, the Korean leaders were also there, and True Mother spoke to us for two hours. I will summarize her words in five main points.
The first point is reorganization. The World Headquarters, which was located at the Cheon Jeong Gung Museum, will cease, and the providence will move forward under a dual system between the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, and the Universal Peace Federation (UPF). The Office of Secretary to the President, which had been overseen by Ms. Jeong Won-ju, will be divided into the First and Second Secretariats. The First Secretary’s Office will be headed by Ms. Moon Yeon-ah, who will mainly be responsible for supporting Korea and Japan. Mr. Shin Dong-mo (former Chairman of UPF South America) will serve as Deputy Secretary and be in charge of English-speaking nations, while Mr. Song Hyo-nyeok will be in charge of Asia and Africa.
The second point Mother mentioned was about witnessing. True Mother explained that the reason for the reorganization was for all of the (church) organizations and all of the leaders to move forward with witnessing, and she said, “The only way for us to live is through witnessing. Under this new structure, the full-scale battle to restore nations will begin in earnest.”
When True Mother asked me what the population of Japan was, I answered 125 million, to which she replied, “Go witness to 60 million of them.” She emphasized that with that kind of foundation, all of Japan’s problems could be solved. Through her conversation I was able to strengthen my awareness towards witnessing, whether awake or asleep.
The third point was about the Cheon Shim Won prayers. True Mother testified that True Father laid the foundation through prayer, saying, “The greatest power is through prayer.” She also said, “The center of Heaven’s providence is Cheon Shim Won.” If we pray hard at Cheon Shim Won, the Heavenly Parent (God) and Father will appear to us, and the Angels and the Heavenly Army and the Absolute Good Spirits will fully cooperate with us.
The fourth point she mentioned was education. More emphasis will be placed on educating people about True Parents’ life course. True Mother called for the need to convey the true nature of the Heavenly Parent, Jesus, and True Father, and said that True Parents’ autobiographies should be utilized more.
The fifth point was about the consecration of Cheon Won Gung and Cheon Il Sanctum. During the consecration ceremony, True Mother had announced that the entrance ceremony would be held in 2024. However, a year was not enough time to complete it up to Heaven’s standards, so she announced that the entrance ceremony will now be held in 2025. It was very hard for me to imagine how she must’ve felt for having to postpone the ceremony for different reasons, even though she had wanted to accomplish everything by May 5 of this year. I could not lift my face before her.
The Heavenly Parent’s mission is to send the Messiah, the True Parents of humankind, to the earth; and True Parents’ mission is to save fallen humankind. Through the blessing, we will convert them from Satan’s lineage to God’s lineage. We will extend the grace from the Blessing to all humankind, create a peaceful and ideal world, and welcome the Heavenly Parent on earth. The place they will reside is Cheon Won Gung and the Cheon Il Sanctum.
True Parents are concerned about the brothers and sisters struggling in Japan and wish to give them strength
On May 16, after I received her words and reported on the current situation in Japan, I told True Mother that I would be returning the next morning. When I told her that, she stopped me and asked why I was leaving so early, and told me that I should attend the embarkation ceremony for the HJ Cruise (on the 18th).
On the day of the embarkation ceremony, I had a great time on the cruise with True Mother and had lunch at the Hyojeong Won Restaurant. I was very grateful for these blessings and was about to leave. However, Mother requested that I postpone my return and told me to attend an all-night vigil at Cheon Shim Won and give my all. After that, she asked me to go to Busan together. Yeon-ah nim had told her that I had come without a change of clothes, so she arranged for me to get some at Buheung Department Store.
We left for Busan on the morning of the 22nd. There were about 20 Korean leaders, including the other regional group presidents, but only Regional Group President Hori and I rode in True Mother’s car. The two of us may have looked the most pitiful (laugh). Since we were representing the Japanese members, I think she let us ride with her out of her love for the Japanese leaders and members who were struggling.
There was a special Mother’s Day meeting on the 23rd, and on the morning of the 24th, True Mother called Hori and I for breakfast. That day, Mother took us to Buheung Department Store and bought me this suit that I am wearing today.
I received her love on behalf of all of you. Even now, the Family Federation of Japan is still being struck from all sides. True Mother hears about this every day in her reports and is concerned about the brothers and sisters here in Japan and wants to give you strength, somehow.
Vision 2027 was set up to celebrate the 60th Heavenly Parent’s Day based on the foundation that Korea and the world would become the Heavenly Unified Korea and the Heavenly Unified World. There are only four years left until 2027.
True Mother said that when the consecration ceremony is held after the completion of Cheon Won Gung and Cheon Il Sanctum, people will come from all over the world. What did you all think when Mother announced the construction of the Sanctum? Some of you may have thought, “We already have the Cheon Jeong Gung Museum, so why build another one?”
Cheon Won Gung is two and a half times the size of the Cheon Jeong Gung Museum. I only toured parts of it, but I was truly overwhelmed. When the interior is completely finished, True Mother’s wish that “ordinary tourists will become members by the time they walk the whole length of it” will become a reality.
In particular, True Mother took great interest in the holy paintings of the mother-of-pearl inlay. They are seven and a half meters high and four meters wide, and if you want to see the whole painting, you have to step back about ten meters. There are 14 of these holy paintings. It took seven years to complete the work, and the craftsman of mother-of-pearl inlay craft who undertook the work said, “This is the first and last time in my life that I have seen something as large as this,” and was deeply moved by the work along with his pupils.
There are many historical and significant buildings in the world, such as St. Peter’s Basilica (in the Vatican). However, no matter how wonderful they are, they do not represent the True Parents. Even if all of the holy buildings scattered all over the world were combined, they could not compare to the Cheon Il Sanctum.
The Cheon Jeong Gung Museum, Cheon Won Gung and Cheon Il Sanctum, which True Parents built with their own hands during their lifetime, are one-of-a-kind and hold immeasurable value. True Mother said, “Heaven’s providence will be completed and the history of humankind will be completed through Cheon Won Gung and Cheon Il Sanctum.”
Father prepared Mother to advance the providence as the second head of the church
The spirit world has been organized by True Father, and the foundation on earth has been set by True Mother. From now on, the comprehensive role in heaven and on earth will be performed by the Angels and the Heavenly Army and the absolute good spirits. For this reason, Mother thought that the existing organization was not sufficient, and she requested a reorganization of our movement.
There may be some who may object to this.
Since 1990, True Father testified about True Mother on every occasion. In June 1991, some Japanese leaders and four female representatives gathered in Clairstone, Canada, where he made the gomyeong. The word “gomyeong (顧命)” means “the King’s testament.” Father wished for the Japanese leaders to be united so that Mother could complete the providence as the second head of the church, even after his seonghwa.
On April 10, 1992, True Mother was appointed as the president of the Women’s Federation for World Peace and proclaimed the liberation of women while holding conventions around the world on behalf of True Father. Then, on June 14, 1999, during the ceremony for the Congratulatory Declaration of True Parents’ Cosmic Victory, Father presented Mother with an award of honor. Father spent ten years preparing so that it would be easier for Mother to advance the providence.
Grace from Cheon Shim Won prayers and cooperation from spirt world increases worship attendance
From now on, the positions of subregional group leader and district leader will be no more (in Japan). True Mother believes that those who are capable should invest themselves in witnessing. All of the leaders should line up at the starting line as if they are starting a race. Here are some testimonies that will serve as reference.
Gi-seong Lee, Director of Cheon Shim Won, is now serving as Church leader of Gapyeong Family Church, which is located near the Training Center . True Mother told him, “You can receive heaven’s works through prayer, so please go out and set an example.” He was, then, appointed as the Church leader.
Due to COVID, about 10 people had come to church services for the past three years, but within three months of his appointment, the number of worshipers increased to one hundred and thirty. That is thirteen times as before.
Also, when I attended the all-night vigil, the Church leader of Cheongpyeong Family Church, Ji-yeol Han, gave a testimony. He was Japanese, but became a naturalized Korean and took the name Han.
When he was appointed, there were about 50 members in the church. In order to revive them, he called them to participate in the all-night vigils at Cheon Shim Won, and five people attended in the beginning. These participants had received grace, so the number of participants increased from five to six, six to seven, seven to ten, ten to 20, 20 to 30, and 30 to 40, and so on. After one year, the number of participants reached 200. This is a church in the rural side. Even so, they are holding worship services on a large scale. The Church leader still participates in the all-night vigils with those who wish to attend.
We also heard a testimony from Mr. Chong-pal Choi, a former pastor of a Christian church, at one of the all-night vigils. He belongs to Gapyeong Family Church.
One day when he was still a pastor, a revelation came to him while he was sleeping. He was told to look for a certain Seok-chin Kim. As soon as he woke up in the morning, he searched the internet to find out who that person was and the search showed he was a professor at Sun Moon University. He quickly tensed up because that was part of the “heretical Unification Church.” However, he could not ignore the revelation he received from the spirit world, so he called Sun Moon University and offered to meet with the professor.
On the day of his visit, he was even more alarmed because he heard that the professor was also the a church leader for the Family Federation. Still, he thought there must be some deeper meaning to his revelation, so he stopped by Cheon Won Sa (our bookstore) in Cheongpa-dong, asked the clerk what the main books of the Family Federation were, and bought a copy of The Divine Principle. He read it earnestly every day and was deeply moved. He then bought and read the Cheon Il Guk scriptures, Cheon Seong Gyeong and Pyeong Hwa Gyeong, one after another. With that, he made the commitment to convert from the Christian church to the Family Federation.
Tears flowed down my face as I listened to his testimony. When True Father was in Heungnam prison, twelve disciples were witnessed through revelations from the spirit world. I felt that such an era had indeed arrived.
True Mother heard such testimonies in the reports given to her and hoped that this system would be appropriate for the present day.
Korea must accelerate its efforts toward North-South unification as well as promote witnessing, so True Mother established Gwang-seok Song as the President of Family Federation of Korea, who had been in charge of the National Union of the Unification Movement of North and South Korea. She said the following:
This man has worked harder than anyone else for ten years for the unification of North and South Korea, including the Peace Road (Project). He (is appointed as President of Family Federation of Korea) because he is the one who has the most fortune in bringing unification of North and South Korea.
Then, Mr. Yong-cheon Song, who served as the General President of the National Federation of Blessed Families in Japan, was appointed as the World President. Reasons for his appointment included his good fortune of resolving issues with the Schengen Agreement in Europe and overlooked that transition from the Unification Church to the Family Federation during his tenure as General President.
In addition, to promote witnessing activities, Mr. Jeong-shik Yong, who had served as America’s Regional Group President, returned to Korea as a Church Director. Accordingly, Damian Dunkley, formerly of Asia Pacific Continent 1 will serve as General President in America, and Regional Group President Hori will be responsible for the entire Asia Pacific Continent. In particular, since Oceania is a large area and has many female VIPs, Mrs. Moriko Hori has been appointed as the Vice President of the Asia-Pacific Continent, and will be responsible in overlooking Oceania.
All staff walk with the mindset that you are a missionary
To promote witnessing in Japan, reforming the church to become a more church-centered organization was decided at the May 26 leaders’ meeting. Leaders who had served as subregion or district leaders will walk together with a pioneering spirit as a single church leadership entity. Districts will remain in its traditional form as an “area,” but the Large Church Leader (leader of churches where district headquarters had placed them) will not be in a position to direct other church leaders. Please walk with the mindset that you are the center of a cooperative framework.
The first thing we need to do is witnessing. The second thing we need to do is witnessing. The third thing we need to do is witnessing. From now on, the witnessing director is not the only one responsible for witnessing. Leaders, women department heads, and all other staff members should have the awareness that they are missionaries (with the purpose of witnessing). True Mother said that she would like to award those who work hard in witnessing. I believe that this has never been stated in this way before.
At a special meeting on Mother’s Day (May 23), Winnie Caimie (30,000 couple, belonging to East Ulsan Family Church), a Filipina missionary and Cheonbo Family member, gave her testimony.
She has witnessed to about 80 people so far. Since April of this year, she invites here spiritual children as well as witnessing candidates to her church for services once a month. About 500 people attend these services. True Mother was very surprised when she heard this testimony, and she scolded some of the leaders and challenged them to do the same.
At that moment, I clearly understood why True Mother wanted me to attend the all-night vigils and why she took me to Busan. It was to convey the grace from the Cheon Shim Won prayers and to make me realize that the fortunes of witnessing had arrived.
At the all-night prayer vigil, we sang the Cheer Song for God’s Will in Japanese and prayed for Japan. This is not just at Cheon Shim Won. Leaders, blessed families, and members all over the world are praying for us and thinking of Japan. It may seem like we are fighting alone, but we have been able to overcome difficulties because of the prayers offered to heaven from all over the world.
True Mother said the following about the power of prayer.
The Christian Church began with the apostles. You all know of Paul. Paul was originally a man who was doing everything he could to imprison Christians. However, he received a revelation from the spirit world and became a Christian evangelist.
Japan is also in a difficult time, so please pray fervently at Cheon Shim Won. Revelations will come down and some of those that have been attacking the Family Federation will suddenly change. Do you think Apostle Paul was the only one to hear heaven’s voice? That is not so.”
At the consecration ceremony of Cheon Il Sanctum, True Mother said she was very sorry and that there was nothing she could do to stop herself from feeling grief in her prayer. She must have felt regret that there were so few Cheon Il Guk citizens and that she could not offer (a restored nation) at the consecration ceremony. She is frustrated because she is convinced that the spiritual foundation for achieving a tenfold increase in witnessing has already been laid and that results will come if we only put it in practice.
True Mother emphasized the importance of the Principle of Creation found in the Divine Principle and called on us to deeply understand its contents so that we can convey who True Father and Mother really are. She also said that witnessing will progress if we have these four things: prayer, the Divine Principle, Father’s autobiography, and Mother’s autobiography.
Informing True Mother about the educational programs for second generation
While speaking with True Mother, the topic of second generation in Japan came up. I told her that there were many second generation who were not able to find jobs, and I told her of my plan to send them to Leda, South America, where they would be able to play active roles. Mother was very pleased and encouraged me to give it a try.
As True Mother says, “The second generation are the future and vision of the church.” Therefore, second-generation education will become more and more vital.
When I travel around the country, I always make sure to visit youth meetings. When I ask the participants if they’ve ever met True Mother, usually those sitting in the front raise their hands, and those in the back only raise their hands sporadically.
There is a big difference in attitude towards God’s will, whether you have seen True Mother in person or not. So, when I told True Mother that I was planning to bring second generation to Cheongpyeong during their summer break, I asked her to pay them a visit. She agreed and said “Bring as many as you can.”
Once this program of allowing second generation (in Japan) to visit Korea is set up, please send many of those that are doing public work. Airfare is expensive, so sending two or three children may be difficult for families. Therefore, headquarters will consider subsidizing some of the airfare. Please make the effort to protect the lives of each second generation. Let us also continue to focus on visiting the second generation and blessed families who have distanced themselves from the church.
In closing, I would like to repeat True Mother’s thoughts on witnessing.
True Mother wishes to prioritize witnessing above all else, just as was done in the pioneer days when we had our sights set on heaven. She also refers to Alexander the Great, who built a great empire in just ten years, and she said the following.
Why can’t you unite the world when you are with the Heavenly Parent and True Parents? Alexander the Great rode around the world on a horse. You do not have horses. You can ride a faster vehicle. Don’t make heaven wait any longer.
Let us offer our best during this 210-day witnessing course of the Heavenly Japan in 2023, starting from today. All of you, who have any sort of responsibility, should consider themselves as witnessing directors. In order to make the best report to True Mother, let us work hard during these two hundred and ten days, putting forth more than two or three years’ worth of effort!
