Bang Sang-il
Regional Group President
Heavenly Japan, Heavenly Parent’s Holy Community
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Reverend Oyamada and other founding senior members, as well as to Eiji Tokuno, Chair of Cheon Eui Won, who has worked hard for the sake of the Mother Nation of Japan.
I came to Japan as a missionary in 1998 at the behest of True Father, and 22 years have already passed. As you know, I was given the responsibilities of Special Regional Director of Taiwan and Special Envoy of Cheon Il Guk by Mother last year, and after a year and nine months, I have received the mission as the Regional group president of the Heavenly Japan. Looking back, I received this appointment exactly 600 days since being in charge of Taiwan. It really is a strange thing. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Heavenly Parent and the True Parents of Heaven, Earth, and Humankind for entrusting an unworthy person such as me with a crucial responsibility as the Regional group president of a Heavenly Japan.
The recent personnel shuffle was a bolt out of the blue. My name suddenly came up, so the words “regional group president” didn’t register in my mind at all. I was really surprised. I was extremely surprised, so how surprised must have all of you been?
To all the leaders of the country, allow me to first talk a little about my father. My father lived in a coal mine in Iwate, Japan for two years because of forced labor. I can’t express in words the hardships he faced, but he felt he needed to escape if he were to survive, so one night, he just ran away. He felt that if he didn’t escape, he wouldn’t be able to see his family when his life were to end. He wouldn’t even be able to see his friends one last time. He wanted to survive. So he ran away from Iwate to Shimonoseki.
How hungry must he had been? He would only eat one rice ball a day, which he said were like heaven. If the police were to catch him, it would have been the end of his life. He told me how frightened he was during this trek. He told me this many times.
But one of the more terrifying things my father told me was about those times when he was alone. How much fear did he have when he was by himself? He was terrified to death. My father had walked for about four months, and each day he was scared to death until he reached Shimonoseki. If you count the days, he probably had walked for 120 days. The times he was alone were the scariest of times. How precious are friends in such moments? If there had been even one by his side, it would have been heaven. I was told this story many times. And he was finally able to return home safely.
Dear respected leaders, in order to save all humankind, True Mother is walking a lonely path all by herself, where she cannot consult with anyone, although she would be able to live comfortably if she wanted to. She is standing on the frontline, crying out for progress without rest, without sleeping. Her deep offerings of jeongseong go unnoticed as she spends her nights in tears. When I hear this, I am always reminded about my father who said being alone was the most terrifying thing. I still can’t get that out of my head. Every time I’m reminded of him, True Mother comes to mind. Externally, it may seem like she lives in a splendid palace, but her heart is heavy with burden, taking responsibility of the providence as she leads a lonely life every single day. My heart aches just thinking about it.
Even her beloved children, whom she believed more than anyone else, left her side. How lonely must she be? She may carry her self in a dignified manner, but who in this world can live in peace after losing their children? Tears flow out each time I think of how much agony Mother carries. There are times when we judge the True Children and voice our discontent. However, I believe you all know that Mother is in pain and torn to shreds when she hears this. True Mother is the one who cannot sleep at night as she is all alone in sorrow and can only speak to the stars and the moon.
One day, Secretary to the President Jung Won-ju woke up early in the morning and found that Mother had not slept, and the dustbin had been filled with tissue used to wipe her tears. Mother’s eyes were so swollen, she said. This is what she told me.
Mother is all alone. My father feared the most when he was alone. I believe that, in some ways, Mother is in the loneliest of positions.
Leaders from all over the country. Do you know the meaning of “three years of attending the tomb?” If you are a Korean leader, perhaps you know.
My father passed when he was 75. In Korea, if your parents pass away, the funeral takes three days, but you cannot sleep for these three days, so I had to stay up all night for three days.
These three days were so hard on me that when it was over I asked my mother, “Please don’t die.” How hard was it for me? It were as if I was going to die. So I kindly asked her not to die.
However, True Mother visited Father’s tomb for three years straight. Not three days or three months, but three years. For 1,095 days, no matter whether it was raining or snowing, even in the midst of a snowstorm, Mother visited Bonhyangwon in the morning, noon, and night every day, more than three times on some occasions. Through this, Mother has shown us how to offer such deep jeongseong. I am telling all of you I have witnessed this. I could not even bear three days of this, yet Mother offered everything she had for three years without taking a single day off. This is Mother’s heart: her world of heart.
Respectful leaders from all over the country. Heaven’s work does not occur in peace. This is what Father said. How clever and arrogant Satan is! You all know this. Father mentioned Satan hates hardships and prefers places of comfort. Where there is hardship, you will find God, not Satan. Satan can be found in comfortable settings. Father taught us this. I think all of the pastors know this.
Therefore, religion became a path of persecution; it is one where you need to shed blood, sweat and tears. However, this is the safest place. Satan cannot come on such a path because he hates sacrifice. Satan hates places that require the shedding of blood, sweat and tears. Therefore, (Father) mentioned that places where people shed blood, sweat and tears are places where God can be found. So the most miserable place is the safest of all places. These are Father’s words. Therefore, please reevaluate whether you are in a comfortable environment, or one that is difficult.
Respectful leaders from all over the country. Today, because of our victorious True Mother, we welcome the historic day of a new structure for the Family Federation of a Heavenly Japan as we look towards Vision 2027. Before I announce my policy, I would like to give you a brief summary of what all of the leaders here must be aware of.
You should be aware of the three major factors that determine the outcome of the providence. What do you think are these three factors? I am sure you there are many factors to consider, but the three main factors I believe are time, direction, and speed. Among these three factors, the person in charge must decide the direction and the speed of progress.
However, we cannot decide the “time” of the providence. Time in the case of the providence can only be determined by the Heavenly Parent, whom is in charge of the providence, and the True Parents. Before announcing new policies, I’d like to confirm the time we are in in the providence today.
Firstly, True Mother mentioned that “we have welcomed a new spring in the providence” after True Father’s seunghwa festivities. So right now, it is springtime in the providence.
Secondly, we have Mother’s words she gave when announcing the global changes in the organization and the personnel shuffle. She said, “I have set up the third generation to establish the tradition of the providence. While I am still on Earth, I’m going to create all of the proper settings so that ‘water’ can flow smoothly.” In other words, it is the time to establish the tradition of the providence.
And thirdly, we need to establish a proper nation by 2022. We can find this in Mother’s words that it is her hope to create an environment in which leaders, who are responsible for their countries and who are one with UPF, the center of all of the providential organizations, and the current Family Federation, which is very capable, (they) will come to visit (True Mother) and ask her to pour oil on them. This is the time when Cheon Il Guk must be firmly established and the nation properly founded. In other words, now is the time to establish a Heavenly unified world through the second seven-year course.
Now, as we are welcoming a new beginning, I would like to announce the policies that will determine the direction of the new structure of the Family Federation for a Heavenly Japan. I hope that we can move forward centering on these initiatives while setting up specific strategies and tactics.
First and foremost, the most important policy is the development of future leaders. Mother has mentioned this. To the Chairs of Cheon Eui Won representing the realm of the first generation. To regional group presidents and current pastors representing the realm of the second generation. To the regional group vice presidents and young leaders representing the realm of the third generation. I would like to actively train people in the second-generation sphere and invest in HR development so that there can be a smooth transition from past, present, and future. In order to cultivate future leaders and members, I would like to rebuild the system we have today.
Second, the blessed families across the country need to be victorious in registering into Cheonbo. Every blessed family must grow even more by following the Messiah, the True Parents. The only way to inherit the of the realm of victory of the True Parents of Heaven, Earth, and Humankind—the ones who brought victory in the 8 vertical and horizontal stages and who came as the True Parents of humanity—is to be victorious in heavenly tribal messiahship. In this quest, the Family Federation for a Heavenly Japan will actively support all of the members so they can become victorious families that can register into Cheonbo as heavenly tribal messiahs who are worthy of the Heavenly Parent’s ideal of creation.
The third policy is building the foundation of 10,000 members for each church district. I cannot stress enough how important witnessing is. Witnessing is the sacred work of life of creating your second self. Through witnessing, you—the witnessed—and I—the witnesser—are able to live. Witnessing is the greatest mission of our time. Please do not forget this mission. To this end, the first thing that must be done is to start a re-restoration campaign that seeks out members and second generation that have been distant from the church. What do we need to do in order to accomplish this? Please think subjectively. Now is the time to breathe new life back in those who had been touched by the word in the past and tell them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Our churches should become places where members want to go. We should take pride in our churches. We need to make this happen.
Fourth, we need to create a foundation for national salvation. This means national restoration will take place in each church district by 2022. Furthermore, all providential organizations must become one centered around the Family Federation and UPF under the Heavenly Parent’s Holy Community in order to firmly establish the heavenly world and achieve national restoration of the respective continents by 2027. All efforts must be made towards the national restoration of each church district and for the national restoration of a Heavenly Japan. It is necessary for UPF and each church district to achieve the foundation of national restoration in their districts by 2022, achieve national restoration of a Heavenly Japan by 2027, and inform the world of True Parents to at least a third of the population. In addition, Japan must provide the utmost support to ensure the firm establishment of a Heavenly Korea as the Mother Nation by 2022.
The fifth and final policy is to complete the mission of the Mother Nation. Ladies and gentlemen, we have all invested a lot, but this is the greatest blessing and responsibility that we have ever received, that we have been able established as the Mother Nation and given the title of Heavenly Japan. I hope that we can continue to strive for victory as we make global contributions.
To all of the leaders from the country, I would like us to embark on a special 100-day course as we begin a new chapter in the Family Federation for a Heavenly Japan. The purpose of this 100-day course is to firmly establish this new structure and organization as we begin anew in the providence. The name of this special 100-day course is “The Special 100-day Jeongseong Period for the Beginning of the Second 7-year Course and the Firm Establishment of the New Leadership Structure towards Vision 2027” and it will be from November 1, 2020 to February 8, 2021 for a hundred days. It will be conducted in two 50 day courses. We send an official statement about the specifics of this course.
Ladies and gentlemen, our hope is the True Parents. A person that is full of hope has no sorrow, no despair, nor gets discouraged. Today, with this great hope, we are embarking on a new structure for Vision 2027: the firm establishment of a Heavenly world.
As the regional group president of the Heavenly Japan, I would like to begin anew with a life-and-death determination in order to fulfill this responsibility given by Heaven. To all leaders, I sincerely hope that you will join me in raising the flag of victory in all six regions and become filial sons and daughters of heaven.
I would like to conclude this announcement of our future outlook. Thank you for your attention.
