I wrote this editorial five years ago, but it is till very applicable today, as well, and applies equally to the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary where I used to affiliate.
Fundamentally, we need to look at “Church” in a new way.
Richard
Blessed Central Families are the core of the Providence
6/2/2013
I believe that this is the era for Tribal Messiahs to take the lead. The substantial work of the providence cannot be done by the Family Church or Family Federation. It is done by individual Blessed Central Families and small groups of Blessed Central Families who do ministry in their local communities. So, in essence, the purpose of the Family Federation is to raise up and support Tribal Messiahs who will carry out the mission of teaching and helping individuals and families move toward the goal of being Blessed Central Families.
The Family church in each community should be looking at how to support the ministries of the Blessed Central Families. Ideally, each Blessed Central Family should have its own ministry. Then the Family Church should ask each family how it can assist and support in that family’s ministry.
The Family Federation should look to find projects that educate and raise people up towards the Blessing. These may not always be Family Federation projects. For instance, they could be nonprofits or businesses that support the mission of the Family Federation. Donations and education can flow toward the Blessed Central Families doing the work, not just from them. If a Blessed Central Family is holding meetings or programs that help people move toward the Blessing, why not encourage and even financially assist that work?
When models are found that work, then they should be made available locally and nationwide. Blessed Central families can give their testimony of what is working at Sunday service. The national Family Federation can support by brining successful Blessed Central Families to Regions other than their own. In this way, these models can be duplicated and nominal funding given to those families willing to try these models.
So rather than only getting those we know to come to Sunday Service, we can assist with the education of their children toward abstinence before marriage and successful family formation
True Father says in the Cheon Sung Gyung p. 1505:
In the future, the Sunday service of the Unification Church should be in the format of a report, not a sermon. The contents of the report should be about something a family can be proud of. Therefore, the whole family would need to attend the service. In this way, the other families can model themselves after the exemplary families and be guided by them to the right path. In such a manner we can establish the heavenly kingdom for the family, on earth. You should bear in mind that before this is done God’s Kingdom on earth cannot be established. (23-63, 1969.5.11)
The reason I’m not currently constructing any church buildings is because I have plans of my own. The number of people in the church is not important. The Kingdom of Heaven does not begin from the church; it originates from the family, that is, the bride and groom.
Woman was born to meet man, and vice versa. When a baby wakes up, it looks for its “mama.” The husband should call his wife more than the baby calls its mother. A person who fails to do so is truly pitiable. The wife should also call her husband more than he does her. They should become such a couple. As husband and wife enjoying the happiness of conjugal harmony, they should call out to each other all the time. If they can live in such a manner forever, they would not envy the young even when they grow old. In the future, I will arrange a world tour for those blessed couples that reach the age of eighty. (23-55, 1969.5.11).
So True Father relates the loving relationship of Blessed husbands and wives to church growth. One way to grow is to learn from exemplary couples at Sunday Service. Another way is through the loving example of Blessed Central Families.
I suggest that an excellent way to help families in our communities is to promote abstinence-centered sexual health education. Furthermore, by teaching about absolutely good sex, we can further help families in our communities, as well as our own families. I don’t know why every family would not want to assist young people at their local middle or high school by providing Relationship Intelligence abstinence-centered education. Furthermore, meetings with both parents and their children can be held for further education. I would like to see many testimonies about families helping other families in their community in this way, including their children.
Richard Urban