Last Saturday (Feb 13th 2010)  in Bromley we held a Blessing Ceremony for five couples, although the room was filled with more than twenty people and it felt like a world gathering! In terms of religious background, we had two Hindu couples; a Jewish and Christian couple; a Muslim couple and a Buddhist gentleman. Additional support came from families and friends.

Two families had all three generations present. This included a blessed family, Matthew and Emiko Cohn with their blessed daughter, her husband and her brother – in this instance it was the grandparents in their family, George and Peggy Cohn, who came for the Blessing. For them it was a long journey from Bournemouth, but for our movement in Britain we felt it had particular significance; George and Peggy Cohn carried out an amazing job running the ‘Parents’ Association’ back in the late seventies and early eighties when there was much media persecution and concern from parents over their adult children joining the Movement.

We began with lunch together and then shared the meaning of the Blessing through two, quite detailed presentations. After a moving ceremony, each couple was given a red rose and we shared a ‘wedding’ cake together. We want to thank all those who supported, and all those who worked hard to bring people to this historic event.

Please note these revised dates for the final Weekend Workshop of the year (in the series that the FFWPU Education department has been running on an almost monthly basis throughout 2009):

Here is the registration form (excel file) and a flier (pdf) if you want to advertise the programme.

FFWPU members are welcome, as are guests and newcomers to the Principle.

Applications must be received by Wednesday 24 November at the latest.

An Irish Jesuit, who had been assigned to Japan in the 1950s wrote the following, in 1978:

“at the end of the twentieth century we again find ourselves at a great crossroads in the history of mankind. Such an age demands a new theology, a re-statement of the Gospel message, and answer to the peculiar problems that confront us. Yet the construction of such a theology is an extremely difficult and delicate task because we are aware that the old culture is dying but has not yet died and the new culture is coming to birth but has not yet been born…”

This writer on mysticism is William Johnston. I have only just come across his writings, and he does so much to explain the depth of oriental religious thinking and show the commonality of the mystical experience in different religions and cultures. This quote is one of many gems from the book called “The Inner Eye of Love”. It has awakened in me the sense that I still have a journey to make – I have only begun to understand the depth of the Principle and Father’s heart and mind. That will be a more inward journey. Anyone else feel like making it?

An Irish Jesuit, who had been assigned to Japan in the 1950s wrote the following, in 1978:

“at the end of the twentieth century we again find ourselves at a great crossroads in the history of mankind. Such an age demands a new theology, a re-statement of the Gospel message, and answer to the peculiar problems that confront us. Yet the construction of such a theology is an extremely difficult and delicate task because we are aware that the old culture is dying but has not yet died and the new culture is coming to birth but has not yet been born…”

This writer on mysticism is William Johnston. I have only just come across his writings, and he does so much to explain the depth of oriental religious thinking and show the commonality of the mystical experience in different religions and cultures. This quote is one of many gems from the book called “The Inner Eye of Love”. It has awakened in me the sense that I still have a journey to make – I have only begun to understand the depth of the Principle and Father’s heart and mind. That will be a more inward journey. Anyone else feel like making it?

We have just held our second regular weekend workshop along new lines. We had a great range of participants – all the way from twelve to eighty years old, and from people hearing a two-day workshop for the first time, to some whose last two-day workshop was thirty years ago!

So, what’s new? It is more in the general approach, I suppose: less ‘us and them’; a freedom to ask questions, even during lectures; and a new order to the chapters – ‘telling the story’ rather than challenging doctrine. It fits the age and allows the Unificationist spirituality to breathe a bit more freely. At least, that is how I see it, or experience it. We have meditation times, listening to music; we introduce new songs; and this time we had a great ‘family evening’ where each person sang, danced, recited or told jokes, picking the name of the next ‘volunteer’ out of a basket.

This workshop was especially supported by the North London community – many thanks to all of you! Our next workshop is on the weekend of July, 24-26. Why don’t you join us?

by David Hanna
Education Director

Right now I am researching small group ministries. I feel very sure that this is the way for us to develop and ‘grow’ our community. (If you are not sure what Small Groups are, may I suggest you research a little bit too – just google ‘small groups’ – or my preferred method: Ask.com.) We have put as one of our goals this year to ‘explore the potential of small group ministries’, and I think that is a nice way to put it – it is not a ‘top-down’ direction but an encouragement to us all to participate in the development of a new way of working…

For the recent event in Excel, for which FFWPU was a major partner, there must be many stories of hard work and heroism that only a few are aware of. I was impressed by our brother, David Eaton. He was the musical director – flying in the day before from the US, rehearsing on the day with strings players from the RPO, a choir from Austria and other performers and pulling everything together so professionally. Yet he remains so calm – even quipping that we should be called the ‘LMFWP’ – the Last Minute Federation for World Peace. And there was Hans Campman, who in his new role as national director in Holland has almost no time to make music. He spent a lot of time in the weeks preceding writing out parts for the choir and other music for the session musicians and orchestra members. Then, no matter that one has a year to prepare, these things all come down to one day, one moment. Will it work or not? Did you notice how when Hyun Jin Moon was singing an Elvis song on stage – not part of the original programme at all – Hans picked up on the piano accompaniment – in the right key! Hey, we have some real heroes in our midst, I tell thee.