This Week Features:
Dallas Family Church, Texas
Korean Evangelical Association (KEA), New Jersey
Milwaukee Family Church, Wisconsin
New Hope Family Church, Maryland
Omaha Family Church, Nebraska
Richmond International Family Church, Virginia
Every weekend for the months of August and September, thousands of families and individuals across America are participating in Special Grace Ceremonies to experience forgiveness, love, and unity through receiving the newly established Cheon Il Guk Holy Wine from True Parents.
In this article series, communities throughout the nation share their experiences and sincere testimonies while receiving this Special Grace.
Dallas Family Church, Texas
Over 350 people participated in the Special Grace Ceremony hosted in Dallas, Texas on Sunday, June 24. The newly opened Dallas Family Church building was packed with participants sitting and standing. District Pastors and the local Dallas Family Church community took part in the Special Grace Holy Wine Ceremony, and District Pastors were bequeathed the special Cheon Il Guk Holy Items on behalf of their districts, through FFWPU North America Continental Chairman, Dr. Ki Hoon Kim. During the Holy Items ceremony, the community shared a moment of sincere prayer.
“You’d have to pinch yourself to make sure you’re awake,” Dallas Family Church Pastor, Rev. John Jackson, said about the event. “I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or not. I was blown away by the ceremony, and I was so moved by the support from all over the country. When the National Ministry Team and the District Pastors came down from all over the country, I felt overwhelmed by all the support. There was an overwhelmingly loving feeling.”
“As we were receiving the Holy Wine,” Rev. Jackson added, “it was incredible, because it was sealed with True Mother’s prayer, which we watched on the screen during the ceremony. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. There was a point in her prayer where she referred to all of us as true children. It was really amazing. We felt that we are not just adopted children of True Parents; we are their sons and daughters, too. It filled me with so much love and gratitude for True Parents.”
“I want to thank True Parents for this precious gift of special grace and the Holy Items, which were given to me and my family to start completely anew,” said Kazuo Takami, pastor of the Honolulu Family Church. “I’ve learned that the moment of receiving the grace is very important, but the process and preparation are important as well. We watched True Mother’s benediction, and her tearful prayer touched my heart. I felt I was filled with the forgiving and encouraging spirit of Heavenly Parent and True Parents.”
“Today we celebrated both the receiving of the new Holy Items in America as District Pastors and the opening of the new church in Dallas, Texas,” said Gary Chidester, District Pastor of FFWPU USA District 5. “I experienced the grace and strength of True Mother’s prayer. I felt that what True Parents went through, we could benefit from substantially. The inheriting of the grace at this time and the Holy Items gave me a sense of new beginning and cleansing. The opening of the new church in Dallas, Texas gave a great feeling of unity. It was a sharing of the communities in my district and all across the nation. By contributing together it was really like the saying, ‘a victory for one is a victory for all’.”
“I can understand deeply that True Parents’ victory is absolute,” said Hiroshi Inose, Cheon Il Guk IW and Kodan National Director. “Now I have the confidence to accomplish my responsibility. The ceremony was directly guided by Heavenly Parents and True Parents. Thank you, True Mother, for giving us such a meaningful ceremony.”
Korean Evangelical Association (KEA), New Jersey
Over 200 families attended the ceremony at the KEA Family Church of New York and New Jersey. The hall was overflowing with families and individuals, young and old, to receive the Special Grace.
“The experience was similar to that of Foundation Day Holy Wine Ceremony,” said KEA pastor, Rev. Ki Yeal Lee, “in that everyone desired to start anew, repent, and reinvent their faith. With a newly cleansed mind and body, they can appreciate Heavenly Parent and True Parents in a new way. They feel like owners of Cheon Il Guk. I myself feel spiritually refreshed, and that the spiritual foundation has changed. Something is under way.”
Milwaukee Family Church, Wisconsin
The Milwaukee Family Church held a two-hour education session to learn about the Holy Items and Special Grace prior to conducting the main event.
“We had a great, spiritually-filled meeting and ceremony with many tears shed,” described District Pastor, Rev. Jeffrey Schmidt. “Everybody is excited to receive the Holy Items, as well.”
“The Special Grace Ceremony to me was a profound experience of the love of True Parents through True Mother. The heart of suffering that is Mother’s, akin to mother Mary in Luke’s gospel “where she pondered all these things in her heart,” True Mother has been aching for her children and agonizing for Heavenly Parent and seeking ways to embrace and forgive all the ways we have hurt God. This Special Grace brings True Mother close to us in a personal and gracious bond. My heart feels overwhelming gratitude to Mother and that True Parents offer tremendous opportunity for healing and hope.” – Marian North
New Hope Family Church, Maryland
On June 29, the New Hope Family Church in Maryland hosted a ceremony for the entire community and many guests. Over 100 people came to receive the Special Grace by True Parents.
“We started the ceremony at 7:00pm,” said local pastor, Andrew Love. “I was pleasantly surprised by how many people attended. The reality was that about 30 percent of the guests who showed up to receive the grace were people that I had never seen before. Since we didn’t have the Holy Items yet available in our community, I placed the most emphasis on being present to the reality of grace. One family that attended had recently lost their son, and had a very meaningful experience.”
Pastor Love personally handed out every cup of Holy Wine, wanting participants to feel how much True Mother desired for them to feel God’s love and grace. After the Holy Wine ceremony, Pastor Love asked everyone present to form prayer trinities or prayer families. They created their own groups and spent time praying for one another.
“This was something I learned from Project Phoenix and has incredible power,” said Pastor Love. “The purpose was to have each person feel Heavenly Parents’ love through one another.” There were many people who broke down in tears and several people reported that they experienced a very deep sense of God through one another.
One participant described a spiritual moment during the Holy Wine ceremony: “My wife drank some of the Holy Wine and then offered the remainder to me. I bowed in thanks and I took the remaining sip. When I swallowed it, as it passed my heart, it felt as though heart lit up like a starburst or a many-colored sparkler, the little lights passing through all of my body, every cell and then radiating outward through the space around me. It was as though the Holy Wine touched and somehow changed every cell in my body.”
The New Hope Family Church will hold a second Special Grace ceremony on August 24th for those who could not attend the first time. An equal number of people is expected to attend.
“Thank you, True Mother, for caring so much for us.We really don’t deserve as much grace as we have received, and yet you keep on putting forth effort to give us another chance at grace.” – Pastor Andrew Love
Omaha Family Church, Nebraska
On July 31, 26 first- and second-generation Unificationists participated in the Holy Wine and Special Grace Ceremony at the Omaha Family Church. The ceremony was led by Rev. Mark and Yoko Lincoln.
Together they sang holy songs, including the Cheon Il Guk National Anthem in Korean. One participant mentioned that he was moved by the anthem because he lived in Korea for several years, and has recently felt a longing for the original language of True Parents. After the songs, young Unificationist Yuki Asanuma played beautiful background music during the submission of resolution forms and the Holy Wine ceremony, which helped to create a serene and holy atmosphere.
The most common item mentioned in participants’ reflections was the video of True Mother’s benediction: her beautiful face and her sorrowful prayer because of the wrong direction in the life of faith that so many have taken. One brother wrote that he felt a deeper embrace of love from Heavenly Parent and True Parents than he had ever felt before, and one sister said she felt the same feeling while reading the Cheong Seong Gyeong the day before the ceremony.
Another sister wrote that the 40-day prayer condition prior to the ceremony was the most deep and uplifting experience for her. She felt her inner mind begin to awaken. Another sister wrote that the ceremony was very holy and that she was honored to be a part of it.
The Canarskys were the host family. They brought a nice and plentiful lunch to share with everyone once the ceremony was completed. Rev. Mark and Yoko Lincoln are planning to hold a shorter version of the ceremony on August 14 before Sunday Service for those who couldn’t make it for the first ceremony.
Richmond International Family Church, Virginia
On the first Monday of every month, members of the Richmond International Family Church, as well as prospective members, friends, associates and Ambassadors for Peace, come together for a Divine Principle study dinner and fellowship.
“The scheduling of our Special Grace Ceremony on the first Monday of August was an added grace and benefit for all who attended,” said Mrs. Ayano Ishii.
Five families of the Richmond Blessed Family Community came together to offer their new resolve and determination to share Heavenly Parent’s grace through inheriting True Parents’ heart, love, vision and mission to restore the original ideal of love.
“What an opportunity to repent and to burn off our old ways with the candlelight of new hope,” remarked sister Roslyn R.
“This ceremony represents hope,” said a young, second-generation Unificationist.
“It was a special privilege, grace and blessing to participate with my wife and family before leaving for Korea again,” said Carlton Johnson, who teaches at the Cheongshim International Academy in Korea and returned home to Richmond, Virginia for summer vacation. He expressed gratitude that he could share as a family in resolving together to fulfill their portion of responsibility in True Parents’ vision.
“We are totally indebted to Heavenly Parent’s love through True Parents, allowing us opportunities to encourage one another, lift up one another as we press on meekly with renewed resolve, to live a victorious Blessed Family lifestyle for the sake of 7.3 billion sisters and brothers,” said Father Bayo Adrien, local community pastor.
“We give thanks for all members for fulfilling their portion of responsibility to receive this special grace. We also thank True Mother for her continued love and devotion that continues to inspire our hearts to reconcile and align our ways and attitude with Heaven’s way and attitude toward all people, places and things.”
For more photos of the Richmond ceremony, click here.
