"Snapshot" Brochure Breaks New Ground in Unificationist Outreach

Heather Thalheimer, Director of Education for Lovin’ Life.

For the first time, Unificationists have a succinct and easy-to-understand booklet that encapsulates what the Unification Church is all about. Lovin’ Life Ministries recently introduced Snapshot, a color brochure created by the Ministry Support team, for the purpose of facilitating deeper understanding of Father and Mother Moon’s teachings.

“We wanted to create a brochure that our members can carry with them so that when someone asks to be introduced to our church, there is an easy way to do that,” said Heather Thalheimer, director of education. “Sometimes the question, ‘Can you tell me about your church?’ is a difficult one for church members to answer. How do you take a church, your faith, or what you believe in and explain it in a few words? The value of Snapshot is that it’s a straightforward explanation of who we are and what matters to us. It also expresses our beautiful culture – it’s got pictures of members from our community that show our diversity and uniqueness.

“We have been lacking quality literature that tells our story. We have the greatest message on earth, but we have so little in the way of literature that shares the breaking news in an understandable and attractive manner. So this is a first attempt to put on paper something we can use to introduce ourselves to others that’s concise and engaging.”

Thalheimer also explained the usefulness of Snapshot’s content not only for guests, but also our church community. The brochure is equipped with a summary of Unificationists’ beliefs about God, people, family and religion, an outline of the steps necessary to become a member, and much more that can help current members further internalize and better verbalize the teachings of Rev. and Mrs. Moon.

“It’s easy to communicate your beliefs verbally to a friend, with excitement in your voice, but once you leave that person, your words can be readily forgotten. If you leave them with an attractive brochure with your contact information in it, the information stays with them,” Thalheimer added with a smile.

“Snapshot is the first time I’ve heard our beliefs summed up in one paragraph,” said August, a twenty- something second-generation Unificationist. “I felt proud showing it to people. It looks contemporary and

cool. It’s also suitable for a family demographic but with a young, professional look.”

Andrew Love, leader of the Lovin’ Life outreach team, shared the same sentiment: “Now we can present our church with confidence. I don’t feel any awkwardness in presenting the booklet to someone. It’s very straightforward and really nice.”

Another member on the Lovin’ Life outreach team said, “I’ve given Snapshot to friends and guests and their reaction to it has been very positive. We found that our guests were inclined to keep it and carry it around because it’s not like a brochure you would put in your bag and then throw out. It has quality, and it’s something you’d keep and refer to a number of times.”

“It’s a piece of art,” said a guest at the Lovin’ Life Learning Center. “You like looking at it, the pictures are very attractive, and once you’ve looked at it, you feel drawn into the information. It’s great, and it’s very substantial.”

“Snapshot explains what we believe in a manner people can easily understand because everyone understands happiness, and happiness is clearly expressed by the glimpses into our life that Snapshot provides,” said Matt, another second-generation Unificationist.

The Snapshot brochures were sent out to every district in the United States and distributed by district leaders to local pastors. Contact your local pastor to find out how you can get copies to share with friends and relatives.