Celebrating A Special Night And Looking Forward

Celebrating A Special Night And Looking Forward Simon Cooper May 17, 2011 What we experienced last week was very special and many of us are still buzzing from the memory. Tim Read has helped me upload a whole bunch of pictures below from the main event in the Hilton that I received from Une Herzer yesterday. We had asked him to be involved in capturing the event, and he has surely helped to do that in a remarkable way. And how do you and I find a way to take last week not as an isolated flash in the pan, but rather see it as part of an ongoing process to build communities that God can bless? How do we NOT go back to business as usual? How do we avoid ‘recovering’? Well, there are two things that Father mentioned while here that help us to catch what his heart is set on. His very first words as he sat down in the hotel room, straight in from the airport, formed a question he put to all of us in the room. “Is everybody distributing 430 copies of my autobiography?” The other words were his last ones, a request he made, as he waited to take off from Luton on Thursday morning. “Please educate 30,000 people over the next two years.” I would like us to consider linking those two points together. What if… everyone who was inspired by last Wednesday night’s message (and I would guess at least 1000 out of the 1300/1600 people were moved by Rev Moon’s message) were on average, each able to share once a week with someone about True Father’s autobiography, and either lend, sell a copy, or read together with someone that they either have or want to develop a relationship with? That would be a meaningful step towards making Rev Moon’s dream come true. It would be a vehicle by which we could all be involved in building community, and we would be reaching out to 30,000 people by the end of the year. Even I can do that Maths: 30 weeks (1 book per week) x 1000 inspired people = 30,000. But in the end we know it’s not just about the number. It’s about something much more profound: sharing what is most precious in your life in a way which doesn’t make it feel like an impossible dream. And tell me, how hard is it to share about a book? Please have a think about this for your self, and I will send out more thoughts next week. We will put a plan together before May is out. I hope you enjoy the beautiful pictures of your True Parents and your community.

Preparing the programmes

Preparing more programmes

checking the seats

Saving the places

Getting the flags right

How many seats?

Ready for translation

No problem - I’m ready

Welcoming friends

Long time no see

Good friends

Dolores Read and Henry and Avril Masters

Mr. Alec Herzer

Song: “Impossibe dream”

Buddhist chant

Appreciation

Multifaith representation

A grand-daughter’s prayer

Following carefully

Speaking …

… from the heart

More appreciation

Taking notes

Capacity audience

Gifts presented

Farewell (Images by Une Herzer)