Workshop for Widows and Widowers Seeking Comfort Blessing

True Mother recently shared some important guidance for those whose spouse has ascended to the spirit world. She affirmed that widows and widowers who prefer to wait to greet their ascended spouse in the spirit world are encouraged and supported to do so. She also made clear that those who would like to receive a comfort blessing are once again free to do so.

True Mother has indicated that the most appropriate process for those who wish to receive a comfort blessing is to participate in a special two-week workshop held in Chung Pyung for widows and widowers, which will be held twice a year in May and October. Additional workshops may be offered at other times of the year in other locations, but this is not yet confirmed.

We just received word from Korea that a workshop will be held in Chung Pyung this May, 2014 for two weeks in conjunction with the Purification Azalea Festival, starting on Friday, May 9th. Please see the attached memo and application from Korea for more information. Despite the late notice, we would like to encourage those who are ready to take this step and feel called to attend this workshop to fill out the application and make plans to travel to Korea immediately. If you are thinking to go, please contact us before purchasing tickets.

The workshop offers a valuable opportunity to report to Heaven and communicate with your spouse in the spirit world. We have yet to confirm that resources for those seeking a comfort match will be in place by the time of this workshop. However, it is clear that those who attend the workshop with their intended comfort blessing spouse will be able to receive the comfort blessing during the workshop. An additional bonus is that True Mother will deliver a Sunday sermon in front of an audience of 20,000 on that Sunday.

For those who cannot participate in the workshop in Korea at such short notice, we anticipate that the next opportunity in Korea will be in October, and our American church will endeavor to put on a similar workshop this summer, although we are still awaiting confirmation that we can hold such a workshop.

The Blessed family Ministry stands ready to offer resources and other educational material to facilitate this process. Following is important information about comfort blessings. Please contact us for further assistance.

Dr. Michael Balcomb President

Crescentia DeGoede Director, Blessing and Family Ministry

Information About Comfort Blessings

By National Blessing and Family Ministry, FFWPU-USA

The purpose of the comfort blessing is to provide widows and widowers with: support and encouragement during their time on earth apart from their eternal spouse, a helpmate in raising children, and a source of spiritual, emotional and physical protection and strength. It is not an eternal Blessing. Those who receive a comfort blessing will be reunited with their eternal (original) spouse when they enter the spirit world.

As the comfort blessing is not an eternal Blessing, those seeking a comfort blessing are restricted to find someone else who is a Blessed widow or widower, and cannot seek a comfort blessing with someone who

has a broken Blessing or someone who has never been blessed before as this would be considered a re- blessing and not a comfort blessing.

Those seeking a comfort blessing will need to receive education and guidance about the comfort blessing at a workshop, and receive spiritual support to make a connection with their ascended spouse. Currently this education is being offered at workshops held in Chung Pyung in May and October. However, for those (Americans and others worldwide) seeking comfort blessings that are unable to make the trip to Chung Pyung, we are hoping that in the future there will be workshops held in other places throughout the world besides Chung Pyung, including the U.S.

If a widow or widower has someone in mind to receive the comfort blessing with, they should participate in the workshop at Chung Pyung (or elsewhere) together.

Those who come together for the purpose of a comfort blessing have complete ownership over their process, and make the final decision to receive a comfort blessing or not.

It is strongly recommended that those seeking the comfort blessing have the full support of their children and any other important relatives.

In order to receive a comfort blessing, a couple must receive a prayer and blessing from a designated church leader or their representative.

Children are not to be conceived within the context of the comfort blessing.

If a couple has no children before one spouse goes to spirit word, and the living spouse would like to have children, the couple may decide to dissolve their Blessing and each partner get re-blessed, one in the physical world, and one in the spirit world, instead of seeking a comfort blessing.

Family Federation for World Peace and Unification 13F Dowon Bldg., Dohwa 2 dong Mapo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea 121-728 Tel: (82-2) 3275-4200 Fax: (82-2) 3275-4220 E-mail: mission@tongil.or.kr

Ref. No. FFWPUI 2014-32 To : Regional Presidents, Cheon Il Guk Special Envoys, National Leaders Cc : National Messiahs From : FFWPU International Headquarters Date : 4.02 by the heavenly calendar in the 2nd year of Cheon Il Guk (April 30, 2014) Re. : Applications for the Comfort Blessing Candidates

May our Heavenly Parent’s and True Parents’ blessings and love be with all regions, mission nations and providential organizations. The True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind have bestowed on us the grace of the Comfort Blessing. Members hoping to receive the comfort blessing must receive a two-week workshop starting either before or during the 2014 Purification Azalea Festival for the Inheritance of Heavenly Fortune (Fri, May 9 – Sun, May 11); candidates will communicate with their spouses in the spiritual world, make new resolutions to become one with True Parents through absolute faith and build true families with their new family and will then receive the Comfort Blessing during this two-week workshop. We ask all pastors to find out which members desire to receive the Comfort Blessing and to recommend them in the following manner:

A. Qualifications 1. Among families that completed the Three-Day Ceremony with one spouse that passed away 2. Members that can pledge not to have children after receiving the Comfort Blessing 3. Families in which three years have passed since the passing of the other spouse

B. Documents to Submit 1. Application Form for the Comfort Blessing (Attached) 2. Photo i. Family Picture (12cm x 17cm) : 2 copies ii. Upper-half photo of the applicant (20cm x 25cm) : 1 copy iii. Full-body photo of the applicant (20cm x 25cm) : 1 copy iv. Passport-size photo of the applicant (5cm x 7cm) : 1 copy 3. Medical certificate (including an AIDS test) : 1 copy

Family Federation for World Peace and Unification 13F Dowon Bldg., Dohwa 2 dong Mapo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea 121-728 Tel: (82-2) 3275-4200 Fax: (82-2) 3275-4220 E-mail: mission@tongil.or.kr

C. Deadline for Application: 4.4 by the heavenly calendar in the 2nd year of Cheon Il Guk (May 2, 2014) Person-in-charge: Seung-man Park Blessed Family Department (+82-2-3271-0522) E-mail: truekihun@hanmail.net

D. Further notifications regarding Comfort Blessing procedures will be sent to applicants only.

Attached: Application Form for the Comfort Blessing

F F W P U I n t e r n a t i o n a l H e a d q u a r t e r s

Application for the Comfort Blessing Candidate Photo

Gender Nation District Church Blessing Group

Name of the Name of the Applicant Deceased Spouse

MM/DD/YYYY Date of Name Occupation Blessed? Date of Birth Birth

MM/DD/YYYY Y・N

Date of Spiritual Birth Y・N Children

Y・N Name of Spiritual Parents Y・N High School, University, etc. Highest Level of Education Y・N

Occupation Y・N

Address Postal Code Country:

Tel. (Home) (Cel.)

Application Status (For Office Use Only)

Applicant： (Signature)

I hereby verify that the information above is true, and I recommend this applicant.

(Date by the H.C., 2nd year of CIG) (Date)

Church Leader： (Signature)

District Leader： (Signature)