Witnessing - Education, Blessed Family - Youth & Students Ministries in the USA

Earlier this year, True Mother established a new FFWPU international ministry structure. This structure is organized into three central ministries that support the fulfillment of Vision 2020 – Witnessing and Education, Blessed Family, and Youth and Students. At Foundation Day 2016, True Mother appointed the regional directors worldwide for each of these three ministries and commissioned them to fulfill the responsibilities of their respective roles.

The goals of the Witnessing and Education, Blessed Family, and Youth and Students ministries include providing tools and resources to FFWPU members, raising the FFWPU members’ levels of satisfaction and happiness, empowering the work of Tribal Messiahs, Demian Dunkley upgrading Marriage Blessing administration, re- energizing the Marriage Blessing movement, creating programs for marriages and families, educating youth and students, and developing leadership opportunities for young aspiring leaders.

The international headquarters staff members provide support and guide the regional directors of each of the three ministries based on True Mother’s vision and directions. Each regional director of each ministry is responsible to identify and support ministry leaders for each nation in their region, who then work to establish teams on the local community level. At each level — regional, national and local — the three ministries are meant to work together and support one another in their respective areas of ministry.

On the national level in the United States, the three branches of ministry are led by Demian Dunkley, the director of Evangelism; Crescentia DeGoede, the director of the Blessing and Family Ministry (BFM); and Naokimi Ushiroda, the president of the Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP) USA. Demian, Crescentia, and Naokimi work closely together, meeting on a regular basis to exchange ideas and offer support to one another. By working together, they have felt more empowered in their respective roles and have been able to offer more tools and resources and support to pastors and members nationwide. Based on the ministry structure established on the international and regional levels by True Mother, Demian, Crescentia and Naokimi are currently in the process of setting up Witnessing and Education, Blessed Family, and Youth and Students coordinators in each of the fourteen districts throughout the US.

Fifty states in fourteen districts

A district pastor leads each of the fourteen districts. These district pastors oversee the functioning of all the church communities within their districts. They serve as liaisons between the US headquarters and the pastors of the communities in their districts. They have to juggle many different responsibilities. With all that they are accountable to fulfill, they cannot easily focus their efforts in any one area of ministry. It is hoped that by establishing a district coordinator for each of the three areas of ministry — Witnessing and Education, Blessed Family, and Youth and Students — in each district, increased development will take place in each of these three areas of ministry, Crescentia DeGoede ultimately resulting in better care and support being provided to each American member.

To help the district pastors understand the role and responsibilities of each of the district ministry coordinators and to aid them in identifying and appointing a coordinator for each of the three ministries, Demian, Crescentia and Naokimi created and provided the district pastors with job descriptions for each

of the roles. These we have included in the paragraphs below.

Witnessing and education

District witnessing and education coordinators work with their district pastors to define, outline, organize, promote and support witnessing and education activities. The coordinator’s work is supported with tools and training from the national director of Witnessing and Education.

Blessing and family ministry

Blessing and family ministry district coordinators act as liaisons between the district pastor, national BFM, and the community members, facilitating access to the most up-to- date news, information, and supportive tools of the Blessing and Family Ministry to funnel into each community in a smooth and consistent flow throughout the year.

Youth and students

Youth and students district representatives will coordinate district level Divine Principle education programs for youth aged thirteen to thirty-five by communicating weekly with Naokimi Ushiroda district leadership and the National Youth and Students Ministry, and they will receive training and support. All district pastors in the US are in the process of identifying and appointing their three ministry coordinators, with support from Demian, Crescentia and Naokimi.

The goal is to have all ministry coordinators appointed by the end of December 2016. Once all the ministry coordinators have been appointed, we will begin training and equipping the fourteen district coordinators in their area of ministry with the tools, resources, and information necessary to carry out their new responsibilities.

Going forward, the ministry coordinators will be offered on-going support and training and will become connected to the other district coordinators across the US. Each district coordinator will also be encouraged to establish, with our support, a district ministry team.

Demian, Crescentia and Naokimi are grateful to True Mother for establishing this new ministry structure and are excited about what implementing this new ministry structure on the district and local levels in the US might accomplish.

We hope it helps bring great results for the fulfillment of Vision 2020 in the U.S. and worldwide.