Effective Outreach Through Harmonizing FFWPU, WFWP, and UPF Activities

A presentation for the European Cheon Il Guk Leaders’ Meeting.

Prague, Czech Republic. February 2011.

A Report by David and Patricia Earle. Birmingham, United Kingdom.

David Earle Patricia Earle  FFWPU Community Leader  FFWPU Community Leader for the for the Birmingham / Midlands Region Birmingham / Midlands Region of the UK, since 1996. of the UK, since 1996.

 UPF Representative for the  WFWP Representative for the same Region since 2005. same Region since 1993.  A Vice President of UPF UK  A Vice President of WFWP UK

Foundations. • From 1993 until 2011, Patricia has held a Women’s Peace Meeting every month or, in recent years, every 2 months. • From 1993 until 2011, we have been involved in Interfaith activities, initially supporting other people and networking, and in the last 10 years holding our own activities as well. • In the late 1990’s, we held several RYS Projects. • From 2000 until 2011, we have carried out many IIFWP and UPF activities. • These activities have allowed us to build a broad base of friends, Ambassadors for Peace, etc, who can support us, initially women and religious people, but then leading us to meet young people, husbands, and entering many other areas of society and public life.

Women’s Peace Meeting in 1993 and 2010 !

February 2008. Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh was one of 7 key leaders who spoke in the Council House on the topic of Community Cohesion. The Lord Mayor, Chief of Police, senior Councillors, and a Newspaper Editor all spoke from their individual perspectives.

Consequently …  Having a broad base of support, for example between 500 and 1,000 women connected to the Peace Meeting, and more than 400 Ambassadors for Peace in our city, gives lots of possibilities to invite people to try and fulfill Providential goals.

Parallel Lives. On the one hand …. And on the other ….  Conditional, results –  Unconditional approach driven approach. where we are not looking for a ‘result’.  Event – oriented.  Longer‐term, nurturing human relationships.  Local activities.  Providential activities.  Centred more on both  Centred on ourselves, and our organisations. ourselves and others, supporting their activities.

Consequences and Outcomes. • MEPI. Between 2003 and 2007, around 70 people from all faith traditions attended the Middle East Peace Initiatives. • European Leadership Conferences. Around 60 people have attended the ELC’s in Europe. • Korea. 30 people have travelled to Korea to attend conferences and the Blessing. • Blessing. Since October 2009, about 150 couples have received the Blessing in our local community. • Autobiography. We have so far given out about 100 books to people who we feel will read about Father’s life, because of their connection to our movement. • Speech events. Since 2000, around 400 people have attended events where, True Father, True Mother or members of the True Family have spoken. • Little Angels. 120 guests travelled down to London to support the Little Angels performance in October 2010.

About 170 couples have received the Blessing since October 2009. In September 2010, 44 couples attended the Blessing in a Hindu temple.

A one‐day Divine Principle Seminar was held on Saturday February 19th 2011. Thirty three people attended the whole day, and eight people half the day.

UK National witnessing condition in 2010.

 With the emphasis on FFWPU outreach, and renewal of our existing FFWPU members, we planned a series of Public Sunday Services, and regular Family Evenings to teach Divine Principle.  Some members began going door‐to‐door, and a few did street witnessing with Patricia.  Patricia continued to hold the Women’s Peace Meeting, several times during 2010.

Street Witnessing.  Patricia found it incredibly hard to know what to say, when beginning street witnessing in April last year.  For us, FFWPU, UPF and WFWP require such different approaches, and ways of relating to people.  Yet she met some of the best people during the initial few weeks, in spite of (because of?) the struggle involved.  According to the person, some could be invited to the Women’s Peace Meeting, some to the Family Evening and some to the public Sunday Service.  Just 2 people eventually came to the Blessing, because it needs time to get to know people, and gain their trust.

The Women’s Peace Meeting.  Sometimes it is even more challenging to take people to a deeper level, when we have known them for a long time, because of what is at stake in the relationship.  Every step was an effort, an act of faith, often requiring a different way of thinking.  We chose people on a case‐by‐case basis, mainly those with a Christian foundation, and invited them to either a Family Evening, or a Sunday Service, or to the Blessing, or to the ELC and Blessing.  Some we then invited to a one‐day Seminar, and also to a 2‐day workshop.  We gave Father’s autobiography to around 100 people.

We began hiring a Community Hall in which to hold our Public Sunday Service, once a month.

Pictured right are members of Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, URC and Pentecostal denominations .

A typical Family Evening in our home, with new guests from street witnessing and also people we have known for a long time.

January 11th 2011. (11.1.11. !!!!) 19 guests, 9 Second Generation and 4 Members. A number of guests have been coming to study on a regular basis since April 2010, and we will soon reach the conclusion of the Principle with them.

Of the 19 guests, 5 came from street witnessing, and 14 were existing contacts, including 2 Catholic sisters. We were studying the Parallels of History.

Four guests to 2-day workshop in June 2010. One person from street witnessing, one Jacob’s child who had left, the wife of a Christian Methodist minister, and one elderly Christian lady (Pentecostal).

OVERLAP.  Our 3 regular activities, Peace Meeting, Family Evening and Public Sunday Service can complement one another.  People can move between them, on a case-by-case basis, particularly if they have a Christian foundation.  The Peace Meeting is more an experience of the Heart. The Family Evening focuses more on the Truth. The Sunday Service is both.  Seeing our activities (UPF and WFWP), especially experiencing God there, confirms the truth for people who have studied the Principle, and makes it believable. Theory and practice.

The value of a regular meeting, such as the Women’s Peace Meeting. 1. There is a ‘Spiritual’ aspect. There is always a time for prayer and meditation at the end of each meeting. Often this is a deep experience many women, and this can provide an insight into who might be a suitable person to invite to study the Principle, and attend the Blessing. 2. There is a ‘Practical’ aspect. A number of practical projects have come out of the Peace Meeting, taking relationships to a much deeper level.

The value of a regular meeting, such as the Women’s Peace Meeting. 3. There is a ‘Nurturing’ aspect, the foundation which underpins everything else. It is not something we can put on a Report Form, not a KPI, but it is the bottom line, the core activity. It allows us to build a deeper relationship with people, connect more closely in heart and then, when we invite someone to an ‘event’, they will often come because of this heart‐connection. 4. To care for people requires a conscious effort, when we have to push ourselves, stretch our limits, and try to deepen our own heart.

Examples include a Hospital Visiting Group (left) and some women becoming Hospital Chaplains, support for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (right), and building & maintaining the Interfaith Children’s Home in India.

‘Untouchable’ children are now graduating from College in India, becoming eg teachers, policemen and women, with dignity and self‐respect.

 So our UPF and WFWP foundation and activities have been able to give value to all that we have been doing during the past year, and then the Principle people study is not just a theory, or something far away, but so relevant and alive.  To talk about something you are actually doing, investing in, has a lot of power, and is not just words.  Unificationist interfaith and peace activities, when they are connected vertically, and to the Providence, have incredible power. Many people are amazed at our ability to bring people together, and to cooperate on joint projects and activities.

Some of our participants at the recent European Leadership Conference and Blessing in London.

There is no greater joy than bringing our close friends to receive the Blessing which comes from True Parents.