European Assembly 2017 in Prague, Czech Republic presentation: Blessing 430 Couples in Birmingham

European CIG Assembly.

Prague, Czech Republic.

March 10th - 12th 2017.

●The Journey towards Cheon Il Guk, National Restoration and

Interfaith Peace Blessing. February 2017.

Cllr Mohammed Idrees and Joginder Bhambra travelled to Korea many, many years ago.

Dr Pak meeting the Queen’s representatives (Sikh) and our former Lord Mayor (Muslim).

We have tried our best to maintain our friendship with the people who come to support the Blessing.

True Father’s autobiography …

“The river does not reject the waters that flow into it…”

Some Key Points. ● People need to trust us, have confidence in us. ● To feel that we’re not trying to ‘convert’ them. ● To feel that we have their best interest at heart. ● To know that we are there for them, beyond the Blessing.

Some Key Points. ● People need to be able to trust our Movement, and True Parents.

● There are many things we can do, and tools we can use to build this trust, in a positive sense. ● Equally, we may need to take away their fear and suspicion.

Tools and resources we can use…

● Father’s autobiography ● World Scripture ● Character Education material ● MEPI and RYS videos ● Photos of our local, national and international activities (we can include these in the Blessing PowerPoint) ● Prominent people who support our activities ● The Sun Hak Peace Prize ● Etc…

Some Key Points. ● Often, for us, it is the wife / mother who is the route into a family. WFWP activities are very helpful to talk about in this respect. ● To then meet the husband, and share about UPF activities as well, and to mention the NGO status of WFWP and UPF at the United Nations. ● We can also share about FFWPU, the Blessing, and our emphasis on purity in young people, which many people would like their children to hear about. ● So the value, and working together, of WFWP, UPF and FFWPU.

Some Key Points. ● Thinking a little bit bigger… ● We try to always be motivated to do things, especially holding the Blessing, for a bigger purpose - for our community and city, for our nation, for Europe, etc… ● We want to try and bless everybody, without concepts. ● We have the resources in our Movement, if we familiarise ourselves with them, to reach out to just about every kind of person we meet. ● When we think like this, it becomes quite exciting, like a voyage of discovery, an adventure, an incredible challenge.

Some Key Points. ● All of this can require a change of mind-set on our part, especially to develop :

● …an unconditional attitude and way of relating to people

● ..beyond goals, beyond results, beyond any agenda we may have

● When we gradually achieve this, it is so liberating.

Some Key Points. ● Related to this is the importance of recognising that : ● We don’t have a monopoly on truth ● We don’t have a monopoly on devotion ● We are not the ‘finished article’ ● We can only impact substantially on society with the help of others

● There is so much devotion, goodness, etc, out there in society if we can connect to it.

Cheon Il Guk Leaders Assembly. February 5th 2017. ‘Towards National Restoration.’

● Sun Jin Nim’s keynote address. ● ‘Proclaiming True Parents’.

● “…the worldwide demographics are changing. For example, Islam is becoming a religion with more adherents than Christianity. So we have to learn how to reach out to Muslims, and all kinds of people.”

Giving Muslim friends the opportunity to travel to the Holy Land, especially to visit Al Aqsa mosque.

Cllr Salma Yaqoob spoke on the topic of ‘Jihad’ in Islam.

Women’s Peace Meeting. ‘Jihad in Islam.’

A high percentage of Muslim friends came to attend the Blessing this time.

Speaking to a group of elderly people at a Shia mosque, and attending Friday prayers with them.

Patricia was invited to speak to the women’s group at the same mosque.

The mosque’s spiritual leader, Sheikh Nuru, was inspired by our stance on the family, and was happy to speak at the Blessing.

● By immersing ourselves in the lives, religion, culture, values and interests of others, we can understand how to present, explain and contextualise the Blessing to them .. ● Eg achieving the right balance between mind and body, the First Blessing, and controlling physical desires - much of Ramadan is about this in Islam ● Eg Ramadan can also be quoted when speaking about the possibility of a 40-day separation period ● Eg Muslims do not believe in the continuation of Original Sin through the generations … But!

We experience opposing tendencies within ourself.

Selfish Unselfish

Evil Good Evil Desire Good Desire

Evil or selfish Unselfish thoughts, thoughts, words words and actions and actions Immediate Eternal ‘body’ dominated Mind led

There is a battle in the mind of each person which manifests as conflict in the family, society and world

● In terms of jihad, and the tendencies within each person towards either good or evil, they would accept that this conflict is there, in each person, and in each succeeding generation.

Verses from the Holy Qur’an.

● Surah 41. Fussilat. (Presented in detail) 32. As accommodation from a [Lord who is] Forgiving and Merciful. 33. And who is better in speech than one who invites to God and does righteousness and says “Indeed I am of the Muslims”. 34. And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and, thereupon, the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.

● This verse, in the Holy Qu’ran, is very similar to the words of non-violence by Rev Dr Martin Luther King, about winning over the enemy by getting rid of the feelings of enmity between people…

Loving our enemies

We never get rid of an enemy by meeting hate with hate; we get rid of an enemy by getting rid of enmity. Martin Luther King Jnr.

‘Tribal’ Messiahship

● We may not have many ‘tribes’ left in Europe, in the same way they are present in S E Asia or Africa, but there are many groups of people who are connected to each other through shared interests and values, particularly in the world of interfaith and religion.

‘Tribal’ Messiahship

● Religious groups - churches, temples, mosques, etc.. ● Voluntary groups - soup kitchens, etc.. ● Interest groups - yoga, ramblers society, environmental groups, etc.. ● Neighbourhood groups where we live ● Refugees who have come from particular countries ● Ethnic groups who are trying to establish themselves, and develop their community activities

‘Tribal’ Messiahship

●When we are supporting good things which other people are doing, within reason, then often they will want to know more about us, our lifestyle, our values, etc..

‘Tribal’ Messiahship ● Some of the groups we have connected to are : ● Somali Family Association ● Kashmiri Refugees ● Iranian Society ● Fed of Indian Muslim Organisations ● Bangladeshi Women’s Association ● Polish Expats Association ● Namdhari Sikhs ● Pakistani Heritage Group ● Unitarian Churches ● Syrian Refugees

Developing confidence in the Blessing presentation.. ● Become familiar with the basic slides of the Blessing presentation ● Personalise it with your own photos, statistics from your country which are up to date ● Have it in slide form / PowerPoint, and in an Approach Book ● Have one or two points about each slide which you want to share ● See how the person/couple react, let them express their views, find out about their lives, and adapt to that as you share with them.

We gave a Blessing presentation to elderly Gujerati men and women at Birmingham’s Hindu Krishna Temple.

David speaking after worship to the congregation of an independent black-led church.

Patricia speaking about the Blessing and the value of the family to an Iranian group.

Patricia with members of some of the Syrian refugee families who have arrived in Birmingham, and who took part in the Interfaith Peace Blessing.