The Post-Blessing Education website I started

This website proposes to function as a clearinghouse for post-Blessing family educational material, specifically on the Blessing and the path and way of life for all Blessed Central Families, that is rooted in the revelation of the True Parents – Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han. It is dedicated to supporting Blessed Central Families as they walk their paths of restoration, strive to realize the Ideal of the Three Blessings, and work to build God’s Kingdom on this earth. Blessing Clifton, NJ

The Blessing

The Blessing is a marriage sacrament, brought to humankind by the True Parents, that creates the foundation for holiness, health, and happiness within the family unit. Details on the Blessing can be found at http://bfm.familyfed.org/

Blessed Central Families Education http://bcf-ed.org/

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce bcf-ed.org, an independent and unofficial post- Blessing family education website that seeks to encourage the development of educational material rooted in the revelation of the True Parents on the path and way of life for Blessed Central Families. The bcf-ed.org website was launched to promote this type of in-reach providence and purports to function as an electronic clearinghouse, providing a platform where material of this nature can be displayed and accessed by Blessing educators, church leaders, and end-users. My reasons for instigating this website are:

1) It is time to develop a balanced Blessing education approach that includes both pre and post-Blessing educational material and curriculums:

One of my reasons for initiating this website is to encourage officially commissioned post-Blessing family educational material as well as resources that emanate from grass-roots sources. Currently the Unification movement spends time, energy, and assets to prepare and bring people to the Blessing while investing a lesser amount of time, energy, and assets to support and educate couples and families after they are Blessed. I would argue that the only sustainable model for Blessing Alice, with her husband Gary education would be one in which pre and post-Blessing education receive equal and balanced investments. The justification for this strategy rests in the fact that True Parents’ utilized a similar one, favoring lifelong and extensive membership and family care as well as focusing on the continual increase of members and Blessed Central Families.

2) It is time to develop a post-Blessing educational curriculum that reflects a Unificationist perspective:

An additional rationale underlying the bcf-ed.org website is to encourage the development of post- Blessing educational material that utilizes the insights and wisdom of the Divine Principle and also the words and guidance given by the True Parents throughout their lives. One common request that I frequently received after hosting marriage/Blessing education programs for Blessed Central Families in my state was for material that reflected the True Parent’s words/thought and that fit within a Unificationists’ worldview. This makes sense because while the Blessing does include the sacrament of marriage, that sacrament is situated within a much larger context of restoration, reformation, and the Heavenly Parent’s original ideal of creation. Trying to be responsive to such requests, I diligently searched for this type of material. Though I did find a small quantity of it (that I have now featured on this website), the resources I encountered were disconnected, uncoordinated, and none were presentation (out- of-the-box) ready. Given my difficulty to uncover True Parent’s centered post-Blessing curriculum, it is

no wonder that the state of Unificationists’ post-Blessing education is germinal and floundering. The type of marriage enrichment or enhancement material that is most easily located has been developed by such luminaries as John Gray (Mars/Venus), Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott (Save Your Marriage before it Starts) or Gary Chapman (5 Love Languages), part of what has come to be known as the marriage education movement fostered by the now defunct Smart Marriages conferences. Though I have found this material to be relevant and helpful, I am now focused on moving beyond this type of material in my Blessing education efforts. I have come to this decision after building up a good sized library of marriage education material in my state and hosting numerous programs with less than encouraging attendance and attendee satisfaction. Based on my experiences, I now strongly recommend that post-Blessing family educators whose target audience is members of the Unification Church-Family Federation for World Peace follow the pattern set by True Parents and develop post-Blessing educational material and curriculums that are based on the Divine Principle and True Parent’s Heaven given revelations. It is my hope that efforts along these lines will spark a continual increase of ministries and scholarship that work to systematize Blessing education material provided by True Parents and makes these efforts available to our Blessed Central Families.

A comparison can be drawn between the Christian movement and the Unificationists’ movement since the passing of our True Father, even though we are still graced to have the presence of True Mother with us at this time. Being mindful of the time we are living in, it would seem appropriate that we begin the process of developing scholarship that highlights and focuses on the significance of the Blessing from an Unificationist perspective, including the path and way of life for post-Blessing families. Material of this nature should clarify how True Parent’s revelations, words, and thought related to the Blessing can influence, direct, and enhance the daily life of a Blessed Central Family. Ultimately it should showcase those elements of the Blessing, including the lifestyle and culture which flows from it, which will be instrumental in creating Cheon Il Guk. True Mother has recently encouraged each of us to expand upon the foundation laid by the work of the True Parents. Certainly some of those who would undertake such efforts should delve into the sacrament of the Blessing and its social and cultural implication, especially since it is such a core component of the True Parent’s ministry. It is my expectation that efforts of this nature will become the focus of scholarship in the coming ages. It would behoove us to be pro-active and initiate this type of scholarship at this time.

3) We need to differentiate ourselves from the competition by providing our own unique branding for the Blessing:

I believe that we need to be confident that the Blessing and the path for Blessed Central Families represents the future hope of humankind. That said, I also believe that there is a great need for a library of literature and presentations that Blessing educators can draw upon which clarify the attitudes, traditions, way of life, culture, and vision that all Blessed Central Families should strive to incorporate into their daily lives and that can support them in those efforts. The target audience for this type of scholarship would be Unificationists post-Blessing families but, by extension, this content would eventually become known beyond the Unificationists cultural sphere, providing a testimony to the quantum impact and value the Blessing for our world.

Why would anyone choose the option of the Blessing over the existing traditions of marriage? I believe that we need to provide answers to that question by initially imparting illumination and focus to the lives of Blessed Central Families, an approach that I believe will eventually initiate an effective worldwide Blessing movement. I am not suggesting that we take an apologetic approach, but rather that we empower our Blessed Central Families to unlock and demonstrate the revolutionary potential of the Blessing from a Unificationists’ perspective. This should first be accomplished within each family, but eventually should spill over and create a positive impact upon each family’s greater community and society. This website has been initiated as one avenue to help that process of empowerment occur. It is my conviction that when our families can clearly cognize and then personify the great potential of the Blessing for individuals, couples, and families, humankind will seriously pay attention to, contemplate, and ultimately, earnestly pursue the Blessing of the True Parents!

For the above reasons I have initiated the bcf-ed.org website, developed by my son and supported through my efforts as the content editor or webmaster, to encourage both official and grass-roots developers to create a wide-array of material on the Blessing and path for post-Blessing families that is rooted in the Divine Principle and the revelation of the True Parents. When you peruse this website, you will immediately notice that the quantity of official or member developed resources available is not extensive, evidence of the lack of past investment in this arena. I would like to encourage those of you called to work within the Blessing ministry to help kick-start the development of a post-Blessing educational providence reflecting an Unificationist perspective by contributing your original material to bcf-ed.org.

Thank you! Alice Fleisher