FFWPU Europe and the Middle East: Bo-guk Hwang on the Ceremony Uniting Christianity and the Family Federation

The unity ceremony of reconciliation between Christianity and the Family Federation, held in Gapyeong, South Korea 23rd August 2024

Interreligious ceremony of reconciliation to unite Christianity and Family Federation held in South Korea

Part 1 of report given by Rev. Bo-guk Hwang 30th August 2024 in a large meeting in Gapyeong, South Korea for members and leaders of the Family Federation.

In a speech delivered to leaders and members of the Family Federation gathered in Gapyeong, northeast of Seoul, 30th August 2024, Bo-guk Hwang (황보국), the president of the South Korean branch, reported about a recent unity ceremony where 40 Christian pastors and 40 Family Federation leaders took part.

Rev. Bo-guk Hwang, August 30, 2024 Rev. Hwang (황보국) began his report by first reading a passage from Father Moon’s words,

“Christianity is the elder brother that remains with us to the end. That being so, unless we become one with this elder brother, there is no way to avoid death. We are facing that fate.

What is God’s hope? It is that the Unification Church and Christianity will join hands. That is due to the Principle. The Parents can be recognized only when Cain and Abel become one. Through Cain and Abel, the Parents can be reclaimed. Yet because of the separation and conflict between Cain and Abel, the Parents’ way forward was blocked. Only when Cain and Abel unite and form a tribe on the world level will the Parents emerge. When that unity occurs in the democratic world, the groundwork will be laid for a world level victory.” (from a speech given 18th August 1972, quoted from Cheon Seong Gyeong, pp.875-876) Mother Moon, August 23, 2024 Rev. Hwang then read a passage from Mother Moon’s words.

“During the 70-year history of the Family Federation, we should have created an environment on Earth where Heavenly Parent could be attended through the True Parents. But because we failed to restore the Christian realm, we feel a profound sense of remorse toward Heaven.

Heaven has invested everything for the sake of the True Parents, but it is a great sorrow that the Family Federation could not begin from a position of embracing the Christian realm.” (from a speech given 18th July 2024)

Hwang continued and gave an overview of the week-long series of events held in Gapyeong, South Korea from 20th August to commemorate the 12th anniversary of Father Moon’s Seonghwa (ascension to the spirit world).

The unity ceremony of reconciliation between Christianity and the Family Federation, held in Gapyeong, South Korea 23rd August 2024

One of those events was a “Pastors Conference for a Heavenly Korea”. The participating pastors took part in a special prayer vigil. During the vigil, there was a unity ceremony between Christian pastors and Family Federation leaders. According to Rev. Hwang,

“That occasion became the starting point for awakening the new spirit of a unified Korea centered on our Heavenly Parent, with Christianity and the Family Federation becoming one.”

The unity ceremony of reconciliation between Christianity and the Family Federation, held in Gapyeong, S Korea 23rd Aug. 2024

Bo-guk Hwang said,

“At this unity ceremony, I testified to the great lives of righteous Christian people who from the perspective of Heaven’s providence walked the path of noble sacrifice for the independence of our homeland.

I appealed for the Family Federation and Christianity to unite inter-religiously and ignite a new Holy Spirit movement, awakening the spirit of a new era centered on Heavenly Parent’s will.

South and North Korea must reunite centered on God’s will. The movement for the unification of North

and South Korea centered on our Heavenly Parent - the heavenly unified Korea movement - is a new ‘independence movement’ and the new zeitgeist.

As they realized how great the contributions of Korean Christianity had been to the nation’s independence, Christian pastors who listened to the lecture were moved to tears.

During the subsequent unity ceremony, Christian and Family Federation pastors exchanged the Bible, which testifies to the only begotten Son Jesus, and the memoirs of True Mother, which testifies to the only begotten Daughter.

This was a precious moment symbolizing the unity of the only begotten Son and the only begotten Daughter after 2000 years.

After the exchange ceremony, the Christian pastors and Family Federation pastors embraced warmly.

This embrace served as a moment to clear away the discomfort of the past when Christianity and the Family Federation could not unite. Mother Moon’s memoirs All the pastors who attended were deeply moved and pledged to unite with the Family Federation for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Korea to achieve a heavenly unified Korea.”

According to Hwang, one pastor who attended the reconciliation ceremony, “expressed that he could see a vision of unity after 70 years of division in Israel’s history and now 70 years of division on the Korean Peninsula.” He stated that a stage for the harmony of the Family Federation and Christianity has opened up for the unloosing of God’s kingdom.

Another pastor said that about 80 pastors from Christianity and the Family Federation now had taken the first step towards understanding and unity by exchanging the Bible and Mother Moon’s memoirs. He was deeply moved, calling the reconciliation ceremony a great miracle that will go down in history.

A third pastor shared that it was incredibly moving to see Christianity and the Family Federation harmonize and sing the Song of Unity in a peaceful manner. He confessed that the progress towards unity between Christianity and the Family Federation is all due to God’s grace and work.

To be continued. Part 2 coming soon.

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•• Japan: Religious Call for creation of Holy Spirit movement Freedom A s “Orphaned” for Korean reunification at 12th Human Right anniversary of Father Moon’s ascension August 23, 2024

A speech given by Rev. Bo-guk Hwang, Ev idence Presiden t of the Family Federation of South Destruction: Korea, at a large event 23rd August 2024 Kishida “Blatantly organized by the Family Federation in the Inv olved” big indoor arena Hyojeong Cultural Center August 21, 2024 in Gapyeong, South Korea commemorating the 12t h anniversary of Father Moon ‘s

.. passing in 2072.

World leaders and blessed members from all arou nd t he w orld, […] Search. Bo-guk Hw ang sp eaking Protestant Christianity and Korean 23rd August 2024. Photo: independence Screensh ot from live t ransm ission by Peac eTV. Let m e read from the True Parents’ words:

Categories “The people w ho w ere cent ered on Christ ianity took t h e lead in establis hing this nation of Korea . In t h is w ay, th is is one asp ect of the great providential sig n ificance of Chri stianity. In t he

rn rusL 0 1 ‘+U years 0 1Jaµanese oµµress1or1, u1ey vo1ur1Lc:1r11y LOOK a path facing death to establish a path of loyalty and patriotism toward their country.” (Father Moon, 1974)

“Before Korea came under Japanese rule, Protestant Send us a message Christianity from the United States was introduced. Centered First Name * Last Name around Pyongyang, they sparked a spiritual movement. Christian s across t h e country who embraced the new culture began the independence movement.” (Mother Moon, 30t h June 2024) Email * • Respected leaders and fam ily members, Email Address

17t h Ju ly by the oriental lunar ca lendar, this year 20t h August by Yo ur Message * the solar ca lendar was the 12th anniversary of the ascension of Sun Myung Moon, the True Parent of Heaven, Earth and Humankind.

Before his ascension, Father Moon Submit […] spent a long t ime deep in Father Moon on 16th July 2072, not thought about his hometown. long before he ascended. Photo: Perhaps he w as dream ing of FFWPU returning to his homet own one day with the country un ited.

However, Father Moon had to leave before h is earnest dream of the unification of North and South Korea was achieved, and he ascended to Heaven.

Now we must awaken a new spirit on the Korean peninsula and fina lly make that dream of unifying our nation come true.

About l 40 years ago, three missionaries

Horace N. Allen. Horace G. HenryG. Photo: Underwood. Appenzeller. Photo: Unknown Photo: Unknown 7/~ii!.CHe!?/2/:£/ Of author I author/ @~2f 7/’e-Ef I Wikimedia Wikimedia Wikimedia Commons. Commons. Commons. Public Public domain Public domain domain image. image. image. Cropped Cropped Cropped

rep resenting Amer ican Protestantism came to Korea. First of all, there was missionary Horace N. Al len (1858-1932) from the Northern Presbyterian Church, arriving i n 1884, and then in l88S, missionaries Horace G. Underw ood (l8S9-l916). also from the Northern Presbyterian Church, and Henry G. Appenze ller (1858-1902) from the Methodist Episcopal Church .

At the t i me, Korea was in a very chaotic situation, facing pressures from foreign pow ers and also going th rough internal changes.

Under Japanese rule

In particular, Japan’s control over Korea strengthened when it won the Russo-Japanese War in 1904-1905.

Japan then deprived Korea of its d ip lomatic rig h ts through the Eulsa treaty in 190S.

And in 1907, Japan dethroned Korea ‘s emperor Goj ong under the pretext of sending a special envoy to the Hague. Through the Jeongmi Treaty in 1907, they took control of t he internal affairs of Korea and disbanded the Korean army. And then through t he an nexation treaty in 1910, Japan completely took away Korea’s sovereignty.

However, God knew that this crisis would occur and let Christianity take root in advance. Japan tried to invade the sovere ignty and ru le Korea.

But God prepared Korea to become an independent nation of faith w here it could serve God by creating a great revival centered on Christian ity here in Korea.

Christian spirit key to independence

From regular weekly prayer meeting in Pyongyang sometimes between 7908-7922. Photo: Methodist Episcopal Church I Wikimedia Commons. Public domain image. Cropped

Through the Wonsan reviva l movement in 1903, the Pyongyang reviva l movement in 1907, and the One Million Souls movement in 1909, many people in Korea accepted the Christian fa ith. In particular, in the Pyongyang great revival m ovement which took place at the Jangdaehyeon church in 1907, there were earnest prayers from the people i n the m idst of their suffering. A powerful w ave of the Holy Spirit swept through the church, bringing lot s of repentance.

From that time, on the Korean peninsula a great revival movement spread throughout the nation. Korean Christ ianity grew explosively. Pyongyang came to be know n as the Jerusalem of the East.

That movement, along with Christian spirituality, ra ised the historic and national consciousness of the Korean people. That became an important foundation for the independence movement.

The desire for independence was strong in the spirit of Korea at that time, rid ing on the wave of the Holy Spirit. The March 7 movement was an important focal point in t h e independence movement.

Photo of the Mansei demonstrations in 7979, that was part of the March 7 Independence Movement. Here, thousands of enthusiastic Koreans demonstrating outsid e the Palace in Seoul. Photo: Unknown author I Wikimedia Commons. Public domain image. Cropped

Many Christ ians who were moved by the Holy Spirit part icipated in the March 1 Independence Movement. Among t he 3S national representatives who wrote Korea’s Declaration of Independence, 16 of them w ere Christians. About 200,000 Christians, equiva lent to 1% of the Korean population, participated in the independence movement.

18% of those imprisoned and 65% of the females who were imprisoned were Christians. Even as 7,509 people lost their lives, the desire for independence did not subside.

This was the resu lt of the Christia n spirit, t he willingness to sacrifice one’s life to achieve national freedom, following the example of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and love.

In this way, the independence movem ent, which was led by Christians, who made up 1% of the population, spread throughout the Korean peninsula, achieving a surprising result of reaching 10% of the people participating in the independence movement.

One characteristic of the March 7 movement is that the central persons were relig ious people. Of the 33 national representatives, 16 were Christians, lS were from the Cheondogyo [Editor’s note: indigenous Korean rel ig io n], and t w o w ere Buddhists.

They became pioneers who g uided the national spirit and raised the torch of the March 1 movement. They pointed their faith tow ards patriotism and rose u p w ith a life or death fighting spirit to take responsi bility for their nation. In this way, t he March 7Independence Movement in 1919 awakened the national consciousness for independence, wh ich rema ined alive until the liberation of the country was final ly achieved in 1945.

Behind this were righteous Christian people who created t he spirit of the t imes with their sense of history.

North-South Unification

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UN delegate Lieut. Gen. William K. Harrison, Jr. (seated left), and Korean People’s Army and Chinese People’s Volunteers delegate Gen. Nam fl (seated right) signing the Korean War armistice agreement at Panmunjom, Korea, 27th July 7953. Photo: U.S. Department of Defense {F. Kazukaitis. U.S. Navy)/Wikimedia Commons. Public domain image. Cropped

This year m arks the 71st anniversa ry of the armistice agreement at the end of t he Korean War. It h as been 71 yea rs since th at agreement was signed on 27th Ju ly 1953.

As these 70 years have passed since the division of the south and th e north, the Jerusalem of the east, where th e fire of the Holy Spirit had burned so fiercely, has suffered under communist rule for 70 years and has not been able to freely call o ut the name of God.

The North Korean reg ime threat ens peace on the Korean peninsula and world peac e w ith nuclea r weapons.

A lthough South Korea h as achieved economic revival with the introductio n of liberal democracy, it faces a population crisis, w ith a fal ling birth rat e and the spread of mat e rialism and ind ividualism , losing trac k of values, a rise in you t h delinquency and family breakdown.

Now with one of the world ‘s lowest birth ra t es, the Korean peninsula faces a g reat er crisis than ever before. In order to overcome this crisis, al l re ligious people, including Christi ans, m ust rise up and awa ke n a new sp irit of this time centered on God ‘s wi ll. South and North Korea must meet again centered on God’s w ill.

The North-South Unification Movement centered on God, the heavenly unified Korea movement, is a new independence movement and a new spirit of our times. It is a God’s fatherland rest oration movement that seeks a n atio n and its righteousness.

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In the past , Israel lost its fa ith in God and was divided into a northern and a southern part. The northern part of Israel was destroyed by Assyri a. The southern part Judah was taken by t he Babylonian e m p ire and he ld captive for 70 years. But w hen t he t ime of t he p rovidence was ri g ht, God libera ted the Jewish people.

“This is what the Lord says: ‘When seventy yea rs are completed for Babylon, I w ill come to you and f u lfil my good p romise t o b ring you back to this place.”’ (Jeremiah 29:10)

This kind of history does not on ly happen t o t he Jewish people. Th e Korea n people are another chosen people that Heaven has p repared.

Therefore, when the ti m e comes, works w ill also happen on t he Korean peninsula. It has already been 70 years since the d iv ision of the south and the n o rth. Just as God liberated the Jewish people fro m Babylon after 70 yea rs, Heaven is now b ringi n g abou t the heavenly fortu ne of the unification of t he north and south.

The issue is human responsib ility. Are we ready fo r wha t Heaven desires?

The unification of North an d South Ko rea can never be ach ieved through human effort alone. A movement to invit e God, our Heavenly Paren t to the Korean peninsu la must begi n. A Ho ly Spirit movement must begin allowing us to strongly experience th e Heavenly Parent as the Parent of hu manity, who loves humanity so much.

The people of South and North Korea must rea lize that they are brothers and siste rs as c h ildren of God. A true desire to live together must a rise from the depth of their hearts. We must create a h istory of u n ity t hrough tears of t rue love.

A new Holy Spirit movement for Korean Unification

There was a powerfu l Holy Spi rit movement centered around Wonsan and Pyongyang that arose over 100 years ago and awakened the spi rit of the t imes for nationa l independence.

In the same w ay now , the Family Federation an d righteous Christians m u st un ite in interfaith cooperation and ignite a new Holy Spirit movement fo r t h e unifi cation of the south an d the n o rth.

We must respo n d to the spirit of o u r t imes- the vision for a heavenly u nified Korea.

From the unity cerem o ny for Christian clergy and Family Federation lead ers 23rd August 2024 in Capyeong, South Korea. Ph oto: Screenshot from live transmission via PeaceTV.

Tonight, there w ill be a u nity ceremony for Christian pastors and Family Federation pastors during th is nig ht vigil.

This will be the t ime o f a start ing poin t fo r Christian ity and t he Family Federation to become one in order to move towards t h e unification o f South and Nort h, centered on God - a heavenly unified Korea.

2025 is t h e 80th anniversary of our liberat ion from Japan. Th e number eight is the nu m ber fo r a n ew st art. A liberation with d ivision of the north and the sou th is not the true liberation t h at Heaven wants for Korea.

Now, it is a time t o ach ieve t h e t ru e liberation that Heaven desires, a true liberation of God’s fatherland. Through the unificatio n of the South an d the North, let us reco nc i le North and South Korea w it h God’s true love and achieve the un ificati on that Heaven desi res.

As it says i n Matthew 5:9,

“Blessed are th e peacemakers, fo r t h ey wi ll be ca lled children of God.”

I w ill conclude my message today w it h t his. Th ank you very m u ch.

Text: Edited version of simultaneous translation from Korean to English. Inaccuracies may occur.

Featured image above: Korean reunification. Illustration: Microsoft Designer Image Creator, 26th August 2024.

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