Philadelphia Family Church's Ambassadors for Peace Conference in Germantown — Shota Iwasaki

Rev. Shota Iwasaki, Pastor of the Philadelphia Family Church, hosted the third Ambassadors for Peace Conference in Germantown, Pennsylvania on June 1. More than 60 Germantown community leaders in Philadelphia gathered to address local issues and discuss how to promote peace and improve the quality of life in Germantown.

Together they signed the Germantown Peace Declaration, a written agreement based on the recent Mt. Fuji Declarationissued in Japan in 2015. Also, 26 Ambassadors for Peace leaders were recognized for their efforts within the community. Rev. Iwasaki was interviewed for a story by MediaNews Group on montgomerynews.com. It was featured front and center in Northwestern Philadelphia News (The Leader).

When posting about the event online, Rev. Iwasaki was harassed for his religious beliefs and ethnicity. “I had an absolute obligation to report it to Facebook management,” says Rev. Iwasaki. “It is so important for Tribal Messiahs to engage in the building of a positive community and make efforts to put a stop to ethical and religious harassment and bullying.”

Rev. Iwasaki hopes to “…create a family-like community where people no longer need federal laws to regulate bad behavior such as bullying, discrimination, and online harassment because people in the community will act and behave with unconditional love and empathy.”

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Join a transnational alliance for peace. Across the globe, an increasing number of us are awakening to the realization that we are fundamentally interconnected. We modern humans are faced with a historic opportunity to consciously co-evolve with one another and with nature through a network of constructive relationships that transcend ethnic, national, and cultural differences.

The Fuji Declaration, initiated by Masami Saionji, Dr. Ervin Laszlo and Hiroo Saionji, is an international alliance of individuals and organizations who are united by a shared commitment to advance a more harmonious, compassionate and sustainable era for all humanity.

It is a call to all global citizens to recognize and nurture the full human potential and divine spark within each human spirit to catalyze a timely shift in the course of history.

The Fuji Declaration Initiators All those who share in the core principles of The Fuji Declaration are welcome Masami Saionji, Dr. Ervin Laszlo and Hiroo Saionji to join the international alliance by signing The Fuji Declaration and add your efforts to this emerging movement.

Connecting hearts and minds across the globe. The Fuji Declaration is endorsed by global citizens as well as community leaders and visionaries from many different backgrounds including heads-of-state, Nobel laureates, scientists, artists, authors, teachers, and world peace advocates from the world over. To learn more, visit our Signatories Page.

Along with this growing network of committed pioneers, The Fuji Declaration will collect contributions of in-depth research, inspirational materials and practical strategies from signatories representing multiple spheres of human society such as economics, business, science, and media.

Above all, The Fuji Declaration is intended to serve as a resource and catalyst for inspiration, hope, and collaboration toward the emergence of a planetary civilization that reflects the highest potential of the human spirit for the benefit of all.

If you feel called to join us, please learn about and sign The Fuji Declaration by visiting the Declaration Page.

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Hiroo Saionji Masami Saionji Dr. Ervin Laszlo Mr Saionji is the President of the Goi Peace Foundation, an Ambassador of the World Mrs. Saionji is Chairperson of the Goi Peace Dr. Ervin Laszlo is an acclaimed author, and Wisdom Council, a member of the Japanese Foundation in Tokyo, Japan. She also serves president and founder of the Club of National Commission for UNESCO, and as Chairperson of The World Peace Prayer Budapest. Dr. Laszlo is generally recognized president of The World Peace Prayer Society headquartered in New York and The as the founder of systems philosophy and Society. Byakko Shinko Kai located at the foot of Mt. general evolution theory. Fuji. Consciousness and Values of The Fuji Why The Fuji Declaration? What It Means for Declaration The Fuji Declaration: Rekindling the Divine Our Life and Our Future Spark in Human Consciousness It has been a real privilege serving as President of the At a critical time - a time of crisis and unsustainability Goi Peace Foundation located in Tokyo, Japan since From moment to moment, the world is changing. The - change is not linear but abrupt. We live in a critical it’s founding in 1999. Along with Dr. Ervin Lazslo, question is, in what direction are these changes time. The system we have created either breaks down Founder of the Budapest Club and my wife Masami taking us? Are they opening doorways to a wondrous to chaos, or breaks through to a new order. The Saionji, Chairperson Read More future, or are they driving us toward ruin and breakthrough will not come Read More devastation? Read More

Vision Building upon the belief that there is a spark within the human spirit that when ignited can bring about a true revolution in consciousness within ourselves and all spheres of society, The Fuji Declaration is an invitation to harness the power of our shared intention for a thriving world.

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Please join us. Sign The Fuji Declaration today. Imagine a world where global citizens make it their mission to design, communicate and implement a more harmonious civilization that enables humankind to realize its inherent potential and advance to the next stage of its material, spiritual and cultural evolution.

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Unification Family Church of Philadelphia hosts third Ambassadors for Peace conference By Rick Woelfel, For MediaNews Group Jun 12, 2019 Comments

Ambassadors for Peace conference at the Flying Horse Center on Pulaski Ave in Philadelphia. Ambassadors for Peace conference a Submitted Photo Submitted Photo

It has been said that all politics are local. Taking that axiom in a different direction, the Rev. Shota Iwasaki believes that global issues like gun violence and pollution should be and can be addressed at the neighborhood level.

Rev. Iwasaki oversees the Unification Family Church of Philadelphia and Learning Center, which moved to Germantown three years ago after getting its start in West Philadelphia.

Recently, the church hosted its third Ambassadors for Peace conference at the Flying Horse Center on Pulaski Ave to address issues of concern to the community. The event featured a series of discussions devoted to the concept of improving and enhancing the quality of life in Germantown.

It’s the third time in four years Iwasaki has hosted the event. He says there is a need for events of this sort. He cites the fatal shooting at the Delmar Lodge on West Chelten Ave. this past March and the community’s reaction to it.

“(Because of) gun violence, the increased amount of drug abuse, amongst the youth,” he said I think it’s time for the Ambassadors for Peace to come back together.”

Iwasaki said when he tried to promote the event on a local Facebook page he was harassed online about his religious beliefs and ethnicity. But approximately 60 area residents turned out and engaged in conversations covering topics that ranged from gun violence, to the environment, to what should be done with the site of the former Germantown High School.

A number of featured speakers addressed the issues at hand. Paul Horner from the Pastorius Community Garden spoke about enhancing the community and the environment through organic gardening.

John Budd Jr. from the Men Who Care organization addressed the possibility of creating an after-school program for student from Roosevelt Middle School and the possibility of establishing some sort of technical education facility on the Germantown High site while John Gathering spoke the importance of providing opportunities for youth to volunteer and give back to their community.

As part of the day’s activities, 28 new Ambassadors for Peace were designated, is traditional at this event. Going forward, they will devote time to building ties to and working with various community organizations.

“We’ve been able to build a strong network, working together with community organizations,”

Iwasaki said. “It’s the result of the last three years of the efforts of Ambassadors for Peace.”

Iwasaki believes it’s important to get people talking about issues like gun violence and the environment at a grass-roots, one-to one level. “We wanted to take these global issues and make them local,” he said.

Megan Bickel was named a Peace Ambassador in 2017. She works as a claim adjuster for an insurance company. She says it’s important to have “Conversations that matter.

“A lot of conversations are not being held,” she said, “because people are caught up in their nine-to-five lives. (The conference) involved taking global issues and bringing them down to the local level.”

The conference also featured the unveiling of the Germantown Peace Declaration, which was based on the Mt. Fuji Declaration, which was issued in Japan in 2015, with the language revised to be applicable to the Germantown community, but calling for a more peaceful, harmonious environment in the community and the world.

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