Foundation Day Marriage Blessing in Detroit, MI

The Metro Detroit Family Church put on a interfaith, intercultural Blessing ceremony. Of the four couples who received the Blessing, one was a Jewish couple, one couple was from Africa, another couple was a Buddhist husband married to a Christian wife, and the fourth couple was a Baptist Christian couple. Thirty people attended the ceremony to wish these couples well in their journey as Blessed couples. To begin the evening, they had an international dinner prepared by Unificationists who cooked foods their own countries, including Japan and Africa. Then they had entertainment by their international choir, after which they showed photos of the Blessing at the United Nations, Nepal, and the Philippines.

“We were inspired by Robert Kittel’s work in Asia, so we decide to reach out to a variety of faiths to make it an international event,” said Pastor Rev. David Kasbow. “Those receiving the Blessing today are religious leaders, and we hope they will hold Blessing ceremonies in their places of worship as well.”

The wife of the Jewish couple has been studying the Divine Principle. She said she feels close to our movement because in many ways our teaching and traditions are similar to the Jewish tradition. Also, they feel a warm sense of family with Unificationists. The African couple said that they felt such a nice atmosphere, and that the group of couples receiving the Blessing tonight seemed “like a little United Nations.”