Pacific Christian Leadership Conference: Stand Together: One Family Under God

The Pacific Christian Leadership Conference (PCLC) held its online inaugural convocation and rally on October 4 - 5. The theme was “Stand Together: One Family Under God.” PCLC is a coalition of Christian leaders and organizations from the Pacific Rim nations who agreed to work together to strengthen marriages and families, restore communities of goodness, and help Christianity fulfill its destiny as a beacon of freedom, faith, and family. A large number of island nations in Oceania are culturally — and constitutionally — Christian.

Masaichi Hori, regional group president of heavenly Asia Pacific Two, conceived of this project to support True Mother’s vision of reviving Christianity so it could contribute toward the realization of a heavenly unified Korea and world. The PCLC inauguration was one of the official events commemorating the ninth anniversary of True Father’s Seonghwa. Dr. Julius Malicdem, vice-chair of the PCLC Organizing Committee and production director, gave an overview of the regional impact. A total of 198,463 people pre-registered for the two-day event. Participants came from as many as sixty-eight nations.

The convocation on October 4 had three sessions with a special inauguration. Across all social media platforms, a total of 25,582 participants viewed the convocation, including a TV broadcast in Samoa and two radio Facebook programs in the Philippines and Australia.

An estimated 165,000 viewers watched the rally on October 5 on social media. In addition, there were seven TV broadcasts of which four were national television stations.

Two radio stations from the Philippines and Australia aired the event as well. The combined reach for TV and radio for the rally was estimated at 32 million viewers. Especially important, messages of encouragement were received from twenty-eight Christian leaders throughout the Asia Pacific. A coalition of 203 clergy signed the PCLC Resolution and 106 churches officially partnered with the PCLC. Both the World Christian Leadership Conference (WCLC) and the American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC) gave unreserved support.

Inaugural rally

True Mother blessed the PCLC launching; we aired her message at the rally on October 5. In her message True Mother emphasized that Christians must lead the world in addressing today’s global crisis.

God, she noted, has been working ceaselessly in the histories of Judaism and Christianity as central religions to advance heaven’s dispensation of salvation for all people.

True Mother ended her twenty-minute keynote speech with the same plea she with which she had begun it, requesting the clergy “to let people know properly about our Creator and work to realize a world of peace wherein all people live in unity as one family of humankind, one great family under our Heavenly Parent.” After this, she struck a gong three times to officially launch the PCLC. To begin the rally, seven Christian leaders from the Philippines representing different denominations conducted the Water of Harmony Ceremony, signifying oneness of spirit and then offered a solemn prayer of peace.

The rally opened with a powerful video introducing PCLC. This was followed by a compelling rendition of the song “Hosanna” by the an internationally renowned gospel singer from Australia who later sang “Oceans.” Interspersed throughout the rally were breathtaking performances by the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus who sang, “The Lord’s Prayer,” followed by Ms. Gerphil Flores’ solo performance of “Amazing Grace,” and the Asidors, a Seventh-Day Adventists music ministry, which presented the “Goodness of God.”

In his welcome remarks, Rev. Masaichi Hori quoted the Great Commission in Acts 1:7-8, in which Jesus asked his apostles to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. He concluded by saying, “Christianity has always brought salvation and hope to people in the face of prosecution and crisis.

For the sake of humankind, Christians should stand together, to construct sustainable solutions based on spiritual values.

This is the manifest destiny of the twenty-first century.” Pastor Paula White, from the City of Destiny Church in Apopka, Florida, U.S. and spiritual advisor to Donald Trump, (US president 2017 - 2019) said the inauguration of PCLC is like the army of God coming forth as believers who must maintain the unity of the spirit amid the many different expressions, different cultures and different ways we understand the word of God.

She commended Mother Moon for working tirelessly to bring harmony and unity among various faiths. WCLC Chairman Bishop Ki-hoon Kim saw this as an alliance of Christian clergy under the guidance of our Heavenly Parent that would uphold the ideal of the family, bring nations together and establish one family under God. Dr. Robert Kittel, co-chair of the PCLC Organizing Committee, Pastor Paula White-Cain introduced True Mother’s message.

He highlighted how we need heroes in our lives and spoke on True Mother’s life course.

She suffered and emerged victorious with God as her north star. Mother Moon’s hero was God.

Dr. Kittel concluded by saying that True Mother is calling all people to come back to God to find solutions to the problems we are facing together. The event ended on a high note with a dance of praise and unity from the different youth groups from the Asia Pacific region to the tune of “Tribes.”

Inaugural Convocation

The PCLC inaugural convocation was conducted online, October 4, one day before the rally.

The theme of the Opening Session was, “PCLC’s Founding Purpose and the Vision for a Heavenly Unified World.” Reverend Suamalie Naisali Tafaki Iosefa Naisali, chairman of the Tuvalu Interfaith

Minister’s Forum from New Zealand, offered the opening prayer. Rev. Gregory Stone, secretary-general of PCLC Organizing Committee moderated the session.

The speakers also included Pres. Demian Dunkley, regional president, FFWPU, Asia Pacific 1; Dr. Chung-sik Yong, regional president, FFWPU - North America, and chairman of ACLC, USA; and Rev. Jenny Chalmers, vicar general, Diocese of Waiapu, New Zealand; Before the start of Session 1, Ms. Tabita Roselin, an award-winning singer and songwriter from Indonesia, sang a beautiful gospel song entitled “Embrace.”

Session 1 was an extension of the Opening Inauguration. Four prominent speakers shared their perspectives on the topic, including Dr. Luonne Rouse, co-chair of the WCLC and ACLC, USA; Rev. Stephen Kim, co-chair of the Korean Christian Leadership Conference; Most Rev. Angelito R. Lampon, chairman, Episcopal Commission on Ecumenical Affairs, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines; and Rev. Dr. K.B. Rokaya (president, National Council of Churches of Nepal; Rev. Fr. Edgardo C. De Jesus a Roman Catholic priest from the Philippines facilitated questions and answers and then offered closing remarks.

Session 2 was moderated by Archbishop Elias T. Soria, president of the Asian Clergy Leadership Conference, Philippines.

The theme was, “Marriage in the Garden: The Role of the Family in Kingdom- Building.” It featured five speakers. Dr. Tanya Edwards (director, International Affairs, WCLC), Dr. Robert S.

Kittel, Most Rev. Nolly C. Buco, JCD, D.D, (Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Antipolo, Philippines), Pastor Gilbert Lumoindong (GBI GLOW Fellowship Center, Indonesia), and Very Rev. Silala Vea, Bishop-Elect, Ecumenical Orthodox-Catholic Church, Australia).

Joseph P. Lalo, (a priest from the Eastern Catholic Church: Neo Monastic of St. Thomas, Philippines) led the Q and A session and also gave closing remarks. The Albastru Choir (Christian Youth of the Protestant Church in West Indonesia) sang a magnificent rendition of “I Will Follow Him.” “The Responsibility of Christian Youth in Building a Heavenly Community” was the theme of Session 3.

Passionate youth speakers were: Minister Joshua Holmes, (national coordinator, Young Clergy Leadership Conference, USA), Pastor Jose Carol, (co-founder and senior associate pastor, Jakarta Praise Community Church, Indonesia), Minister Melishia Bansa (Church of the Living God, Miracle Corner, USA), Pastor Bellarmino Fagolur (Church of Christ, Palau), and Rev. Fr. Mark Gil D. Yongco, (Assistant Pastor, Roman Catholic, St. Clare of Assisi Parish, Sto. Tomas, Isabela, Philippines). In the end, Rev. Bismarck Tamati (Samoa Urban Ministry — Founder, Uniting Church of God) managed the Q and A session before giving his closing remarks.

Rev. Ronnie Sodusta, regional vice president of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, Asia Pacific 2, moderated the session. The session ended with a very powerful song rendered by Mr. Lani Alo, a popular Christian gospel singer and composer from Samoa, who has been the recipient of the Best Pacific Gospel Artist award.