European IOWC completes its tour in Great Britain, move on to the Continent

Dennis Orme addresses a rally in London’s Trafalgar Square as the International One World Crusade begins its tour of Europe. The “New Life Festival” drew thousands of guests in England

The European team of the International One World Crusade has recently completed its tour in Great Britain, moving on to the Continent on September first. During the three-month campaign concentrating on London, Bath, and Glasgow, over 5,000 people attended lectures, 4,500 heard the complete Divine Principle, over 500 attended workshops. The Family gained 415 associate members and 215 full-time members, with 53 new IOWC team members. The 150 members of the Crusade come from 24 countries of Europe and from all different Christian denominations. They will be working all across Europe to bring a spiritual renewal, unity under God and an experience of the living reality of God into the lives of people that they meet.

The Crusade was starred in 1972 by Korean prophet Reverend Sun Myung Moon who has dedicated his life to revealing a message of hope from God for man at this time in history. The Crusade has been an inspiration to young people all over the globe. One young man commented: “I have a found a purpose and self-discipline that I never had before, in serving God and my fellow man.” There are large teams active now in the United States and Japan, as well as in Europe.

The team, led by Karl Leonhardtsberger, began about June 1, campaigning the first month and a half in Cardiff, Newport, Bristol, Plymouth, Birmingham, Windsor, and Glasgow. The team was composed of eight smaller teams and a thirty-member international choir. Nations represented on the team are: England, Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Finland, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, and Malta.

The first “New Life Festival” was in Bath on July 31; Mr. Dennis Orme was principal speaker. In Glasgow, Scotland, 400 people came to each of the first two evenings, with the number rising to 700 on the third night, August 7.

Preparation for the London talks included Madison Square Garden-style postering and street rallies. One rally at Trafalgar Square on August 24 drew several thousand people; that same day 130 people visited the London center. Over 2,000 people came to the New Life performances, with buses taking workshop guests from the hall after the performances. Those who came expecting a theological dissertation were disappointed.

Mr. Orme revived an old and much-missed tradition of spiritual teaching, speaking in a direct and down- to-earth manner, that makes the ways of God a matter of intimate concern for our daily lives.

He spoke in a deeply moving and vivid way about the life of Jesus. He showed how Jesus struggled to win people’s hearts and to open them to be guided by the truth of God which he was bringing. He showed too how God had struggled to prepare the people of Israel for the coming of the Messiah so that they could recognize and unite with him.

Mr. Orme went on to show the great difficulties that Jesus faced — how and why, in fact, he was not recognized as Messiah, but was rejected, persecuted and finally killed by the educated and religious classes of the day. They did not want to change their old ideas. They thought the truth they had through the Mosaic Law was all they needed and did not want to face the new truth and new standards that Jesus spoke of.

The great tragedy was that these were the chosen people, chosen by God to be the first to cooperate with the Messiah. Jesus did not come to work in a vacuum; he sought and needed the cooperation of man. God needs our help. He is not going to restore us against our will.

Mr. Orme went on to show that Christians today are also like the chosen people. Far from meaning that the Christians could sit back and say, “Well, I believe in Jesus. I’m all right,” this meant that Christians above everybody have to cooperate with God in building the dominion of God on this earth. Christians are, Dr. Orme said, “waiting for God, but not prepared to build the Kingdom themselves.”

“The failure of Christianity is the greatest affront to God today,” he continued. He asked whether Jesus came to any old nation or a nation that God had prepared by men purifying their lives and living by God’s principles. When Christ returns, what sort of a state are the Christian nations of the world in to receive him? The rise in crime and violence is a disgrace to Christian men and women. There would be no room for it if the Christian principles of love and concern for the creation, and respect for one another were thoroughly taught in schools.

Mr. Orme concluded that we are responsible to God for how our society evolves. But the reformers today are not Christian reformers, but those anxious to make money out of permissiveness. We all pray: “Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.” God is looking at us to see if we would work to make His Will done. If we fail in that basic duty to God then going to church is meaningless and no religion could do anything for us.