Memorial Service on occasion of the 1st Anniversary of True Father's Seong-hwa in Germany

Over 50 participants, among them 12 Ambassadors for Peace, gathered in Berlin last Sunday to celebrate the memorial service. Bernd Flieger, community pastor of Berlin, greeted the participants, who represented all age groups, but also the cultural diversity of the capital city. Several Muslim communities were represented, as well as afro-christian chruches and new religious movements. The musical background was also well taken care of. Fritz Piepenburg initiated the central part of the service by giving an overview on childhood and youth memories of Father Moon according to his autobiography. He attempted to answer the question, why God chose this youth who came from a simple, rural background, to carry out such a vast and important mission. Father Moon’s strong sense of righteousness and relentlessness in realizing his ideas once determined were important traits of character even before the actual calling through his encounter with Jesus. Pastor Lolowengo Botembe lamented in his well-prepared sermon the loss of virtues and values in Western society: “In Afrika we have plenty of time and leisure for the family and the society at large, but little money. In Europe people have plenty of money but not time for the family and social life. We need to balance the two - by learning from each other. This is the core teaching of Father Moon as well.” He then took a rose as an example and explained: “like the scent of the rose attracts people, you members should foster the ‘scent of Rev. Moon’, which will attract people naturally and cause them to come closer.” Mrs. Siegrun Botembe, wife of the pastor, then gave testimony on her experience in Korea during the ILC conference and especially about the central celebrations at the Shim-cheong World Peace Center with Mother Moon. The higlight of her visit was having lunch at the palace: “There we were sitting all together, coming from so many nations, with our diverse religions and traditions, and yet we considered ourselves as brothers and sisters. Then, for the first time, I could grasp a glimps of what mean when you talk about ‘Cheon Il Guk’.” The entire service lasted for an unusual three and a half hours. At the end, many more Ambassadors for Peace and members alike came to the front and shared their personal encounters with Father Moon at one occasion or the other. Among the Ambassadors for Peace where those three, who in 2011 after the performance of the Little Angels in the Tempodrom received medals in recognition of their peace work personally from Father Moon - something they will never forget.

Fritz Piepenburg