New Hope Comes To America

In 21 cities around the United States preparations are underway for the “Christianity in Crisis: New Hope” speaking tour by Rev. Sun Myung Moon. The three-day series in each city will include speeches on “God’s Hope for Man,” “God’s Hope for America,” and “The Future of Christianity.”

Tentative program plans include singing by a 40-member choir, introductions, and Rev. Moon’s speech. Members of the American, European, and Far Eastern Unification Churches will travel with Rev. Moon. Preparations in each city include mass advertising, ticket selling, and arrangements for interviews, meetings with civic or religious groups, and a banquet for key leaders of the city.

Introducing planning staff

Day of Hope staff in front of Baltimore billboard. Left to right: Tom Burkholder, Neil Salonen, Mike Leone, Alice Eppy, John Hessell, Linda Marchant

At National Headquarters in Washington, five people have been working as the Day of Hope staff, coordinating campaign preparations in each city and preparing publicity. Former HSA treasurer and FLF staff member Michael Leone is campaign coordinator. Alice Eppy, first Day of Hope staff member, came to Washington from the Detroit Unification Church. Originally from New York, she was formerly secretary to the vice president of Singer Sewing Machine Company and is skilled in public relations work.

Media director Linda Marchant came from her work as state representative of the Unification Church in Nevada and years working with media.

Tom Burkholder, from the Kansas City, Missouri, Unification Church, is an expert in sound and lighting.

Michael Leone’s assistant John Hessell coordinates the logistics for the campaign, in addition to supervising van acquisition and maintenance and the entire Mobile Fund Team program.

Planning the Washington, D.C. campaign are, left to right: Keith Cooperrider, Harry Phillips, Mike Beard, and Brad Bufkin

Mr. Leone explained the purpose of their work. “We expect to bring to the public eye Rev. Moon of South Korea, a dynamic and inspiring spiritual leader of thousands of people. Plans are to fill every hall, every night.” He will travel with the tour group, accompanied by Tom and Linda from the staff.

Newspaper and magazine ads, billboards, bus and commuter train posters, and mass leafletting introduce the series to the people of each city. Professionally made tapes of music were sent to 540 stations for public service announcements.

Description of halls

Lobby of New Orleans Theater for the Performing Arts

New York and Baltimore have contracted for halls considered as being the nation’s top in acoustics: Carnegie Hall in New York and Lyric Theater in Baltimore.

Carnegie Hall has an intimate atmosphere, even though its capacity is 2800, because of its several tiers of balconies. The Lyric Theater, in Baroque style, has a wide oval-topped forestage with full-length side balconies supported by columns. Opened in 1894, it is now undergoing renovations.

Philadelphia’s site, the Scottish Rite Cathedral, has a capacity of 1900, while Boston’s John Hancock Hall has a 1132 capacity. With modern design and seating this hall is in one of two prominent towers in downtown Boston. Also near downtown, the Lisner Auditorium on Washington’s George Washington University campus holds 1502.

The brand new New Orleans Theater for the Performing Arts is known as the Kennedy Center of New Orleans. The 2300 capacity hall is the home of the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra. The Dallas church has rented the Convention Center Theater holding 1700 people in a new complex. Also part of the convention facilities, Tampa’s Sheraton-Tampa Motor Hotel Ballroom holds 1200.

“The most amazing hotel I have ever seen,” according to Mr. Leone, Atlanta’s Regency Hyatt House has a

huge corridor with glass elevators rising to a revolving restaurant. Rev. Moon will speak in the largest room of the hotel.

21-City tour, Christianity in Crisis/New Hope series, 1973-74

After a two-week break Omaha will hear Rev. Moon speak at the recently built Burke High School auditorium, seating 1100. The West Bank Auditorium will hold 1200 people on the University of Minneapolis campus. Cincinnati’s elegant Convention Center will hold 2800.

The largest hall contracted is in Detroit — the Masonic Auditorium seating 4600. The number one spot for entertainment in the city, it has seen the most famous performances over the years. Chicago’s very modern convention center, McCormick Place on the Lake, has one large and six small theaters and a 20,000 seating capacity restaurant. The auditorium’s fan seating will hold 1300 people. Kansas City’s Capri Theater, holding 1300 people, has been the leading hall in the city for years. Just before Christmas Rev. Moon will speak in Tulsa’s Assembly Hall in the Civic Center, holding 1200 — 1500 people.

The final leg begins in Denver’s Phipps Auditorium (962 capacity), and then goes to Seattle’s Seattle Center (1034 capacity), San Francisco’s Scottish Rite Auditorium (1000 capacity), Berkeley’s Zellerbach Auditorium (2200 capacity) and finally Los Angeles’ Hilton Hotel, capacity 1200.

This year’s speaking tour builds on last year’s Day of Hope meetings in seven cities, and will expand to one city in each state by next year.