I'm going to the Day of Hope program in Madison Square Garden

The Unification Church of New York is buzzing with preparations for the Day of Hope program in Madison Square Garden on September 18, when Reverend Sun Myung Moon will launch his third and final speaking tour of the United States.

Unification Church advisor Mr. Takeru Kamiyama and state representative Mr. Joe Tully have been holding public meetings in various boroughs and counties of the metropolitan area, as well as in Manhattan Island. Preparations and organization of these public speeches are designed to be training for church members for such activities this fall, only on a much broader scale.

Last fall Unification Church members in New York were divided into eight churches and assigned to each of the boroughs and to Westchester and Nassau Counties. A recently acquired suite of offices at 475 Fifth Avenue was used as headquarters for the planning of the crusade until May 21, when at the suggestion of Reverend Moon, the large central room was converted into a lecture room for three times daily lectures (1:00, 3:30, and 6:00 p.m.) on the Divine Principle.

One third of the members of each of the area churches are assigned to the Fifth Avenue area for a week of intensive witnessing and teaching. When they return to their home church another third will be sent to Fifth Avenue. In this way a strong spirit of witnessing and campaigning together will be created, which can then be multiplied throughout all the area churches.

On April 30, the purchase of the training center in Barrytown, New York, from the Christian Brothers was completed, and the New York Unification Churches have been holding seminars there.

On May 11-13, they brought about 115 guests for a three-day workshop. “Barrytown is just so beautiful,” Mr. Tully exclaimed. “It has good facilities and people who go there are really inspired.” Mr. Tully fully expects that church members will soon bring an average of 200 people to each weekend workshop on the Divine Principle.

Mr. Aidan Barry now directs the Manhattan Unification Church, located at 18 East 71st Street. This is a seven floor building, acquired in 1972. Until last fall it was the residence and headquarters of the New York Unification Church.

Mr. Barry’s basic approach is to have many public events. The biggest and most successful was when Mr. Tully spoke in April in the Madison Avenue Baptist Church on the theme, “Prophecy for the Salvation of America.” The church auditorium was filled for the event, and a reception was held afterwards.

The New York Unification Church includes members from many countries. Therefore, special events include international nights once a week, where the public is invited to dinner and entertainment.

Each Sunday they hold Sunday school classes and an 11:00 a.m. service. After the service they gather in Central Park for a picnic, followed by a public lecture in the open air. Those who:He interested return to the center with them for an 8:00 evening service, which includes singing and a sermon.

Left to right: Hiroshi Matzusaki, Takeru Kamiyama, Neil Salonen, and Joe Tully

One of the newest projects is the New Hope Singers, directed by Georgia Sherman, a new member from Liberia. The ten members of the choir come from nine different countries. Organized for the public speeches by Mr. Tully and Mr. Kamiyama, the choir sings Christian hymns, folk songs, and original songs of the Unification Church, all arranged by Miss Sherman.

Another new musical project is an orchestra, organized by Dr. Tom Ludwig, a former student at the Julliard School of Music and a professional violinist.

The daily activities of the Manhattan church involve all their four teams in witnessing in Central Park, 86th Street, Lexington Avenue, the West Side, or the New York Public Library. Contacts are invited to lectures at the center two or more times a day and the weekend workshops.

Mr. Barry, an electrical engineer and former math teacher, often stays up until 2:00 a.m. these days counseling the members and organizing activities. “The Divine Principle is true,” he stated. “I say this after a year of working with the Unification Church. The most important thing is to unite and believe that God works with the central person. Love comes on the foundation of unity and this foundation of unity is the basis for God to work.”

Mr. Tully and Mark Barry both talked about ideas for a series of radio programs to be broadcast one or more times a week. They have received some excellent offers from radio stations, and are thinking about making test tapes. Mr. Tully feels this would have greater impact than handing out fliers to an equivalent number of people.

Mark Barry is designing buttons and bumper stickers to advertise the campaign, containing such slogans as “I am going to (photo of Madison Square Garden) on Sept. 18.” He talks of advertising by airplane on Labor Day weekend.

Mr. Tully is recommending advertising in local newspapers, printing excerpts from sermons given by local Church directors. He quoted Matt. 10:27 “What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops.” Mr. Tully concluded, “This is our mission. We must take it very seriously.”