Takeru Kamiyama reports on activities in New York after Madison Square Garden

Two important events took place right after the Madison Square Garden campaign — participating in the Washington Day of Hope and working with the U.N. After these were over, a witnessing program began. New York area director, Mr. Takeru Kamiyama, described recent activities.

The 230 Japanese brothers and sisters who were scattered throughout the United States returned to the New York area by January 1, 1975. Along with the 86 American and 31 Europeans, there are 351 members working fulltime. At this time, the New York family is concentrated on witnessing, Mr. Kamiyama reported. For 24 hours a day, the whole New York family thinks about witnessing, witnessing, witnessing.

Through this witnessing, all New Yorkers, even those in suburban boroughs, know the name of Reverend Sun Myung Moon now. Since the Madison Square Garden campaign, The Light of Hope newspaper has been continuously published in New York.

Reverend Moon’s speech and New York Unification Church activities are written up as articles. There have been very good results, and a large number of these papers are issued and distributed. At least 40,000 people came to Madison Square Garden on September 18. Half of them were unable to get in. So this newspaper is an active follow-up program, and is really bringing a great result. Those who signed up for tickets but were unable to get in, plus other contacts, are receiving this newspaper.

Another reason why everybody in New York and the suburban areas knows Reverend Moon’s name was the October seven-day fast in front of the United Nations.

Before, during, and after the fast, a continuous public relations team made the name of Reverend Moon known to all New Yorkers and all visitors to the United Nations. Public opinion says that New Yorkers are not so easily excited, because it is the world’s largest city. But a survey shows that this year, New Yorkers had only two surprises: (1) the Madison Square Garden campaign, which really shocked them with its success; and (2) the United Nations project, including the seven-day fast and the continuous follow-up contacts with all the 138 ambassadors to the United Nations.

The PR team sometimes organizes a fellowship at the main house at the Belvedere estate and invites U.N. delegates. The ambassadors and first secretaries say that they were really impressed by Madison Square Garden crusade. And now fifty nations out of the 138 are showing great interest in our movement, according to Mr. Kamiyama. Some of them even ask, “Why don’t you send a Unification mission to our nation?’’ So they are opening their hearts to our Unification movement, and especially to our New York project.

These ambassadors expressed their opinion regarding the present trouble in the United Nations. They say, “We are fighting one another based on egoistic grounds. How can we lead this United Nations back to its original direction? Something should come out to correct this situation.”

Not only ambassadors are interested, but nearly 500 well-known professors have recently become concerned about our movement through this United Nations project, especially through the seven-day fast. So many people are coming.

How are we going to bring the success? We need qualified leaders to handle these dignitaries from all over the world. We also need qualified teachers, lecturers, and counselors to guide the 4,000 people who have been coming to lectures. The Japanese brothers and sisters are unable to speak English thoroughly, but their role is to bring people day and night. Even though they become pale, they continuously bring people to the lectures. There is no day or night for the team members who are working so hard. Through this kind of dedication, they learn every day through their many experiences.

The time is short, and we are so busy. In the New York area we have eight church center directors, they are all dedicated and working very hard. Sometimes they have no time to lie down to sleep because people keep coming. So they sit on the sofa as a substitute for sleeping. Mr. Joe Tully lectures three days a week, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at Barrytown on the Divine Principle, Victory Over Communism, and Unification Thought. After those three days he comes back to New York and joins the witnessing team.

About 300 people have attended recent three-day workshops at Barrytown. Of these about seventy percent have stayed for the seven-day workshop. Soon these new people will enter the forty-day program and then return to New York as leaders.

Whenever Mr. Kamiyama visits the eight local churches to encourage the people, he sees all the brothers and sisters working hard with one intent. He sees in their eyes tears, confidence, and total giving. Inside the tears they are determined to fulfill their mission. They not only think of the immediate future, but about the Yankee Stadium rally in April 1976.