WFWP ILLINOIS HONORS A WOMAN HERO

There have been many powerful women in human history, but not all of them are recognized while they are alive. WFWP Illinois had the privilege of honoring a living hero, Reverend Helen Roebuck Cooper, founder of the Westside Center of Truth for Better Living (WCTBL) and Operation Brotherhood in Chicago, during her Sunday worship service on February 25, 2018. She received the True Women's Values Award in recognition of her contribution to American history, especially for African Americans. The presentation took place at the WCTBL. A group of six WFWP members attended their worship service and awards ceremony for Black History Month and potluck buffet. They surprised her congregation and she was deeply moved and loved the plaque and enormous bouquet of flowers. In the picture below, she is holding the flowers and she had ripped the pink wrapping paper off so she could see and smell them better.

In recognition and celebration of living African-American heroes, during Black History Month, WFWP Illinois Chapter wanted to honor women of the cloth in their venues because faith in God and the church itself are at the very root of the African journey in America. Faith was what led African-Americans to feel God's heart, obey His word, forgive others, and prevail during difficulties, eventually allowing them to found churches, schools, banks, and more. Reverend Helen R. Cooper’s faith and humility before God above all else has allowed her to serve, love, and forgive without judgment to create something God could use for the whole purpose of the country. Reverend Cooper is also an Ambassador for Peace and was included in a documentary sponsored by National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. WFWP Illinois chose to recognize Reverend Cooper and her church for giving to God's providence and the salvation of America in this age.

Please continue reading to learn about some of Reverend Cooper’s accomplishments.

For more than 35 years, Reverend Cooper has devoted herself to serving people and God. She became the first woman to join the Chicago chapter of the American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC). For some time after that, she worked closely with Pastor TL Barrett, of Life Center Church, who was a minister of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC). Reverend Cooper worked with him and other ministers to develop a series of Pastors' Prayer Breakfasts in Chicago which recently celebrated their 22nd annual True Family Values Banquet, which she has attended regularly all these years.

Since the early 1990s, she also strongly supported WFWP Chicago programs and ACLC consistently. She traveled to support WFWP Founder Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon in 2017 at Madison Square Garden Rally in New York. She also went to Korea for the Reunification of Korea Rally with other influential pastors in November 2017. Reverend Cooper praises Dr. Moon and Reverend Sun Myung Moon at the Prayer breakfast meetings and at other gatherings.

Reverend Cooper became the Executive Director of an organization called the Little Brothers of the Poor which began Operation Brotherhood, founded by Eugene and Belle Whaley (now 72). Operation Brotherhood is located in Chicago's westside and provides senior care and assisted living.

Reverend Cooper is a disciple of the Universal Foundation for Better Living (UFBL), a movement using a metaphysical interpretation of the Bible and focuses on healing, meditation, and positive thinking, using thoughts to improve one's life. The late founder of UFBL, Reverend Johnnie Colemon, also founded Christ Universal Temple in 1956, which celebrated its 60th Anniversary in 2015. It amassed 3000 members in a short time but can hold as many as 5000 people. Reverend Colemon had conversations with God and came up with principles of hope and better living that helped blacks, at that time and today, find inspiration. WFWP Illinois hopes to award the current pastor of this church as the second awardee.

Based on her work with Reverend Colemon and the UFBL, Reverend Cooper launched her own church, the Westside Center of Truth for Better Living (WCTBL), which was where WFWP Illinois presented her with the award on February 25, 2018.