KEEP THE FIRE BURNING: CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF FOUNDER’S RELEVANT MESSAGE

Forty years ago, Co-Founder of Women’s Federation for World Peace, the Reverend Dr. Sun Myung Moon stood at the foot of the Washington Monument, and gave a memorable speech entitled “America and God’s Will,” in celebration of America’s bicentennial.

He declared in front of 300,000 people "The United States of America, transcending race and nationality, is already a model of the unified world. She must realize that the abundant blessings which God has been pouring upon this land are not just for America, but are for the children of God throughout the world."

He believed America had been singularly blessed by God to be a strong and moral country where God could dwell, and would lead the world through service. He expressed that “this is the time for awakening. America must accept her global responsibility... America must rise up.”

To commemorate that “monumental” message delivered 40 years ago, two days of events took place in Washington, D.C. on September 16 and 17, with the theme “America and God’s Will,” to reconnect to its relevance for today. The events were organized and co-sponsored by several of the major organizations Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon founded, including the Women’s Federation for World Peace.

The opening banquet, held in the Grand Ballroom of The Washington Times building, drew 300 participants, guests, friends, and families including a number of those who participated in the rally 40 years ago when Dr. Moon delivered his message to 300,000 people on the National Mall at the Washington Monument.

In a way, for all those present, the banquet was like a big reunion that evoked precious memories of the events 40 years ago through the videos, stories, and testimonies that were shared. Some of the guests of WFWP USA especially remembered their own experiences and the time they had spent with Father Moon, as expressed in the reflection of Mrs. Dottie Chicquelo. (See below.)

President of WFWP USA, Angelika Selle, gave a spirited Call to Action, and asked everyone to keep the fire burning after the events, and keep the spirit and legacy of “living for the sake of others” alive in our families, communities, nation, and the world.

A highlight of the main event on the National Mall the next day, which brought together 4,000 participants and visitors, was the original “America and God’s Will” message, re-delivered emphatically and passionately by Archbishop George Augustus Stallings Jr., Patriarch and Founder of Imani Temple, the African-American Catholic Congregation, near Washington, D.C. This was followed by an equally strong message from Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, delivered by her lovely daughter and president of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, Mrs. Sun Jin Moon, encouraging Americans to once again become a nation that heeds God’s will and leads the world toward “one world under God.”

WFWP USA was pleased to contribute one powerful segment of the program, a Bridge of Peace Ceremony. This ceremony is WFWP’s signature project for the sake of healing and reconciliation (see video). Each Bridge of Peace ceremony is unique and targets specific aspects of the journey to peaceful reconciliation through the healing of pain.

The theme of the ceremony held in conjunction with the rally was "Mothers of Healing and Forgiveness," in which two mothers, whose children were victims of assault and violence, were invited to cross over the bridge of peace and embrace one another in a spirit of unconditional forgiveness and love.

One of the two mothers, Mrs. Ella Byrnes, shared a raw and heart-wrenching account of her child’s fatal experience of assault and violence, as well as her choice to end the cycle of violence by forgiving the unforgivable hurt endured by her family and building a relationship with the mother of the perpetrator.

Representing all mothers who have chosen forgiveness over hatred and revenge, Mrs. Byrnes then crossed the Bridge of Peace with Mrs. Denneze Nelson, representing Ms. Valencia Mohammed, the mother whose two sons were killed in street violence and who also chose forgiveness over retribution. Ms. Mohammed, who received the 2015 HerStory Award from WFWP USA, had to attend to an emergency while waiting for her turn in the program and Ms. Nelson kindly took her place.

This particular moment of reconciliation was made all the more relevant and powerful by the fact that the two women also represented two different races which today, perhaps more than ever, are in need of forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing. We honor these mothers for their example of ending the cycle of hatred and bitterness, by forgiving the unforgivable in the name of peace and through the logic of love.

WFWP USA Senior Vice President, the Rev. Juanita Pierre-Louis and her husband, the Rev. Edner Pierre-Louis, co-pastors of the New York-area FFWPU, facilitated this part of the program and called all present to participate in this healing moment and to be themselves a bridge of peace and love. Then two clergy couples, the Revs Sykes and the Revs Edwards, prayed over the women and extended the healing prayer to everyone in the audience.

As the sun set beautifully over the gathering, illuminating the nation’s Capitol Building, it seemed to indicate a new beginning and much hope for the nation. The impression was heightened by the fact that the program had been organized and run by many young men and women, who are determined to create a better future for the generations to come.