NEW BEGINNINGS—CREATING A CULTURE OF HEART
Group photo of inspired participants
On Saturday afternoon, February 7, about 20 women and men gathered in the Northern Virginia Learning Center for a "New Beginnings Women's Meeting: Creating a Culture of Heart." The meeting was divided into three parts: a personal sharing by our new national vice president, Mrs. Katarina Connery; a presentation by national President Angelika Selle on the national and global vision for WFWP; and a brainstorming session among the participants.
Mrs. Selle introduced Mrs. Connery, who then shared with us about her experience with our WFWP founder, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, at the time Dr. Moon appointed her to her new position. She also outlined her background, her experience, and her faith.
Then Mrs. Selle gave a PowerPoint presentation on the vision, values, and activities of WFWP on both the local and global levels. She explained that the core of WFWP is a "mother's heart," upon which is built WFWP's four areas of focus: women's rights and human dignity, marriage and family, reconciliation through the Bridge of Peace Ceremony, and spirituality and healing. In addition, she spoke about WFWP's work to support the Schools of Africa Project, and the work of the Global Women's Peace Network that is striving to bring about a culture of peace and human dignity through the innovative leadership of women. She touched on some of the key work of women throughout history, including Mother Teresa and Rosa Parks.
The third and final part of the meeting was a brainstorming session. All the participants gathered in a circle to share ideas on what kinds of activities or projects they would be interested in putting into action in the WFWP Northern Virginia community. Among the ideas expressed were:
a "What is WFWP?" quarterly series as an outreach to guests
an international food night with an educational component
an interfaith sharing with Muslim women
a service project in which young people could weed a Buddhist community garden
art classes offered to children, with a WFWP educational component for the mothers
art classes at a prison or homeless shelter with a WFWP educational component
a collaboration with women's groups to uplift them with WFWP's ideals, especially that women are a divine aspect of God.
As we closed the meeting, Mrs. Misako Connery, Katarina Connery's mother-in-law, surprised each participant with a gift bag filled with "goodies."
