The Peace Starts With Me interfaith conference ended on a high as 230 religious leaders prayed for peace at Imjingak, a Korean War Memorial near the border between North and South Korea, while concluding their conference with a ceremony in which True Mother left them with yet another deep and profound message.
With the sun beaming on the religious leaders from a wide variety of faiths, Rev. Michael Jenkins, Co-Chair of the American Leadership Clergy Conference (ACLC), Rev. Raymond Giddens, Senior Pastor of the Unity Baptist Church, and Bishop Cecil Riley, Pastor of the Freedom Hall Church of God, among other representatives, stood before the Freedom Bell and engendered a spirit of unity, determination for peace, and an appreciation for True Parents.
Together, the ministers inspired the congregation regarding True Parents’ unwavering dedication to the reunification of North and South Korea, the need for humanity to recognize the importance of True Parents in fulfilling God’s mission, and their commitment to peace, which can be traced historically from their efforts against Communism. The ministers finalized their prayer for peace by uniting in ringing the Freedom Bell, symbolizing hope for unity between North and South Korea and peace for the rest of the world.
The ministers then made their way to the Cheon Jeong Gung, where they shared a closing banquet with True Mother and True Parents’ family. Rev. Tanya Edwards, Bishop Jesse Edwards, and Rev. Joel Barnaby delivered moving testimonies regarding the role True Parents have played in their lives of faith and relationship with God. True Mother took the stage again to convey her heart toward the 230 ministers from all around America. Realizing the power of having a diversity of faiths represented in the same room, True Mother emphasized the mistakes of human history toward God, and the unequivocal need for all people and all religions–Christianity in particular–to know who True Parents are.
After True Mother received a large round of applause at the conclusion of her message, Minister A. Curtis Farrow of Irving Street Rep, Inc., then took the opportunity to pay tribute to True Mother. With their hearts centered on Heavenly Parent and True Parents, and led as a choir by Mr. Farrow, the rest of the congregation celebrated and thanked God by singing “To God be the Glory” and “Every Praise.” The passion of the ministers was palpable, as the ministers leave Korea tomorrow full of both hope and a determination to bring peace through action.
