Seattle, WA – Thirty something persons gathered at the Windermere house for the May 2014 meeting of Ambassadors for Peace in Seattle. In addition to many regulars, some seasoned members who had been away (Phillipines and elsewhere) visiting family and doing outreach work.
The Reverend Theodis Gamet, guest of Mr. and Mrs. Araki, offered the invocation and grace. Attendees followed with partaking of an excellent meal, prepared by the loving hands of Ambassador for Peace (AFP) volunteers. As usual, the main dish was their northwest favorite, salmon.
After brief self-introductions by all attendees, the emcee introduced our speaker for the night, Dr. David Burgess. Dr. Burgess, who chaired the Seattle UPF and Ambassador for Peace work for eight years through 2010, including coordinating Service For Peace activities locally, spoke on the topic of Peace-making. He reported that though he had received the topic two weeks prior, it was only on his way home from work that day that he felt God gave him an answer that helped bring his topic into focus.
He began with a rhetorical question: “How does one approach effective peace-making?” His answer: “there are three elements that need to be included.” Dr. Burgess went on to cite and give examples of those three elements. The elements include: “be targeted”, “be strategic” and finally “be disruptive”.
Dr. Burgess gave examples from the history of the Montgomery (Alabama) Bus Boycott, which began centering on the locally, well-known Ms. Rosa Parks and featuring the involvement of the Reverend Martin Luther King, then a young church pastor only recently installed at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
The bus boycott was targeted in that it had a clear and reachable target, it was strategic in that it was based in the morality of fairness for all, and it occurred in a community that would unite behind it, and disruptive in that it did not allow many to remain complacent, but forced most to take a side and demonstrate their beliefs through their actions.
Following Dr. Burgess’s remarks, the Reverend Larry Krishnek, the current UPF Northwest District Chairman, gave remarks on the relationship of that which Dr. Burgess talked about to the Universal Peace Federation’s ongoing work and projects.
Following Rev. Krishnek’s remarks, five persons were awarded a certificate of appointment as an Ambassador for Peace, including Ms. Emma Heron, Vice President of the Jakcares foundation, Mr. Dennis Yamasaki, Theodis Gamet, Parshu Acharya, and Mrs. MaryAnn Wigton, who has served as secretary and bookkeeper of Ambassadors for Peace Association Washington State (AFPAWS) for 13 years.
Following the giving of the certificates to the Ambassador for Peace awardees, Mrs. Wigton remained standing and was honored for her 13 years of volunteer work for the AFPAWS.
During the Announcements section, Mr. Tito Medina spoke and requested volunteers to support the “Veteran Resource Fair” on the 21st of June, 2014. After announcements, the attendees went out to the lakeside stairs and took a group photo.
Montevideo, Uruguay – A special International Leadership Conference took place in Uruguay with theme was “Toward a New Paradigm for Peace and Human Development in Latin America”. Participants included former heads of state, parliamentarians and other government leaders, religious leaders, woman leaders and civic leaders.
We would like to thank Mrs. Hope Igarashi, UPF Chairwoman in Las Vegas, Mrs. Peggy Yujiri, UPF Chairwoman in Denver and Mr. Bruce Sutchar, UPF Chairman in the Midwest for their utmost dedication to make it possible to have an International Leadership Conference bringing together delegates of North and South America.
Here is a video with the participation of three distinguished delegates: Mrs. Katherine Duncan, Ambassador Sam Zakhem and Mr. Charles John Ford.
You can also take a look at a well-created PowerPoint presentation with a summary of this special event by clicking here.
Washington, D.C. – Mrs. Tomiko Duggan, Acting Secretary General of UPF-North America, welcomed guests at lunch on Wednesday September 25, and began by saying that during the Cold War American Leadership Conference had offered a “Headwing” ideology as a counter proposal to the struggle between Communism and Democratic nations.
It was based in a reality of a God-centered thought. She said that the source of all human problems is selfishness, and that great heroes sacrificed themselves for the greater good. “One global family under God” was the theme of the conference, which allows us to go beyond race, creed, nationality and religion. “Good governance and leadership is based in the idea of “living for the sake of others”, a UPF theme, which is the cornerstone to lasting peace,” she concluded.
Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, Chairman Universal Peace Federation, North America, welcomed the participants and added his agreement to Mrs. Duggan’s words. He praised this series of conferences in North America, the first in the DC area; Ottawa will hold its ALC conference October 3 & 4, Miami and Las Vegas in November and Chicago will hold its conference as part of its annual True Family Values celebration. He encouraged everyone to have a successful conference and wished them well.
Session I: Nation-Building, Good Governance and the United Nations
Dr. Thomas Walsh, President UPF International spoke about the need for both internal and external components to world peace. Now, only national interests are being served at the UN. The “Abel UN,” Rev. Moon’s vision of a religious council within the UN, has been formally proposed. He added, “More and more people are realizing that this is a necessary part of building world peace.” He noted that this idea is being studied in universities and discussed in many circles. Dr. Antonio Betancourt,Director, Office of Peace and Security, UPF-DC, spoke on North Korea. He said, “We should not demonize our enemies but find a way to work together… war should be the last resort to solve a conflict.”
Session II: The Need for Interfaith Dialogue, Mutual Respect and Cooperation
Rev. Jesse Edwards, Vice Chair ACLC, spoke on his personal experiences of crossing the racial divide against the expectations of family and peers. Dr. Adina Friedman,Associate professor, George Mason University, showed a power point on her reconciliation trips to Morocco and Israel. She showed that when people from different backgrounds meet and exchange with ‘the other,’ doors open and the mind can experience new opportunities. Mrs. Tomiko Duggan, Acting Secretary General Universal Peace Federation-North America, reported on the Religious Youth Service project for developing young leaders. She showed an inspiring power point on the recent program for 20 young people in Washington, DC and last year’s program in Albania. Rev. Tom Cutts, National Executive Director, ACLC, moderated.
Dinner and Session III was held at the University Club in Washington, DC where co-host of the The Washington Times Foundation, Thomas McDevitt is a member.
Session III: Sustainable Peace, Prosperity and Security in Northeast Asia: Creating a Roadmapfor the Korean Peninsula. Speakers wereSecretary Christopher Hill, former Assistant Secretary of State for Asian and Pacific Affairs; Ambassador Joseph DeTrani: Senior advisor, Director of National Intelligence (DNI);, Dr. Chang Shik Yang, Chairman of the Washington Times Foundation, and Vice Chair of UPF International; and Dr. Jun Isomura, Senior Fellow and Director of the U.S.-Japan Strategic Summit Program, Hudson Institute. This session was moderated by Alexandre Y. Mansourov, Visiting Scholar at the U.S.-Korea Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Dr. Hill spoke on the challenges and victories in the initial North Korea US discussions in 2005 and the need to build on that foundation and not start efforts “from scratch.” Dr. DeTrani spoke on the need for continuation of past victories and about President Kim Jong Eun and how he has established himself as the new ruler. Both men have vast experience working with North Korea and are cautiously hopeful for the future.
Dr. Yang said, “We believe it is time for new creativity, new ideas, innovative approaches, and most of all, a will and vision to go beyond the status quo of old thinking that is insufficient for the new era of the 21st century.” He called for a permanent peace agreement or treaty with the support of Korea’s neighbors and other “catalysts” as the basis for future inter-Korean cooperation and eventual reunification. Dr. Isomura talked about the area’s tensions and disputes and Japan’s role in peace building.
Friday morning, Session IV: The Significance of Marriage and Family for a Stable and Prosperous Society. Archbishop George Stallings, Chair, ACLC, spoke on the family as an essential component for building healthy families. Dr. Michael Balcomb,President of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification presented a power point on the UPF view of the family and that the family must be supported and protected; and Rev. Angelika Selle, President, Women’s Federation for World Peace, spoke on the role of women in creating healthy families.
Session V: Best Practices and Action Steps with Ambassador for Peace appointments:
Susan Fefferman, Coordinator, Ambassador for Peace, gave a short presentation on the Five Principles espoused by the Ambassador for Peace network. Fiver new Ambassadors for Peace were appointed. The appointments of Mr. Samuel Mall, Reach Out International/Pakistan, Interfaith Christian Ministry; Pastor Justin Ragsdale, Lest We Forget Black Holocaust Slavery Museum and Traveling Exhibit; Ms. Elizabeth Pan, Mid-Atlantic Oneness Organization, which organized the International Day of Peace Global Meditation Celebration on the West Lawn of the US Capitol in September this year, Ms. Velma Ann Ruth, Founder Independent Review; and Ms. Hali Jilani, an advisor to the US military in Afghanistan facilitating communication with native peoples, were given by Dr. Thomas Walsh and Dr. Michael Balcomb.
Testimonies were offered by Mrs. Fawzia Etemadi, an AFP who has been working in her native Afghanistan, Mr. Samuel Mall; Pastor Ragsdale, who with his wife run a museum on slavery, educating youth on the need to remember the past but forge a future based on respect for the rights of others, and Mr. Matthew Redmond, a student who is inspired about the teachings of UPF and how it impacts on his future studies.
Following Rev. Krishnek’s remarks, five persons were awarded a certificate of appointment as an Ambassador for Peace, including Ms. Emma Heron, Vice President of the Jakcares foundation, Mr. Dennis Yamasaki, Theodis Gamet, Parshu Acharya, and Mrs. MaryAnn Wigton, who has served as secretary and bookkeeper of Ambassadors for Peace Association Washington State (AFPAWS) for 13 years.
