Seattle, WA – Dedicated brothers and sisters gathered in Seattle at what turned out to be a great event with nearly 30 Ambassadors For Peace (AFP) and friends on Thursday, February 26,to hear plans for 2015, network and share an excellent meal. After offering a blessing for the meal, participants enjoyed the salmon dinner, followed by a dessert of caramel drizzled crisps with fresh fruit.
Participants then turned their attention to the speaker of the night, Mr. Larry Krishnek, Universal Peace Federation (UPF) Northwest Secretary General. Mr. Krishnek’s topic was “Forgive, Love, Unite; the Way to Lasting Stability.” Mr. Krishnek began with comments on the soon upcoming Universal Peace Federation international conference beginning on March 1st in Seoul, Korea.
The theme of that conference is “Beyond the Challenges of Our Time: Transforming the Society, Nation and World”; in which dignitaries and attendees from around the world will hear presentations on the “Principles of Peace,” and discuss in the context of applying those Principles to the challenges faced by families, and by religions and governments.
Another key part of that conference will be presentations on the topic of “One Family Under God: The Blessing Vision.” This relates to the next event in Seattle, on March 7th, the Interfaith Marriage Rededication Holy Blessing Ceremony, from 10:00am to 1:30pm. The event will include education on the purpose of this Blessing ceremony.
This relates to the Vision for 2015 of the AFP parent organization, UPF, which is “America becomes a model nation for peace and happiness in the world”, which in turn relates to the establishment of strong, God-centered families as a basis for a strong and prosperous country.
Secretary General Krishnek said that in times of stress, often people respond by separating into groups based upon national origin, religion or etc., but that we should strive to be united based upon the over-arching spiritual principles which we all share as those created by the Creator.
He then led the participants through a reading in summary of the speech by the Reverend Moon, founder of the UPF and AFP organizations, entitled Forgive, Love, Unite”, printed in major newspapers around the USA on 11/30/1973, at the height of the controversy over the Watergate scandal in the Nixon administration, a time of great bitterness and enmity between Americans.
In the speech, Reverend Moon asked Americans to pause and to ask the question “What is the will of God in this situation”. Reverend Moon went on to report on the answers he had received in prayer, being those three words of the speech title.
In the speech, Reverend Moon called Americans to renew the faith expressed in the motto: “In God We Trust”, and asked all to enter into the spirit of forgiveness for President Nixon.
Those who know some of the history of Korea and Reverend Moon know that Reverend Moon’s belief was that Nixon’s deep understanding of the dangers of the communist ideology far outweighed his faults in his ethical and legal breaches of trust regarding the Watergate break-in related to his re-election campaign.
Reverend Moon’s knows first-hand what it will take to stop the the advancement of communist ideology, the horrible effects of which Reverend Moon had witnessed first-hand as a Christian, sentenced in 1948, to a labor camp in North Korea in which two thirds of the inmates died within 3 years. He even witnessed the ruthless killings performed by the North Korean communist forces during the Korean War from 1950-1953.
Reverend Moon therefore appealed directly to the American people to believe him that God was calling for Nixon to be forgiven, and now humbled; he should be allowed to lead America in being strong against the advance of communist ideology.
Mr. Krishnek sought to remind all that Reverend Moon’s efforts were to remind Americans that the destiny of this country is and should be intimately related to the providence of God for this world, and that America was, and many believe still is in the position to champion Godly values and ideals in the world, and to model them for the world.
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Washington, D.C. – On a blistery winter afternoon in Washington, D.C., 63 religious leaders and students from the diplomatic corps and private sector met together in the warm Beech room of the Washington Times for the UN created Interfaith Harmony Week on February 19, 2015.
Following a delicious lunch, Mrs. Tomiko Duggan, Director of Public Affairs of UPF, in Washington, DC, welcomed the guests and thanked Mr. Thomas McDevitt, Chairman of the Washington Times, for supporting this important program, and she then introduced the UPF video.
Mrs. Susan Fefferman, then took over to begin the program by inviting five religious leaders: Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, to participate in the Water of Lifeceremony by pouring glasses of water into a common bowl, symbolically uniting the faiths of mankind into one common body in the hope for peace and happiness.
She then invited Rabbi Herzl Kranz as the first speaker, representing possibly the oldest religion, Judaism. The Rabbi established the first Orthodox congregation in suburban Washington, DC in 1967 and has been its rabbi for the past 46 years.
He is an advocate for social justice and human rights issues. In that way established the Center for Economic and Social Justice supporting inalienable human rights as life, liberty, and access to productive property. The center proposes Employee Stock Ownership Plans which allows employees to purchase equities in the company where they work. He also helps inmates with rehabilitation regardless of their religion.
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He spoke about Rev. Moon being a remarkable man because he pursued peace. Aaron, the brother of Moses was a similar figure because he pursued peace.
He told a story about two men who both had the same amount of water in the desert. One drinks all his quickly while the other saves it carefully. What should the man with the water do, let his friend die or share his water and both die? The rabbis discussed this predicament and Rabbi Akiva said the water belongs to the one man and he should drink it alone. Tough decision.
Minister Amar Nath Gupta spoke, a former diplomat and head priest of the largest Hindu Capital Temple in the area. He always begins by blowing a conch shell representing peace. He works to educate funeral homes about Hindu practices, and helps local funeral homes keep the ashes of the deceased until families can return to India to spread those ashes in the Ganges River.
Minister Gupta, is a friend of the Unification movement and testifies to the good works of Rev. and Mrs. Moon. He personally experienced healing of cancer at the Korean spiritual retreat. He expressed his ideas that all people should be healthy by loving their neighbors, practicing the yogic postures and breathing. He respects and honors all other religions and quoted from his sacred text several times.
Western Buddhist nun Gen Kelsang Varahi, a Resident Teacher at Vajrayogini Buddhist Center, in the Adams Morgan area of DC, has been a close disciple of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, who gave her the title “Gen”, indicating she is a senior teacher of the Kadampa Tradition since 2000.
She spoke on the teaching from Buddha Shakamuni that “all appearances are the nature of mind. Everything we see, perceive and experience is the nature of our mind, and in particular what type of mind we are generating.” She quoted from, Shanti Dava, a famous Indian saint, “May I become the protector of the protector-less.” This means ‘let me be responsible.’ It is our responsibility, not someone else’s, she added. It is our responsibility to have peace or happiness.
In Buddhism we define compassion as being motivated by love. It is not sympathy or pity, it is responsibility. Who are the protector-less? Perhaps the vulnerable, the victims but she adds Buddha teaches it is also the harmer, and that is the challenge. How are they protector-less? Their mind is unprotected, uncontrolled. Their mind is being controlled by delusions, by negativity and hatred.
Through the eyes of compassion he is suffering just like the victim. He is suffering from hatred, attachment, evil, and resentment. She adds that this is in contrast to looking at the harmer through eyes of anger which sees them as the enemy and we wish to harm them. We need compassion and wisdom working together to create peace, inner peace is essential to external peace, she concluded.
Pastor Ernest Patton is pastor at the Northern Virginia Family Church in Fairfax and the regional director of six Unificationist churches in the DC Metro area. “It is good that we can gather here and discuss the commonalities of different religions,” he began. He spoke about forgiving one’s enemy and mentioned how Rev. Moon went to North Korea at personal risk, and embraced the man, Chairman Kim Il Sung, who had held him captive in a death camp during the Korean war. He reconciled with his enemy as a brother, healing the rift within.
Dr. Zainab Chaudry is the Maryland Outreach Manager for CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations) and a board member of Interfaith Action for Human Rights. She is also a member of Salaam Shalom, an interfaith Dialogue Group for Muslim and Jewish Women.
She spoke on how difficult it is to not feel fearful toward Muslims with the violent images on the TV and in the media. She said if she weren’t a Muslim she would be fearful too. She said that we all have a responsibility to set the record straight on what religions really teach.
Sixty percent of Americans have never had a conversation with a Muslim, she reported. Their information comes solely from the media, not from personal knowledge. “We all have a responsibility to bridge the divide and bring us all together,” she added.
She left pharmacy work to help support interfaith efforts and bring people together to make a difference in the world. She quoted the Prophet Mohammad’s final sermon as a guide for everyone, “All mankind is from Adam and Eve, and Arab does not have superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have superiority over an Arab. A white does not have superiority over a black, nor a black over a white, except by piety and good action.” This means that we can’t differentiate between individuals.
She added that we cannot judge, that is for God alone to judge. She continued with describing that due to social media and technology the world may be the same size but we can have societies with wonderful diversity through learning and education. ‘Islam’ means submit to God, ‘salaam’ means peace. Anyone who submits to God is a Muslim. The God of Christianity, Judaism and Islam is the same, she added. She urged us to go beyond what we know and discover the diversity that is out there.
Following her, Mrs. Nanae Goto, a talented staff member of UPF, moved the group with her powerful rendition, singing “The Impossible Dream.”
The next part of the program were the presentations by two ambassadors: Ambassador Michael Moussa-Adamo, who was appointed by the President of Gabon, in September 2011. He has spent more than 20 years in public service in his country and most recently worked with his President to ensure that Gabon has a seat on the UN Security Council.
He gave three points on how to work together for peace. First: to agree to disagree, meaning our differences should never cause us to hurt one another. Second, “we must sit down and reason together, break bread together and share about our families… our shared humanity.” And third, all people must dare to dream about peace and shared happiness.
He cited the famous ‘Christmas truce’ between Germans and English soldiers during WWI. He added that investment in education is essential, especially education for girls. “When women are educated everyone benefits and peace follows.”
He concluded with a quote from Sam Kutesa, President of the UN General Assembly given in observance of Interfaith Harmony Week, “As intolerance, bigotry and hatred fuel conflicts, violence and extremism around the world. We need to strengthen our efforts to foster respect and understanding between cultures, religions, and ethnic groups. Every time we choose dialogue and reconciliation over confrontation, we take a step forward on our collective path to lasting peace.”
The final speaker was Ambassador Winston Thompson, who began his government service in 1962 working in agriculture, finance, the public service commission, the UN, and in the private sector as the CEO of Telecom Fiji Ltd. and finally, as Ambassador to the US for the past six years.
He gave a short history of the struggle of Fiji to become a strong, democratic nation where religions are respected by all. A previous English colony, independence was gained in 1970. Since 1879 indentured Indians had been brought into Fiji to work on plantations, most stayed and the result was a divided nation with Indians and native Fijians struggling for supremacy.
No blood was ever spilled but only through the religious leaders coming together to discover how to heal the nation, a tri-religious group was produced which helped to create respect and understanding. Today, Christian, Hindu and Muslims live and work together making Fiji the “happiest country on earth” (93%) according to a Win Gallup poll while Iraq is the least happy (31%).
Ambassador Thompson, who with his wife Queenie, has attended many UPF programs and they both have been appointed Ambassadors for Peace. They will be leaving DC in a few months, they were happy to appoint new Ambassadors for Peace. The four new appointees are: Ambassador Moussa-Adamo, Gen Kelsang Varahi, Dr. Zainab Chaudry, and Venerable Maung Shein from a Burmese Monastery in Richmond, VA. Many photographs followed and a toast for peace concluded the program.
New York, NY – Universal Peace Federation, USA, in partnership with UNESCO Center for Peace, NY Chapter, organizes a phenomenal American Leadership Conference on December 19th in New York City.
The sixty participants who attended the event included a range between long-time established guests, to rising young adult leaders, all of whom were passionate about bringing change to America.
The program began with welcoming remarks from Dr. Thomas Walsh – President of UPF International – who gave the highlights of the work of UPF in 2014. Dr. Walsh was followed by Her Excellency Ms. Sire Dione Conde – President, UNESCO Centers for Peace, NY Chapter – who warmly welcomed the guests and thanked them for their attendance.
Mr. Ricardo de Sena, President, UPF USA, spoke on the second session of the program regarding marriage and family. Mr. de Sena also congratulated Dr. Joseph Champagne, Mayor, South Toms River, New Jersey, alongside Secretary General Cynthia Shibuya, as Mayor Champagne was appointed to become an Ambassador for Peace.
A total of five sessions where held discussing and giving solutions for topics such as “A Vision for Peace: Universal Principle of Creation,” addressed by Dr. Thomas Walsh and “The Root Cause of Conflict and Principles of Reconciliation,” addressed by Her Excellency Mrs. Genie Kagawa, Chairwoman of UN NGO Committee on Spirituality.
UPF USA focuses four main areas, two of which include inter-faith activities and youth services. Both of these were addressed during the conference as Ashley Freema Weeks, President, Ghanaian Youth Education Outreach of USA, and several religious leaders attended including Rabbi Roger Ross, Executive Director, Rabbinical Seminary International, and new recently appointed Ambassador for Peace, Imam Konate, Vice President of the Imam Leadership Council in Harlem.
Fourteen new Ambassadors for Peace were also appointed during this conference with a call to action as they embark to establish a nation of peace here in the United States of America.
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.
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.