Monthly JoongAng, August

Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, Fifty Years of Missions in America

True Family Values Inspire America.

The Unification Church was recognized as a global religion through hosting a religious gathering of 30,000 people—the largest in American history.

The Unification Movement gradually raised its prominence within America through various interreligious projects, as well as renown in business, academia, media and culture sectors.

This year will mark a half-century since the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) began their missions in America. The Family Federation overcame immense suffering and hardship to find their way into the hearts of Americans. Rev. Sun-Myung Moon and Dr. Hak-Ja Han Moon’s central message centered on the preciousness of the family, true love and building world peace.

On the morning of June 22^nd, we assembled on the Twin Peaks in San Francisco, California. A panoramic view of the city of San Francisco was visible, and a refreshing wind blew in from the Pacific Ocean. In Korea, the intense heat waves have already begun, but perhaps, thanks to the sea fog and mild maritime climate, it was not humid, but rather warm and dry. Five hundred people gathered at the top of Twin Peaks. Clergy and Ambassadors for Peace gathered from all over the world to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification’s (formerly known as the Unification Church and will henceforth be Family Federation) missions in America. Regardless of race, nationality or language, it was a moment to celebrate the values espoused by Rev. Sun-Myung Moon and his wife Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. Those values emulated world peace and the true family.

Twin Peaks is a small mountain that stands only 280 meters above sea level, but it is a special place to the Family Federation. Here, Rev. Moon and Dr. Hak-Ja Han Moon started the first American missions fifty years ago in 1965. The Family Federation calls this place a “Holy Ground.” From February 15^th, 1965 to March 29^th, Rev. Moon visited fifty-five cities in forty-eight states in forty-three days, finishing in Oregon. This American journey was part of Rev. Moon’s First World Tour.

A member of the Family Federation explained that during this American tour, Rev. and Mrs. Moon designated fifty-five locations as Holy Grounds at which to pray for world peace and human salvation. A pilgrimage tour beginning in San Francisco titled, “God’s Hope for America” bused participants to each of these Holy Grounds in fifty-five cities over forty-three days. The entire journey covered approximately 13,349 miles.

On the summit of Twin Peaks, Michael Balcomb, President of the American Family Federation, read Rev. Moon’s prayer from fifty years ago. The prayer was entitled, “True Parents and the Completion of the New Testament Age.” A Family Federation member said, “America, as the center of the world, is God’s hope and where Rev. Sun-Myung Moon and Dr. Hak-Ja Han Moon made a promise in 1965.” He added, “The meaning of this event is to inherit that spirit of Rev. and Mrs. Moon.” He continued, “Through a pilgrimage of the American Holy Grounds, considered as the starting point of the Family Federation’s globalization, we can reflect on the work and ideology of Rev. Sun-Myun Moon and Dr. Hak-Ja Han Moon. The purpose is to remind Americans about the meaning of True Family and world peace.”

Now, fifty years from that tour, three hundred Unification churches in 120 cities are located in America. There are ten thousand members and fifty thousand of these members actively participating in church activities. Where did the power for the Family Federation to suddenly grow in America come from? Ki-Hoon Kim, Regional Leader of the North American Family Federation, explained, “It was possible because Rev. Sun-Myung Moon and Dr. Hak-Ja Han Moon’s message corresponded with pressing moral issues in America at the time.” He further explained, “During the 60’s and 70’s, America was engulfed with intense cultural confusion. President Kennedy’s assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, the Cold War between East and West and the Vietnam War all contributed to the complete chaos surrounding American values. Young people were addicted to drugs and alcohol and the hippie culture was exceedingly popular. Rev. Moon judged that since America was in crisis, the world was in crisis. That is why he emphasized that the importance of family must be conveyed for the reconstruction of American society and values.”

The Unification Movement centered on America actively began in the 1970’s. At the end of 1971, Rev. Moon and his family immigrated to America and began mission activities in earnest. In 1973, he gained permanent resident status, and was able to safely expand his following.

America as the Starting Point of Family Federation’s Globalization

At the time, Rev. Moon considered revitalizing American Christianity as his priority. Rev. Moon determined that America was spiritually exhausted, and then aimed to spread the values of Eastern Christianity, which is rooted in filial piety. Everywhere he went, Rev. Moon declared, “America is a sick patient. The values of the American family are burning. I have come to save America as a doctor and firefighter.” (1976 Washington Monument Rally)

In the early days, the growth of the American Unification Church rapidly occurred through large-scale rallies. From 1972 to 1974, Rev. and Mrs. Moon embarked on a seventy-city tour throughout America. The final notes of this speaking tour were three large rallies in America’s three major cities. These rallies include the 1974 Madison Square Garden Rally in New York City, the 1976 New York Yankees Stadium Rally and the Washington Monument Rally.

During the Fourth World Tour, on September 18^th, 1974, as part of an eight-city tour of America, the Day of Hope Rally at Madison Square Garden in New York attracted 25,000 people. Here, Rev. Moon spread the message of the Second Advent of the Messiah and his purpose. Following the success of this speech, the American missions in the Unification Church were unstoppable.

Then a certain event took place, which impacted American society to a shocking degree. It was the Washington Monument Rally, which American religion historians refer to as a major milestone for the Unification Church. On September 18^th, 1976, the Family Federation Rally at the Washington Monument attracted 30,000 people—the largest gathering in American history. This record has yet to broken, even now. The record holder before this event was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963’s gathering of 20,000 people, also held at the Washington Monument. That same year, Rev. Moon held another gathering at the New York Yankees Stadium celebrating the bicentennial of American’s independence on June 1^st. Approximately 30,000 people also gathered for this event.

That year, Newsweek Magazine surprisingly named Rev. Moon Person of the Year.

UPF World Chairman Chang-Shik Yang explained the mood at the time: “There was great interest in the new teachings and values that came from the East. The Unification Church’s message of purity and family values appeared attractive amongst the compounding confusion caused by the collapse of the family and loss of hope. Even with economic abundance, the American young people had no dreams or hopes, but the teachings of Rev. and Mrs. Moon appeared fresh to them. Rev. Sun-Myung Moon and Dr. Hak-Ja Han Moon emphasized the mission and responsibility of Christianity, and argued for the resurrection and revitalization of Christianity.” Regional Leader Ki-Hoon Kim added, ”Japanese missionaries provided a financial foundation, and world missions based in America, the stronghold of Christian civilization, began in earnest for victory.” He explained, “They experienced complications, however, among new religions, the Unification Church grew its congregation at an alarming speed with expansive recognition.”

The Gathering That Amazed America: The Washington Monument Rally

The Family Federation continued to hold large-scale gatherings, and was successful in letting its significance be known the world over through a single event. However, with happiness and victory also comes suffering and cost. In 1976, with the grand success of the Washington Rally, the Unification Church congregation quickly grew, causing conservative Christianity to become guarded and skeptical towards the Unification Church. The conservative society in America began to intensively inquire about the Family Federation. Doubts were raised indiscriminately. Congressman Robert Dole was at the forefront of these inquiries. In 1976 and 1979, he held two hearings questioning the activities of the Unification Church. In 1977, Hyung-Wook Kim, Director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) falsely shared in an interview with the New York Times that Rev. Moon and Mr. Bo-Hi Park were spies for the agency, fueling the controversy even more. A member of the Family Federation explained, “Later, Bo-Hi Park wrote a public letter to Mr. Kim, and Mr. Kim eventually attended a hearing at the U.S. congress and altered his past words on the Korean Central Intelligence Agency.”

Rev. Moon’s incarceration in Danbury Federal Prison is an example of how the American conservative society attempted to keep the Unification Church in check. Simply explained, the Danbury incident was a matter of tax evasion.

From 1973 to 1975, donations from Unification Church members totaling up to $160,000 were deposited into an account in Chase Manhattan Bank in New York. One thousand dollars of interest was generated from $11,200 (about 700,000 won at that time), and it was the failure to report this amount that caused the Danbury incident.

Ultimately, Rev. Moon was prosecuted on suspicions of tax evasion. Upon the announcement of his prison sentence, Rev. Moon said, “If this will expedite the spiritual awakening of America, then I will gladly go to prison.” When Rev. Moon was found guilty of tax evasion, various American religious leaders, who receive tax exemption benefits, opposed the decision, declaring it as an attack on religious freedom. That year on June 11^th, a meeting titled, “A Rally for Religious Freedom” (New York Sheraton Hotel) argued for the innocence of Rev. Moon. Approximately 300 clergymen from 60 different religious denominations participated in a rally against the imprisonment sentence. A Tokyo Demonstration Rally was help in Japan on June 12^th with 5,000 participants, and in Korea on June 14^th, an event titled, “A Rally for Religious Freedom” was held at the Seoul Hilton Hotel with 1,350 participants. These events urged for America to wake up. Rev. Moon was released from prison after a year of incarceration.

A member of the Family Federation said, “At the time, the Unification Church’s contribution to society was considerable. It makes no sense to commit tax evasion over just a few thousand dollars.” The American Congress released a statement criticizing the Administration and the Department of Justice.

Senator Orrin Hatch, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, said, “The offender in the incident with Rev. Moon is the American government. It is against the law to give a prison sentence for a tax evasion crime under a total of $7,500.” He added, “The U.S. Attorney General knew this, yet he intentionally made Rev. Moon into an innocent sacrificial lamb. Rev. Moon is innocent, and the perpetrator is the U.S. government.”

Strictly speaking, the Danbury incident happened during the dawn of the mission providence of the American Family Federation, and was a conflict between those with vested interests and newfound power.

Pressure from America’s conservative religious body did not only affect Rev. Moon himself. Among the American religious body, it was a time of “clergy expulsion.” An article from The Washington Post on June 25^th, 2001 said, “A few of the black clergy who toured together with Rev. Moon of the Unification Church have been threatened with expulsion or termination unless they condemned Rev. Moon.” According to the newspaper, thirty-five black ministers from churches in the South were voted to be expelled by the church councils, which opposed Rev. Moon.

Chairman Chang-Shik Yang explained the position of the American conservative religious body: “The main conservative religious bodies believed Rev. Moon’s teachings to be liberal. There were many points that differed from the traditional values. While they were trapped by the literal interpretations of the Bible, the Unification Church offered a new hope and vision for Christianity. They criticized this as unbiblical. Today, it is understood that the Divine Principle of the Unification Church is the core philosophy of the Bible.”

True Love Movement: Awakening True Family Values in America

Rev. Luonne Abram Rouse, a black religious leader from the United Methodist Church, who met Rev. Moon in Washington, conveyed the following message on the persecution Rev. Moon received from the American conservative religious body:

“The rules for determining a cult must be whether it aligns with the Will of God or not. However, the teachings of Rev. Sun-Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon are one with the Will of God. History will remember Rev. Moon as the most significant person in our age, who was unable to be welcomed. All those people who opposed Rev. Moon will realize they were wrong. Rev. Moon is a genuine person. Everyone in the world must study the ideology and teachings of Rev. Moon. His messages on family or the Unification Movement give us the power to contribute to world peace. He is no longer living, but when you see how widely his message has spread, it feels like he is still living.”

Even amongst the prosecution, trial, appeals and incarceration, he still officiated the 2,075 Couples Blessing Wedding Ceremony, the founding of The Washington Times and supported a bill for supporting the Nicaraguan Contras in Congress. A member of the Family Federation explained, “As Rev. Moon and the Unification Church were warding off numerous attacks from American society, they prepared a system even more solid than before.” He added, “Even as he was experiencing hardship in Danbury, he rallied together people from all walks of life and spread a new level of Unification Movement through various projects.”Particularly, during the El Salvador incident of that time when Central America’s leftist powers threatened America, the Family Federation published a daily newspaper in December of 1976. Titled News World, it also actively supported the Reagan Administration.

An extensive national shift was needed, and in the late 1990’s the True Family Movement became that shift. After changing the name of the church from the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (HAS-UWC) to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), they spread the True Family Movement to each nation under the motto of world peace through ideal families. Restoring family values transcends religion, and is a moral cornerstone to human civilization.

Dr. Hak-Ja Han Moon Contributes to the Designation of Parents’ Day

Rev. Moon’s True Family Movement gave a fresh shock to American young adults. Rev. Moon and Dr. Hak-Ja Han Moon emphasized the importance of true love and purity in order to create peace and happy families. The Family Federation began a campaign for purity through the Pure Love Alliance (PLA). Through the True Family Movement, hundreds of married couples in America took part in the True Family Blessing Ceremony, pledging to become true couples and true parents.

Rev. Moon said, “Peace will come about while creating the family,” and especially argued in favor of exchange marriage—a marriage between those of different races and nationalities. The Family Federation emphasizes the Marriage Blessing in order to maintain family values and purity. Thirteen American couples participated in the Marriage Blessing for the first time on February 28^th, 1969 in Washington D.C. Since then, Americans have participated in the 777, 1,800, 6,000, 6,500, 30,000, and 36,000 couples Marriage Blessing ceremonies. In 1997, a Blessing ceremony was held in Washington D.C. at the RFK stadium, and in 1998, one was held in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Through these ceremonies, Rev. and Mrs. Moon spread the message of the importance of family and through interreligious Marriage Blessings, they also continued to propagate family values in the religious sphere.

In America, the third Sunday of July is Parents’ Day. However, it is not well known that this day came about through the influence of the Family Federation. To be exact, it was thanks to a speech on July 28^th, 1993, that Dr. Hak-Ja Han Moon gave upon invitation at the Dirksen Hall in the U.S. Senate Office.

“We must accomplish the individual unity of mind and body, the conjugal unity of husband and wife and the family unity of parents and children. Then we can establish ideal families centered upon God’s love. With such families, the symptoms of our decaying society will vanish. As confident children of God, we will no longer be enslaved by the temptations of drug and alcohol abuse. Moreover, by understanding the holiness of love between a husband and wife, we will possess the moral strength to stand strong against infidelity and promiscuity. Finally, we will work as a whole to eliminate war, racial prejudices and world hunger. Based upon this foundation, we can realize a world of true happiness, freedom and peace.”

This speech influenced the U.S. Congress, and the resolution No. 236 passed in the House of Representatives. The day Dr. Moon spoke to Congress (July 28^th) was determined as Parents’ Day and every year, the third Sunday of July is celebrated as Parents’ Day. The activities of the Family Federation in America have matured in content over time. Projects such as Victory over Communism and peace initiatives became even more active after Rev. Moon’s incarceration in Danbury. In the 2000’s, the peace initiatives began to spearhead global movements. Rev. Moon’s meeting with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev (April, 1990) and Kim Il-Sung (November, 1991) became a catalyst for the movement.

Rev. Moon founded the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP) in November of 1999, and started various peace initiatives transcending religion, nationality, race and ideology. With this foundation, the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) and the Peace Union were established. Founded in 2005, the UPF is an NGO in special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. The UPF works with the goal of substantiating a global village community and everlasting world peace, starting with Korea, and in various regions of the world. The Peace UN serves as an alternative private organization primed to overcome religious and national barriers that cannot be overcome in the UN.

World Peace Initiatives on the Foundation of True Family and Interreligious Movements

Rev. Moon judged that the activities in America, the center of the world, would be a foundation for substantiating the ideal of world peace. During the four years of the Carter Administration, he met with several South American national leaders, spreading the idea of civil rights policy. South American leaders at that time were impressed with Rev. Moon’s Unification ideology, and he was received as “the best comrade of South America among all comrades.”

On this foundation, in October of 1980, the Confederation of the Associations for the Unification of the Societies of the Americas (CAUSA) was established for the substantiation of world peace through the unification and cooperation of the North and South American continents. Former and current national heads of state participated together for the cause. CAUSA, along with The Washington Times, was credited for also playing a role in collapsing the Soviet Union. For eleven years, from 1980 until the final collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, they led in the defense against Communist power, traveling the Five Seas and Six Continents. The Victory over Communism (VOC)movement expanded in America, and in July of 1983, the Family Federation established an international headquarters for CAUSA in the Tiffany Building on New York’s Fifth Avenue.

UPF President Thomas Walsh, who led the interreligious movement for approximately forty years in the American Family Federation said, “Rev. Moon had an insight into the problems the world would face. He made efforts to prepare for the current religious conflicts in the Middle East decades before.”

Rev. Moon realized that it would be difficult to achieve world peace through the United Nations, where each nation spoke for their own gain, and made great efforts for UN reformation. A member of the Family Federation explained, “Rev. Moon first mentioned UN reformation in 1964 when he met with former president Eisenhower.” In the 1990’s Rev. Moon established international organizations in each region to discuss world peace for the sake of UN reformation. Representatives of these organizations include the Federation for Island Nations for World Peace (FINWP), the Federation of Continental Nations for World Peace (FCNWP) and the Federation of Peninsula Nations for World Peace (FPNWP), established in 1996, as well as the IIFWP established in 1998. In 2004, the Mongolian People’s Federation for World Peace (MPFWP) was established as well. International Middle East Peace Conferences and peace marches in the regions of Israel and Palestine for the establishment for peace and other interreligious and international movements were conducted. The American Clergy Leadership Conference, founded on May 20^th, 2000, when 120 Christian ministers gathered in Cheong-Pyeong, is considered the driving force behind America’s interreligious movements. This conference has grown into network of 20,000 clergy, transcending all denominations and religions in America.

Rev. Rouse explained Rev. Moon’s interreligious activities: “While reading Rev. Moon’s words in the library of the Unification Theological Seminary (Barrytown, New York), I realized God’s wish. What does religion, nationality or race have to do with anything? It is to fulfill true love, true morals and true ethics in our lives. In other words, Rev. Moon’s teaching is to establish the ideal peace as one family under God.” He added, “Obama experienced intense racial discrimination, yet, in 1970, more than thirty years before he entered the presidential election, Rev. Moon told me that in the near future there would be a black president. At that time, it could have been regarded as nonsense, but it actually came true.”

One reason the Family Federation’s True Family movements and interreligious initiatives were able to push ahead successfully was a strong financial foundation. Realizing that the missionary work or world peace initiatives would be limited if they were only supported by the donations of their followers, the Family Federation began business, and were extremely successful. To begin with, the New Yorker Hotel is a property of the Family Federation. “The hotel was purchased for $460,000  on May 12^th, 1976, but in the current market, it is worth $400 million,” said a member of the Family Federation. The hotel, located on 34^th Street and 8^th Avenue, has two thousand rooms and a Grand Ballroom. A portion of the hotel is used as the headquarters for the World Missions Center.

On the profits of the businesses, Regional President Ki-Hoon Kim said, “It’s difficult to publicize the actual number, but there is a considerable amount of profit.” Michael Jenkins, who is responsible for the business side of the American Family Federation, shared in detail about the businesses.

“Ocean Peace Inc., which is in charge of the business in the Bering Sea, and boat repair company, Master Marine, located in Alabama, contribute to a large portion of these profits. The American government only allows twenty ships to operate in the Bering Sea, and the Family Federation owns three of them. Almost all of the tuna and other hauls are exported to Japan. The Family Federation owns hundreds of medium-sized ships.

Cultivating the Position in America through a Strong Financial Base

The Family Federation entered the fishing industry because of Rev. Moon’s will to solve world hunger through the ocean. President Kim said, “In the 1970’s, America had three of the four great fishing grounds, but nobody to catch the fish. Rev. Moon, who enjoyed fishing, began to ride the boats in 1974 for seven years to catch tuna. Rev. Moon’s fishing boat, christened “New Hope,” was famous in the East for catching tuna. He would ride this boat for twenty-four hours and train the young people on how to operate it. He even trained them to build dockyards, processing factories and restaurants, as well as how to weave the nets and sell the fish they caught. After seven years of creating a foundation, they were ready to take over the fishing industry.”

The fishing industry of the Family Federation grew with leaps and bounds. In 1978, they bought the International Seafood Association (ISA) in Kodiak, Alaska, and in May of 1980, they purchased Morning Garden in Boston. ISA was the first factory to directly manufacture fish like salmon, halibut, cod and black rock fish in the Alaskan ocean. Eventually, they took over a fish purchasing company in Alaska’s Bristol Bay, expanding their business. In this way, the ocean industry that began in Norfolk expanded to the cities of Gloucester, Massachusetts and Seattle, Washington, as well as throughout the states of Alaska, Alabama, and California. In 1977, the US Master Marine Corporation, a company that builds and fixes commercial fishing boats, was established in Alabama.

In the early days, Rev. Moon took an active interest in the ocean industry to solve the problem of world hunger. A member of the Family Federation explained, “In order to solve the world hunger problem, he joined forces with the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center, Chamber of Commerce and the Alaskan state government, and in 1994, a fish powder with 85% concentrated protein was produced. “The International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF) provided this fish powder to people all over the world suffering from malnutrition and hunger. Sent to refugees in Burundi and Rwanda, the powder played a large role in solving hunger.”

These active economic projects became the foundation for the Family Federation to become an influential religious organization throughout America. Rev. Moon also poured his passion into the academic and media industry. He referred to the importance of education saying, “As religion is based on the truth, we must first spread the truth.” After beginning activities in America, his first priority was to establish the Unification Theological Seminary near New York City. After taking over a 2,300 m² Catholic Divinity School located in Barrytown in the Hudson Valley, the Seminary opened on October 20^th, 1975. Renowned scholars with Jewish, Protestant, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox backgrounds were invited to join the faculty. This offered a glimpse of Rev. Moon’s desire to not lean towards a single religion, but to teach interreligiously.

The Washington Times is Credited for being the Voice of American Conservative Politics.

Rev. Moon also acquired The University of Bridgeport, established in 1927 in the southwest coast of Connecticut. Despite the long history, beautiful campus and excellent teaching staff, it was going down the path of decline and facing difficulties to even stay open. Rev. Moon decided to save the school in 1992, despite critical voices in the media.

While covering the events in America, we met President Neal Albert Salonen who shared, “Our university welcomes the activities of all religions. Asserting a specific religion in America is politically incorrect. We have the most Muslim students.” At this university, after the Chinese students, the Saudi Arabian students make up the most of the international students. A Family Federation member explained, “Youth from all over the world have shown interest in cultural exchange and education through the International Education Foundation founded by Rev. Moon on May 5^th, 1990.

Rev. Moon also showed interest in the media, establishing a newspaper in America. He believed that the media had the biggest role and responsibility in creating world peace. Beginning with America, he established media companies in Korea and Japan, and supported the media world in various ways, including hosting the World Media Conference.

The first media company he established was the News World in December of 1976. On November 4^th, 1980, the paper was the first to publish their front page with the headline “Reagan Landslide,” becoming the topic of conversation in American politics. On April, 4^th, 1983, News World was changed to The New York Tribute. In 1980, a Spanish newspaper Noticias Del Mundo was published, and in 2000, they took over the international telecommunications company, United Press International (UPI), resulting in establishing a global news network.

The media business in America began to take off with the daily newspaper The Washington Times, established on May 17^th, 1982. This paper perpetually vouched for the conservatives and cultivated their influence within America. In Washington politics, it was credited for responding to the liberal Washington Post with a conservative voice.

Former House of Representative member Dan Burton (1976, Indiana, Republican), who was reelected fourteen times, said, “The Washington Times is very important for the conservative voice of America, and I am thankful that it fulfills that role.” He continued, “I respect Rev. Moon and am grateful for his efforts to spread the truth throughout America and the world through The Washington Times. I especially credit Rev. Moon for sharing with world leaders the importance of stopping the expansion of Communism.”

The heyday of The Washington Times ensued during the Reagan Administration in the 1980’s. At that time, there were hundreds of reporters in the editorial department, however, currently the number has decreased to eighty. John Salomon, the editor of The Washington Times said, “The Washington Times contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union. At the time, it was known as the newspaper that the president regularly read.”

Thomas McDevitt, president of the Washing Times Foundation also added, “After President Clinton’s Lewinsky scandal, America experienced a moral crisis. Then the 9/11 terror attacks happened. After these events, the culture began to turn to The Washington Times, and it was a golden opportunity for interreligious initiatives.”He added, “The Washington Times is being quoted and reported by numerous media outlets. About 10,000 newspapers are delivered to the White House, Congress and throughout the Administration.”

The results reaped by the Family Federation in the political and religious world over the past fifty years in America surprised everyone. Their conquests over suffering and hardships seem to have moved the people. In the center of all this is Rev. Sun-Myung Moon and Dr. Hak-Ja Han Moon’s teachings on the preciousness of families through true love and the fulfillment of world peace.

Middle Titles:

The results reaped by the Family Federation in the political and religious world over the past fifty years in America surprised everyone. Their conquests over suffering and hardships seem to have moved the people. In the center of all this is Rev. Sun-Myung Moon and Dr. Hak-Ja Han Moon’s teachings on the preciousness of families through true love and the fulfillment of world peace.

Photo Captions:

* The Family Federation for World Peace celebrated fifty years of missionary work in America. In America, the suffering and hardships experienced by the Family Federation became the chance for them to stand tall as a world religion. Last June 22^nd, members and Ambassadors for Peace from various nations gathered at the Twin Peaks in San Francisco, where Rev. Sun-Myung Moon and his wife Dr. Hak-Ja Han Moon began their first missionary activities fifty years ago. Those gathered participated in a kick-off ceremony for a commemorative Holy Ground pilgrimage.

* The gathering of 30,000 people at the Washington Monument was a milestone in the missionary providence for the Family Federation. From the left, Washington Monument Rally on September 18^th, 1976, New York Yankees Stadium Rally on June 1^st of the same year. The small photo is a full-page advertisement in the New York Times for a 1972 rally at the Lincoln Center.

1. June 1965, Rev. Moon expressed the importance of reforming the international organization, the United Nations, during his meeting with President Eisenhower.

2. 1974, Rev. Moon and President Nixon shaking hands after a meeting at the White House.

3. The News World, established in 1976, became a political topic of conversation when it predicted the Reagan landslide election. After the election, President Reagan began reading the News World.

4. In December 2003, Illinois Senator Obama gave greeting remarks at the 8^th Annual True Family Awards Ceremony.

5. In 1995, Dr. Hak-Ja Han Moon met with former U.S. President Bush and his wife and discussed5world peace movements.

* In 1997,thousands of couples resolved to create ideal families during the Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

* Rev. Moon cultivated his influence in America through the academic and media sectors. From the left, the University of Bridgeport, The Washington Times headquarters.

* July 28^th, 1993, Dr. Hak-Ja Han Moon’s guest lecture at the U.S. Congress was decisive in the legislation for Parents’ Day. Dr. Moon emphasized the importance of family members uniting together.