The latest Unification Movement Worldwide News

A Report on Blessing '99
By Tyler Hendricks

It happens everytime at a stadium event: the moment you enter into the
sunlight. 

From the outside, a stadium is a formless, too-big-for-any-use massive gray
monstrosity. You park miles away. You struggle to find the right gate. You
pass through the dark cold tunnel, seeing in front of you a television
screen's worth of green and light and brightly colored seats. Then you enter
and gaze upon a new world. A private sky is captured for you and only you by
the tremendous bowl. 

You feel the energy from the hum of activity on the field in preparation for
the event, an event that is drawing multitudes, an event that is worthy of a
stadium. The world of the event opens up before your eyes. New sounds, new
colors, a world enclosed unto itself for a time. On February 7, 1999, at the
Seoul Olympic Main Stadium, some 150,000 people shared that illumination of
a stadium entrance. I am quite sure the stadium had never held so many,
because even the Olympics did not have thousands of people on the field. And
I'm not counting the myriad of spirit men that were in attendance. 

I was part of the American contingent. We were housed in a lovely hotel, the
Tower Hotel on Namsan Mountain, due to the foresight of Rev. Joong Hyun Pak
and the sacrificial work of Go-World Travel. We were a scant 15 minute drive
from the Olympic Main Stadium on a Sunday morning. We had attended the
rehearsal the day before, arriving early. Because we were the only
participants there, the staff allowed us on the stage, where we took many
photos and digested the sunlit atmosphere. 

That evening we gathered in a restaurant on Itaewon. In front of a big
window looking out onto the sidewalk, we had the best holy wine ceremony
I've ever been part of. We had the St. Petersburg directors, Rev. and Mrs.
Jeff Tallackson, with us, as their daughter was part of the second
generation blessing. They officiated and gave good guidance. Also Mrs. Tate,
whose son was in the second generation blessing (blessed with the daughter
of "General" Chang Song Kim), assisted. Despite the secular environment, the
atmosphere was sanctified. Word and sacrament together always bring the Holy
Spirit. 

Sunday morning, the day of the Blessing, we departed our hotel at 10:30 a.m.
and were engulfed in the flow of buses arriving from across the Korean
peninsula. They had left their homes far away as early as 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.
to be there on time. We heard that the church leaders of Korea who prepared
the event expected some 5,000 buses to converge that morning. We found our
parking place and indeed, rivers of people, literally rivers, flowed past
us. These were hardy country folk, taking on several hours in the frigid
weather with a simple suit or sweater. It was an overcast day, although a
sun filtered by haze broke through after the event started. It was as warm
as anyone could hope for in a Seoul day in early February. 

By the time we got into the stadium, it was hard to find a seat. I sent our
matched couples to the field, where they had seating reserved from the day
before, and those with photographs to the upper tier, and headed for the
observers area. I spotted many friends, European leaders, but it was Heiner
Handschin, National Leader of Switzerland, who had an open seat available.
The members who were in the upper tier told me later that even arriving
there at 12:30 (the event began at 2:00) they had to stand in the very top.
All the seats were taken. I heard that about 40,000 people could not get
into the stadium. They had the poor judgement to arrive a mere hour and a
half early. 

The warm-up acts were energetic singers and dancers, covering a repertoire
ranging from Korean folk music to contemporary pop and rock'n'roll. Well,
that's what the growing churches in America are doing, inspiring the people
through contemporary music. East and West, it's the same musical style that
people wake up to. I recalled my high school days with our town band, Norman
Bailey and His Nervous Cats. It's the same beat. These days, the number one
song in Seoul is the 1964 Animals' hit, "House of the Rising Sun." And there
we were witnessing the true rising of the sun, at the Blessing Ceremony of
360 Million Couples, a band warming up the crowd with Chuck Berry riffs. A
marvel to hear, especially from where I was situated, in a room directly
below the stage. 

I went there to see two American brothers whose photo matches had refused
them. Yes, it happens, it happens. We were there in that big barren room
with about one hundred others, either late arrivals for the matching or
people who had been refused. One of my Americans was nineteen years old, so
we were not as concerned because he is still young for marriage. But the
other, Harold, was 36, high time for settling down with a wife. And here was
the deepest part of the day for me. Here was where the massive blessing of
360 million couples assumed a human dimension. And herein is what it all
comes down to, the resurrection of love in the life of the individual. 

So here was Harold, and Dr. Chang Shik Yang, Regional Director of
Washington, DC, was talking with leaders from Japan about him. Rev. Katsumi
Otsuka, a prince of a man and president of the church in Japan, looked at
Harold and went off searching among the many Japanese sisters there. A few
moments later he came back with Michie. Michie was 33, and it was high time
for her to marry as well. Here parents had joined the movement ten years
ago, but Michie had just joined a few months ago. She was the right age, the
right height, tall for a Japanese, very pretty and not a word of English.
But she had the right face for Harold-both with soft features and sincere
eyes. Harold is all heart. 
 
Now, I was a photo match, so I had never witnessed a "live" matching of two
people who had but a moment before been total strangers. I mean, they would
have passed each other in the crowd without a glance, two anonymous people
among tens of thousands. But suddenly, they were face to face, matched. They
were chosen to consider each other as eternal mate. Yes, it was just by
church leaders, not by True Parents, and so it was even more a testimony of
absolute faith on their part. Would they accept the possibility of the
match? They were looking at each other, each exploring the other's
countenance. I knew that Harold was positive, but he had been rejected three
times and so surely there was some trepidation of being rejected again. 

But they seemed to agree. Between the shuttle diplomacy of the Japanese,
Korean and American matchmakers, Harold quietly said to Michie, "Will you, I
mean, do you want . . . to . . . be my wife?" She didn't understand the
question, not knowing English, but she was just looking at his eyes and,
gee, she's four months in the church! But there she is, and her eyes are
saying "Yes" to this all-heart American. 

Just then we heard that True Parents had arrived upstairs and we were off,
all hundred of us, to request a last-minute matching. The mob crowded at the
door of True Parents' waiting room. True Parents had yet to change their
clothes, and the program was about to begin. So Father just said,
participate in the Blessing and we'll see what we can do later. The mob
turned about face and headed into the stadium. 

I found my way back to my seat next to Heiner. And the event began with Dr.
Bo Hi Pak's sonorous baritone resonating in Korean and English, announcing
the start of the event to heaven and earth. He introduced the one man "on
the ground" most responsible for the filled stadium (at 30-days notice),
Rev. Sun Jo Hwang, President of the church in Korea. Rev. Hwang, a UTS
graduate and former Regional Director of New Jersey and Washington, DC, is
loved by many American members. Moments after his prayer, the representative
leaders of the world's religions ascended the stage. Each gave the blessing
of their faith tradition upon the couples. 

Among them, Chicago Pastor T. L. Barrett's prayer in particular was
powerful. He gave his entire heart and soul, lifting up God and True Parents
to the world. The Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo's prayer and counsel on stage
was extremely meaningful. He is the Head of the Pontifical Council for
Refugees, and one of the first, if not the first, active Vatican leader to
play a major public role in a Unificationist religious event. When you
consider that on the same stage with these two spiritual leaders were an
eminent American Rabbi, Herzel Kranz, Sheik Alamin Osman, Grand Mufti of
Eritrea, together with major leaders of Buddhism, Hinduism, Eastern
Orthodoxy and Sikhism, you can see that the convergence of humanity's
spiritual paths is finally a substantial historical reality. It is happening
in one place, beyond the conference room tables and academic journals, in
the midst of God's holy blessing of marriage. This can only be the hand of
God. In the hand of God is the hope of the human race. 

The ones who set this all in motion, our True Parents, then entered the
stadium in glory and with a light spirit to the strains of Handel's
"Hallelujah Chorus." They performed the ceremony as they have done many
times. It is at its heart very simple, with a sprinkling of holy water, the
reciting of the marriage covenant, prayer and proclamation of the blessing,
the exchange of rings, and congratulatory remarks and songs. His Excellency
Kenneth Kuanda, former president of Zambia gave the remarks, and the musical
ambassador of Paraguay, Gloria del Paraguay, presented the lovely song. 

At the conclusion, as thousands of balloons ascended into the sky and
fireworks exploded from the stadium roof, I truly felt the resurrection of
the spirit world. As soon as True Parents departed, the crowd began to
leave. There were some further performances, and a lottery giving away cars
and television sets, but the event was over. People were hugging and
greeting each other everywhere. I watched the crowds making their way out
for a bit, then suddenly recalled that I'd better get back downstairs to see
if Harold and Michie would make it back.

So I squeezed my way against the traffic to get to the waiting room, and
soon after I arrived so did they. They had stayed together through the
ceremony, and, as Father had literally said, they participated fully, even
exchanging rings! We talked with them more, and discussed their backgrounds
and, yes, they really determined to make it work. Now all we needed was True
Parents' blessing on the match. That is yet to come, as we found no
opportunity to meet True Parents, but, somehow, I think it will come without
a hitch-a hitch without a hitch. 

As we drove back to our hotel, we saw again the buses from far away, with
the Korean old folks dancing in the aisles, clapping and singing. These are
called karioke buses, according to our tour guide. Feeling the spirit, we
enjoyed spirited renditions of "Eres Tu" and "Blue Suede Shoes" to do our
bit on behalf of Korean village life. May the entire cosmos become as one
village, dancing and singing, young and old, all races together in the same
world hometown. I think we're all blessed on this bus.  : )