The Words of the Stephens Family

Parents Matching Convocation More Questions and Answers

Jim Stephens
October 24, 2006

Hi,

We have been getting a number of questions about the Parents Matching Convocation, so here are some more answers.

The number of registered participants is now 105.

If you come, there will be a lot of other parents there that you can meet. If you can't come but you have a candidate for matching, be sure to send the pictures and forms to us to arrive no later than Thursday. (We leave at 7:00am Friday morning for Barrytown). If you send it by email, we can't promise that we can print all those pictures out.

God bless your family,

Jim


Here are some more questions and answers:

What if my son/daughter is old enough but "not ready yet", is it still good to come? My son/daughter is only 12 years old, can I still attend?

Absolutely. We think you are being wise to start preparing yourself (and your children) for matching at a young age. You will learn a lot about other people's experiences and you will receive guidance on connecting with other families for improving your chances of successful matching in the future.

Should I bring my Second Gen. to the Convocation?

No.
Second Gen. are not invited. The program is only for parents. Perhaps in the future we will have a program with Second Gen.
Second Gen. and parents can attend the Blessing Workshops together.

Are you going to make matches at the Convocation?

Not us.
It is totally the responsibility of the parents involved whether they decide to make a match during this Convocation. We always recommend taking time to think and pray about matches before finalizing them, even doing 21 day or 40 day conditions.
At the Convocation, we hope parents will be able to find several possible candidates for the future and not limit themselves to one.
The Convocation is designed to be a place for parents to hear guidance, testimonies, and valuable insights from leaders and other parents. Secondly, it is to be a place for many parents to gather and get to know other parents (many have younger kids to match also). Thirdly and maybe most importantly, it is an opportunity for God, Heung Jin Nim, Dae Mo Nim, Jesus, etc. to come to the hearts of the participants with divine inspiration. The environment of Barrytown helps us get away from all the daily activities at home and focus on this most important mission as parents.

What should I bring?

1. If you have a candidate for matching, bring copies of contact information to hand out so others don't have to write it down. Even Xerox pictures would be helpful for them to remember what your BC looks like.
2. The weather is getting cold and so winter coats and sweaters are probably warranted.
3. Barrytown has some sheets, blankets, and pillows, but maybe not enough, so consider a sleeping bag. We'll put up a link on the website to local hotels and "bed and breakfast" places.
Those who registered for a private room (before we started the "wait list") do not need a sleeping bag.
4. Towel, toiletries, soap, shampoo, etc. Alarm clock. Pen and paper.

How will I know if the candidates are pure?

In the final analysis, the church cannot make any guarantees as to the purity of any candidates. We have the process called the "Purity Interview" but because of the recent changes in leadership, we have not clearly identified the new people who can interview the candidates regarding purity. We will make effort to mark the pictures of those who had Purity Interviews in the past with a colored sticker, however this will be only a small percentage of the candidates.
We hope that parents will be sure to ask this question themselves in any discussions with another family and BC. Although it is awkward to ask, we don't have any "system" at this time and asking may prevent real heartaches later on when the real truth will always come out.
We hope that parents will take time with their own BC to bring up the question of purity in a serious discussion BEFORE coming to the Convocation so that you can speak confidently about your child's purity.

If our child is on the BCCandidates website or in Mrs. Takahashi's binders, do we still have to send pictures and information?

We will display all candidates photos and their information which is contained in Mrs. Takahashi's ministry binders at Belvedere. If somebody doesn't want to have their BC's information displayed, please tell Mrs. Takahashi before Thursday. She will be arriving at UTS Friday morning.
Pictures and applications that are at the Second Generation Dept. in New York will NOT be displayed. You will have to call them and discuss with Inguk Seo.

The Internet website BCCandidates.com will be available on two computers during the Convocation. We will NOT be able to print out the pictures and put them on the display boards.

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