The Words of the Flynn Family

Report From Korea

Jim Flynn
February 18, 2005

Dear AFC leaders,

Following is a brief report on the IIFWP 5th World Summit, Crown of Peace Ceremony, and Cheon Il Guk Leaders Assembly 2005.

It has been a great honor and very enriching experience to participate in the IIFWP 5th World Summit, the Birthday Celebration for True Parents and Crown of Peace Ceremony, plus the Cheon Il Guk Leaders Assembly 2005. I am on the way from Korea back to the US, and want to give you a brief report on these historic events.

The IIFWP 5th World Summit gathered leaders from more than 160 nations, including very significant religious leaders, government officials and other dignitaries. They included current and former heads of state, national legislators, ambassadors, and scholars. The conference addressed the theme "Universal Values and Lasting Peace: Toward a New Model of Global Governance."

One unique feature of this conference was the venue. Rather than being held in a Seoul hotel, this conference was held at the Chung Pyung International Conference Center. This in itself was an amazing feat. There are several brand new facilities at CPL that were scheduled for completion in April. But because of True Father’s desire to hold this Summit at CPL, the completion was " fast-tracked" and the conference was convened in a beautiful way.

For those of us who had not been at CPL recently (I was last there two years ago), the development is stunning. The brand new Cheong Shim Conference Center was the site for the conference sessions. It is a beautiful building on a nearby hill adjacent to the CPL main facilities. It has very comfortable hotel-style rooms, a top-notch auditorium, a gymnasium for youth activities, and quality meeting space. Because of space limitations, some guests stayed at another new building called "Silver Town", a condominium complex nearly ready for opening (and again, a new addition to the CPL site).

The IIFWP staff did a tremendous job in preparing and hosting such high level dignitaries in a brand new facility. And the effort was worth it. Many participants had unique and special experiences because of the beauty and spiritual atmosphere at CPL. One IIFWP leader commented, "This is now the conference location of choice in Korea. Hotels in Seoul cannot compare with the special experience that participants have here."

The conference sessions dealt with timely issues such as "Peace and Unification on the Korean Peninsula", "Toward Peace in the Middle East", and " Strained Relations between Islam and the West: Toward Healing and Reconciliation". The level of discussion and participant interaction was very significant.

On Monday, February 14, the conference participants joined some 30,000 other attendees at the True Parents’ Birthday Celebration and Crown of Peace Awards. The main ceremony was held in the CPL Main Hall, with Jumbotron screens set up in 9 locations around the CPL complex. The Crown of Peace ceremony was beautiful, with the participation of religious and civic leaders from around the world. Congratulatory remarks were given by a current president, as well as by a major Asian parliamentarian.

True Father also delivered a keynote address, which is a very powerful message (I will send some excerpts soon). If you watched on the webcast, you know that there were some dramatic moments during Father’s speech that were unprecedented. At one point Father stopped speaking, and seemed to be struggling to see his text. Rev. Kwak approached the podium and had a word with Father, then returned to his seat. But a few moments later, Rev. Kwak, Hyun Jin Nim, and Hyung Jin Nim all went to the podium to assist Father. At that point, Rev. Kwak took over the reading of the speech. But Father refused to sit down, and Hyung Jin Nim, in a most touching scene of filial piety, stood behind his father for the remainder of the speech. Father was able to deliver a few sections of the remaining speech content, and then commented at the end "Don’t feel bad because I could not read all the speech. I was connecting strongly with the spirit world. You can understand it as a spiritual experience."

Needless to say, the audience was gripped by this scene during the speech. Certainly all members were praying deeply, not knowing what was unfolding before us. Many of the IIFWP participants were also touched by the experience; all could see that Father is in fact an 85 year old man, yet he was determined to finish his speech. Through this they were able to connect more deeply with Father’s heart and commitment.

The birthday celebration concluded with a beautiful banquet program, again held in the CPL Main Hall, followed by a wonderful entertainment program. The main stage for entertainment was actually outside in the CPL Plaza. Though the February night air was cold, the crowd was enthusiastic and the program very inspiring. The evening concluded with a spectacular fireworks display.

On February 15, as the IIFWP Summit moved to Seoul for its wrap-up, a second conference began at CPL. This was the Cheon Il Guk Leaders Assembly 2005, convened by Rev. Dr. Chung Hwan Kwak. The meeting included Family Federation and IIFWP leaders from all over the world, plus a large delegation of Korean and Japanese leaders. Altogether there were approximately 1,000 participants.

The purpose of the gathering was to set the direction and plans for our movement for 2005 and beyond, especially focused on Cheon Il Guk – creating a world of harmony and peace. We heard reports from all continents of the world, plus key presentations by Rev. Kwak, providing perspective and giving direction for the new year. (I will share some additional information from the conference in a later report.)

The participants at the leaders meeting were able to join True Parents for Hoon Dok Hae each morning, which was a wonderful blessing. Also, because True Parents wanted to express their heart and appreciation to leaders from around the world, many of whom have little opportunity to see Father and Mother, a special banquet was prepared on the second night. This was incredible. The CPL " small hall" on the second floor was transformed into a formal ballroom, with a full, four course meal. In addition, True Parents treated us with opportunity to watch a key soccer match with them on big screen TV. After the dinner and soccer game, True Father was so full of warmth. He walked around to many of the tables, talking and joking with brothers and sisters along the way. Then he directed the Japanese members in a rousing rendition of "Shiawase", complete with dancing. Then, he sang a duet with True Mother, while members danced and sang along. It was an unforgettable and heart-warming experience.

The final day of the conference was February 17, which was also a day of An Shi Il. True Parents presided at the service, and Father spoke for perhaps an hour and a half. He was energetic, striding across the stage playfully. At one point he even demonstrated different styles of walking for old men, showing us firsthand that he is still strong and vigorous despite his age.

The closing ceremony for the conference included some special elements. First, True Parents presented awards to two continents (Asia and Northeast [Russia, China, etc.]) and three nations (Mongolia, Nepal and Solomon Islands) for outstanding results. The one leader from each continent was given a special award. From North America, that honor went to Rev. Mark Hernandez. Congratulations to Mark for his outstanding efforts in 2004!

Then there was a special commencement ceremony, in which 48 leaders were presented with Honorary Doctorate degrees from Sun Moon University. The recipients included many of our most distinguished elders such as Rev. Won Pil Kim, Rev. Yo Han Lee, and Rev. Ahn. Also our congratulations go to the following leaders from North America who were also awarded honorary doctorates: Mr. Douglas Joo, Dr. Neil Salonen, Rev. Michael Jenkins, Bishop Ki Hoon Kim, and Rev. Ku from Los Angeles.

This gives you a brief idea of what transpired. I will work on getting some more details to you as soon as possible.

God bless you and your families. Let us rededicate ourselves to the ideal of Cheon Il Guk as God’s providence makes great advances in 2005!

Sincerely,
Jim Flynn

 Download entire page and pages related to it in ZIP format
Table of Contents
Information
Tparents Home