The Words of the Rapkins Family
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The Words of the Rapkins Family |
Denver
Family Members
Dear Mr. [Young Hwi] Kim,
We wish to extend our greetings to our True Parents and our family in Korea and around the world. We have been very busy since you last heard from us, and we would like to share with you some of the activities which have been taking place here.
Children's Day was joyously celebrated by thirty people here in Denver, including center members, home members, and guests who had recently been taught the Principle. The day began with a service on the meaning of Children's Day by Susan Miller. After the service, we gathered in the park at our nearby Holy Ground where we circled our tree holding hands to sing and to pray. Our circle continued with a discussion of the meaning of Holy Ground and a description-of how the Holy Grounds in the United States were blessed. (This was led by Galen Pumphrey and George Norton.) Then we joined together in a game and relay competition for the rest of morning. After a celebration dinner, we spent the afternoon making individual, creative expressions for Father -- in clay, collages, finger-paint, or a rope-tying art called macramé. The atmosphere of newness, in being fresh and childlike in our joy at having the great opportunity to return to Father, grew as we created and shared what we made. Our offering to Father took place in a room decorated with a ring of cut paper dolls circling it and symbolizing the people of the world joining together in Father's family.
In the past few months, we have been trying to lay the foundation for a profitable business. Sandy Boshart and Bamph Baker have started the new home cleaning service. After a short time, they already have a number of regular customers and a steady flow of weekly jobs. We are hoping that as soon as possible, we will be able to reach more people and expand the business to include more of our members. Also Linna Rapkins and Susan Miller are beginning a small typing service which is now being advertised at the college campuses as Beautiful Typing. We pray that one or both of these attempts will develop into a good source of income for family work or provide the financial basis to create a larger business.
During each of the last three months, we held what we call New Life Workshops. People who attend our workshop are invited to spend the weekend beginning Friday evening and lasting until Sunday evening. The entire Principle is lectured during this time, and personal give-and-take with family members is encouraged through various activities between lectures and in the evenings: Outdoor recreation, singing and sharing, discussions, and outings.
One of the highlights of our first workshop was an evening around the campfire in the nearby mountains of Genesee Park. After preparing in pairs, we presented individual expressions of our first, deep experiences of the love that comes from Father -- through song, drama, narration, or pantomime. Then we all sang lose songs for Father.
Activities of the second workshop included a Saturday afternoon nature walk followed by an evening of sharing at the center. Family members presented in a reader's theater short dramatizations from Franny and Zooey, "The Grand Inquisitor" in the Brothers Karamazov, and two humorous skits.
The third workshop saw the addition of a time for sharing together through learning folk dances of different countries, which were taught by Mary O'Brien. Also, it marked the second showing of a slide show illustrating basic ideas of Preface and Chapter 1. Beautiful pictures of children, nature, and our trips to the mountains during the first two workshops were accompanied by music and a tape recorded presentation by Mary Ellen McCabe. Mary O'Brien and Peter Politzki are continuing to work on it for further improvement.
All of these activities have served to broaden us and to draw the new people much closer to us as brothers and sisters and thus, have created a better base on which they may be receptive to Principle. So far, twenty people have attended our workshops, and we are anticipating some new brothers and sisters to come from them.
In order to bring about a closer communication and interaction between the main center and members living in their homes, the Home Members Study Group was initiated by Liana. A Newsletter outlining current events in the center is printed and circulated weekly to those living outside the center. Monday evening is meeting night for a discussion group aimed at broadening knowledge of Principle and its application to daily life. The first topic was designed to gain insight into Satan's hold on people as revealed in C. S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters. The group has now moved on to a Level II program which consists of in-depth study of topics such as Indemnity, Give-and-Take, and Spirit World following a presentation on the subject given by one of the members. This is being directed by Roger Fuhrer.
We pray for the safety and continued strengthening of the members of God's new family around the world.
In the Name of our Beloved True Parents,
Gary Vesper