The Words of the Schanker Family
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The Words of the Schanker Family |
Among the greatest concerns of Blessed Families in the USA is bequeathing the tradition of the Blessing to our children, and guiding them successfully through the matching and Blessing. Through websites, workshops and a series of Parents' Convocations, efforts were made in the past to assist parents and candidates in understanding and accomplishing this process. While hundreds of successful parent-supported matchings have been established since this era began, there are hundreds more Blessed Children coming of age, and large numbers of parents seeking support in networking with other families and developing a matching plan together with their adult children.
New international matching guidelines were recently introduced under the guidance and direction of our international president, Rev. Hyung Jin Moon. These were discussed and developed at an international BFD meeting earlier this year. They provide a basic framework for parents and candidates to develop a thoughtful family approach to the matching, using either a newly developed online networking process, or an in-person networking process through Parents Matching Convocations, and other events for candidates and families to network naturally.
National President Rev. In Jin Moon is providing clear guidance for this development. The USA-BFD and a team of experienced matching facilitators are developing a step-by-step matching handbook, with the support of the community-based Blessed Family Association. This guidebook is designed not to dictate the process, but to provide support and encouragement, help avoid the pitfalls and problems learned from previous experience, and provide resources for each family to develop its own clear matching plan, respecting the input of each candidate. We are excited to announce the upcoming programs and resources to support Blessed Children and their parents to establish a basis for lasting love in God-centered families.
Parents' Matching Convocations (PMCs) were suspended in recent months in the USA while the new international guidelines were being developed under True Children's leadership. We are pleased to announce a new series of PMCs planned for this year, in cooperation with the Blessed Family Association, beginning April 16-18, 2010 at UTS in Barrytown, NY. Three additional programs are tentatively scheduled: on the West Coast (San Francisco Bay area) on June 25-27, in the Midwest (Chicago) in August, and again in New York in October or November. The first three are for parents only, while the final east coast PMC is currently planned to welcome Blessed Children 23 or older as well. A specific schedule for August will be announced prior to the New York PMC in April.
The April 16-18 Convocation begins 7:30 PM Friday at UTS, and concludes at 2:00 PM in Manhattan, following Lovin' Life worship and a networking luncheon. Online registration will be available and further details distributed Monday, March 15.
INTERNATIONAL CONVOCATIONS- Europe: April 3-5, 2010
Parents Convocations and similar networking events are taking place in Korea, Japan, Europe and the USA, and will soon be developed in South America, Africa and elsewhere. At each PMC participants will be able to connect with families and candidates from other nations interested in an international match. American candidates and their families interested in making their profile available at any international PMC will be able to do so through their National BFD, or via the current international matching website, www.bcmatching.org.
Candidates interested in making their profile available at the European PMC in Germany April 3-5, should complete the questionnaire and return it to matching@unification.org. Candidates, not parents, should complete the questionnaire. Parents should not advertise their adult child's profile without the candidate's agreement, and should develop a matching plan with he candidate's input. Follow the instructions on the questionnaire, and visit www.bfdeu.org/BFD/seminars/currentws.php#3 to learn about the convocation itself.
A step-by-step matching handbook is currently in development. It will be distributed at each convocation, and made available directly through the National BFD late in April.
True Children's vision is a comprehensive international website that will allow candidates and their families to express who they are through personal testimony, music, poems, etc., and give each family control over access to the candidate's profile and visibility to other families. Currently, two websites are available for families to network with other candidates and families, each with different strengths:
INTERNATIONAL MATCHING WEBSITE FOR BLESSED CHILDREN, www.bcmatching.org - It is the current official international site, used by Korea, Japan, Europe, and many US and international families. Available in English, Japanese and Korean. Extensive information about each candidate and family.
"MATCHBOOK," AVAILABLE AT THE BFA WEBSITE, www.blessedfamilies.org - increasingly popular, primarily US-based. It allows candidates and families to upload videos and other materials, set different levels of access to the candidate's profile, and utilize advocates and matching advisors to assist in networking, at the popular BFA site.
The USA-BFD and BFA are seeking 1st and 2nd Generation Blessed members who feel called to support parents and candidates in the matching process. The BFD will train and certify Matching Facilitators in accordance with international guidelines. Details will follow soon.
We look forward to supporting candidates and their parents to pioneer the path of parents' matching and Blessing successfully. May God be with you and your family.
Sincerely,
Rev. Phillip Schanker
National Blessed Family Department
NOTE: Fill out and return this questionnaire only if you are interested in having a qualified candidate's profile displayed during the April 3-5, 2010 Parents' Matching Convocation in Germany. To learn more about the convocation itself, visit www.bfdeu.org/BFD/seminars/currentws.php#3.
Candidates, not parents, should fill this out personally, and return it. Then, if you are not already registered with photos and a profile at the International Matching Website for Blessed Children, visit www.bcmatching.org, register and complete your profile including photos by Saturday, March 27th. Your information will be downloaded and available to parents at the European Convocation.
Name:
1. Why are you interested in an international (European) match?
2. Which age range do you prefer?
Don't have a preference / Up to ___ years older / Down to ___ years younger
3. When do you think you can start marriage life?
After ____ years / Within ____ years
Reason?
4. Are you willing to consider living in Europe?
Yes / No
Reason?
5. If the OTHER party has any of the following situations, would you be able to accept them?
Re-Blessing (Yes/No)
Started marriage life (Yes/No)
Any issues before Amnesty (Yes/No)
6. Please underline YOUR own status regarding the Blessing and Amnesty.
a. Not blessed previously / blessed previously
b. Didn't start marriage life / Started marriage life
c. Attended Blessing Workshop / Didn't attend Blessing Workshop yet
d. Did purity interview / Didn't do purity interview yet
e. Attended Amnesty / Didn't attend Amnesty
7. Please mention any preferences you have for your match (personality, hobbies, academic background, job, appearance, etc.)