This book is a collection of Father's words about home church from 1976 to 1982. It was compiled in order to educate brothers and sisters about the purpose and significance of the home church providence. Passages were taken from Father's sermons, leaders' meetings, and special talks to Blessed Couples.
I am convinced that Father holds the record among all the great men of history for the number of hours he has spent in teaching and giving spiritual guidance. Except for a few occasions, such as the science conferences, Father has always spoken extemporaneously, not using any prepared notes. He focuses so consistently on achieving God's will through daily activity and hard work that his spiritual awareness is very keen, and he can be continually receptive to spiritual inspiration. Such intense concern and inspiration are the foundation for him to be able to speak this way. He possesses the highest and purest ideas in the realm of religion and philosophy, but he has had to begin the course toward their realization from the lowest level of human society, while enduring persecution. Because of his vast life experiences under the guidance of God, he is virtually a living textbook of the history and struggle of all mankind. He may at times concentrate on speaking about the dispensational meaning of our present situation, but his heart is deeply rooted in God's suffering past, and already dwelling within the ideal world of the future. His thinking encompasses the past, present and future.
All of Father's heart and inspiration concerning home church has been rendered to us through translators. Father's translators are excellent; however, their work is very difficult. They must translate sophisticated concepts from Korean into concise English at a very fast pace, with no forethought or prepared text. There is a great difference between Eastern and Western systems of thought, language and culture. In many cases an English word which corresponds correctly in meaning to a Korean word simply does not exist, or cannot be found quickly Furthermore, translators are not machines: they may miss a segment, misunderstand it, or mistranslate it. The best thing to do is to learn, or at least refer to, the original Korean.
Therefore I urge you not to judge or to react quickly to Father's words. You may encounter some difficulty in understanding. Word by word, you may not grasp the meaning. Instead, think broadly, receive Father's words heartistically, and view them in terms of their context.
Home church is the most important and honorable gift passed on to us by Heavenly Father and True Parents. It is the means for us to inherit our T)rue Parents' accomplishment and to begin the building of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth as spiritually mature men and women. I hope that your study of this book will help you to fulfill your home church responsibility successfully.
Finally, I want to express my sincere gratitude to Leslie Holliday for her work in compiling and editing this volume, to Barry Cohen, Janine Jessop, and Eric Feldt for their careful proofreading and advice, to Masamizu Ozaki for his assistance with translation, and to Sarah Davati for her delightful illustrations.
Reverend Chung Hwan Kwak