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New Zealanders Remember UPF Founder
Written by Andrew Halim, UPF-New Zealand
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Auckland, New Zealand—About 150 people attended a memorial service to honor the legacy of UPF Founder Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon.
The evening program marking the third anniversary of Rev. Dr. Moon’s passing was held on August 22, 2015, at Te Unga Waka Marae (meeting house) in Auckland.
Each guest was greeted personally by a welcoming party consisting of Rev. Julius Gicole, national leader of the New Zealand chapter of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), an organization affiliated with UPF, his wife, Mrs. Jasmin Gicole, and Ambassadors for Peace and UPF advisers.
As master of ceremonies, Rev. Geoffrey Prentice introduced Rev. Rob McKay, who greeted the audience with a Maori welcome called a Karakia. UPF-New Zealand Secretary General Geoffrey Fyers then gave his opening remarks, which were followed by a short film about the UPF founder’s life journey as a struggle in realizing global peace and harmony on earth.
After some moving musical performances a number of speakers took turns testifying to Rev. Dr. Moon’s life of sacrifice for the sake of world peace. Rev. Rob McKay, an Anglican priest and an Ambassador for Peace, testified about his endless dedication.
Mr. Peter Holdem, a FFWPU trustee and UPF coordinator for the North Island, said that despite the trials and perilous difficulties that Rev. Dr. Moon endured, he never stopped loving his enemies.
Dr. Sahu Khan, former Fiji head of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and an Ambassador for Peace, praised his interfaith and interracial efforts and urged everyone present to continue his legacy for humanity as a whole.
Mrs. Felicity Cairns, chair of the New Zealand chapter of the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), spoke of Rev. Dr. Moon’s impact on her life and said that he was a man ahead of his time.
Rev. Julius Gicole in his closing remarks said he was convinced that the reason so many people had come to the memorial was because of the universal desire for a world of peace.
Rev. Gicole welcomed several newly appointed Young Ambassadors for Peace: Mr.Takashi Sawada, Ms. Elina Osborne, Mr. Jasbir Dhillon Singh, Mr. Dasham Bedi and his wife, Mrs. Sonia Bedi.
Interfaith minister Rev. Diane Winder, an Ambassador for Peace, officially closed the evening with a prayer that also commenced the dinner banquet as a symbolic sharing of love and joy with one another.
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