THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA WHITE DOVE ASSOCIATION LECTURE MEETINGS ATTENDED BY A TOTAL OF 736 PEOPLE
First-Timers Account for 40 Percent
In the Republic of China (Taiwan), a White Dove Association public lecture meeting and a White Dove Association lecture meeting for the middle-aged were held at three Missionary Areas from May 25 to 27, in the morning and afternoon, respectively. A total of 736 people attended, including 297 first-timers (40%).
The breakdown of the attendees by lecture site was 387 people for the Taipei Missionary Area (held at Jantan Youth Center on May 25); 199 for the Taizhuang Missionary Area (held at Ai Xin Jia Yuan on May 26); and 150 for the Kaohsiung Missionary Area (held at the Kaohsiung Missionary Center Hall).
First-Timers accounted for 40 %
in Public Lecture Meeting
According to the Seicho-No-Ie Republic of China Missionary Area, the reason for the increase in first-time attendees was that last May a lecture meeting for the middle-aged and leaders’ discussion session were held for the first time, where Rev. Kyoko Okubo (Ordained Minister, Chief of Organizational Movement Department) was a guest lecturer. This contributed to increasing Mothers’ Study Class sites from 2 to 11, hence increasing prospective attendees.
This year, Rev. Kazuko Nakatsu (Ordained Minister, Acting Assistant Chief of Administrative Section, White Dove Association) was dispatched in order to increase middle-aged followers. A pubic lecture meeting was also held.
At the public lecture meeting held in the morning, Rev. Nakatsu gave a lecture entitled “The Power of Smiles—Women Aglow in Their Daily Lives,” using Kiseki o Shozuru Jisso Tetsugaku (Truth of Life Philosophy, That Produces Miracles), Part 1, by Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi. She appealed the importance of the three religious practices and stated that women’s smiles can positively influence the home and workplace.
At the lecture meeting for the middle-aged held in the afternoon, Rev. Nakatsu gave a lecture entitled “Cheerful Home and Happy Parenting—Children are Gods,” using Aijo Kyoshitsu (A Class on Love) by Rev. Seicho Taniguchi and talked about the wonderfulness of the Sundial Diary and the importance of looking at the bright side of children as well as secrets of raising good children.
Comments received from the attendees included: “I was able to understand that the wife’s gentle and soft words are the secret to building harmonious relations between husband and wife and that they also improve other human relations”; and “I realized that the basis of education at home is harmony between husband and wife. I would like to tell this to many people.”
Remarks By Rev. Masanori Morita, Bishop of Seicho-No-Ie Republic of China
“An increase in the number of Mothers’ Study Class sites in the past year contributed to an increase in the number of first-time attendees. Taiwan is faced with problems, such as increased divorce rate, decreasing birth rate, rapid aging of society, widening gap between the haves and have-nots, which closely resemble Japanese society. I would like to work hard to energize the organizations of the middle-aged and youth, who will shoulder the future of the country, and develop and increase lecturers who can provide guidance.”