Leaders' Workshop and Public Lecture Meeting held in Northern California on the theme of World Peace
At the Northern California Seicho-No-Ie Center in San Jose, California, a Leaders’ Workshop (Japanese and English) was held on October 25, 2008 and a public lecture meeting (English) was held on October 26. The number of attendees totaled 167.
The Leaders’ Workshop was attended by 28 leaders of the Missionary Area. The public lecture meeting was attended by 139 people, including 21 first-timers.
The theme of the Workshop was “World Peace and Our Movement in the 21st Century.” The lecturers included Rev. Yoshiko Teshigawara (Ordained Minister, Bishop of Seicho-No-Ie United States Missionary Headquarters), Rev. Masayo Tsuruta (Ordained Minister, Chief of Northern California Missionary Area), and Rev. Hideharu Sugiuchi (Ordained Minister, United States Missionary Headquarters). Rev. Teshigawara lectured on “World Peace and Our Movement in the 21st Century” and “As Followers of Faith Who Practice Love—How to Conduct Individual Counseling.” She said that the Seicho-No-Ie Movement’s aim is to widely disseminate to humanity the teaching, “man is a child of God,” and stressed the importance of the three important religious practices and gratitude to everything. Rev. Tsuruta lectured on “The Significance in the Current Age of the Teaching that All Religions Emanate from One Universal God—Why Do We Study Islam?” He explained Islam from the viewpoint that all religions emanate from one universal God. The program of the Workshop also included two other lectures and a Q&A session.
The public lecture meeting was held under the theme, “Life Is As You Wish.” The lecturers were Rev. Yoshiko Teshigawara, Rev. Masayo Tsuruta, and Rev. Bruce Mallery (Ordained Minister, Chief of New York Missionary Area). They all lectured along the theme of the lecture meeting. Rev. Teshigawara said that human beings are children of God and are brothers and sisters to one another and that it is important to practice love, using thoughts, facial expressions and vocal sounds. Rev. Tsuruta stated that worship of everything in daily life is the source of happiness. Rev. Mallery stressed that the body and environment are a shadow of the mind and that seemingly difficult hardships are lessons to help improve one’s soul. There were also testimonial presentations as well as a guitar performance by musician followers.
Comments from the attendees included: “I felt encouraged by the lecture that man is a child of God” (attendee at Leaders’ Workshop); and “I found hope for life from the lectures and testimonials” (attendee at lecture meeting).
Remarks by Rev. Masayo Tsuruta,
Chief of Northern California Missionary Area
“After the lecture meeting, the attendees’ faces were glowing with joy. We received many joyous comments. There were many attendees whose native tongues were Spanish and Portuguese, so I would like to support these languages in the future, as I promote the Movement.”