Contributed by EJ Rapada
We recently shared the Holy Wine and Blessing Ceremony with two couples in a local Marriage Blessing Ceremony: Walter and Ellie Wysocki, who are Filipino-American, and Liza and Aniwan Camacho, a Latino couple.
Initially, six couples confirmed to attend the Blessing Ceremony, but only one couple, Walter and Ellie Wysocki, could actually make it. The day of the Blessing Ceremony, the ministry team and clan parents were talking and discussing the best strategy to take the next time around. Then, EJ and Christine Rapada, inspired by the recent Famicon in Las Vegas, came up with a last-minute campaign mode. They set up a table in front of the church and invited people passing by to join the Marriage Movement.
Unificationists Miller and Nancy Williams also acted on the inspiration and decided to go out on the street and invite people while waiting for the other couple to arrive. After two failed attempts, they met one couple, the Camachos, and explained the purpose of the event. The Camachos were very open-minded, and agreed to go inside the church and listen to the orientation. At the same time, the other couple arrived.
After the Blessing Ceremony orientation, a beautiful ceremony was officiated by Pastor Darryl and Sara Franklin. The ceremony ended with fellowship and celebration.