Hail To The Brightness

The great day dawned for us even before the sun was up. At 5:50 a.m. on the still, cool morning of Friday, February 12th, Father set foot on the continent of North America!

Twenty-seven highly honored, greatly privileged, and utterly breathless members of the Unified Family in the United States were on hand to greet him and Mrs. Choi as they stepped off the Japan Airlines flight from Hawaii at San Francisco International Airport.

Father being greeted at San Francisco Airport, 1965

Among the fortunate few were the three missionaries from Korea—whose love and single-minded devotion made this moment possible—Miss Young Oon Kim, Col. Bo Hi Pak, and Mr. David Kim. Other representatives included Alexa Altamare and Jhoon Rhee from Washington, D.C.; David Bridges and John Schmidt from Portland, Oregon; Galen Pumphrey from Denver; Doris Walder and Gordon Ross from Los Angeles; Carl Rapkins from Fresno; John Pinkerton from Sacramento; Edwin Ang and Tom Keryk from Berkeley; Lowell and Kathy Martin from Oakland; Pearl World, Jim and Mary Fleming from Burlingame; George Norton, Sandi Pinkerton, Peter and Shirley Robinson, Orah Schoon, Herb Kraegel, and Mrs. S.S. Lim of San Francisco; and Ernest Stewart, recently returned from a year in Korea.

There were meetings every night during their seven-day stay, including one special Saturday night gathering for members and guests familiar with the Divine Principle and its conclusion. Days were filled with visits to points of interest in and around San Francisco.

Rev. Moon talking with members during the 1965 tour.

The Official Party stayed at the Oakland Center, which became the new headquarters at the start of the year. Other visiting members were hosted by the Berkeley, San Francisco, and Burlingame Centers.

As he will do in every city he visits, the high point of Father's time in San Francisco was the selection and sanctification of Sacred Ground. The site was chosen on February 14, and the ceremony took place the next day, February 15. This is now Holy Ground for all members in the area and has already been used for several meetings of prayer and spiritual renewal.

The Official Party departed the Oakland Center for Los Angeles at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, February 19th. The traveling party included our Master, Mrs. Choi, Miss Kim, George Norton, Gordon Ross, and Eva Sepp from Germany, who had arrived in San Francisco just days before.

What words can we use to convey our feelings during this great week of our lives? Even Hollywood superlatives fall short. Perhaps it is enough to say: Father left behind a Family whose dedication and devotion are now absolute.

The car had barely left the driveway in Oakland when the Bay Area groups sprang into action. There is so much to do—so many to reach, teach, and tell of this marvelous, true message. If we were convinced before, now our conviction is unshakable.

We must work, grow, and accomplish—for his sake and in his name. There is nothing else we can do. No other path is so worthy as returning this world to God, our parent.

To this end, we pledge our blood, sweat, and tears!

Mary Fleming VISION (2/14/65)

The occasion was the selection of the Sacred Ground site. It was a calm, clear night with a bright full moon, and the lights of San Francisco twinkling below us. Father stood on a rock on the top of the hill with representttives of his American Family grouped around him. Facing East, representing the nation of the United States as well as the continent of North America, he prayed. I opened my eyes and raised my head to look at him, feeling a little guilty as I did so. As I watched, the light of his aura grew ever brighter and wider, until it encompassed all of us who were with him. Then the white-gold light went up from him and was met by the same light coming down from the heavens. It was as if we were all bathed in a giant spotlight from directly over our heads, centering upon Father. I had never seen anything like this before, and wasn't quite sure I believed it. To test my own eyesight, I closed my eyes several times for varying periods, then reopened them to see if the light was still there, It was, and then it slowly faded after the conclusion of his prayer.

This article his been editted for clarity and grammar through ChatGPT.

To read the original article, go to: https://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Publications/naf/NAF-1965-02-15.pdf