Prayer Breakfast and Marriage Blessing

September 22, 2018

We were happy to have Bishop Franklin Fountain of Fountain of Youth Cathedral in Bridgeport host and be the main presenter. Everyone was welcomed to start the program and we prayed, we all sat down to a delicious breakfast provided by Atsuko Giampaoli.

To begin the program Keiko Breland led us in singing “Amazing Grace” accompanied by Bishop Fountain on the piano and Rev. Hawkins on the drums.

Bishop Fountain then introduced ACLC and his long relationship with the organization. He spoke passionately of some of the difficulties he has gone through but asserted he has gained much through his association. ACLC has made him a better Christian and brought him closer to his savior, Jesus Christ.

The video, “The Power of True Love” was shown testifying to the power of the Holy Marriage Blessing. The words of Rev. T.L Barrett and his son, Torrey, were powerful and it was easy to see the appreciation they had for Father and Mother Moon’s work in America.

Bishop Fountain asked if he could say a few words and also testified to the work of the Unification Movement and the local members he’d gotten to know over the years. He stated that when times got rough he found many of them really supported him when other “friends” were trying to tear him down. It was quite moving.

Next, we conducted the Marriage Blessing Ceremony for everyone present that included the Holy Wine and Holy Water Ceremony. We had one representative couple who participated in the Chastening Ceremony. In all, three new clergy received the Blessing and one non-clergy couple.

Antonio Battilocchi, Executive Director of ACLC-CT, introduced Bruce Grodner, National ACLC Director, who explained we can’t in the 21st Century put God in a box. Boxed religion may have helped us until now, but in this age we realized God is bigger than any one religion or denomination.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the program and many stayed nearly another hour sharing and talking.

We have started to plan our next prayer breakfast for October.

Submitted by Greg Breland