The Cheongpa-dong Headquarters Church

The central base

HSA-UWC was founded on May 1, 1954, where a small house in Bukhak-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul.

On January 17, 1955, the church moved to 241-44, Heungin-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, and on April 27, to a two-story building with a garden at 37, Jangchung-dong 1-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul. On October 7, 1955, right after True Father was released from Seodaemun Prison, it moved yet again, this time to 71-3, Cheongpa-dong 1-ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

This is the address that the church used on May 31, 1963, when it registered with the government as Civil Society Organization No. 261. It is where the True Father offered countless prayers while shedding tears and where he made many conditions of devotion for the advancement of the providence.

It is where he educated members day and night and where he prepared to expand the providence to the worldwide level.

1. When we think about all the people in today's world who died for God, just as Elijah said, all I can say is, “Lord, I alone am left.” It is with that heart that I am leading the providence in these miserable circumstances at the shabby Unification Church building whose address is 71-3, 1-ga, Cheongpa-dong, Seoul. This is the place under the sun where I am expanding the base for the salvation of the fallen world.

How sad God must feel as he looks down at this place, where a small band of followers and I are striving to dissolve the 6,000 years of His bitter sorrow. When I think of this, tears well up in my eyes.

Tears flow down my face when I think of God's situation, so sad and painful. But the question is how much you have experienced that heart. In the Unification Church, do you relate to God with such a heart?

You have not been thinking this way. (027-075, 1969/11/23)

2. The relationships we have brought to humankind are three-dimensional. They are not based on any philosophy or ideology that ever existed before. They are relationships originating in God's heart and His ideal of creation and from the standard of original nature and character. These relationships are the essence of all relationships. Therefore, you must guard their absoluteness.

These relationships have emerged here at Cheongpa-dong. The meaning of Cheongpa-dong is “green hills,” and green hills symbolize the ideal. At Cheongpa-dong, people live singing and aspiring for the ideal world of peace and freedom, where people sing with the hope that is fresh and green. Hence, our Headquarters Church in Cheongpa-dong is the base where we begin the four-position foundation on the horizontal plane. (049-206, 1971/10/10)

3. Cheongpa-dong Church was built on the site where a Buddhist temple stood long ago. During the Japanese occupation, Japanese families lived there. This is such a historic building. After I was released from Seodaemun Prison in 1955, I had nowhere to go, and I did what I had to do to purchase this property.

At first, the condition of the house was so terrible that it was like a den of ghosts. Even the poles supporting the ceiling were tarnished black, and we had to wash them with harsh soda to get them dean.

So many past relationships were intertwined within the structure. So after I bought this house, I resolved,

“While I am living here, I will ease the pain in all those spirits' bitter, vengeful hearts that have accumulated over a long history. I will make those who whipped others kneen, and expel those who kicked out the innocent people living there.” Even now, I have not forgotten my resolution. Even if everyone leaves me, and I am all alone, I will not forget. I will always keep the spirit to subjugate the entire fallen world. (051-227, 1971/11/28)

4. We must plant God's flag to save Korea. We gathered here to praise His victory in all the places where that flag is raised high. From the outside, this building may seem like nothing, but even though I live in this small and humble house, I have a dream of someday leading the whole world.

Some people ask me why Cheongpa-dong Church Headquarters is so shabby, even as the Unification Church makes such a sensation worldwide. Indeed, it looks shabby, even to me. Its roof was messy with broken tiles and in need of repair, but I left it as if I were without fixing it. It is not because I do not have the money, but I would rather save that money and spend it on the salvation of the Korean people.

When my efforts grow from today's fledgling efforts to reach public awareness, the people of Korea will understand what the Unification Church has done for them. When the people come to know our history, and how we have fought for this nation on their behalf, they will weep in deep repentance. We sincerely hope to see that day, and we are ever marching forward to welcome it.

The problem is not whether the house in which I live requires many repairs. I cannot make my residence comfortable as long as this nation and its people have many wounds that need to be healed. (022-105, 1969/01/26)

5. You need to maintain your dignity as a member of the Headquarters Church. You need to be able to encourage and raise the spirit of overseas members who yearn to visit the original homeland, who yearn to meet the people there, who yearn to live there and even stay there forever. If you cannot be God's representative, with His heart, and relate to all humanity from that position, you cannot be the people of the original homeland.

You have to have the heart to welcome overseas family members who come to see the original homeland.

Whether they are here for a day or two, or even a year, you should be able to live with them joyfully, and so close that your foreheads touch. Because they want to love you, you should be prepared to share all the joys and pains of life with them.

Otherwise, you will certainly hurt the many members who will come from abroad to visit Korea and who regard it as their original homeland.

Cheongpa-dong Church is not just an ordinary place. Countless members of Unification Churches from every corner of the world will come to Korea, regarding it as their original homeland. In particular, they will visit Cheongpa-dong Church and hold it in high esteem. Don't be discouraged because its current condition is not good. People who come to visit here will not expect to worship at a majestic palace.

Rather, they will come longing to embrace this humble Cheongpa-dong Church. (023-087, 1969/05/11)

A historic holy ground

At the original Cheongpa-dong Headquarters Church, the first floor was used as a sanctuary or a main hall, and the second floor housed True Father's bedroom, the church office, a hall for commemorative ceremonies, a counseling office, and employees' lodgings. At the time, so many members came to the church. Especially on Sunday, the sanctuary was filled to the bursting point.

True Father would pour out his words, full of grace. The atmosphere of the church services was always filled with divine spirit. When former church president Eu Hyo-won began giving Divine Principle lectures every day, the members' spirits were lifted even higher.

The sanctuary would be overflowing with members. Behind the scenes, the elderly women members continually prayed and offered devotions. Miracles occurred one after another. It was like a blast furnace of heart, where tears, laughter, reports and testimonies, Divine Principle lectures, and the singing of holy songs never ceased.

It also was the place for historic events, including True Parents' Holy Wedding, the establishment of the church's four great holy days, the birth of the True Children, the 36 and 72 Couples Blessing Ceremonies, and many others. When members throughout Korea offered their devotions with bows and prayers, they faced the direction of this main church.

The Cheongpa-dong Church is a holy altar and a historic holy ground. It is stained with the countless tears True Parents shed. That is why anyone from anywhere in the world who knows about the providence yearns for this place and finds their way to it eventually.

For this reason, True Father said that it should not be remodeled but preserved in its original form. This is because, no matter how shabby it may be, it is a place of nostalgia, full of historical memories and stories.

6. The main Unification Church is here in Cheongpa-dong, Seoul. Do those who work or live here have any qualifications to do so? Even though I do not say anything, I shed tears dozens of times a day. Those who live close to me know how I live. Even when I hear one word from a member, I can burst into tears. I am such a sensitive person.

Even currently, I hear family members throughout the nation praying in pain and sorrow. Some are going hungry; others are suffering from persecution. Still, others are in circumstances that allow them no freedom.

You who work or live at Cheongpa-dong need to be the catalysts for conveying my heart to those family members. Since you work here, whenever it is necessary, you must be willing to pay a greater price.

That is why whenever I want to reveal something new, I do not first speak about it at the Headquarters Church. I share it with the members in the local churches first, and only afterward at the Headquarters Church.

Those who live in the local churches pray more than those at the headquarters. As people who belong to the Headquarters Church, you should set the highest standard so that you will not be ashamed before heaven and earth.
(012-327, 1963/08/11)

7. You need to know that there are people who shed tears when they just look at a photo of Cheongpa-dong Headquarters Church or even when they simply remember it.

You have to be able to welcome those who come here in tears, become their friends, and comfort them from the bottom of your heart. I sincerely want you to receive many blessings from heaven and become people of whom I can be proud before God.

This is because you live together with me, and we have a special bond a bond formed from having shared all kinds of life experiences, both joyful and sorrowful. (012-329, 1963/08/11)

8. I know it is difficult to live with so many people crammed into this small church. We are not the only ones who are aware of this. God knows it even better than we do. Seeing us like this, people outside our community may think us foolish, but I do not agree.

I have never prayed to God, asking, “Please build me a church.” I even feel honored to be in this situation, with so many people in this small, cramped place.

When there is an event here, everyone pushes and shoves to come inside. When this happens, rather than feeling miserable, you should have the heart to comfort God's sorrow, praying, “Aren't we fortunate to be in this situation?” You need to attend events with this kind of heart.

When our church has people with this kind of heart, we will be able to pay the indemnity to restore the world. These miserable circumstances are a true treasure that we Koreans experience, and they are a resource we can use for restoration through indemnity.

These circumstances are not a condition for unhappiness. They are rather a condition that bestows upon us the benefit and grace of deeply penetrating God's inner heart and situation, connecting us to the level of His heart and His desire to build us a better church. (017-273, 1967/02/15)

9. In the future, people from around the world will come to visit Cheongpa-dong Church. This is not just an empty dream; they will come. Because I lived here, and because from here I pursued the Will of God, they will come, crossing national borders to follow the vision I have been teaching.

If I wanted to build a new church building, I could do it even now. But this house was the main church where many historical events were held. It is the place where heaven and earth wept profusely. It is the place where many people wept as they experienced God's bitter pain.

It is the place where I desperately appealed to God, even shedding blood. The stains of my tears in this place are connected to unforgettable memories. It is a sacred altar stained with countless tears of mine and others. It is not the kind of place you can walk in and out of casually. I have never treated this place in such a casual way. (012-328, 1963/08/11)

10. You should not violate the foundation that I created here with my devotions and prayers. The Unification Church has been following God's 6,000-year history, always pursuing God's Will. Therefore, anyone who fails to leave tear-stained footsteps while walking this path cannot become a person of heaven. That is what I believe.

I would like to ask you: When you kneen and pray in tears on this wooden floor, do you feel that this is the ground of hope that Heavenly Father has eagerly awaited for tens of thousands of years?

Do you experience the feeling of your bone marrow melting and feel in your heart that you are connected to God in flesh and blood?

Are you ever overwhelmed by sorrow and grief that begins with tears but that tears alone cannot end, so much so that you forget about yourself? Furthermore, when you pray in your daily life, do you ever completely forget about your situation?

I have laid my foundation with deep prayer and sincere devotion in the most difficult situations, and you need to do likewise. If you have not, you will be accused of the level of my devotion. It is the same for me. God has walked the path of suffering for eons while offering devotion to the Will, and I think that I shall be judged by the standard of His devotion.

To be judged based on His devotion will be a most fearful judgment. Therefore, in every circumstance of my life, struggle desperately with the question of how I can offer even an hour of devotion such that Heavenly Father feels compelled to comfort me. (042-233, 1971/03/14)

11. If visitors complain or make negative remarks about the Cheongpa-dong Headquarters Church when they see it, finding it to have a different standard from what they had expected, the heart of longing they had for the church will vanish.

If someone feels, “This is not what I was hoping to see,” and utters such words about it, then even though that person offered much devotion to the main church in the past, that offering will have been in vain.

Looking at the shabby Headquarters Church, if that person thinks, “Should this place where I offered devotions for so long remain the way it is? I will pay any price and make any sacrifice to make this church better than any other denomination's headquarters church,” and if he makes this resolution before heaven in tears, I believe that he will become my companion in the Will. Because his standard is higher than anyone else's, God will embrace him in His bosom.

I have heard many times, directly and indirectly, that most of the overseas family members cannot help

but feel this way. If this is what family members overseas feel and think, the Unification Church members in Korea should not let themselves fall behind them in caring for the Cheongpa-dong Church. (051-217, 1971/11/28)

12. At the Cheongpa-dong Headquarters Church, we held the Parents' Holy Wedding Ceremony, an event unprecedented in history. Here too, we conducted many historic works; God's Day, Parents' Day, Children's Day, and the Day of All Things were inaugurated here.

The Holy Wedding took place here in 1960. The 36 Couples and 72 Couples were given the marriage Blessing here as well. This is a historic place and we must not disgrace it.

If I wanted to build a new church, I could do it right away. I could take down this building and build a church structure better than any other church in Korea. However, I am not greedy. I do not hope to get something unless I first offer devotion and my motivation is God-centered. We cannot establish true history and tradition simply by using the money for a beautiful new building.
(051-228, 1971/11/28)

13. The Unification Church that you see in front of you with your own eyes is not everything. More important is what is behind it. I visited numerous palaces during my tours of dozens of countries.

However, when I visited them, I said to myself, “I will save the world starting from my small place.” If I offer more devotion in this small place than in the extravagant buildings of the world and make a spring of deep devotion and heart there that God will remember, I believe thirsty people will come to my spring.

It is not relevant whether the water of life pours out of a rocky cave or from high on a mountain ridge.

Everyone will go to that spot regardless of where it is. If that place yields true spring water, even a city will be built there. That place can become the original place of God's history and the birthplace of His culture. (051-229, 1971/11/28)

14. When I see the pillars holding up the ceiling at the Cheongpa-dong Church, I remember the time when I shed tears holding on to one of them. I can recall our church history and remember vividly the time when our whole nation was against us.

I know some people who keep their loved one's handkerchief inside their bosom as a treasure among all treasures and find solace in it throughout their lives. For others, that handkerchief may be something they can throw away in the washroom, but to the former, it is more precious than their lives. A handkerchief does not cost much, but once love is involved with it, it becomes priceless. (083-172, 1976/02/08)