Church Headquarters began sending its officials on November 20 to directly supervised churches in an effort to ensure that a full understanding of the intention in observing the 120th Anniversary of Oyasama would be achieved.
The officials carry out their visits on the basis of Instruction Two, which was announced by the Shinbashira at the Autumn Grand Service to provide guidelines for the activities to be conducted over the next “three years, one thousand days” leading up to the anniversary. “We have no way of responding to [the Parent’s] boundless parental love,” says the Shinbashira in the Instruction, “except by cultivating the mind of saving others and by implementing salvation work.” He strongly urges that each and every Yoboku make genuine efforts to sprinkle the fragrance of the teachings and help others be saved.
All directly supervised churches are scheduled to receive official visits by the end of February. The head ministers of all churches, their spouses, and church officials are expected to be present at their directly supervised churches when officials from Church Headquarters visit them. The directly supervised churches will draw on the official visits to take necessary steps to ensure that all followers belonging to their subordinate churches clearly understand the significance of the anniversary-related activities.
Among the first churches to receive official visits were Kochi, Muya, and Takayasu grand churches. As to the overseas regions, the mission headquarters in Taiwan and South Korea have already received official visits. Visits to the mission headquarters in three other regions will be made next year–to Brazil on January 11 and to America and Hawaii on February 15.