On February 27, Tenrikyo Boys and Girls Association held its leaders’ meeting at Dining Hall 2 in the Home of the Parent, attended by heads and committee members of directly supervised and diocese chapters, as well as those chapters’ nurturing committee members.
This year, which marks the 60th anniversary of the association’s founding, the activity guidelines were announced as: “Let’s keep in mind the spirit of the founding of the association and advance our efforts to nurture the children of the path, looking forward to the future.” Four new concrete goals are as follows: (1) Let’s cultivate the sense of gratitude toward God the Parent; (2) Let’s enrich activities in ordinary times; (3) Let’s encourage the active participation of wakagi (junior high school members); and (4) Let’s invite many children to the Children’s Pilgrimage to Jiba.
At the meeting, Honbu-in Chikara Iburi, serving as a senior adviser to the association, read a message from the Shinbashira, president of the association.
In his message, the Shinbashira touched upon the history of the Boys and Girls Association’s founding. He stated that the purpose of the association is to convey the joy of faith to children and to provide them with training so that they can internalize the teachings of Oyasama, thereby laying a foundation for them to grow into fine Yoboku in the future. He noted that the Association Pledge can be said to embody this very purpose.
Furthermore, he pointed out that for the association’s activities to achieve this goal, it is not enough to simply bring children to the Children’s Pilgrimage to Jiba or to organize events at churches. He emphasized that it is crucial to take a step further and guide children so that they will walk the path firmly in the future. “This association’s activities are not limited to special events. Any time we spend with children—whether it is around the clock in the home, or every moment children are at the church—can be considered the time for Boys and Girls Association activities. I ask all of you to be fully aware of the importance of how we spend this time,” he urged.
Following this, citing passages from the Divine Directions, he emphasized that the model for nurturing is found in the Divine Model of Oyasama. He then stated that in our daily lives, it is important to take the initiative to learn the Divine Model ever more deeply and to feel the profound parental love embodied in that model. He went on to explain that such an attitude naturally manifests in our words and actions, and children, observing this, will learn and gradually internalize the teachings and make them part of their daily lives.
In conclusion, the Shinbashira stated that, while it goes without saying that realizing the Joyous Life requires striving to convey the teachings and help save others, it is indispensable to make painstaking efforts to ensure that the children who will walk the path into the next era acquire an unerring faith. He asked the leaders to spare no effort in this regard so as to ensure that Oyasama’s teachings are passed down without error to the next generation and into the future. He closed his message by requesting the listeners to further increase their devotion to this task.
Following the Shinbashira’s message, Chairperson Masanori Shimamura took the podium to explain the activity guidelines and concrete goals.
In his address, he expressed his desire to position this milestone year as a “year of a fresh start” for nurturing children with an eye toward the next generation. He pledged to advance the vertical mission one or two steps further with a medium- to long-term perspective, not just for this year alone. He concluded by saying that he hopes everyone will work in high spirits, looking forward to seeing the children grow into fine Yoboku, and make this year a meaningful one.