The New Year’s meeting of Tenrikyo Church Headquarters was conducted in the Assembly Hall following the evening service on January 4. Attending this meeting, at which the Shinbashira delivered his New Year’s Address, were 696 officials of Church Headquarters, head ministers of directly supervised churches, superintendents of dioceses, members of the Assembly, committee members of Tenrikyo associations, and heads of Tenrikyo facilities.
The Shinbashira began his address by extending New Year’s greetings to the participants. In reference to the Director-in-Chief of Religious Affairs and the Director-in-Chief of Administrative Affairs, both of whom were newly appointed last October when Church Headquarters announced personnel changes, he said: “During this new year, you will be promoting activities under the leadership of the new directors-in-chief. I would like each of you to engage in your tasks in such a way that you will make further progress in your spiritual growth.”
Referring to his New Year’s Greetings, the Shinbashira said: “Because troubles in families may shake the foundation of our society, I would like to see us followers of the path—being the ones who understand the intention of God the Parent and the Divine Model of Oyasama—unite our minds as one, lead our daily lives in a way that befits followers of the path, and reflect the way we live to people in local communities. . . . Troubles could arise in any family. So let us lead our lives throughout the year by inquiring into God the Parent’s intention and making efforts to think and act in ways that befit followers of the path.”
Then the Shinbashira went on to tell the listeners, all of whom are leaders who play core roles in the tasks of the path: “I want to ask you to give careful thought to your positions and roles and reflect once again on the reason for conducting activities as well as the meaning of promoting activities, such as your association’s activities. . . . Since there is a purpose that churches are expected to fulfill, it is important to promote church activities while pondering over how churches came to be established.”
He concluded his New Year’s address by saying: “We must conduct activities even under difficult circumstances. In order to bring the world into closer accord with God the Parent’s intention, let us do everything we can through the positions entrusted to us.”