Tenrikyo Mission Headquarters in America held the opening ceremony of the multi-purpose hall on August 19 with Overseas Department Head Y oshikazu Terada in attendance.
The opening ceremony consisted of an appreciation service, ribbon-cutting ceremony, and luncheon. After the appreciation service, Bishop Motoo Matsuda delivered an address. Expressing the joy of the completion of the long-awaited multi-purpose hall, he thanked the followers in America and Canada for their contribution and cooperation and those involved in the construction as well. He explained that the hall is going to be used as a “place to nurture and cultivate the spiritual growth of the young” and said, “Let us make up our mind to nurture Yoboku who will carry out the construction of the world of the Joyous Life as well as nurture ourselves, and fulfill the purpose of the construction of the hall.” Following his speech, the ribbon-cutting ceremony was performed in front of the hall by Rev. Terada, Bishop Matsuda and his wife, and representatives of the followers in America and Canada. Yoki Daiko, a Japanese drumming club consisting of young followers, gave a performance after that. A total of 350 people participated in the ceremony.
The mission headquarters started planning the construction of the multi-purpose hall three years ago. Last November, the mission headquarters held a prayer service to commence the construction. The construction started from the beginning of this year. The multi-purpose hall is a two-storied building and connects with the south side of the 50th Anniversary Commemorative Hall, which had been attached to Los Angeles Tenri Judo Dojo and Hinomoto Library at its west end. The ground floor will be mainly used by the Boys and Girls Association and Women’s Association. It also has an office, classrooms, and a printing room. The second floor has two lecture rooms: one with a capacity of 200 people and the other with 60. The multi-purpose hall also has rooms for lodging.