The Autumn Grand Service, which commemorates the Teaching’s day of origin, for the 187th year of the Teaching was performed in the Main Sanctuary on October 26 with Successor-Designate Daisuke Nakayama serving as chief officiant.
On the day of the Service, shortly before 8:00 a.m.—the hour at which Oyasama was settled as the Shrine of Tsukihi in 1838—Rev. Daisuke Nakayama left the Staff Quarters with other Service performers for the Foundress’ Sanctuary and the Memorial Hall to pay their respects before proceeding to the upper dais in the Main Sanctuary.
In the Service prayer, Rev. Nakayama first expressed gratitude to God the Parent for becoming openly revealed in this world by settling Oyasama as the Shrine upon the arrival of the Promised Time and for guiding us along the path of spiritual growth with unchanging parental love and free and unlimited workings. He then said: “On this auspicious day today, all of us Service performers as well as church head ministers and other Yoboku return our thoughts to the Teaching’s Day of Origin and rededicate ourselves to the tasks of single-hearted salvation with the expectation of making further spiritual growth. We take to heart the Divine Model by pondering deeply over Your intention embodied in various problems that are shown to us. With the awareness of universal brotherhood, we are determined to exert our utmost sincerity and to make great strides in accordance with the seasonable time.”
The prayer was followed by the joyous performance of the Kagura Service and the Dance with Hand Movements.
After the Service performance, the Shinbashira addressed the congregation. He said that, as this year marks the halfway point of the “three years, one thousand days” period leading up to the 140th Anniversary of Oyasama, we reviewed the goals that had been set by directly supervised churches and their affiliated churches and made some adjustments to them so as to be able to make steady progress moving forward with a renewed awareness of our goals. He then noted that, as we entered the second half of the pre-anniversary period, torrential rains wreaked havoc across the Noto Peninsula, which was the same region that had been struck by major earthquakes on New Year’s Day. “I felt that the efforts we had been making toward the upcoming anniversary were not really sufficient to respond to the intention of our Parent,” said the Shinbashira, adding: “In order for us followers of the path to take firm steps forward in unity of mind, we will need to continue to nurture more and more Yoboku by helping them turn their thoughts to the anniversary and thereby engage in the activities toward the anniversary. Without such efforts, we will not be able to bring peace of mind to Oyasama.”
Toward the end of his address, he noted that it is particularly important to implement actions during the “three years, one thousand days” period. He concluded his address by urging the listeners to earnestly engage in their activities during the remaining one third of the pre-anniversary period ever more spiritedly so as to be able to have a sense of delight on the day of the anniversary.