New National VP Returns to Familiar Roots
In the fall of 1983, South Korean native Ken Doo was a regular student attending Wonkwang University, a Buddhist-run school in the North Jeolla Province—except he had enrolled solely in hopes of finding the Unification movement on campus.
“Before college, I came across a book called, Who is Reverend Sun Myung Moon?” said Mr. Doo. “That was the first time I learned about Father Moon. I felt I really wanted to help him with his providential mission so I went to college looking for the CARP center there.”
Two years later, in 1985, a Unification presence emerged on campus and Mr. Doo promptly joined the movement.
Today, Rev. Doo is the father of five young adult children and the pastor of Las Vegas Family Church, where he’s spent the last eight years building up the community. “Our community is wonderful and we have so many talented people,” he says. “We’re very supportive and have a lot of potential here.”
But Rev. Doo’s focus has now expanded, having recently taken on the role as vice president of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) USA. He says he’s grateful for the opportunity to serve in a greater capacity and is committed to touching more lives through his faith.
“I sincerely thank True Mother for believing and trusting me,” he says. “I will convey her words and the providence here in America. I have the same cultural background and language as True Parents and believe I can contribute to helping our younger generations connect more deeply with them.”
True Parents is an affectionate term for the late Rev. Moon and his wife, Dr. Moon, who co-founded FFWPU together. Rev. Doo fondly recalls working closely with them while at the international headquarters in Seoul before working with European CARP in Frankfurt and eventually coming to the U.S. in 1992.
For every transition in his life, Rev. Doo says his faith carried him through. “My attitude was always humble,” he says, “so whenever I had a difficult time, I felt God was giving me an opportunity to become a better person. I would have a difficult situation, then overcome it, and that really helped me in developing a strong faith.”
In August 1992, Rev. Doo received the Marriage Blessing in the 30,000 couples’ ceremony. He went on to establish the first Midwest district of the U.S. movement, and, in 2001, joined FFWPU national headquarters for the first time.
“I co-created and launched familyfed.org and the video department with Tom Tanemori,” he says. “I was inspired to quickly deliver True Parents’ messages to the national community and the world… I always carried a video and photo camera,” he says with a chuckle. “We did a pretty good job at the time.”
Now, Rev. Doo is ready for a fresh return, working remotely with FFWPU-USA leaders who officially welcomed him as national vice president on July 4.
“We congratulate Rev. Doo and welcome him on board,” said Rev. Naokimi Ushiroda, national president of FFWPU. “He will be primarily looking over the West of the U.S. and still working locally in the Las Vegas area.”
Rev. Doo views his new role as a bridge between the movement’s founders and the community in America. “I feel a responsibility for developing that connection,” he says. “It’s a crucial time for True Parents’ legacy and the future of this nation is our younger generation.”
