Uniting Clergy for 21 Years
FFWPU-USA
Today marks the 21st anniversary of the American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC), founded May 21, 2000 by the late Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. A special summit in Las Vegas is currently underway—following Covid-19 guidelines—where U.S. clergy are celebrating this milestone while discussing the vision of the ACLC for the next seven years.
“This is not just about ACLC’s anniversary,” said ACLC National Co-Chair Dr. Luonne Rouse, “it’s about Dr. Moon reaching clergy and sharing the Marriage Blessing.”
ACLC is a coalition of clergy united to strengthen marriages, rebuild families, restore communities, and renew the nation and the world. Its mission—to unify clergy in the work of God—promotes ideal families centered on God, our Heavenly Parent.
Rev. and Dr. Moon led this effort by initiating the Marriage Blessing in the 1960s, a movement to revive America and the world through the anointed healing and rebuilding of marriages. To date, millions of couples from all backgrounds worldwide have received the Marriage Blessing. On June 5, some 14,000 clergy are anticipated to join a Peace and Blessing Festival featuring a special message from Dr. Moon and Bishop Noel Jones of City of Refuge megachurch.
“We are reconnecting with God’s Will,” said Dr. Rouse. “We are seeking and striving for world peace… Building God’s Kingdom is the responsibility of clergy… it starts with us; one person, one family, under God.”
The ACLC began when 120 clergy from 17 denominations affirmed the God-given vision of Rev. and Dr. Moon to unite Christianity in America. They traveled to Seoul for the inaugural conference and visited the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), where they released 150 doves of peace, and the Cheongpyeong Heaven and Earth Training Center.
Today, the ACLC has swelled to more than 20,000 clergy of many denominations. And since its inception, four associations have emerged: The 172 Clergy, Women in Ministry (WIM), World Christian Leadership Conference (WCLC), and Young Christian Leadership Conference (YCLC). A throng of programs rooted in Unification and Christian teachings have also been developed, including “Chosen” and “Bridge of Hope and Healing.”
Faith leaders throughout the U.S., such as the late Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery, a civil rights leader and co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), provided enduring support for Rev. and Dr. Moon, advocating for the Unification movement.
“Dr. Lowery’s ministry laid the cornerstone for what would later become the ACLC and the WCLC,” said Dr. Michael Jenkins, ACLC national co-chair emeritus. “This became the basis of the Christian clergy who stood with True Parents.” True Parents is an affectionate term for Rev. and Dr. Moon.
With chapters nationwide, the ACLC hosted monthly prayer breakfasts to facilitate meaningful dialogue and exchange among clergy, as well as national convocations, pastors’ forums, and the annual True Family Values Awards Banquet—an interfaith and intercultural education effort recognizing prominent peacemakers around the country. Notable ACLC event attendees include former U.S. President Barack Obama and former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama in the early 2000s.
The ACLC also played a central role in Rev. Moon’s 2001 “We Will Stand in Oneness” U.S. speaking tour, and was instrumental in launching Rev. and Dr. Moon’s Middle East Peace Initiative (MEPI) with pilgrimages to the Holy Land in 2003.
Looking ahead, Dr. Chung Sik Yong, ACLC national co-chair and Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) regional president of North America, gave the keynote address at the summit. He said ACLC remains focused on sharing the Marriage Blessing with clergy and the world, having expanded internationally in 2019 with the Korean Christian Leadership Conference (KCLC). Dr. Yong asked that clergy share the Marriage Blessing with their congregations, blessing at least 430 couples.
You can give a special donation to commemorate ACLC’s 21st anniversary here.
