Les Années Pionnières

Ever since its founding the unification movement have aimed at instilling the word of God and leading the world to life.

In the early days, members would go out of the streets and parks with blackboards and lecture there, as the church's limited finances meant there were few, if any, publication for witnessing. New guests were invited to attend Principle lectures or revival meetings.

The church began to initiate weekend workshops, plus 7-days, 21-days and 40-days training, to provide intensive lectures in order to concretely teach the will of God and the Unification Principles. 

In 1958, the Central Cultural Hall of Myongdong in Seoul was opened as a training center, and in the winter of that year, Rallies were held in Pusan (November 21), Taegu (November 28),Taejon (December 8), Kunsan (December 11), for one week at a time. With the momentum of these activities, the first revival meeting was held December 16 of the same year at the Shicheon Hall in Seoul. Thus began the tradition of public declaration of the Principle before large audiences.

In 1960, official forty-day witnessing periods were initiated. The seventh witnessing program, in which missionaries were dispatched to three thousand villages nationwide on May 22, 1963, was considered to be a culmination of this period. The primary course of the church had been fulfilled by these forty-day campaigns, and the second stage was at hand.

During this time, Principle revival meetings were held throughout the country. As a result of the blood, toil and tears of the members, one thousand churches were built as a bulwark for the transmission of the will of Heaven.